FLAWED STATE BUDGET PASSED, FLAWED PROCESS EVEN MORE EVIDENT
After the longest session in California Senate history (45.5 hours), at 6:00 am Thursday morning the Senate finally managed to pass the budget package it had been debating since Saturday night. For several days, the Senate lacked the final GOP vote needed to reach the 2/3rds threshold, despite the fact that the proposal contained a mix of deep cuts and new revenue and included significant rollbacks to public health and environmental protections long sought by a small group of conservative lawmakers.
Senator Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) finally provided the 27th vote, but only after extracting more concessions. "This entire process, from the backroom negotiations to the extortion by one senator, clearly shows that our system is broken," said Tina Andolina, Legislative Director for the Planning and Conservation League. "California's financial stability should never again be held hostage by a small handful of individuals determined to pursue their own ideological agenda."
Because of the demands made by the Republican legislative leaders, policies that had nothing to do with the budget were ultimately included in the package and will now have repercussions above and beyond the severe cuts to public transportation, schools, and social services. Delaying implementation of regulations to clean up polluting diesel construction equipment will mean dirtier air, increased lung and heart disease, and higher health care costs. The package also includes several exemptions to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) which will further exacerbate our air pollution problems and hamper the fight against global warming while shutting people out of the process of deciding the future of their communities.
A handful of legislators, who are so clearly out of step with mainstream Californians, have tried several times to win these types of concessions. When they try it in the light of day, they get a backlash from the public. So instead they held us all hostage, standing by as more and more Californians lost their jobs and we inched ever closer to financial chaos. In the end, the ransom was paid - and we'll keep paying with our lives and lungs. We can never let this happen again. We must reform how we do business.
A WISE INVESTMENT: ASSEMBLY LAUNCHES TASKFORCE ON 'STIMULUS, ECONOMIC RECOVERY, AND JOBS'
Wouldn't it be great if the state had long term economic goals for a more viable and sustainable future? Well, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass has moved California closer to that goal this week by forming the Assembly Stimulus, Economic Recovery, and Jobs (SERJ) Task Force to initiate a strategy to optimize the use of new federal funding and tackle California's pressing economic needs.
The SERJ Task Force will be led by Assemblymember V. Manuel Pérez, chair of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy, in collaboration with local governments, business leaders, workers, and community groups. According to Assemblymember Pérez, it's important for all groups to be at the table. "The success of the state's recovery will be measured on whether the lives of individuals within our local communities have improved. Without a blueprint to guide our actions, we are likely to be unable to maximize the benefit of federal stimulus dollars," Pérez noted.
Information will be shared and comments taken at a number of public hearings, including a joint legislative hearing on March 5th, community forums scheduled for March and April, and a legislative hearing in May. Speaker Bass has also stated that she has asked the Assembly policy committees to begin special hearings next week on how their individual policy activities can help make the best use of the state's economic recovery ideas and actions.
UNBREAKING CALIFORNIA: JOIN US NEXT TUESDAY FOR A SUMMIT ON A NEW CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
Day by day, evidence piles up demonstrating that California's government is not only broken, it's bankrupting our future. The Legislature's failure to negotiate a fair and reasonable budget and make other desperately needed reforms in environmental protection, education, healthcare, and our correctional system are exacting a heavy toll on businesses and residents. In almost every case, the failure to act costs inordinately more than the proposed solutions and results in real human suffering.
This inaction is due in part to outdated rules of governance enshrined in our state constitution. Fortunately that's something we can fix. California's constitution was always meant to be a living document that could adjust to the times. But our current approach of running ballot initiatives every few years can't possibly solve a crisis of this magnitude. Our constitution needs serious structural reform, something that hasn't happened since 1879. A constitutional convention is the only politically viable means to achieve those reforms. A convention isn't without its own risks, but as Californians who profoundly love our state, we have an obligation to try.
Please join us on Tuesday, February 24th for the California Constitutional Convention Summit hosted by PCL, the Bay Area Council, and our other Summit Partners. The event will take place at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento from 9:00am to 2:30pm. We'll identify the reforms that California needs to function again, explore the process for convening a Constitutional Convention, and review a new statewide poll that gauges the level of public support for such an initiative. Please spread the word to your colleagues and your friends, as we need their voices to be represented as well.
Register today at www.repaircalifornia.org. For more information, please contact Andrea Feiner at (415) 946-8714.
BUILDING CLIMATE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES: PCL FOUNDATION TO CO-HOST WORKSHOP FOR ACTIVISTS IN SILICON VALLEY
As part of our Local Climate Action Initiative, we're partnering with the Cool Cities Campaign of the Sierra Club's Loma Prieta Chapter, and Greenbelt Alliance to offer a half-day training on concrete tools you can use to fight global warming in your community. This workshop will focus on specific policy principles and engagement strategies to shape your city's general plan and implement green building ordinances.
Please join us to learn how to help your elected officials grow your community responsibly and cut the region's carbon footprint.
Saturday, March 14, 2009, 9:00am - 12:00pm (doors open at 8:30am)
Menlo Park City Council Chambers
701 Laurel Street, Menlo Park, CA
Free, RSVP Requested.
Want to support a Local Climate Action Initiative event in your community? Contact PCL's global warming program manager, Matt Vander Sluis.
SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN DELTA COMMUNITY HONORS CONGRESSMAN MILLER
On Saturday, February 28thCongressman Miller (D-Martinez) will be honored by Restore the Delta with the inaugural "Delta Advocate" award for his years of committed service in protecting and enhancing the Bay Delta Watershed at the federal level and his responsiveness to the Delta community. Restore the Delta, a Delta-based coalition including Delta farmers, environmentalists, everyday citizens, fishermen, business leaders, the faith community, and recreation enthusiasts, will present the award, as well as three others at their symposium entitled "A Bold Direction: The People's Vision for the Delta" on February 28, 2009. The event will be held at Wine and Roses Hotel in Lodi, California from 8:15 am to 4:45 pm.
Congressman Miller is also slated to deliver the morning keynote address at the symposium which will kick off a focused discussion on the future of the Bay Delta. Congressman Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton) will also join the discussion as the afternoon keynote. To register for the symposium, visit the Restore the Delta webpage at http://www.restorethedelta.org.
1107 9th Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone (916) 444-8726 • Fax (916) 448-1789
1107 9th Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814 • Phone (916) 444-8726 • Fax (916) 448-1789 •
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