November Capitol Report: How They Voted
Printer-friendly versionNovember 29, 2009 (Washington and Sacramento) – Do you know how your Congressional and State Legislative representatives voted on important recent bills? Find out here! For more information on these and other bills, visit www.vote-smart.org, www.govtrack.us, www.opencongress.org and www.aroundthecapitol.com. FEDERAL BILLS & VOTES (CONGRESS) H.R. 3548: WORKER, HOMEOWNER AND BUSINESS ASSISTANCE ACT Status: Signed into law by President Obama Description: his bill would extend unemployment insurance benefits by 13 weeks in states that have jobless rates above 8.5 percent. Votes: Reps. Bilbray, Davis, Filner, Hunter, and Issa: Aye Senators Boxer and Feinstein: Aye H.R. 3590 : THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT Status: Passed House, brought to full Senate by motion; awaiting vote on Senate Floor. Description: The bill would expand health care coverage to 31 million currently uninsured Americans through a combination of cost controls, subsidies and mandates. It is estimated to cost $848 billion over a 10 year period, but would be fully offset by new taxes and revenues and would actually reduce the deficit by $130 billion over the same period. Notably, the bill would create a government-run insurance plan (a.k.a the public option) to compete with private insurers, but individual states would be able to choose whether or not to offer it to their residents. (Note: this description is from www.opencongress.gov.) The Democratic Policy Committee has a more detailed summary of the health care bill at http://dpc.senate.gov/dpcdoc.cfm?doc_name=lb-111-1-151. This measure is being used as the vehicle for similar reform in the Senate. Votes: Senators Boxer and Feinstein: Aye (on cloture to bring bill to Senate Floor) On passage of bill in House: Representatives Bilbray, Davis, Filner, Hunter,and Issa: Aye H.R. 3962: AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE FOR AMERICANS ACT Status: Passed House, awaiting vote in Senate Description from OpenCongress.gov: This is the House health care bill that was approved by the House of Representatives on Nov. 7, 2009. Broadly, it seeks to expand health care coverage to the approximately 40 million Americans who are currently uninsured by lowering the cost of health care and making the system more efficient. To that end, it includes a new government-run insurance plan (a.k.a. a public option) to compete with the private companies, a requirement that all Americans have health insurance, a ban on denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition and, to pay for it all, a surtax on individuals with incomes above $500,000. Vote: Reps. Davis and Filner: Yes Reps. Bilbray, Hunter and Issa: No H.R. 2454: AMERICAN CLEAN ENERGY AND SECURITY ACT OF 2009 Status: Passed House, Awaiting vote in Senate Description: This is the Waxman-Markley comprehensive energy bill, known for short as “ACES,” that includes a cap-and-trade global warming reduction plan designed to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent by 2020. Other provisions include new renewable requirements for utilities, studies and incentives regarding new carbon capture and sequestration technologies, energy efficiency incentives for homes and buildings, and grants for green jobs, among other things. Vote: Reps. Davis and Filner: Yes Reps. Bilbray, Hunter and Issa: No STATE BILLS: CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE AB 24: FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR NEW CSU CAMPUS IN CHULA VISTA Status: Vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger Description: Would have required a feasibility study on the need for a new California State University campus in Chula Vista to accommodate San Diego County’s growing population’s educational need, with funding for study provided from non-state sources. Votes: Assemblymembers Block, Harkey, Jeffries, Salas and Saldana: Yes Assemblymembers Anderson and Garrick: No Senators Ducheny, Hollingsworth, Kehoe and Wyland: Yes AB 1020: PUBLIC SWIMMING POOLS ANTI-ENTRAPMENT DEVICES Status: Signed by Governor Description: Requires public swimming pools to install anti-entrapment devices to prevent deaths that have occurred when swimmers become sucked into a pool drain, and imposes penalties for pool operators that fail to comply within specified time limits. This bill passed the Senate unanimously and passed the Assembly by a 73-2 vote. Senators Ducheny, Kehoe and Wyland voted yes. Senator Holllingsworth did not vote. Assemblymembers Block, Fletcher, Garrick, Harkey, Salas and Saldana voted yes. Assemblyman Anderson voted no. AB 920: CALIFORNIA SOLAR SURPLUS ACT Status: Signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger Description: AB 920 requires utility companies to pay households or businesses for any extra electricity produced by the customer’s solar power system. Supporters said the bill would encourage customers, who previously had no incentive to use less electricity than was generated, to be more efficient. Votes: Assemblymembers Block, Fletcher, Garrick, Harkey, Salas and Saldana: Yes Assemblyman Anderson: No Senators Ducheny and Kehoe: Yes Senators Hollingsworth and Wyland: No SBx 7 1: SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN DELTA MANAGEMENT PLAN Status: Signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger Description: Senators Hollingsworth, Ducheny, Kehoe and Wyland: Yes SB 94: MORTGAGE LOANS Status: Approved by Governor on October 11 Description: Increases protections for consumers in the mortgage industry and tightens regulation of foreclosure consultants. Votes: Senators Ducheny, Kehoe and Wyland: Yes Senator Hollingsworth: No Assemblymembers Block, Fletcher, Garrick, Harkey, Salas and Saldana: Yes Assemblyman Anderson: No Printer-friendly version
LOCAL ANTI-WAR PROTESTS PLANNED TONIGHT IN RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT’S ESCALATION OF AFGHANISTAN WAR
Printer-friendly version Rep. Hunter supports greater troop escalation than President seeks to deploy December 2, 2009 – Local peace activists are staging rallies to protest President Obama’s announcement yesterday to increase troops in Afghanistan. Organizers say that funds would be better spent to address serious domestic issues, such as the healthcare crisis, unemployment, and more. San Diego Coalition for Peace & Justice (SDCPJ) plans a rally this evening from 5 to 6 p.m. outside Congresswoman Susan Davis’ office at the intersection of University Avenue and Fairmont Avenue in City Heights. Davis has posted a poll on her website asking constituents their views on the troop surge. An additional candlelight vigil is being planned by the Ramona Forum tonight from 5 to 8 p.m. at 10th and Main Street in Ramona. Yesterday President Barack Obama announced plans to deploy an additional 34,000 troops to Afghanistan in early 2010 an effort to maintain pressure on Al Qaeda, halt the Taliban’s resurgence, and stabilize the war-torn country’s government. Obama also stated his intent to begin withdrawing forces in July 2011. View his complete speech and read text here. “We are in the deepest economic crisis in over 70 years, with the highest unemployment rates in living memory, and deep cuts in education and social services,” a statement issued by SDCPJ reads. “We should not be forced to tighten our belts to pay for their imperial adventures.” Presently there are 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The surge would push that to over 100,000. As many as 4,000 of the additional troops slated for deployment could be sent from Camp Pendleton. While protests of the troop escalation are springing up across the nation in the wake of the President’s announcement, others believe the surge is not enough. U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal had asked for 40,000 to 60,000 troops. Rep. Duncan Hunter, (R-El Cajon), who represents most of East County, met with McChrystal during a recent trip to Afghanistan and has called on the Persident to provide McChrystal the number of troops requested by the General. "There appears to be unanimous agreement among military commanders and their civilian counterparts that additional combat troops are needed – and needed fast," he said on November 1st. Hunter, a former Marine served one tour of duty in Afghanistan and two in Iraq before taking his father’s seat in Congress. Hunter also stated that he believes victory in Afghanistan is within reach. In response to the President’s announcement yesterday, Hunter told the Union-Tribune, "I want to know what this means for our timeline in getting out of there" and questioned why the President is sending fewer troops than McChrystal requested. " Organizers of the protest at Davis’ office ask participants to bring candles or flashlights. In Ramona, participants are requested to bring candles and paper cups to serve as wind breaks. Printer-friendly version
BOOK REVIEW: SAN DIEGO BAY: A CALL FOR CONSERVATION
Printer-friendly version San Diego Bay: A Call for Conservation By the Students at Jacobs High Tech High. Foreword by E. O. Wilson. Preface by Jane Goodall. University of California San Diego Sea Grant Program. San Diego. 2009. Paperback. Illustrated. 344 pages. $24.95. Distributed by Sunbelt Publications, El Cajon, CA. Reviewed by Walter Hall Part history, part politics, part biology, part artistic reflection and all heart…a remarkable testament to the power of project-based learning in a complex and changing world. — Allison Alberts, Zoological Society of San Diego. San Diego teacher Dr. Jay Vavra and his colleagues at Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High have quietly accomplished something extraordinary. Over the past six years, under the rubric of the San Diego Bay Study, they engaged some 250 students in original research leading to ecological assessments that today are invaluable references for San Diego’s civic leaders, policymakers and conservation advocates. The students documented their discoveries in a series of fascinating books, putting many of San Diego’s most pressing environmental priorities under the microscope. The first three volumes were Two Sides of the Boat Channel: A Field Guide (2005); Perspectives of San Diego Bay: A Field Guide (2006); and San Diego Bay: A Story of Exploitation and Restoration (2007). The present volume, A Call for Conservation, is the fourth to appear. With each new work, Vavra’s farsighted team nudged the bar a little higher, but the students cleared it with flying colors. A Call caps the series (to date) with an impressive contribution to the local literature on the Bay and surrounding coast. Using their academic base in Liberty Station as a field laboratory, the students set out to explore the complexity and the fragility revealed by the interaction of urban and bay ecosystems. Armed with the fundamental questions that guided their work (Is civilization inherently harmful to nature? Can we repair our relationship to the natural world?) they waded into the bay’s diverse habitats and then took their inquiry directly into the offices of some of the nation’s foremost scientists. The resulting interviews succeed on several levels at once. The scientists’ perspectives add depth and texture, while their own professional profiles balance the science with an element of human interest. By bringing the verbatim testimony of experts to bear on each major subject, the authors give the volume an additional measure of credibility, authenticity and immediacy. The humanities enrich the story in equal measure. The emotional impact of the science is highlighted by original poetry. Placed throughout the book, the poems illuminate an unexpected maturity and an awareness of what might have been, as in these closing words from Sean Curtice’s haunting Breathe Adieu: With sadness now I face the truth: Man brings with him an endless pain. Vivacity of nature’s youth Will never here be seen again. Despite the sense of loss, this is not an anti-development scolding. The accounts of habitat destruction or species decline are matched by corresponding studies of recovery or remediation. The students chronicle the principal causes of damage to the bay over the years, but they give equal time to an enlightening examination of potential solutions. The “solutions” section of the book introduces readers to many notable stewards of the bay. Through these sketches, we meet the people and the organizations actively contributing to the recovery of our maritime inheritance. By relating these efforts, the student scientists and authors help us to better understand the meaning of coastal living – the beauty and the responsibility. As E. O. Wilson points out, this collection has a special importance for science education – and not just for enrolled students, but for learners at all stages of life. The deft mix of science and the humanities is readily accessible; the numerous photographs bring the text to life, while the story of the bay remains both timely and relevant to the lives of all San Diegans. The fate of the Sweetwater rainbow trout reminds us that the stakes are high, the losses permanent. As a quick reference guide to the region’s maritime institutions, as well as destinations for learning and recreation, the book is well suited to either the family room or the car. The text is beautifully illustrated with full color images and photographs throughout. A durable, coated paper gives the wildlife photography an exceptional vitality. Signposts to further investigation are listed in a chapter-by-chapter bibliography. The Chula Vista Nature Center, to which this volume is dedicated, is a wonderful example of local treasures that deserve to be better known. San Diegans who have strolled on the embarcadero, admired the reach of the bay from Point Loma, navigated its currents and tides, fished from its piers or just shared a romantic meal at waterside, will profit from this fine work. Audubon magazine’s Ted Williams describes the achievement of A Call for Conservation as “a perfect balance of warning, encouragement, lament and celebration.” He’s right. And it arrives in a smartly designed package that gives readers ample cause for optimism. High Tech High’s youthful scholars, and their mentors, did give their hearts to this exemplary work on the bay. With that, they became part of San Diego’s conscience. Our better angels. Both A Call for Conservation and the earlier Story of Exploitation and Recovery are available from Sunbelt Publications in El Cajon. Meet project leader Dr. Jay Vavra and pick up a discounted copy at Sunbelt’s Holiday Open House on Thursday, December 3rd. For information call Sunbelt at 619-258-4911. ***** Walter Hall is the pseudonym of a La Mesa-based writer and national security analyst. He is a principal at Black Swan Advisors. Printer-friendly version
HOLIDAY JAZZ CONCERT AT GROSSMONT COLLEGE DEC. 10
Printer-friendly version December 2, 2009 (El Cajon)–The Grossmont College Music Department’s Jazz Ensemble will perform a holiday program starting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10, at the Cuyamaca College Arts Center auditorium, 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway, in El Cajon. The public is invited to attend. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Also performing will be Jazz Xpress, a notable local group under the direction of Stan Lawrence. For more information, phone the Grossmont College Music Department at (619) 644-7254. Grossmont College’s Jazz Ensemble is under the direction of Paul Kurokawa, co-chairman of the Music Department at Grossmont College. Cuyamaca College is located at 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway in El Cajon. For a map and driving directions, visit www.cuyamaca.edu Printer-friendly version
LOCAL PUBLISHER TURNS 25, THROWS EARLY HOLIDAY PARTY DEC. 3
Printer-friendly version December 2, 2009 (El Cajon)– San Diego’s own book publisher, Sunbelt Publications, whose latest local-interest book is San Diego’s Finest Athletes: Five Exceptional Lives, turns twenty–five years old in December with a wide array of new books for all ages, and a big holiday party. On December 3, 2009, from 4:00 to 8:00 PM, Sunbelt will host their annual Holiday Party, with presentations by local authors, refreshments (including samples from three cookbooks), open warehouse shopping with discounts on books, and prize drawings. Dr. Jay Vavra of High Tech High (San Diego Bay: A Call for Conservation), Joey Seymour (San Diego’s Finest Athletes), and Gary Mitrovich (East of San Diego) will be presenting from 5-7 pm. The event is free, but please RSVP—everyone is welcome to attend. Back in December of 1984, desert buff and author Diana Lindsay put a couple boxes of books into her VW Vanagon and headed up to Julian to see if she could distribute her two desert books and a handful of other publishers’ titles. Frustrated by the problem of distribution of their own natural history and guide books, Diana and her husband, author Lowell Lindsay, had decided to become specialty distributors themselves, with a publishing program that would feed into that system. Twenty-five years later, Sunbelt is an award-winning publisher and book distributor with hundreds of books in print, and thousands of books in their vast El Cajon warehouse, many of them regional titles—travel, recreation, cookbooks, bilingual, and children’s books. Come visit Sunbelt for the holiday party and sample dishes and drinks from their three new cookbooks: Flying Pans by renowned local chefs Bernard Guillen and Ron Oliver of Marine Room fame, Cicciotti’s Kitchen, and Cooking with Baja Magic Dos by Baja writer Ann Hazard. WHAT: Sunbelt’s Annual Holiday Party (Author presentations, free prizes, food and drink) WHEN: December 3, 2009 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM WHERE: Sunbelt Publications offices/warehouse at 1256 Fayette Street, El Cajon, CA 92020 PLEASE RSVP to marketing@sunbeltpub.com or call 619-258-4911 Printer-friendly version