« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 29, 2005

"Sen. Dianne Feinstein's decadelong effort to crack down on the nation's growing methamphetamine epidemic is expected to take a major step forward Thursday when the Senate Judiciary Committee plans to consider her legislation to remove many cold medicines from store shelves and put them behind pharmacy counters as a way of limiting their sales and theft." (San Francisco Chronicle, 6/29/05)

This is such important legislation because, as the Chronicle article points out, California "supplies an estimated 80 percent of the highly addictive meth used across the country, and Feinstein's efforts have garnered support from much of California's law enforcement community."

Thank you Dianne!

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

"'It's an honor to be included with all these women who have done so much to promote peace in our planet,' said Lee, who was selected not only for that vote, but for her work on AIDS, housing and homelessness, ending genocide, education, health care and other issues." (San Francisco Chronicle, 6/29/05)

Congratulations Barbara!

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 28, 2005

The President has a responsibility to the American people and to our courageous men and women in uniform to provide a timetable for bringing our troops home without jeopardizing security. Tonight, the President had an opportunity to address the concerns of a nation, and he failed in his efforts to finally address this most important issue.

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 27, 2005

This article should be required reading for anyone still on the fence about Arnold. It clearly demonstrates how ineffective this governor has been for California and its citizens – despite his hyped-up plays for the camera.

Here are some excerpts, but I urge you to read the entire article.

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 25, 2005

I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Assemblymember Mike Gordon (D-El Segundo) after a long illness. Mike was a personal friend. He was a rising star in the Democratic Party and had so much more to contribute. He was too young to leave us.

When he first arrived in the Assembly, Mike had more institutional knowledge than most freshman members because he was a former Assembly staffer. He made the most of this knowledge, introducing a flurry of important bills.

As a testament to the respect his fellow colleagues afforded Mike throughout his illness, many of his colleagues helped guide his bills through the Assembly and on to the Senate.

He has left an important, but incomplete legacy, and we will always remember how tirelessly he fought for our Democratic ideals.

Thanks Mike, for everything. Our prayers are with Denise, their four children and the entire family.

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 24, 2005

Our great House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is fighting the Republicans once more to restore adequate funding for our veterans’ health care needs. Our veterans have earned their benefits and should not have to live in fear of their health care services being cut further by the Republicans. We will not give up in our fight to make sure that we take care of the people who have given so much to our country.

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 22, 2005

More evidence that the Bush administration speaks out of both sides of its mouth when it comes to illegal immigration by not cracking down on its business allies who insist on continuing to use illegal immigrants:

“Work-site enforcement of immigration laws has dropped markedly under the Bush administration, investigators revealed Tuesday. The steep decline means employers are all but guaranteed to get away with hiring illegal immigrants. Fewer federal agents are paying attention, and far fewer businesses are being fined. 'Work-site enforcement has been a low priority,' Government Accountability Office official Richard Stana told a House panel. Numbers show how low. Under the Clinton administration in 1999, federal officials formally notified 417 employers that they would be fined for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants or improperly completing employment verification forms. But only three employers received the notice of a fine in 2003, GAO auditors found.”

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 20, 2005

USA Today highlights the plight of minority missing persons and the lack of media attention they generate. At a time when those missing could benefit from the media spotlight to assist in the search, the media often overlooks these victims. As a former editor at USA Today said, "It's stunning sometimes how hard it is to get the national media interested when it's a minority."

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 17, 2005

I read this commentary from E.J. Dionne Jr. of the Washington Post, and I agree that Senator Bill Frist needs to apologize to the American people:

"The autopsy in the Terri Schiavo case provides a rare moment of political accountability. We should not 'move on,' as Senate Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist suggested we should. No, we cannot move on until those politicians who felt entitled to make up facts and toss around unwarranted conclusions about Schiavo's condition take responsibility for what they said -- and apologize."

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

During the last cash call hosted by the governor (as detailed in the Los Angeles Times), Schwarzenegger's media expert, Don Sipple, "outlined a strategy 'based on a lot of polling' to create a 'phenomenon of anger' among voters…" (Los Angeles Times, 6/5/05)

This strategy must include telling senior citizens baldfaced lies about Prop.13.

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 16, 2005

From Daniel Weintraub's California Insider: "The Alliance for a Better California, the labor-backed coalition opposing Schwarzenegger's policy agenda, is raising questions about the way the governor's favorite ballot measures were certified for the Nov. 8 election. Even though they were not the first ones submitted, they were all certified in time for his special election proclamation, and all were certified in sequence, so that they will be numbered as a block come election time. Meanwhile, the two measures submitted by the labor coalition have yet to officially qualify. I have to admit the same thing occurred to me. The labor group is fingering Bruce McPherson, the governor's appointee as Secretary of State. I don't know about that. But I'd sure be curious to hear an explanation."

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 15, 2005

"The governor said he is routinely approached with proposals to 'tweak' Proposition 13, the landmark initiative that limits property taxes." (Associated Press, 6/14/05)

Huh?

The only people approaching the governor on Prop. 13 are on his team.

"Warren Buffett, named earlier this week as an adviser to Schwarzenegger's campaign… told the Wall Street Journal that property taxes in California are too low and suggested that Prop. 13 ought to be undone." (San Francisco Chronicle, 8/16/03)

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 14, 2005

Flag Day is a day for all of our nation’s citizens to pause and show respect for our flag, the symbol of all that we stand for as a country. For all of our nation’s remarkable diversity, we share a common goal of a free and just America. Our flag is a symbol of our unity and shared values. Today, let us all pledge our allegiance to continue to uphold and fight for the precious freedoms this symbol represents to all Americans.

FYI: The first Flag Day was first celebrated in 1885. In 1949, President Truman signed an act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 09, 2005

Within days of each other, two top officials have resigned due to a lack of support or oversight from the Schwarzenegger administration.

Dr. Richard J. Jackson, "a nationally known physician who was one of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's most prestigious appointees has resigned, 14 months after he accepted a post on an expectation that he could establish a major statewide public health office... Although Jackson declined to comment Wednesday, several county health officers close to him lamented his resignation and said the Schwarzenegger administration had failed to provide sufficient support for the post of state public health officer." (Los Angeles Times, 6/9/05)

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

Yet more evidence of the Bush administration's lack of commitment to our veterans and military personnel:

"A lack of funding within the Department of Veterans Affairs could lead to closing the VA Capitola Clinic and 900 veterans losing local health-care services. The clinic, at the Santa Cruz County Vet Center on 41st Avenue, is part of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. It provides primary care to veterans. U.S. Rep. Sam Farr is working to keep the clinic open. The Carmel Democrat got a boost from the House last month with the passage of an appropriations bill that includes language favoring the clinic. Closing the Capitola clinic would actually give vets greater access to health care, a VA official in Palo Alto said. But a local veterans representative said closing it would be 'quite a blow.'"

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

Please join the California Democratic Party and my friend, United Farm Workers’ President Arturo Rodriguez, for the “Gallo Wine Boycott Kick-off” this Monday, June 14 at noon in front of San Francisco City Hall, Polk & McAllister Streets.

The farm workers at Gallo of Sonoma Vineyards deserve a fair contract!

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

I will be appearing on Fox News Channel this Sunday, June 12, at 8:20 a.m. – sure to be another lively political discussion.

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 08, 2005

It is time another Democrat stood up and said enough of Democrats beating up Howard Dean for being a Democrat! Kudos to John Edwards for correcting the record on his comments which were, as usual, taken out of context by the media.

And, are these same Democrats going to attack our great U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton when she assailed the GOP on Monday for being "mad with power and self-righteousness and that the news media have been timid in taking on the administration and suggested that some Washington Republicans have a God complex"? I don’t think so. She spoke the truth!

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 06, 2005

Here's more evidence that under President Bush, Arnold and the Republicans, America's middle class is in crisis.

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

It is amazing how cyclical history is. Read this L.A. Times article to get a historical perspective on immigration history:

"Another electronic biography and photograph features a twice-wounded Civil War veteran and former California governor, Henry H. Markham. In the 1870s, Markham moved his family from Wisconsin to Pasadena, where he practiced law and served as a Republican congressman.

In his 1890 campaign for California governor, he vowed to keep the Chinese out of the state. He used a red rose as his campaign symbol. Republicans also adopted the rose as their emblem, calling it the Markham rose.

His lone term was anything but rosy, however. It was marked by economic depression, social change and labor unrest, including the Pullman railroad strike. And he vetoed a law giving California women the right to vote."

Sound familiar?

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 02, 2005

Complaining as expected, Republicans have derided the Assembly Democratic budget plan. Yet, Assembly Democrats are proposing to pay for their investment in our schools rather than continuing to run up record deficits.

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

June 01, 2005

This afternoon the governor announced his intentions to reduce greenhouse gasses in California. Were his own staff and Republican legislators listening? While Democrats have proposed legislation instead of a feel-good executive order, the governor’s own administration and Republican legislators have vigorously opposed previous efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions.

« May 2005 | Archives | July 2005 »

Thursday, June 2nd - I'll be speaking at the monthly meeting of the Lincoln Democratic Club, discussing the current state of politics in California, and taking questions from the audience.