California's Congresswoman

Hilda Solis Confirmed as Nation's Labor Secretary

Good news for middle class and working people in America.   Following is a press release issued today by Ventura's research and action non-profit Coastal Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy or CAUSE 

In a victory for our nation's working families, Congresswoman Hilda Solis, President Obama's Cabinet nominee for Labor Secretary, was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday, February 24th by a vote of 80 to 17.

Hilda Solis will take over the reins of the Labor Department at a time of great challenges and optimism within the labor community. Her nomination represents a major victory for labor rights advocates and labor unions, which are hailing her candidacy as a boon for their legislative priorities -- specifically the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.

"The confirmation of Rep. Hilda Solis is a huge victory: finally Americans will have a Secretary of Labor who represents working people, not wealthy CEOs," read a statement from AFL-CIO president John Sweeney.

In a statement from SEIU header Andy Stern: "Working men and women now have a Department of Labor they can count on to stand up and fight for them because Secretary Solis personally understands the challenges workers face in a global economy. For Secretary Solis this is not just another job, but the culmination of a lifetime of action serving as a voice for people who work."

First elected in 2000, Solis has been serving her fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She represented California's 32nd Congressional District, which includes portions of East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. Prior to her election to Congress, Solis served eight years in the California state legislature. In August 2000, Solis became the first woman to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for her pioneering work on environmental justice issues in California.

In 2003, she became the first Latina appointed to the powerful Committee on Energy and Commerce where she served as Vice Chair of the Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee and a member of the Health and Telecommunications Subcommittees. She was also a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources. In March 2007, Solis was named a member of the newly created House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

Solis was Vice Chair of the Democratic Steering & Policy Committee and served as a Senior Whip, as well as a Regional Whip for Southern California. She was also serving her third term as the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' Task Force on Health and the Environment.

CAUSE had invited Secretary of Labor Solis to serve as the keynote speaker of CAUSE's ^7th Annual 2009 Women SEE Justice Conference on March 7^th International Women's Day. Unfortunately, the Secretary of Labor has sent her regrets that she will not be able to attend. In her place, this year's keynote speaker will be long-time immigrant rights advocate, Angelica Salas. For more information on CAUSE's 2009 Women's Social, Economic and Environmental (SEE) Justice Conference at Oxnard College, log on to CAUSE's online calendar, or contact Maricela Morales at maricela@coastalallliance.com.

For more information on other upcoming CAUSE community actions, trainings and policy forums, such as the Ventura County Green Economy - Green Jobs Action Summit on May 21, 2009, log on to our website calendar at www.coastalalliance.com. 

by Kara Altshuler

I really want this blog to be about the free-loading Stricklands and how they're getting paid to do absolutely nothing.  However, Audra offers so little on her website (no current photos of her in the district, no news items, and no legislation to speak of during years 2007 or 2008) that it's pretty slim pickings.

So, in total boredom, I turn to the federal news.  I'm sure this is just what Grover Norquist had in mind when he argued that there should be complete deregulation of the economy.

Peanut Corp. of America files for bankruptcy

By KATE BRUMBACK and GREG BLUESTEIN - 4 days ago

ATLANTA (AP) -- The peanut processing company at the heart of a national salmonella outbreak is going out of business. The Lynchburg, Va.-based Peanut Corp. of America filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Virginia Friday, the latest bad news for the company that has been accused of producing tainted peanut products that may have reached everyone from poor school children to disaster victims.

"It's regrettable, but it's inevitable with the events of last month," said Andrew S. Goldstein, a bankruptcy lawyer in Roanoke, Va., who filed the petition.

The salmonella outbreak was traced to the company's plant in Blakely, Ga., where inspectors found roaches, mold and a leaking roof. A second plant in Plainview, Texas was shuttered this week after preliminary tests came back positive for possible salmonella contamination. So far, the outbreak has been suspected of sickening more than 630 people and may have caused nine deaths. It also has led to more than 2,000 product recalls, one of the largest recalls in U.S. history.

The president of the company, Stewart Parnell, pleaded the Fifth, in front of a House subcommittee that really wanted to know why he instructed his employees to continue selling his toxic products after they discovered they were contaminated.  I'd like to know, too.

I'd like to know why the American public is repeatedly faced with food recall after food recall, year after year after year.  After all, isn't it the job of the FDA to check on food production in the US, to ensure the safety of products we buy and eat every day?  Do we need another Upton Sinclair to write a 21st century version of The Jungle? 

One really obvious, really bad outcome of shrinking the federal government and cutting back on regulation and oversight is that people die.  And isn't it amazing that this peanut company was able to file for bankruptcy to protect itself from wrongful-death lawsuits, when our Republican Congress and President George W. Bush made that impossible for people with that wonderful bankruptcy/credit card law in 2005? 

by Kara Altshuler

There's quite a discussion on the budget deficit in CA going on over at Making Waves, Marie Lakin's blog.  I highly recommend it. 

Marie posted a link that I think bears repeating because the analysis is just what the Republicans have not provided these last several months.  They moan and complain about fraud and waste in our government, but provide no specifics on just where that fraud and waste actually are.  Well, George Skelton teases the numbers apart, and presents them in an easy to understand fashion.  Since we can't get the straight talk from Tony or Audra, thank heaven we have George.

http://www.latimes.com/news/columnists/la-me-cap16-2009feb16,0,1062359.column

by Helen Conly

Just when we really need a reasonable intelligent dialogue about how to craft public policy to lift our nation and the world out of recession, reasonable, realistic legislators are nowhere to be found. 

Yesterday, it was an 11am beginning with toothbrushes suggested and just now it is a 2:30 meeting in Sacramento to debate.  How long can California wait?  We will have much to discuss and mull over while cities and counties are slashing budgets and union contracts are being reduced for employee services.  I want to see oil and corporate tax revenues invested in our state in an across the board tightening of the proverbial belt to solve this crisis now.  Reinstate the car tax for goodness sake.  We need to be serious about emissions from vehicles.  Who do you think should pay?  I say --let the legislators begin by taking a 30% cut in pay until this is solved and a reduction in per diem of ½ what they now book for their trouble and time. 

by Kara Altshuler 

January 19, 2009

Greetings from Washington, DC!  And happy Martin Luther King Day!

The city is abuzz and everyone here is happy, smiling, and so looking forward to tomorrow.  I wish I could post a picture or two but I forgot my USB cord....I'll post when I return later this week.  It's not all that cold here, but then, I used to live here, so I'm used to highs in the upper 30's. 

I spent about an hour this morning in a light snowfall waiting outside the Rayburn Office Building to get through security.  The couple in front of me were from Michigan, the one in back from El Paso, TX.  We had such a good time just laughing about how different all the states are, which ones can handle snow, which ones can't, etc. 

The staff in Congressman Gallegly's office were so pleasant and helpful.  Mr. Gallegly was there, and he asked me if everything was going well, and talked about what a historic inauguration it would be tomorrow.  He was very gracious, and I can't say enough about the professionalism of his aides. 

The Rayburn building is named after Sam Rayburn, a Congressman from Texas who served in the House for 45 years, 17 of which he was the Speaker.  The building is beautiful, with marble walls and floor, stars on the ceiling and gorgeous chandeliers.  It was thrilling to see people from all over the country venturing to their Congressman's office to get their tickets. 

I have to say, I've met an awful lot of people here from California, which I think is great.

I'll post tomorrow after the Inauguration ceremony and the parade.

by Kara Altshuler

Newly-elected State Senator Tony Strickland (SD-19) has an editorial in today's Star.  http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/jan/07/out-of-touch-legislators-need-an-attitude-change/

In the editorial, Strickland complains about the recent move by Democrats in the State's legislature to raise money to solve California's never-ending fiscal crisis (a move which was vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger, but still is being rewarded by a lawsuit from California Republicans and the Howard Jarvis folks http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre50604v-us-economy-california-budget/).

Strickland argues that this move by the Democrats is a "direct assault" on the proposition, and by implication, the will of Californians.

Now, not being a native Californian and being underage in 1978, I wasn't able to make my voice heard on Prop. 13--the gift that keeps on giving.  And the effect that phrase has on me is probably opposite of the Pavlovian response it has in other Californians--it only makes me see red and reinforces my belief that the whole ballot initiative system in this state is a complete joke. (And spare me the argument that the elderly can afford to stay in their houses--I've heard it, but that's still no reason to pass such a sweeping, flawed piece of legislation that is forever embedded in the state's Constitution.)  You see, I am one of those oh-so-lucky transplants to sunny California who gets completely screwed by this not-very-well-thought-out proposition.  That's because major increases in property value assessments, which inform property taxes, are only done when a house changes ownership, or suffers a significant decrease in value http://assessor.countyofventura.org/generallyspeaking/prop13.html. 

Since I'm the third owner of my house, I pay higher property taxes than those around me who are original owners.   Wow, who wouldn't want a deal like that?  It's no big surprise California education spending is dismal compared to other less-wealthy states.  With regard to public services we all need and use, Californians voted themselves into the poor house.

Back to Strickland's editorial.  A direct result of Prop 13 is to make cities and towns more dependent on the state government for money, and to shift the burden of raising revenues from property taxes to sales taxes.  That pits open-space advocates against those who want to put big-box stores and strip malls everywhere.  Not a really great plan for thoughtful development.  Prop 13 also prevents the state legislature from raising taxes without a 2/3 majority, and the Republicans have repeatedly prevented the legislature from reaching this majority.  Strickland further advocates legislative gridlock because of his leadership role with Club for Growth, which takes a stand against any new taxes.

So how exactly does Strickland propose we get out of this mess?  He talks about using tax money languishing in bank accounts----you mean there's billions of dollars in state bank accounts that are being untapped and no one has proposed going after this money before?And he proposes speeding up infrastructure projects with public-private partnerships--I assume the fiscal burden would all be on the private part of the partnership, since there is no money in the state coffers (except for the tons of cash Strickland says is sitting idly by in bank accounts).  Hey, I've got an even better idea--how about Strickland introduces legislation that mandates state legislators and the governor not take any salary during the time that California operates a deficit or when budget bills remain unpassed.  He can call it "The Taxpayer Relief from Belligerent and Inactive Government Act." 

Our own Honorable Diane Feinstein doesn't like Obama's pick of Leon Panetta as director of CIA.  Says she'd prefer someone from the intelligence community.

Maybe someone like current CIA director-Gen. Michael Hayden, who was confirmed by Feinstein, and as NSA Director oversaw the largest effort of the government to spy on its own people since J. Edgar Hoover's tenure?  Gee, Sen. Feinstein, where was your spine in 2006?

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama-cia-panetta6-2009jan06,0,5514283.story