June 2007

Over to the Senate!
"The past month was focused on determining which bills would be moved off of the Assembly Appropriations Committee's 'suspense file,' getting the Assembly budget bill finalized, and meeting the deadline for passing bills out of the full Assembly. I'm pleased to report that my legislation did very well in this critical weeding out process - all of my bills survived the Appropriations Committee process, and I was 8 for 8 in passing bills off the Assembly floor during the marathon sessions the first week of June. Perhaps the most gratifying part of the past month was contributing to floor debates on issues ranging from global warming to flood protection, health care reform, AIDS prevention, and criminal justice policy. My focus in the weeks ahead will be on the Senate: working to pass my own bills out of Senate committees, and taking up Senate bills in the Assembly. Meanwhile, I'll continue an ambitious schedule in the district, including more school visits (I'm proud to have already visited more than 30 schools in Marin and southern Sonoma!). Hope to see you soon."

Jared

Legislative update

More than a dozen of Huffman's bills will be heard in various Senate Committees in the weeks ahead.

"I'm honored to have received such a positive response from my fellow Assemblymembers for the legislation that I have put together," said Huffman. "There are more challenges ahead, but I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to pass legislation that will improve the lives of individuals in my district as well as for all Californians."

Statewide Media Coverage

Editorial in the Los Angeles Times

Solar power makes sense
Special interests shouldn't be allowed to eclipse legislation making solar water heaters a better deal.

June 15, 2007

IF THERE'S ONE natural resource that California has in abundance, it's sunshine. Yet it's astonishing how few residents take advantage of this free, nonpolluting energy source. Last year, only 1,000 solar water heaters were installed in the entire state. A sensible Assembly bill could make solar power more attractive while discouraging consumption of carbon-emitting natural gas, but it first has to get through the state Senate.

AB 1470, from Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), is a companion to a similar bill that was approved last year after being heavily touted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. That one, SB 1, imposed a surcharge on electric bills to subsidize the installation on homes and businesses of solar panels that generate electricity. This one would create a surcharge on gas bills to subsidize solar water-heating systems.

The cost to power consumers is very small; AB 1470 would add only about 13 cents a month to gas bills, according to the California Public Utilities Commission. But the benefits are potentially great. Solar water-heating systems reduce the need for natural gas by up to 75% per building, and that doesn't just benefit the owner of the solar water heater. The lowered demand for natural gas would produce lower gas prices even for those who don't go solar, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Solar water heaters cost between $4,000 and $6,000 for a residential system. That price could be cut in half using an existing federal tax credit combined with the state subsidy created by Huffman's bill, which would generate $250 million over 10 years. At the lower price, consumers could recoup their costs via lower gas bills within a decade. And once the technology becomes more common, its price will drop, eventually rendering the subsidy unnecessary.

Gas companies, including Southern California Gas Co. parent Sempra Energy, are heavily opposed to AB 1470, as is the California Chamber of Commerce. The utilities claim to be worried about the effect on gas consumers, but their real concern is pretty transparent. They stand to lose money if their customers start taking advantage of free solar energy rather than buying their natural gas.

The bill was approved last week in the Assembly but is expected to face a tougher fight in the state Senate. A bright solar initiative like this one must not be derailed by the narrow interests of a few gas giants.

News

Gender Equality in School Athletics
On June 23rd, we will celebrate the 35th anniversary of Title IX, the federal regulation that allows increased school funds for women's sports and requires that women and men be given equal weight in regards to participating in and accessing sports. During my years in private legal practice, I'm proud to have represented several female athletes and coaches of women's sports teams in fighting for fairness under this landmark law, including cases on behalf of the National Organization for Women (NOW), which brought the athletic programs at 23 California State University campuses into compliance with Title IX.

Simply stated, Title IX requires educational institutions to level the playing field for female student athletes when it comes to funding and athletic participation opportunities. As a result, countless young women have benefited from athletic careers that otherwise would not have been available to them, including many Olympic gold member winners and World Cup soccer champions. Title IX has also played a major role in the growth of professional athletic leagues, such as the Women's National Basketball Association.

When Title IX was enacted, there were virtually no athletic scholarships for women. Today, female collegiate athletes represent over 40 percent of all varsity athletes. It is clear those advances would not have been possible had President Nixon not signed Title IX into law in 1972.

There are some critics that suggest Title IX has hurt men's teams by requiring "quotas." In reality, nothing in the law, regulations or policies requires schools to set aside a mandatory number of slots for female athletes. In fact, every court that has heard this argument throughout the years has said that Title IX does not require quotas. Others think that by requiring equity between men's and women's athletics, men's teams suffer. However 72 percent of colleges and universities added teams for women without cutting any teams for men or their athletic budgets. The bottom line: Title IX has been good for athletics.

As someone who participated in athletics at the college and international levels, I know what a positive force sports can be in developing and promoting physical, mental, moral, social and emotional well-being. It also builds self esteem, communication skills, discipline and perseverance. These are all qualities that make a positive and significant difference in a person's quality of life and in his or her level of accomplishment, more over, women benefit from these qualities every bit as much as men.

We have come a long way from the early 1900s when it was mistakenly thought that exercise and competition was unhealthy for women and girls. There is no doubt that Title IX has helped to tear down these myths and ripped away countless barriers for women and girls in education, sports and their ultimate choice in careers during the last 34 years. There has been a tremendous amount of progress as we celebrate the first 34 years of Title IX. The job, however, of bringing equity to women's sports is not over and it is a goal we must continuously pursue.

If you would like more information on Title IX, please visit the website of the National Women's Law Center at http://www.nwlc.org.

California HealthCare Foundation
A new web site launched last month, www.CalHospitalCompare.org, allows Californians to compare the performance of more than 200 hospitals statewide on a variety of useful quality measures from maternity services to cardiac treatment.

"Consumers need reliable, relevant information to help them make health care decisions for themselves and their families," said Mark D. Smith, M.D., M.B.A., president and chief executive officer of the California HealthCare Foundation, which funded development of the new site. "CalHospitalCompare.org provides hospital performance ratings in an easy-to-read, understandable format."

The site offers exclusive information on hospital performance, including measures on patient experience that are not included in other sites. The site was developed with input from consumer focus groups to ensure a clear, easy-to-understand format.

The free service allows consumers to search for hospitals by location, name, or medical condition. Hospitals are rated on 50 performance indicators, including patient satisfaction measures and specific conditions, such as heart disease, maternity, and pneumonia.

CalHospitalCompare.org is the result of a two-year collaboration by the California Hospital Assessment and Reporting Taskforce (CHART), whose members include hospitals, health plans, doctors and nurses, consumer groups, employers, and the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF). The data collection and analysis was performed by the University of California, San Francisco's Institute for Health Policy Studies.

Please visit their website at: www.calhospitalcompare.org/

Around the District

Sustainable 06 Award - SPG Solar, Inc.- Assemblymember Huffman named his monthly Sustainable 6 award to SPG Solar of San Rafael for their work design and installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for homes, small businesses, and large-scale commercial and government facilities. SPG Solar's President and CEO, Dan Thompson, accepted the award on the company's behalf.

Novato High School Air Force JROTC Awards program - Huffman distributed certificates to five graduating seniors in the JROTC program for "outstanding achievement to development of the cadet corps." Cadets receive recognition from numerous organizations, both local and national.   

North Bay Regional Center - Huffman met with North Bay Regional Center staff, Nancy Gardner and Richard Ruge, as well as Area 4 Board Director, Bob Phillips. These agencies provide case management services so that individuals with developmental disabilities are to remain in the community and avoid institutionalization.

The Mary Isaak Center-COTS - Huffman toured the Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) with Executive Director John Records, this month. COTS assists shelterless individuals and families in Sonoma County by providing safe shelter & transitional housing services those in need.

Petaluma Valley Hospital - Huffman toured Petaluma Valley Hospital and met with Administrator Jim Suver, and Governmental Affairs staff, Chris Manson and Melinda Rivera. They discussed various legislative issues, Petaluma Valley's strong presence in community care, and current hospital needs.

Memorial Day Parade, Mill Valley - Huffman participated in the Mill Valley Memorial Parade last month along with his wife Susan, their two children, and Susan's parents. The parade commemorated the women and men of our armed services.

Tamalpais School District - Huffman toured the Tamalpias School District with Superintendent Bob Ferguson. Mr. Huffman visited both Tamalpais High School as well as Redwood High School.

*Huffman has now visited more than 30 schools in his district!

North Bay Children's Center - Huffman toured the North Bay Children's center with Susan Gilmore. The Child Care Center houses 150 children, over 50% subsidized, some special needs children, and focuses on preparing them for school.

Use the District Office as Your Resource

Remember if you are having any state issues that we can be helpful with please contact our office. The District Office is here for you and wants to be used as a resource. Please call the District Office numbers below to request assistance.

How to reach me:

Please feel free to visit my website at http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a06.

Assemblymember Huffman's Committees:

Chair, Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials
Member, Assembly Appropriations Committee
Member, Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee
Member, Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee

If you know of anyone who you think would like to receive these newsletters, please e-mail their name, mailing address and e-mail address, and I'll be happy to add them to my list.

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