Happy New Year! As your California State Assembly Representative, I am always striving to find effective ways to keep you informed about your state government.

My new e-Newsletter - Noreen's News - will be sent out monthly to keep you informed of the latest information about legislation, the state budget, and other happenings in Sacramento and our community. If you do not wish to receive these updates, you may unsubscribe by following the links at the bottom of this e-mail.

This issue of Noreen's News includes my views on the state budget, a snapshot of my accomplishments last year, highlights about the Governor, and events of interest in and affecting our community.

Please share Noreen's News with friends and family.

Yours very truly,
Noreen Evans

• Noreen's View: Crafting a New Budget for All Californians
• Your Legislator at Work
• An Eye on the Governor
• Flood Control and Infrastructure Bond Proposal Watch
• Evans Joins Locals to Protect the Laguna de Santa Rosa
• Vallejo Chamber of Commerce Receives "Green" Award
• Evans Celebrates 20 Years with the Solano County Women Lawyers
• Foster Youth Find a Voice in Napa

NOREEN'S VIEW: CRAFTING A NEW BUDGET FOR ALL CALIFORNIANS

January marks the return of legislators to the State Capitol. The first item on our agenda is reviewing the Governor's budget proposal. Although our state's finances have improved, we must overcome many challenges so the budget reflects California's values.

As your representative, I want you to know that I will fight for a budget that keeps our government lean while protecting our schools, environment, and healthcare.

The great news about this year is that due to greater than expected revenues, we now have a reserve of $5.2 billion. This is enough money to balance our budget this year without making cuts. However, California's currently rosy financial situation dims when we consider the future needs and challenges of our state. Here are some of the needs we will be considering this year:

Our schools need more funding to continue providing an effective learning environment for our children. Even though California has a world-class economy, our school funding consistently ranks near the bottom in the nation. Two years ago, the Governor promised to restore $3 billion in education funding that he cut if the state's finances improved. We need him to honor this promise.

As we have seen in recent weeks, our flood control systems are in dire need of repair. I recently toured Napa with Governor Schwarzenegger to hear from people about the challenges brought on by recent flooding. I have also heard firsthand from the experts about broader flood control needs statewide through my service on the new Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Homeland Security. The Sacramento Delta is an area of concern because it is the backbone of California's water supply. Napa and Solano County residents depend on the delta for their drinking water. Basic repairs to delta levees will cost approximately $1.3 billion. Seismic repairs will cost even more. After seeing the destructive power of recent floods, California cannot afford to put off such important repairs.

Our programs to provide services to vulnerable Californians are also in jeopardy. The U.S. Congress is poised to pass a federal budget cutting the financial support long given to help our state provide child support, foster care, and welfare to work services to needy Californians. These federal cuts would mean that California must either fill a multi-billion dollar financial gap or deny crucial assistance to children, the poor, disabled, and elderly. As the Chair of the Human Services Committee, fighting cuts on the federal level and meeting the challenge of those cuts on the state level will be some of my top priorities in the coming year.

Our financial reserves and ability to issue bonds offer us the opportunity to make important investments that improve our state over the long term. I look forward to seeing the Governor's ideas about how our financial means may be used to make California's future even brighter.

As is always the case with budgeting, however, difficult decisions will need to be made. I firmly believe that if we put politics aside, the Legislature and the Governor can focus on finding solutions for the big issues facing our state and deliver a budget that is good for California.

But before we make the tough decisions, we must ask the tough questions and get real answers. It is my job as your representative in the Legislature to get those answers. I will continue to provide key updates about the budget through my newsletter in the coming months and hope to hear from you about what is important to you.

YOUR LEGISLATOR AT WORK

Evans had a very successful first year as an Assemblymember. Her voting record on legislation earned her high marks on report cards developed by advocates for seniors, women, children, the environment, racial equality, and gay/lesbian/transgender issues. Moreover, of the eight bills she sent to the Governor, seven were signed into law.

The following is a sample of Evans' 2005 legislation that came into effect on January 1.

• Enabling Sonoma and Solano counties to reorganize their local elected offices to make the governments run more effectively and efficiently.
• Clarifying state laws to save local governments baseless financial liabilities when courthouses transfer from local control to state management. Sonoma County alone will save up to $4 million.
• Enabling Napa County and other local governments to begin using design-build construction on public works projects in order to get the most from each construction dollar spent.

A complete breakdown of Evans' legislation is available online at http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a07/leg.htm.

As chair of the Human Services Committee, Evans worked hard to improve the lives of California's vulnerable and disadvantaged residents while promoting efficiency and accountability in the delivery of social services. Evans authored and supported legislation to improve services to foster youth aging out of state care, to improve the quality of child care providers, to simplify the complex public benefit system, and to enhance the rights of seniors in retirement communities. Since nearly half of foster youth fail to complete high school, Evans is especially proud of a bill that she authored to allow 18-year old foster youth to remain in foster care while pursuing high school equivalency education.

With last year dominated by the Governor's Special Election, this year promises to be busy and fulfilling if politics is put aside. Evans will continue her focus on the issues Californians care about, including environmental protection, quality education, improving transportation, and equality for all Californians.

Evans is currently reviewing legislative proposals to author this year; among them are ideas from local high school students submitted through her First Annual "It Ought to be a Law" contest. The deadline for contest submissions is January 15, and the winning entry will be announced in February. If you would like to enter this contest or offer a legislative idea for Noreen, please contact the Santa Rosa District Office for further details at (707) 546-4500.

AN EYE ON THE GOVERNOR

Activities

The Governor will release his budget proposal for fiscal year 2006-2007 on January 10, 2006.

To kick off the winter holidays, the Governor and the First Lady, Maria Shriver, hosted the 74th Annual State Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. The Governor also participated in the 12th Annual Chanukah celebration at the State Capitol.

Governor Schwarzenegger rejected the clemency plea by Stanley "Tookie" Williams, co-founder of the violent Crips street gang. Subsequently, Williams was executed by lethal injection on December 13, 2005. The Governor stated, "the facts do not justify overturning the jury's verdict of the decisions of the courts in this case."

Joined by law enforcement officials, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and family members of peace officers killed by drunk drivers, the Governor announced the launch of the special holiday season effort to prevent drunk driving and save lives.

On November 30, 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Susan Kennedy to serve as his new Chief of Staff. A Democrat, Kennedy has also served as a top aide to former Governor Gray Davis, a member of the California Public Utilities Commission, and as communications director for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.

On January 2, 2006, the Governor personally toured flood damage in downtown Napa, accompanied by Assemblymember Noreen Evans and Congressman Mike Thompson. The Governor declared both Napa and Sonoma Counties to be disaster areas and pledged his support for efforts to obtain a federal declaration of emergency to address damage caused by the New Years Eve floods. Assemblymember Evans committed her offices' resources to help residents of the flooded areas and to push the Governor to follow through on his commitment.

For further information about the Governor, please visit www.governor.ca.gov.

Appointments

The Governor appointed two Sonoma County residents - Bob Anderson of Healdsburg and Teejay Low of Santa Rosa - to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Anderson is the executive director for the Sonoma County United Winegrowers. He is also a member of the Russian River Watershed Council and a member of the Coalition for Sustainable Agriculture.

Lowe is a member of the City of Santa Rosa Board of Public Utilities and the Russian River Valley Winegrowers Association.

FLOOD CONTROL AND INFRASTRUCTURE BOND PROPOSAL WATCH

Meeting California's flood control and infrastructure needs will be one of the biggest challenges of this year. We desperately need to repair and improve our levees and flood control, traffic systems, schools, hospitals, courts, and water systems. The key questions are what California can afford and how we will pay for it.

California's budget deficit has narrowed in recent years and we have amassed a $5.2 billion reserve. But the state owes $3 billion to schools and $2.3 billion in borrowed transportation funds from prior budgets during 2002 and 2004.

On top of these debts, the state must pay $3.9 billion in principal and interest on previous bond measures, including the Governor's $15 billion budget deficit reduction bond passed in 2004. In the next few years, existing bond repayment will eclipse Wall Street's recommended debt ceiling of 6.5% of our annual budget.

Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata has proposed an $11.3 billion bond to fund infrastructure improvements. The Governor announced plans for a $50 billion proposal. Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez has not yet unveiled his proposal.

Coming up with a sensible, fair, and financially viable plan is the challenge before us. California is the richest state in the richest country in the world. We will find newfound prosperity through rebuilding our infrastructure. But we must also protect it from the ravages of flooding. With these principles in mind, we can meet many of California's needs for the 21st century. As a member of the Assembly Budget Committee, I am firmly committed to put our state on a path to meet these challenges this year. Stay tuned to keep up to date on discussions regarding this bond proposal.

NOREEN JOINS LOCALS TO PROTECT THE LAGUNA DE SANTA ROSA

Assemblymember Evans recently spoke out against a state proposal to remove the Laguna de Santa Rosa from the list of California waterways protected under the federal Clean Water Act.

At a December 6 meeting of the State Water Resources Control Board, Evans joined a chorus of Sonoma County activists in stating there was no basis to justify its proposal to remove nutrient protections in the Laguna. Furthermore, absent scientific evidence to support this proposal, she noted that such an action would undermine the management and restoration of waterways throughout our state.

Evans said that the Laguna de Santa Rosa is unhealthy and high nutrient levels contribute to its unhealthy condition. She emphasized that the proposal to remove nutrient protections for nitrogen and phosphorous in the Laguna will make its problems worse. This could diminish the Laguna's role in flood control, wildlife habitat, environmental education, wastewater discharge and public recreational activity.

The Laguna covers more than 20,000 acres between Sebastopol, Santa Rosa Cotati, and the Russian River. Among the many groups and individuals who spoke out for Laguna protection were the Laguna Foundation, Clean Water Action, and the Russian River Committee.

The State Board held the meeting as part of its biennial review and update of California waterways subject to Clean Water Act protections. When finalized in early Spring, this list will be submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval.

VALLEJO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RECEIVES "GREEN" AWARD

The Vallejo Chamber of Commerce has received a Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) award from the California Integrated Waste Management Board. The Vallejo chamber was the only chamber to be given this honor this year.

In late 2004, the chamber's staff took ownership of a comprehensive recycling program, which included an effort to reduce paper use and use recycled materials. The chamber also installed more efficient systems to control energy usage, both lighting and HVAC.

Now in its 13th year, the WRAP awards honor businesses for cutting the amount of waste they produce, conserving resources, and reducing waste disposal in landfills. All together this year's WRAP honorees have diverted nearly 1.8 million tons of materials from local landfills through excellent resource management and recycling, and their voluntary waste reduction efforts have saved over $149 million in operating costs.

A total of 1,870 businesses and organizations earned WRAP awards in 2005. For more information on the WRAP awards, visit www.ciwmb.ca.gov/WRAP.

NOREEN CELEBRATES 20 YEARS WITH THE SOLANO COUNTY WOMEN LAWYERS

Evans spoke to the Solano County Women Lawyers during the observance of its 20th Anniversary. She also presented the group with an official State of California Resolution to recognize how it has helped women lawyers balance family responsibilities while establishing themselves in a male-dominated profession.

No one understands this balancing act better than Evans, an attorney of 23 years and mom of three children. Now a legislator, Evans noted that she speaks from a minority viewpoint due to the lack of female attorneys serving in public office. She especially values her service on the Assembly Judiciary Committee because it hears most of the controversial and complicated pieces of legislation. At this time, Evans is the only female attorney serving in the State Assembly. Fewer than 1/3 of the sitting Assemblymembers are attorneys.

Evans was quick to point out that the challenges for women lawyers continue. In 2004, women accounted for 47 percent of associates but only 17 percent of partners. Given these statistics, she encouraged the women lawyers in attendance to mentor young women. Solano County Women Lawyers began in 1985, a time when there were no female judicial officers and few women in private practice in Solano County.

FOSTER YOUTH FIND A VOICE IN NAPA

Eight Napa County teens have created the first youth-led center for emancipating foster youth, or those children exiting state care.

Last November, VOICES - Voice Our Independent Choices for Emancipation Support - opened its doors to provide counsel to emancipating youth about the kind of assistance available to them. Key financial support for VOICES was provided by the Gasser Foundation, the Napa Valley Wine Auction, and On the Move, a nonprofit agency that links youth with community leaders.

There are some 80,000 foster youth in California. Most do not complete high school. Many are unemployed and become homeless shortly after emancipation. VOICES aims to help Napa's foster youth navigate the challenges of adulthood by providing the support these youth need to succeed.

Evans serves as Chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee which oversees issues and legislation relating to foster care. She also serves on the Select Committee on Foster Youth whose members are dedicated to reforming California's foster care system.