• Noreen's View: Same Governor, Different Year
• Your Legislator at Work
• An Eye on Legislation
• Budget Breakdown: Noreen Leads Fight to Save Bay Commission
• An Eye on the Governor
• Noreen Honors Napa Resident as Woman of the Year
• A Fond Farewell to the Carquinez Bridge
• Widening Highway 101 through Sonoma County
• Noreen Speaks to Vallejo Chamber of Commerce

NOREEN'S VIEW: SAME GOVERNOR, DIFFERENT YEAR

In January, the Governor proposed a $68 billion bond to rebuild roads, levees, schools and other parts of our infrastructure here in California. Making such investments, among others, was widely supported up and down the state. But we don't have a bond for the June ballot.

This is incredibly disappointing and frustrating. Indeed, the government of California lived up to its full potential for gridlock at a time when the need for action was dire. A simple explanation for this remains: the Governor failed to lead.

A mega infrastructure bond for the June ballot was the Governor's idea. And, as we have seen before, the Governor proposed a huge idea to - as he would say - rebuild California. Remember his abandoned "blow up the boxes" campaign to shrink the size of government? Just as the boxes survived, he failed to bring a June bond to life through providing the leadership to see it through.

Ultimately, my colleagues and I in the Assembly did the heavy lifting - Democrats and Republicans alike - to make a June bond a reality.

In the thick of negotiations, the Governor left the state to attend a bodybuilding contest in Ohio named after him, the Arnold Classic. While we were here trying to reach an agreement, check out what he was up to online at http://www.arnoldclassic.com. Some photos really are worth a thousand words.

Contrast this disappointing absence of personal sacrifice with the actions of Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez. He cancelled his own wedding reception to continue negotiating with the hope that we could put an infrastructure measure on the June ballot.

So, what happened? Governor Schwarzenegger insisted on a super megabond package but was unable to get the support of a single Republican Assemblymember.

After the Governor's megabond proposal failed to pass the Assembly, Assembly Democrats and Republicans came together on a scaled-down proposal. We passed a $4 billion bond for flood control. It included crucial funds for levee evaluation and repairs, delta protection, and payments for local flood projects. We also passed a $19 billion education bond for school construction. It provided critical funding to relieve overcrowding in our schools and support for career/technical education facilities as well as our community colleges and universities.

Although the Governor supported these scaled-down bonds, he couldn't line up a single Senator in his own party to support them. So, they never received a vote in the Senate.

Governor Schwarzenegger has long defined himself as the antidote to a do-nothing legislature. This experience clearly paints a different picture.

I am more than willing to work with anyone to secure a bond for the November ballot. California's infrastructure needs remain dire. But the Governor needs to convince some of his fellow Republicans to do what is best for California. When he does, I will approach this responsibility with the same determination and commitment that I have for these past months.

YOUR LEGISLATOR AT WORK

The onset of Spring marks the beginning of public hearings on bills that were introduced at the beginning of this year. As promised last month, I would like to share with you some information regarding the package of housing bills that I am proudly authoring.

Affordable Housing

In many parts of the state, there is a serious shortage of housing for sale to moderate income households. This creates numerous problems. For example, schools in many communities are having great difficulty recruiting and keeping teachers because it's almost impossible for them to buy a home.

This is why I authored AB 2378. It requires local governments to ensure the continued affordability of moderate-income homes for a period of 10-15 years, if the home's construction qualified the developer for a density bonus. This will build the stock of moderate-income housing available to nurses, teachers, police, and firefighters - allowing those who serve our community to live in our community.

Meeting Regional Housing Needs

Current law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to calculate the statewide housing need and assign "goal numbers" to regional Councils of Governments (COG) which assign each city and county a share of housing units to meet the regional need.

This process has often been controversial. Local governments can be overwhelmed with the size of their individual allocation and may lack sufficient available land. So, I have partnered with the League of California Cities to help improve the process. My principle goal is to help communities protect farmland, open spaces and other precious resources.

AB 2158 will ensure that local land use policies are considered before housing allocations are assigned by requiring COGs to consult with the Local Agency Formation Commission in their region before developing housing allocations.

AB 3042 provides cities and counties within the COG to transfer housing allocation obligations. In order for the transfer to be approved, it must be consistent with any adopted regional growth plan. So, if a community is given a housing assignment larger than it can build, it will have the opportunity to shift some of the burden to another community that is interested in growing.

Consumer Protections for Homebuyers

There have been too many reports of homeowners unaware of toxic hazards in their neighborhood. This is why environmental disclosure reports are becoming increasingly popular in California. At an average cost of $50, they can bring peace of mind to a homebuyer who is concerned about environmental hazards.

I think it is important that homeowners be made aware of the availability of these reports before they purchase a home. That is why I introduced AB 2228. It gives consumers information concerning the availability of environmental disclosure reports and option to purchase reports if desired. It also sets a baseline quality standard for these reports.

Further information about all of these bills is online at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov.

***Stay tuned next month when I detail my bills to protect personal privacy.

AN EYE ON THE LEGISLATION

March is Women's History Month, and the 7th Assembly District has a special relationship with it because this observance originated from the work of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women.

March gave us an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of women, and to recognize the challenges still facing the women. It is also an appropriate time for me to highlight some of this year's legislation affecting the women of California.

I am proud to author one such bill, AB 2251. It helps providers, employees, volunteers or patients of reproductive health facilities protect themselves by keeping their home address, telephone number, and visual image private. It creates a process for them to remove this information from websites and penalizes those who use the internet to harm abortion providers and patients. Women should never face risks to their safety as a result of making personal, private, reproductive choices. The same goes for the people who enable women to make these choices.

AB 816, authored by Assemblymember Baca (D-Rialto) requires the Department of Health Services to place priority on providing information to consumers, patients, and health care providers regarding heart health risks for women. Unfortunately the incidence of heart disease in women is growing and is striking women at a younger age, yet many women are unaware of their risk for developing heart disease. This bill would highlight the importance of and provide additional outreach for this serious health problem.

AB 2555, authored by Assemblymember Oropeza (D-Long Beach) increases penalties on employers who violate pay equity laws to ensure that employees are strongly protected from wage discrimination and promotes "Equal Pay for Equal Work." The Governor vetoed a similar bill last year.

BUDGET BREAKDOWN: NOREEN LEADS FIGHT TO SAVE SF BAY COMMISSION

I have long had a special interest in striking a balance between the needs of our environment and our economy. That is why I am fighting to restore funding for a key state agency that has helped the bay area work towards this balance for four decades.

Established in 1965 as the nation's first coastal management agency, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) has since gained international recognition for simultaneously advancing environmental protection and economic growth in the bay region. But, in recent years, its budget has been decimated.

BCDC will play an increasingly important role in the bay's future where we must confront new challenges: rising sea levels, port security, navigational dredging, disaster preparedness, urban waterfront revitalization, and wetland restoration. As bay residents, we need to be prepared and plan for our future. Revitalizing this commission is a crucial part of the road ahead.

BCDC's track record speaks for itself. It has authorized over $15 billion in shoreline development, which has provided over 940 acres of new public access for trails, parks and recreational uses along the bay shoreline. It has approved the retrofit, replacement and expansion of bridges spanning the bay. It has adopted regional plans for expanding commerce and travel. Furthermore, it has enlarged the bay by nearly 19 square miles through wetland restoration that make the bay cleaner and more accessible.

In recent years, BCDC has been funded at about 10 cents per year per Californian. I am pushing to raise this to just 12 cents. This minimal cost increase will help make possible the delivery of significant benefits to the bay area.

While the outcome of this fight is uncertain, the good news is that a growing list of supporters is joining me in this effort. In addition to other Bay Area legislators, the following organizations are also fighting for the bay's future: the Bay Area Council, the Bay Institute, the Bay Planning Coalition, the Marin Audubon Society, the Port of San Francisco, Save the Bay, and the Sierra Club.

I am hopeful that we will succeed. I will keep you posted through this newsletter about the outcome of this effort.

AN EYE ON THE GOVERNOR

On March 17, the Governor asked the United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff for assistance in obtaining a federal emergency declaration to fix California's broken levees. The same day, the Governor also asked the federal government to extend its commitment to reimburse California for the cost of implementing its emergency prescription drug program.

On March 10, the Governor decided to parole a convicted murderer who became an Episcopal priest while behind bars. The state parole board voted last October to release James Tramel, 38, who was convicted in 1986 of killing a homeless man. A year ago, Schwarzenegger rejected parole for Tramel.

On March 7, Governor Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-01-06, directing the California Department of Water Resources to repair 24 critical levee erosion sites. The executive order comes on the heels of a state of emergency declared by Governor Schwarzenegger for California's levee system on February 24, freeing up approximately $100 million from the state's budget reserve for levee repair.

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

NOREEN HONORS NAPA RESIDENT AS WOMAN OF THE YEAR

On Monday, March 20th, I recognized Frances Ortíz-Chávez, a community leader working to bridge cultural divides and promote social justice in Napa, during the legislature's 19th annual Woman of the Year event.

Each year, every member of the Senate and Assembly honors the accomplishments of a woman whom they represent during the Woman of the Year event. These women are invited to the Capitol and honored during a formal ceremony on the floors of the Senate and Assembly.

It was a full day for Frances and her daughter, Monica, who was on break from her studies in Costa Rica. After a breakfast with Lieutenant Governor, Cruz Bustamante, Frances joined me on the Assembly Floor to be recognized along with 79 other women representing all areas of California. The day ended with the honorees gathering at a reception hosted by First Lady Maria Shriver at the California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts.

Frances worked for the Napa Valley Unified School District for over 20 years. She currently serves as a Napa Valley Unified School Board Trustee and is a past President of the Napa County Hispanic Network, an organization promoting educational opportunities for local Latino youth through providing scholarships for continuing education.

Frances is also an artist that I admire very much. I am proud to have five of her lovely paintings hanging in my office. She has received numerous awards as an exhibitor at the Napa Town & Country Fair, as well as other art shows and exhibits throughout the Napa Valley, Sonoma and the Bay Area. She also has works of art in private collections across the United States.

A FOND FAREWELL TO THE CARQUINEZ BRIDGE

After almost 80 years of service to our community, I joined others to bid farewell to the Carquinez Bridge on Friday, March 17, at a retirement party thrown by the California Department of Transportation.

The original span was considered the first truly modern bridge in the Bay Area. It set the stage for the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge and others that followed.

Many North Bay residents have fond memories of the bridge's role in their own personal histories. My siblings and I owe our very existence to this bridge. One day in 1952, my mother, who lived in Richmond, spent the day in Vallejo with a friend. There she met my father who was a young Marine stationed at Mare Island. My father was so smitten that he spent an entire month's pay to take my mother home by taxi to Richmond, over the Carquinez Bridge. I'm happy to report they celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary last month.

The bridge's rich history originates with those people that built it. Thus, it is only fitting that the new span is named after one of those men, Al Zampa. His grandson, Don Zampa, celebrated the role of union ironworkers and their commitment to working in hazardous conditions to complete projects like the Carquinez Bridge.

In order to help preserve this portion of the North Bay's history, I am working with Caltrans to preserve a portion of the bridge for placement within the local offices of the ironworkers who built the bridge. Caltrans also plans to place a portion of the bridge on a lookout platform near the new span to commemorate the old bridge.

The bridge will be dismantled beginning April 5, 2006.

WIDENING HIGHWAY 101 THROUGH SONOMA COUNTY

On March 21, Sonoma County began the two-year process of widening Highway 101. While this project to improve the North Bay's transportation lifeline is long overdue, the journey to its completion will require some adjustments to our use of the road.

This first phase of construction will require lanes between Highway 12 and Bicentennial Road to be closed starting at 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Friday at 12 p.m. with all lanes reopening at 5 a.m.

This phase of the project will include the addition of a High Occupancy Vehicle lane in each direction and major ramp improvements complete with structure construction, replacement and improvement. Roadways running east and west under the freeway will also be restructured in an effort to improve local circulation and access.

Caltrans will be establishing an information hotline that will give updates on project updates, road closures and general questions. They have also been working with Sonoma County Transportation Agency, city officials, the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, and my district office to create a comprehensive outreach plan to inform the public of transportation updates pursuant to the project.

Stay tuned for further details.

NOREEN SPEAKS TO VALLEJO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

On Wednesday, March 29, I met with members of the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce during their annual legislative advocacy trip Sacramento in order to discuss the major issues impacting the City of Vallejo.

During our meeting, our discussion focused on three topics.

• Shared frustration over the failure to have an infrastructure bond on the June ballot. Everyone agrees that the passage of a bond is the single most important legislative item for businesses this year. I have a strong desire to ensure that a measure is passed by June to be placed on the November ballot.
• My work to get the Governor to support a funding increase for the Partnership Health Plan, a healthcare insurer that services Medi-Cal patients throughout Solano County. Despite being a model that saves taxpayers millions of dollars, the state has not provided much needed cost-of-living adjustments. The survival of Plan is a top priority to the business community in Vallejo as well as thousands of Partnership Health Plan members.
• The upcoming Arts and Antiques Walk on April, April 30. Participants can visit many of Vallejo's downtown merchants to view the work of local artists and sample wines from California. Some locations will also feature music from local musicians. Further information is available online at http://www.vallejomainstreet.com/promotion.htm.

The Vallejo Chamber's annual trip to Sacramento is an extremely valuable opportunity for local business owners and myself to have a constructive dialogue on public policies affective our community. The Vallejo Chamber has been and continues to be one of the most progressive and proactive chambers of commerce in the entire state. I applaud their vision and commitment.