• Noreen's View: A Budget for California
• Your Legislator at Work: Protecting Farmland and Open Space
• Restoring Santa Rosa's DeTurk Round Barn
• A Chance to Vote on the Iraq War
• An Eye on the Governor

NOREEN'S VIEW: A BUDGET FOR CALIFORNIA

This year's budget process was undoubtedly the most difficult since I took office as your representative in the State Assembly. Fueled by Senate Republican demands for policy changes unrelated to the budget, like undercutting our state's environmental laws, Californians endured frustrating weeks of delay.

At long last, however, we finally have a spending plan in place for the year. Ironically, the budget that was ultimately passed mirrors what the Assembly approved nearly a month earlier, albeit with millions in additional cuts penciled out by the Governor. So, the final product is a mixed bag.

Let's start with what's good about the budget:

• $66.8 billion will fully fund K-12 education. This amounts to $11,541 per student;
• $13.9 billion will be directed to congestion relief, transit projects, local road maintenance, and highways. This is a $2.7 billion increase from last year;
• $7.3 billion for resources and environmental protection, most of which is financed by bonds passed by the voters last November. This includes $23.7 million to fund implementation of California's landmark law to confront climate change, full funding for farmland preservation through the Williamson Act, and $5.2 million to begin a bio-monitoring program measuring the exposure of Californians to chemicals; and
• A $1.3 billion larger reserve, an $857 million lower structural deficit and a $1.4 billion smaller out-year deficit than the Governor proposed in May.

The budget also includes some tough budgeting decisions, including:

• No cost of living adjustment for payments to families enrolled in welfare-to-work programs;
• Fee increases of 7 percent at UC and 10 percent at CSU campuses;
• A five-month delay in the state cost of living adjustment for payments to the blind, elderly and disabled; and
• Shifting $1.257 billion from public transit to the General Fund.

The Governor penciled out approximately $703 million in funds when signing the budget, including:

• $331 million from Medi-Cal. At best, this sends a mixed message considering the Governor's stated interest in providing health care to all Californians;
• $66 million in aid to homeless people with mental illness;
• $40 million from the flood control budget;
• $30 million taken from a fund to soften the impact Indian casinos have on local communities;
• $15 million of a $30 million increase to expand parks in California; and
• $1.5 million out of a proposed $3 million increase that I fought for to recruit more game wardens to confront California's poaching crisis.

Items of special interest to our community include:

• $2 million is in the budget to fight the light brown apple moth, which is of concern to our wine industry. The state's fight against this pest began in the Napa Valley and these funds should help secure its success;
• The Governor's elimination of 2 additional positions at the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board to begin review of water quality regulations in the Russian River; and
• The Governor's $19.6 million cut to funds supporting county-based eligibility screening for children's health care through Medi-Cal's Children's Outreach initiative and the Healthy Families program. According to the Governor, $147 million remains in the program to fund other components of the initiative such as streamlining the enrollment process, improving retention, and supporting county-based enrollment efforts for children.

YOUR LEGISLATOR AT WORK: PROTECTING FARMLAND AND OPEN SPACE

Sonoma County places a premium on preserving the environment. In 1990, it created the Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District to preserve and protect the cherished ranches, farms, natural areas, and open spaces that define the county.

I strongly believe we have an obligation to protect these environmental resources for future generations. This is why I am so pleased to report that I aim to send the Governor in the coming days a bill to help Sonoma County accomplish that.

Sponsored by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, Assembly Bill 1063 fixes a disparity in current law. A county may levy, increase, or extend a special tax if the ordinance proposing the tax is approved by a 2/3 vote of the board of supervisors and a 2/3 vote of the qualified voters of the county. However, the power to issue bonds backed by revenues from those taxes is only granted to special districts.

Last November, Sonoma County voters passed Measure F which extended the County's existing 0.25% transactions and use tax to fund the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District. It generates about $18 million a year for land preservation. Measure F also authorized the County to issue limited tax bonds to finance the purchase of open space lands. Bonds have not previously been issued to protect farm land or open space in Sonoma County.

Without this bill, the Board of Supervisors cannot exercise the full authority granted by voters under Measure F to protect farmland and open space. If the Governor signs AB 1063, it will be a great win for our community. Call his office today at (916) 445-2841 and ask him to sign it!

Further information about AB 1063 is available online at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov.

RESTORING SANTA ROSA'S DETURK ROUND BARN

I am pleased to announce that I helped the City of Santa Rosa secure over $800,000 in grant funding from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment to restore the interior of the DeTurk Round Barn Historic Preservation and Community Building.

The barn is included on the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Resources, and is a local historic landmark property. True round barns such as this have virtually disappeared in California, as well as the western United States.

When refurbished, the barn will be used as a community center and museum. The museum will feature permanent and rotating exhibits. The community center will provide a location for neighborhood meetings, recreation classes, art exhibits, and special events such as weddings, lectures, and dances.

Restoration of the barn's interior will complement the already completed exterior restoration and creation of DeTurk Park. When completed, the project will serve as a point of pride and anchor for West End Neighborhood in Santa Rosa.

A CHANCE TO VOTE ON THE IRAQ WAR

Californians may soon be able to express their views on the Iraq war at the ballot box. The State Assembly just passed Senate Bill (SB) 924, which would place on the February 2008 ballot a measure calling for the immediate, complete, safe and orderly withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.

This gives Californians an unprecedented opportunity to voice their views on the war in Iraq. I support it because the war overshadows many pressing issues here at home that cry out for our attention.

The war is taking an overwhelming toll on our country. It costs us $300 million every day. After years of combat, that's $450 billion that we could have used to strengthen our country by improving education, providing health care, and rebuilding our infrastructure.

The war has also caused immense human suffering. In addition to the enormous impact on Iraqi civilians, it has taken the lives of over 3,600 American soldiers and has wounded over 27,000 of them who require ongoing care. It has also caused great hardships on military families who endure the absence of loved ones serving multiple tours of duty.

Californians are paying a disproportionately high price for the war. An estimated $58 billion in our federal tax dollars has been spent on the war. Three hundred ninety two of our soldiers have died and over 2,800 of our soldiers are wounded. No other state is shouldering such a burden. Therefore, it is entirely appropriate to ask Californians what they think about the war.

We do our brave soldiers no favors by ignoring the facts and clinging to the Bush Administration's shifting rationalizations for this war. We do our nation no favors by painting dissent as treason and as undercutting the morale of our troops. As the proud daughter of a Marine who fought in the Korean War and as the proud representative of the nation's oldest veteran's home in Yountville, I say such claims are ridiculous. Patriotism is not measured by silent acquiescence to misguided action. Rather, patriotism is more often found through standing up and speaking out. This is California's chance to speak out. I hope that our elected leaders in Washington will be listening to us in February.

AN EYE ON THE GOVERNOR

Activities:

On August 24, the Governor signed the 2007-2008 budget for the State of California. The budget was passed by the Assembly on July 20 and the Senate on August 21.

On August 23, the Governor joined former Governors Gray Davis and Pete Wilson in calling for change in how legislative districts are drawn.

On August 21, the Governor and Senator Dianne Feinstein met with water experts to discuss plans to improve California's water infrastructure and fix the deteriorating Delta, which supplies clean water to 25 million people in Southern California. State water experts and more than 30 stakeholders representing water agencies, environmental organizations, businesses, labor groups, the agriculture industry, various municipalities and Delta attended.

On August 20, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver announced that Robert Mondavi will be inducted into the California Hall of Fame in December of this year. The Hall of Fame is a landmark destination of The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts. Other inductees include golfer Tiger Woods, baseball player Willie Mays, and actor John Wayne. Further information is available on the web at www.californiamuseum.org.

Appointments from Our Community:

Mark Boessenecker, a Democrat from Napa, was appointed to a judgeship on the Napa County Superior Court. Prior to this appointment, he served as chief deputy district attorney for the Napa County District Attorney's Office and as a deputy district attorney in the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

Helga Lemke, a Democrat from Santa Rosa, was appointed Assistant Director for External and Legislative Affairs at the Department of Community Services and Development. Prior to this appointment, she served as executive director of the Community Action Partnership in Sonoma County.

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