Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and Assemblywoman Loni Hancock (D-East Bay), Chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, announced today the convening of an emergency oversight hearing to review the response efforts to the recent oil spill in the San Francisco Bay on Thursday, November 15, 2007 at Emeryville City Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, 1333 Park Avenue in Emeryville.
WHAT: Emergency Oversight Hearing on the Oil Spill in San Francisco Bay
WHEN: Thursday, November 15th
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Emeryville City Council Chambers, 2nd Floor
1333 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA
WHO: Assemblymembers Mark Leno & Loni Hancock
Other Assm. Natural Resources Comm. Members & Bay AreaLegislators (invited)
Representatives from local, state and national agencies involved with oil spills
During the hearing, Committee Members and other Bay Area Assemblymembers will have an opportunity investigate what led to the spill, assess current conditions and examine the environmental damage, as well as determine what immediate steps will be necessary to ensure proper clean-up and protection of coastal and marine resources and wildlife.
“I am deeply saddened by the contamination and destruction caused by the Cosco Busan crash and ensuing oil spill into our beautiful Bay,” stated Assemblyman Mark Leno, in whose district the oil spill occurred. “The most immediate thing we must do is work to minimize the on-going environmental degradation taking place in the Bay and Pacific Ocean. There are so many questions that need answering – why this occurred, what we’re doing about it and how we can prevent it in the future. This hearing will attempt to answer these questions and generate ideas for legislation and oversight that can prevent future disasters from happening,” he said.
“This oil spill is a wake up call for the Bay Area. For a spill of relatively small size, it has quickly spread out of control, impacting not only the waters and wildlife of the Bay, but also the Pacific Ocean and our coastal beaches, stated Assemblywoman Loni Hancock. "It is imperative that the Committee hold this hearing to evaluate the response to this spill so that we are better prepared for future events of potentially greater significance,” she said.
For those joining in gay marriages today, the road from outlaw status to respectability was paved in the Legislature over three decades.
From decriminalizing sex between same-sex couples, to outlawing job discrimination against homosexuals, to adding gay members to the legislative roster, the government has been taking steps, measure-by-measure, that have led to gay couples joining hands in marriage ceremonies across the state.
