Olsen: Happy Fourth of July!

I thought it would be helpful to provide a list of events in the 25th Assembly District so that everyone can join in the celebration of our nation's independence:

4th of July Events:

·         Modesto 138th Annual Fourth of July Parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. The parade moves from 10th and F streets to J Street, then up 11th Street and back to I Street to 17th Street.

·         Mammoth Lakes Fireworks Show at Crowley Lake. Hot Chicks Rotisserie will be serving tasty BBQ meals and beverages at 4:00 p.m., "Eastside Five" playing from 4:30 p.m.  - 8:30 p.m. and the Crowley Lake Fish Camp convenience store will be open until 7:00 p.m. The fireworks start at 9:15 p.m.

·         Coarsegold 4th of July Family Freedom Fest at the Coarsegold Historic Village. The main program will be from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., with patriotic music, color guard, speakers, and a children's performance.

·         Sonora 4th of July Celebration at Christian Heights Church Athletic Field. The Custom Car Show with cash prizes will be held 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Live Auction at 2:00 p.m., "Chains Required" 6:00 p.m. - 7 p.m. and the pork dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. Pre-sale tickets $7.00, at the door $8.00.

·         Twain Harte 4th of July Celebration will be held in Downtown Twain Harte. Parade starts at 11:30 p.m. including children's activities, live music and food.

·         Mokelumne Hill Parade & Celebration begins at 7:00 a.m. with a pancake breakfast, 11:00 a.m. parade, including children's games after the parade, booths with carnival goods, bratwursts and BBQ'd pulled pork sandwiches.

·         San Andreas Fourth of July Concert at 7:00 p.m. The Calaveras Community Band will be performing at Turner Park.

·         Angels Camp July 4th Celebration in Downtown Angels Camp from 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. An old-fashioned celebration with family games and competitions, music, food, home-made ice cream and more.

·         Madera 4th of July Spectacular at the Madera Municipal Golf Course beginning at 5:00 p.m. with a fireworks show at sundown.

·         Bass Lake Light up the Sky Annual Fireworks show will begin at 9:00 p.m.

It is a pleasure to be of service,

Kristin Olsen

25th Assembly District

Statement by Assemblymember Olsen on the Budget

SACRAMENTO - Assemblymember and Chief Republican Whip Kristin Olsen, R- Modesto, today issued the following statement on the California budget:

"The Democrats are calling this an austere budget, but it actually increases spending by 7% - over $5 Billion higher than last year.  Why would Californians vote to increase taxes, when the "austere" budget increases spending?  People in other states - and in our own communities - are utterly dismayed by the decisions made in California and by the majority party's upside-down priorities.  To become the envy of the nation again, we need leadership, we need long-term planning, and we need responsible state budgets that Californians deserve. Today's budget provides none of that.

In fact, the budget completely ignores the reforms desperately needed to get California back on track. As Californians, we long to be the Golden State again where families, businesses, and schools can thrive.  And we can get there again if we get serious about reforming public pensions, attracting jobs, investing in education, and stopping the Legislature's irresponsible spending practices.  Unfortunately, this budget leads us in the opposite direction."

Fact Check: If Education Were a Legislative Priority, Would Trigger Cuts Be Necessary?

A central feature of the Governor's budget is $5.5 billion in K-14 education trigger cuts and $500 million in higher education trigger cuts, which represents 99% of all of the trigger cuts.  $2.7 billion of those K-14 cuts would be true programmatic cuts.  The cuts would kick in mid-year, which is forcing many districts to cut budgets this summer to avoid a mid-year meltdown.  Since the Governor's budget predicts that revenues will grow $4.9 billion next year without his proposed tax increase, the question remains, if the Legislature made education a priority, could trigger cuts be avoided?

Findings:

·         The Governor increased the trigger cuts targeting education to $6 billion.  Education would take 99% of the cuts even though schools only receive 50% of funding.

·         The Legislative Analyst offered an alternative to the Governor's trigger cut which would reduce the K-14 programmatic cut from $2.7 billion to $1 billion.[i]

·         The Republican "Budget Roadmap to Protect Classrooms and Taxpayers" identified more than $4.4 billion in alternative savings that could be used to avoid education trigger cuts.  The Governor's May Revision used approximately $2 billion of those solutions to avoid cuts to health and welfare programs, while at the same time increasing the proposed trigger cut to education.  The Legislature could reject the Governor's proposal to divert savings to non-education programs and redirect savings to schools to eliminate or dramatically reduce the Governor's proposed education trigger cuts.

Read more.

Source: Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen

Sunshine Week: Legislative Transparency Act

By Kristin Olsen

This month marked "Sunshine Week", which recognizes the importance of transparency and accountability in government.

I have introduced AB 1730, also known as the Legislative Transparency Act, to increase transparency in the Legislature by requiring all bills to be in print and available online for at least 72-hours before legislative actions.

The Act also requires all members of the Legislature to post their monthly office and committee budgets on their state websites.

Finally, AB 1730 requires 24-hour online campaign reporting of funds received over $100 dollars during key legislative and budget deadline weeks.

The public deserves full information from elected officials about how their taxes are being spent. It is unconscionable that the Legislature would have ever sought to withhold such information.

To find out more about this important government reform measure, click here.

Republicans Introduce Bill Package to Support California's Returning Veterans

SACRAMENTO – As thousands of California’s servicemen and women – such as Assemblyman Jeff Gorell – prepare to return home from war, Assembly Republicans today introduced legislation to improve services for all veterans to help them adjust to civilian life.

“From Pearl Harbor and Vietnam to Afghanistan and Iraq, our veterans were there when our country needed them,” said Assemblymember Paul Cook, (R-Yucca Valley), the chair of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee and a retired Marine Corps Colonel. “Now it’s our responsibility as legislators and grateful Americans to be there for them when they return home.  That is why we are introducing proposals to ensure that veterans receive the services and benefits they deserve.”

The Assembly Republican bill package would make it easier for veterans to transition back to their communities and get the resources they need.  Republicans crafted these measures partly in response to the evolving U.S. role in the Middle East, as tens of thousands of troops such as Asm. (and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander) Gorell will be coming home over the next several months.  Asm. Gorell provided the ideas for many of these measures, and Asm. Cook has introduced them on his behalf while he is away on active duty.

Among the many reforms that Republicans are proposing today are:
•    Making it easier for our troops to vote  (Assembly Bill 1929, Gorell)
•    Helping veterans obtain state employment (Assembly Bill 1930, Gorell)
•    Creating a “one-stop shop” for veterans to access services and benefits (Assembly Bill 1931, Gorell)
•    Making sure military training counts for licensure of health care jobs (Assembly Bill 1932, Gorell)
•    Allowing former military police officers to more easily qualify as local police officers (Assembly Bill 2130, Gorell)
•    Protecting the custody rights of military single parents (Assembly Bill 1807, Cook)
•    Giving veterans a tax break on certain service-related pay (Assembly Bill 2004, Knight)
•    Extending priority class registration enrollment for current or former members of the Armed Services at a community college or state university to 15 years (Assembly Bill 1832, Silva)
•    Requiring public colleges and universities to give credit for veterans’ medical coursework (Assembly Bill 1976, Logue)
•    Waiving inspection fees for veterans with disabilities to modify their homes (Assembly Bill 1592 Olsen)
•    Restoring funding for new veterans homes in Fresno and Redding (Assembly Bill 2151, Halderman)

Veterans home funding is a top budget priority for Assembly Republicans.  These homes were built to house hundreds of veterans, but Governor Brown and the majority party removed key funding in their budget last year.  No public hearings were held before the cut was made and it prevented the homes from opening on time.

“Veterans should always be a top legislative and budget priority,” said Assemblymember Linda Halderman (R-Fresno), the author of Assembly Bill 2151. “That is why I have authored legislation to ensure that the state honors the promise it made to our veterans two years ago by immediately restoring funding for the veterans homes in Fresno and Redding. Our veterans should never be a budget bargaining chip.”

“In a budget of $90 billion, it makes no sense to cut a few million dollars on those who sacrificed so much for our country,” said Assemblymember Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber), the principal co-author of Assembly Bill 2151.  “Budgets are about priorities and our veterans must be a priority.”

An important priority for Republicans is ensuring veterans have access to college courses and job training for their post-military careers.

“When our military heroes return home from battle, it is essential that they receive the training they need to successfully transition to civilian life,” said Assemblymember Jim Silva (R-Huntington Beach).  “Giving them priority registration to college classes will ensure that they are prepared to succeed in whatever field they choose and provide financially for themselves and their families.”

Republicans also emphasized their legislation to help veterans financially by giving them breaks on certain taxes and fees.

“California’s veterans returning from hazardous missions overseas have selflessly put themselves in harm’s way, and deserve the state and federal benefits they earned,” said Assemblymember Steve Knight (R-Antelope Valley). “America is indebted for the service of its military men and women, and I am proud to support our veterans by authoring legislation that conforms federal and state tax laws.”

“Bureaucracy and red tape should never get in the way of veterans with disabilities trying to adjust to a new life,” said Assemblymember Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto).  “By waiving inspection fees for veterans modifying their homes to cope with their service-related injuries, we will help them save money and live a higher quality of life much sooner.”