Assemblyman Donnelly Blasts Democrats for Silencing Your Voice

Assemblyman Donnelly stands up to defend the sovereignty of charter cities against SB 829, which would have prohibited charter cities from banning the use of project labor agreements (PLAs).

Assemblyman Donnelly believes contracting decisions should be left to the individual cities, not dictated from the State.

Democrats tried to silence debate on this issue Assemblyman Donnelly believes the 1st amendment also applies to your Representatives and any attempt to censor, diminishes your representation in Sacramento.

SB 829 would impact residents of 120 charter cities in the State, including the areas surrounding Assembly District 59.

Source: The Donnelly Dispatch

CRP Chairman’s Statement on Speaker Perez and Senate President Steinberg’s Lawsuit against State Controller John Chiang

SACRAMENTO, CA – California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro today issued the following statement in regards to Assembly Speaker Perez and Senate President Darrell Steinberg's lawsuit against State Controller John Chiang:

  

"This cynical lawsuit seeks to chill the efforts of the Controller's office and makes a mockery of Prop 25. We could benefit from a more robust State Controller that audits our government programs and looks for savings in every corner. Rather than blame the Controller for last year’s illusory budget, the Democrats should look for positive ways to ensure reform in this year's budget."

Governor Brown Signs Legislation to Streamline Environmental Review and Fast-Track Job Creation

LOS ANGELES – Taking action to fast-track the creation of thousands of jobs, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed legislation to streamline environmental review for key construction projects. The two bills, signed during a ceremony at the proposed site of the Farmers Field stadium, are expected to drive hundreds of millions in economic investment while ensuring all projects meet California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) criteria.

“It’s time for big thinking and big projects that put Californians back to work,” said Governor Brown. “Projects like Farmers Field can create thousands of jobs during a tough economic time, so it is imperative for the state to cut the red tape that could delay projects like this for years. These bills strike the right balance between protecting our environment and kick-starting jobs and investment in California.”

Governor Brown signed the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2011, AB 900, during a ceremony at the Los Angeles Convention Center, at the proposed site of the Farmers Field stadium. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (D-San Ramon) and Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), establishes an expedited regulatory review for projects designated by the Governor as “leadership projects.”

Under AB 900, these projects are not exempt from CEQA, but will go through a fast-track judicial review process in California’s Court of Appeal.

The Governor also signed SB 292 by Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima), which designates the Farmers Field NFL football stadium as a leadership project subject to a streamlined review that mirrors AB 900. It enacts a strict set of criteria for the stadium’s construction, requires the project to be carbon neutral, mitigates impacts on traffic and air quality, and establishes a less onerous review process. The only review timeframe reduced by SB 292 impacts the City of Los Angeles and the developer, who will now have 5 days—rather than 30—to reply to project challengers, who retain the timeframes already laid out by CEQA.

“I’m pleased the Governor has signed the legislation to move the Farmers Field and Convention Center Project forward in a way consistent with California’s environmental laws,” said Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles). “This project will create 23,000 jobs for our economy while building the most environmentally advanced stadium in the United States. This stadium will be a source of pride for every Californian.”

“There is no more important priority than creating jobs for Californians and growing our economy,” said Senator Steinberg. “These bills will create tens of thousands of new jobs for hardworking people in Los Angeles and throughout our state, while also respecting the quality of life and environment California is famous for around the world.”

Construction of the 68,000 seat stadium is expected to generate more than 10,000 jobs, bringing in an estimated $40 million a year to the city, county and state. AEG’s design for Farmers Field would make it “the most environmentally friendly stadium in the nation,” a LEED-certified facility with a net zero carbon footprint.

Governor Brown Acts to Protect Budget and Strengthen State's Finances

SACRAMENTO – Moving swiftly to keep California’s fiscal house in order, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed two bills that will help maintain the state’s balanced budget and vetoed a third bill that would have undermined investor confidence in California’s bonds.

“Job number one is protecting the integrity of our balanced budget, because it directly impacts California’s financial stability,” said Governor Brown. “The two bills I signed today provide critical revenues that will keep our budget balanced, and I thank the Legislature—both Republicans and Democrats—for working together to pass them.”

“I am vetoing a third bill that would have undermined investor confidence in California by altering the budget’s mechanisms for automatic trigger cuts. The trigger mechanisms were adopted when I signed the budget and were essential to improving our credit standing. Indeed, our no-gimmick, on-time budget was the reason S&P assigned its highest rating to the short-term notes sold this past week—the first time that’s happened since 2007,” said Governor Brown.

The Governor signed SB 335 by Senator Ed Hernandez (D-Los Angeles) and Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento). This law will provide additional funds to hospitals and protect health care services for low-income, vulnerable patients and children by extending the Hospital Quality Insurance Fee. SB 335 will raise $7 billion in revenue, bring in an additional $6.1 billion in new federal funds and will save the state’s General Fund more than $850 million over a 30-month period. This amounts to over $500 million more in savings to the State General Fund than previously estimated.

Governor Brown also signed ABX1 21 by Assemblymember Robert Blumenfield (D-Van Nuys), which extends a tax on Medi-Cal managed health care plans for an additional year. This law will help maintain health coverage for thousands of children and teenagers through the Healthy Families Program. It will raise more than $200 million in new revenue, bring in an additional $300 million in federal funds, and save the General Fund $103 million this year.

“These bills represent a solid partnership between private business and the state to fund vital healthcare services while continuing to live within our means during these difficult economic times,” said Governor Brown. “They also show what the legislators can accomplish when they work together as Californians, not mere party members.”

The Governor vetoed SBX1 6 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, which alters the trigger cuts mechanism in the 2011-2012 state budget. The bill would have required the Director of the Department of Finance to consult with legislative leaders on alternatives to the cuts outlined in the budget and thereby raise questions that could affect the sales of Revenue Anticipation Notes and General Obligation bonds.

Governor Brown Issues Statement On Senate's Failure to Pass California Jobs First Plan

SACRAMENTO—Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today issued the following statement after the California State Senate failed to pass the California Jobs First Plan.

"It's unbelievable that so many politicians in Sacramento would choose to protect cigarette makers and out-of-state corporations to the detriment of California jobs."

They Said It! Democrat Senate President Proclaims Ownership of California's Unemployment Crisis!

As California’s double-digit unemployment continues, Democrat Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg told capitol reporters during a press briefing last Monday that Democrats will focus on job creation on their own, without input from Republicans:

"We intend on our own, as the majority party, to do all that we can, to put people back to work." [AUDIO]

But as quickly as Steinberg announced Democrats are now assuming full responsibility for job creation in California, he also made it clear not to expect much in the way of results:

"I don’t want to oversell though in the sense that um, you see how the national government is struggling to figure out to impact the unemployment numbers. California on its own, and certainly not in three and a half weeks, and certainly not with, you know, a series of bills, is going to turn that around overnight, but we have to do our part." [AUDIO]

More than two million Californians have lost their jobs in the past three years. Steinberg says that after six months of failed efforts to raise taxes, Democrats will now generously devote the remaining three weeks of the legislative session to job creation.

"These are three and a half very important weeks, and they’re weeks where our focus must be on doing everything we can to help the economy and put people back to work." [AUDIO]

A mere seven weeks after Democrat lawmakers passed their state budget plan, signed into law by Democrat Governor Jerry Brown, it’s collapsing under the weight of its rosy economic assumptions. According to State Controller John Chiang, the state took in about $4.7 billion in tax revenues in July, $538.8 million below 2011 budget projections.

Yet Steinberg still claims his flawed plan will be the key to California’s economic recovery:

"While balancing the budget is probably the most important thing we can do to maintain, you know, to instill confidence, that we also have a lot of legislative tools here to put people back to work." [AUDIO]

While Democrats were busy trying to raise taxes, Republicans were working to create jobs. But our common sense Republican-authored job creation bills for curbing frivolous lawsuits, increasing worker flexibility, analyzing regulatory impacts, and more were routinely killed in Democrat-dominated committees.

"How do we, in a responsible way, provide an economic impact analysis, that is standard, that is standardized across state agencies, whenever a new regulation is put forward?" [AUDIO]

And, even while Steinberg says Democrats will be focusing on job creation, at the same time they’ll be considering 13 more pieces of Democrat-authored legislation the California Chamber of Commerce has declared to be Job Killer bills. Cal Chamber’s 2011 Job Killers List.

Link to the full video of Monday’s press briefing: on.cagop.org/pYsNNg

CRP Supports Referendum Effort on Redistricting Commission's Senate Maps

SACRAMENTO, CA – California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro issued the following statement in response to the Citizens Redistricting Commission's final approval of the redrawn Senate maps:

"A referendum will be filed with respect to the Senate lines and possibly the Congressional lines. The California Republican Party will wholehartedly support those efforts when they come about. I have been saying for months that the CRC's actions have been unfair if not unconstitutional, and that remains the case. The CRP will do whatever it can to give voters the chance to correct what the Commission failed to do."

CRP Chairman Questions Redistricting Commission's Actions, Motives

SACRAMENTO, CA – California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro issued the following statement in response to today’s CalWatchdog.com's article, "Mike Ward: Redistricting Panel Broke Law":

"In Sunday's Sacramento Bee, I stated that the Citizens Redistricting Commission 'failed to consistently apply the criteria mandated by law when drawing the Assembly, Senate, congressional, and Board of Equalization maps.' Today, Dr. Michael Ward not only confirmed that assessment but established motive. At this point, every California citizen should want the Commission to vote down the maps."