Senator Fran Pavley June 2009 E-Newsletter

Dear Friends:

Read my monthly E-Newsletter to get information about what I'm doing on your behalf here in the Capitol and back in the 23rd Senate District.

In this issue

A message from Fran about the budget.
President Obama goes national with California's tailpipe emissions standard
Legislative Update
Santa Susana Cleanup
Sustainability Awards for May and June
Greening the Bottom Line

A message from Fran about the budget

In recent weeks, I've heard from many of my constituents worried about the impact of the state budget crisis. The Capitol hallways and hearing rooms have been crowded with people protesting proposed cuts. They have included disabled people in wheelchairs, mayors and county supervisors, teachers, health care workers and those who run non-profits.

I wish I could tell them not to worry. Unfortunately, I can't. It would be unrealistic to promise anyone they won't feel the impact of California's budget crisis this time around. Tax revenues have plunged nearly 30 percent in the past year, and the state now faces a deficit of $24.3 billion. We will run out of money by July if we don't act.

It is the second time this year that we have been plunged into a budget nightmare - the worst in state history. In February, the Legislature approved and the governor signed a compromise package of painful cuts and new revenues to address what was then a record $42 billion shortfall. That package included a group of ballot measures that were rejected by voters, adding to the current problem.

Here in the Legislature, it takes a two-thirds vote to approve a budget, and there aren't enough votes to pass new taxes or fees to solve this problem. That leaves reducing expenses as the only option currently under consideration, unless other legislators and the governor will consider revenue options to avoid some of the more draconian cuts.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed the wholesale elimination of programs that serve low-income populations. The governor's plan would leave us as the only state without a social safety net, and would also cost the state far more in federal matching funds than the cuts would save. The governor has proposed getting rid of Cal Grants, which fund higher education for needy students, Cal-WORKS, the state's welfare-to-work program, and Healthy Families, which provides subsidized health insurance to 1 million children. He also has proposed closing 80 percent of state parks, including all of those in my Senate district.

While the Legislature has agreed to enact many of the cuts sought by the governor, we are unwilling to completely eviscerate programs for the poor and middle class, or to raid the already bare cupboards of cities and counties. One of our proposals is to eliminate the agency level of state government, which is an unneeded layer of bureaucracy. We are looking at closing tax loopholes. These loopholes were loaded into the state code over the years by a majority vote of the Legislature. However, removing them is more difficult; it takes a two-thirds vote. We also advocate tapping into the $4.5 billion "rainy day" reserve the governor has put into his budget. Surely, it's not just raining in California; it's pouring.

Old filming site for M*A*S*H television series in Malibu Creek State Park

My colleagues and I are also considering a proposal to levy a fee on every barrel of oil extracted from California's ground. Out of the 22 major oil producing states, California is the only one that does not charge such a fee.

One proposed budget cut that has upset many of you is the governor's proposal to shutter 80 percent of state parks, including a half dozen beaches and parks in my coastal district in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Malibu Creek State Park, near my home in Agoura Hills, is one of those slated for closure. I visit Malibu Creek several times a month to walk, bicycle, or enjoy a picnic.

I question whether it makes sense, or would even save much money, to shut down 220 of California's 279 state parks. The state would likely lose many millions of tourism dollars now spent by visitors drawn by its majestic redwoods, mountains, and ocean beaches. With just a small crew of employees to cover 1.5 million acres of parklands, trespassing and vandalism would be inevitable. Wildfires would always be a danger, as would criminal and ecologically harmful activity such as marijuana cultivation.

The Legislature favors a plan to raise the vehicle license fee $15 to pay for parks. In return for this payment, vehicles with California license plates would be allowed to enter the parks for free.

I wish I could offer more assurances, but I can't. These are extraordinarily difficult times, and Californians must ask themselves some difficult questions about what is wrong with our current system, what kind of state they wish to live in, and whether they're willing to pay for the services they receive and the amenities they enjoy.

One popular misconception is that the budget crisis has been caused by bloated spending. State spending has grown in the past 10 years, but most of the increase was due to population growth and inflation. The rest is largely attributable to rising health care costs, a growing number of prisoners, and an aging population that requires more services. The prison population alone has doubled in the past 20 years.

In actuality, the state has cut $26 billion from its programs in the past six years. We are now 47th in the nation in terms of spending per pupil on education.

Ironically, as we struggle to fill a budget hole, we've also cut taxes. The budget enacted in February to address the $42 billion deficit included $2.5 billion in tax breaks, mostly for corporations. Why? Because under the two-thirds vote required to approve budgets, a minority of lawmakers pushing to lower taxes on corporations and weaken environmental protections can hold the majority hostage - withholding votes needed to pass a budget until they get their way.

To be honest, voters also have contributed to the problem by approving initiatives for a wide variety of programs with no funding source. In 2003, Californians applauded when Gov. Schwarzenegger cut the vehicle license fee - or car tax. But the reduction in the car tax has cost local governments between $4 billion and $5 billion each year, and state government has since been making these cities and counties whole with money from its general fund. That totals approximately $25 billion - almost the same amount as this year's budget deficit.

It is my job, and the job of my colleagues here in Sacramento, to close this budget gap. But it is also in the interest of every Californian to learn more about the budget process, and the choices that must be made. These choices will affect the quality of life in our state for years to come.

I would recommend you visit two websites to start educating yourself about the budget process. The first is a state Senate website devoted to the budget. It can be found at http://senweb03.senate.ca.gov/focus/budget2009/default.aspx.

The Los Angeles Times also offers its version of the budget balancing exercise at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-statebudget-fl,0,95571.htmlstory

I urge you to contact my Capitol or district offices, and share your thoughts on how we should respond to this unprecedented challenge.

Thank you,

Senator Fran Pavley
Your representative in the 23rd district.

President Obama goes national with California tailpipe emissions standard

President Barack Obama thanks Fran for her work on reducing greenhouse gas emissions

On a happier note, my work on cutting greenhouse gas emissions from cars got a big boost last month when President Obama announced he would establish a federal emission standard for cars. The new standard will be based on AB 1493, the landmark legislation I wrote while serving in the Assembly. AB 1493 set standards for tailpipe emissions from cars in California - a standard that was subsequently blocked by the Bush Administration. President Obama is using California's standard as a model for the nation.

Legislative Update

The State Senate passed 16 of my bills, all of which now await consideration in the State Assembly. They include measures to increase penalties for mortgage fraud, ban the use of lead in wheel weights, provide academic credit for volunteer work, address pollution and noise from motorcycles, and encourage more water recycling in California.

One of my hardest fought pieces of legislation this year has been SB 797, which would ban the use of the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in food and drink containers for children three years and younger. SB 797 passed the Senate with the bare minimum of 21 votes amid heavy lobbying by the chemical industry.

BPA, an artificial estrogen, is widely used in shatter-proof plastic baby bottles, sippy cups and the lining of formula cans. It leaches out of the liquid into the food and drink consumed by babies and young children.

More than 200 peer-reviewed studies have linked BPA to a host of health problems, including breast and prostrate cancer, infertility, obesity, and such neurological and behavioral changes conditions as autism and hyperactivity.

Consumer outrage over the food industry's continued use of the chemical has created a backlash that is spreading nationally and internationally. Minnesota recently became the first state in the nation to ban BPA from baby bottles, and Connecticut has since enacted a ban as well. U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein is pursuing legislation on the federal level. Canada has banned the chemical from baby bottles.

Hopefully California will join these other governments in the near future and get this artificial hormone out of our babies' food and drink.

For an update on the status of all my bills, click here

District Update

Pavley opposes NASA move to transfer portion of toxic Santa Susana site

The cleanup of contaminated soil and water at the Boeing Co. Santa Susana Field Lab in the Northwest San Fernando Valley continues to be a major priority for me. I recently took a tour of the 2,850-acre site to get a first-hand look at the situation. Joining me were California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Linda Adams, Assemblymember Julia Brownley, and former state Senator Sheila Kuehl, author of SB 990, the cleanup law specifically written for this location.

The cleanup of SSFL has been a long time coming. Next month will mark the 50th anniversary of the nuclear meltdown that occurred there in 1959. After years of negotiations and legal and political wrangling, the land is now supposed to be cleaned up by 2017. I will do everything in my power to make sure that happens, and that it is done to the rigid standards set forth in SB 990.

Most recently, the 452 acres of the Field Lab owned by NASA has caused controversy. In April, NASA filed a notice that it wants to transfer its land there because it no longer needs it. I, along with other elected officials in the area, wrote a letter voicing strong opposition to any such move. SB 990 forbids such a transfer until the land is completely cleaned up. Our friends in Congress have gotten involved to help in the matter, and we are hoping the transfer can be delayed.

Sustainability awards go to school, green companies,
and city hall

Calabasas Civic Center

I honored two local companies, a school, and a city hall with sustainability awards in May and June. All the winners have made cleaning up our environment and reducing our dependence on polluting fossil fuels a priority through solar projects and green construction methods.

In May, I recognized Point Dume Marine Science School in Malibu; Earth Island, a solar-powered facility for vegetarian products; and the Calabasas Civic Center.

Fran attends the ribbon cutting for Point Dume Marine Science School

Point Dume Marine Science School recently installed 33 solar panels on one of its buildings. The panels will produce enough power to prevent almost 11,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. Congratulations to Malibu resident Kelly Meyer for spearheading this effort.

Solar panels on roof at Earth Island

Earth Island is the manufacturing arm of Follow Your Heart vegetarian foods. Its entire production facility in Chatsworth is powered by the sun.

The city of Calabasas recently finished building its new Civic Center, a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold-standard facility that is one of the greenest government buildings in Southern California.

My June Sustainability Award went to Suntricity, a Pacific Palisades solar panel company that recently installed $400,000 worth of panels atop a North Hollywood apartment complex.

Learn how to green your budget and save some $

Attendees get ideas for saving energy

On May 30 I held my first "Greening the Bottom Line" event at the Calabasas Civic Center. Nineteen companies, utilities and organizations offered energy and money-saving information to those in attendance. The event was co-sponsored by the City of Calabasas and the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce.

I will be holding these free events throughout the district in the coming months. You can learn how to install an artificial lawn, grow drought resistant plants, get a tankless water heater, or install solar panels on your roof. You can also learn what rebates and other incentives are available from your local utility to help pay for energy saving improvements.