• Noreen's View: Setting Budget Priorities for 2008
• Dyan Foster Honored as Woman of the Year
• Honoring the State’s Oldest Winery on its 150th Anniversary
• Noreen Secures a Voice for Vallejo in SF Bay Ferry Consolidation
• Speaker-Elect Joins Noreen for Tour of Wine Country
• An Eye on the Governor

NOREEN'S VIEW: SETTING BUDGET PRIORITIES FOR 2008

The art of budgeting is about setting priorities and making sure the budget funds those priorities. This week Assembly Democrats met for our annual policy summit to set our legislative priorities and to address California's $14 billion budget deficit.

In order to evaluate possible solutions to the budget deficit, it's important to first understand how we got here. Only a few short years ago, when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was first elected, he promised to cut up California's credit card and slash the vehicle license fee.

The Governor kept one of those promises. He slashed the vehicle license fee - this alone will cost the state $6.1 billion next year. But he failed to cut up the credit card. Soon after entering office, the Governor proposed to balance the state's budget with a $15 billion debt bond, which voters approved in 2004. Just paying the interest on this debt bond will cost the state $3 billion next year.

These two actions have contributed a combined $9 billion to our current budget crisis.

Of course, unfunded federal mandates, ballot box budgeting, increased demand for state services, and a declining economy are all an important part of the fiscal story as well. You can find out more about California's budget crisis by logging onto our website at http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/issues/budget.

But with California deep in the red, the Governor and legislative Republicans have proposed very few practical solutions that Californians can support. In fact, they have proposed only that we make more and more deep cuts into valued public services like education, health care, and parks.

If they have their way, thousands of school teachers will lose their jobs, parks and beaches will be closed up and down the state, community clinics and hospitals will be shuttered, and children with lose their health care coverage.

California is already ranked 46th in the nation in per pupil spending. We spend only $11,600 annually per student in K-12. Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal would cut per pupil spending by another $300 a year.

On the other hand, California spends $44,000 per year to incarcerate the average prison inmate. This imbalance does not reflect the values of most Californians.

Democrats understand the severity of this year's budget crisis, and we have worked tirelessly to reach common ground with our Republican colleagues. Just last month we agreed to cut $7.5 billion from the current fiscal year's budget.

But we cannot solve our budget deficit and fund important services such as public education with budget cuts alone. Every Republican in the legislature, except one, has signed a pledge at the request of Washington, D.C. activist Grover Norquist against any and all new taxes, including closing tax loopholes. In the last couple of weeks, Republicans have voted down legislation that would close tax loopholes benefiting wealthy oil producers and yacht owners. Again, this does not reflect the values of most Californians. It's time for a new, balanced strategy.

For their budget summit this week, Assembly Republicans chose to meet at Le Rivage resort, which boasts that it provides -- and I quote -- "luxury yacht parking." This is an unfortunate symbol given the Republicans' willingness to put yacht owners and oil companies ahead of children and seniors.

Democrats, on the other hand, held our summit at the U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. We chose this location because it is an outstanding public institution dedicated to providing public education and health care.

Since budgeting is about setting priorities, our budget must respect the values shared by all Californians. Assembly Democrats are committed to doing just that.

DYAN FOSTER HONORED AS WOMAN OF THE YEAR

Each year, every member of the State Legislature honors the accomplishments of a woman whom they represent during the Woman of the Year event. These women are invited to the Capitol and honored during a formal ceremony on the floors of the Legislature.

I honored Dyan Foster of Santa Rosa this year because she has dedicated her life to helping teenagers who would otherwise fall through the cracks. She has helped thousands of youth dig deep and find the strength to work towards a better future.

Foster serves as the Executive Director of Routes for Youth, a nonprofit agency organized in 1985 and known as an advocate for Sonoma County teenagers. It offers unique programs that provide opportunities for young people to positively affect their peers. Teen Court balances needs of the community, the juvenile offender, and the victim in a process where youth are tried before a jury of their fellow peers. Root System provides in depth seminars for youth and their families to promote trust, accountability, understanding, and good life choices. Teens Teaching Through Theater (T4) has developed original theater productions about the life experiences of troubled teens since 1985.

Last September, under the umbrella of Routes for Youth, Foster established a charter high school in Santa Rosa called Arts and Ethics Academy (AEA). Foster describes the school as a small and innovative high school serving creatively inclined students with potential unrecognized in the traditional school system. Its curriculum emphasizes the arts, social justice, and real-world applications of academics to student's lives. It also hosts performances by touring music, dance, and theater groups. Further information available at http://www.routesforyouth.org.

Born in Germany, Foster is a graduate of Sonoma State University. She lives in Santa Rosa with her husband Peter and three children: Bree, Max and Jace.

HONORING THE STATE’S OLDEST WINERY ON ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY

On March 12, Gundlach Bundschu - or Gun Bun - celebrated its 150th Anniversary. In honor of the occasion, I presented the winery with a legislative resolution recognizing its contribution to the history of family winemaking in California. The resolution was signed by Senator Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa), Assemblymember Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and myself.

Spanning six generations, Gun Bun is the state's oldest continuously operated family winery. It is an outstanding example of hard work, optimism, and creativity that has made the California wine industry thrive.

The winery is part of California's history. It survived the 1906 earthquake, which devastated its San Francisco headquarters. Its wine took home the grand prize in the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. It also survived the establishment of prohibition laws in 1919.

Further information about the winery is available at http://www.gunbun.com.

NOREEN SECURES A VOICE FOR VALLEJO IN SF BAY FERRY CONSOLIDATION

I am pleased to announce that Anthony Intintoli, former mayor of Vallejo, was appointed by the Governor to serve as vice-chair of the San Francisco Bay Water Emergency Transit Authority (WETA), which will oversee the consolidation of ferry services on the Bay.

This is a great first step to protect Vallejo's ferry system and those who depend on it. Intintoli has several years of experience working on transportation issues. And, he is intimately familiar with the ferry system and our future transportation needs.

Intintoli will serve a six-year term with four other members of the WETA: two others were appointed by the Governor, one will be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, and one was appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules. I lobbied the Governor hard on the importance of this appointment and I thank him for helping protect Vallejo's future.

SPEAKER-ELECT JOINS NOREEN IN WINE COUNTRY

I've made it my job to help decision makers in Sacramento learn more about grapegrowing, winemaking, and what makes California's wine industry tick.

As chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Wine, I periodically bring groups of legislators to wine country to see how wine is made and how grapegrowers are taking the lead in sustainable farming practices. I recently took a group of my Assembly colleagues, including Speaker-elect Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), to Matanzas Creek to learn from one of the best, Hector Bedolla.

We had a great time and got to taste some great Sonoma County wine too!

AN EYE ON THE GOVERNOR

Activities:

On March 11, the Governor recognized 144 students at the first Annual Governor's Academic Recognition and All-State Academic Team Awards Dinner in Sacramento. Students were recognized for their outstanding academic, extra-curricular and volunteer achievements. The Governor also named 25 of the 144 students to California's first All-State Academic Team.

On March 7, the Governor announced $394 million in infrastructure bond funds dedicated to 106 public transit projects across the state. Nearly $300,000 will go to the Napa Valley Transportation and Planning Agency to assist the purchase of a hybrid bus. Nearly 500,000 will go to the City of Santa Rosa for the same purposes. Nearly $300,000 will go to the City of Vallejo to assist in the replacement of buses. And, about $560,000 will go to Sonoma County to purchase a bus.

Appointments from our Community:

Carol Dean, of Santa Rosa, has been appointed to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. A current member of the Santa Rosa City Council since 2007, Dean is a past member and secretary of the Gateways Redevelopment Project Area Committee and past member of the Santa Rosa Board of Public Utilities. This position requires Senate confirmation.

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