First lady recalled as 125th birthday nears
By Patti Ahern, October 9, 2009
Chicago Tribune
Powerful women today -- Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Nancy Pelosi -- don't hold a candle to Eleanor Roosevelt in terms of how they'll be remembered by historians, a number of experts say on the eve of what would have been the former first lady's 125th birthday.
"I can't think of anybody equivalent to Eleanor Roosevelt," said Jessica Michna, who will portray the social justice advocate at a fundraising party in Huntley for the American Association of University Women. "She was such a star on the horizon -- a comet coming through, and comets don't come through that often. I cannot think of another person in the world to have left such a footprint."
Roosevelt's legacy is powerful enough to have inspired a new organization, the Eleanor Roosevelt Society, at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Founded by student Mallory Umar, the group provides the opportunity to follow Roosevelt's path of serving the community."Roosevelt University is a social justice institution, and I'm inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt," said Umar, a senior psychology and sociology major. "The society will allow for students to be out in the community, and work in unique organizations from a wide range of backgrounds." The organizations have "green" initiatives, help animals, or work with the mentally disabled, to name a few, she said.
Sarah Manzeske, director of the Center for Student Involvement at Roosevelt, said the former first lady, who died almost 47 years ago, sought to raise awareness of social issues and applauded the university's goal to provide education to both sexes, without regard to race.
"Eleanor was ahead of her time and cared deeply about people. She realized that not everyone is born into a privileged life. Our students see themselves as part of a huge, connected world and that's what being a part of this [Roosevelt] society is," Manzeske said.
That Roosevelt still inspires people today comes as no surprise to Robin Gerber, who wrote "Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way." Gerber said Roosevelt's relevance to the present is "growing every day" because the United States is experiencing some of the same issues that were faced in the country when her husband, Franklin, was president.
Finding someone in public life today who might have the same passions and convictions as Roosevelt was not easy for Gerber to do.
"Hillary Clinton talks about Eleanor being a role model, and they are both women of great conviction. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives -- we may look back on her and see incredible leadership. Michelle Obama cares deeply about public service and could make millions of bucks in a law firm, but shows a commitment to public service," Gerber said.
She suggests that probably thousands of people are quietly following in Roosevelt's footsteps every day, making changes with the same convictions or the same persistence to social reform. They're anonymous and getting little or no attention, Gerber said.
The AAUW in Huntley as well as nationally is using Roosevelt's 125th birthday on Sunday to raise money to help support education, research and legislative work on behalf of women, areas of great interest to Roosevelt.
"She was a champion for social justice in the area of discrimination and racism -- issues that plague us today," said Diane Ayers, president of Huntley's AAUW.
Michna and R.J. Lindsey will appear at a birthday party as the Roosevelts, while guests will sample Roosevelt-era food and dress in period clothing.
Michna has given historical performances for about 10 years, starting out as Mary Todd Lincoln. Along the way, she said, people began asking her to consider giving Roosevelt performances.
"Her message is so relevant today and I can think of several things that are just as important today as in Eleanor's time.
"She was a patriot in that she served the country and fellow citizens. She saw struggle, but she did not have false compassion," Michna said.
Erik Gellman, an assistant professor in the Department of History and Philosophy at Roosevelt University, is a specialist in the study of civil rights during the New Deal era. Gellman said Roosevelt was an essential advocate of civil rights in her husband's administration.
"She gave African-Americans hope during the Depression that major civil rights legislation was on the way," Gellman said. "And her early stand against segregation and racial violence would, by the end of the war, help transform civil rights into human rights with the formation of the United Nations.
"That isn't to say she supported all of the goals of American civil rights activists, but she was ahead of her time and understood the limitations of both Democratic and Cold War politics," Gellman said.
"It's hard to think of first ladies who have had an impact on politics and culture the way Eleanor Roosevelt did. No one immediately comes to mind.
"She was one of a kind."
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Global warming impacts to public health in California
Following are some excerpts from an article from American Lung Assoc. in California :
Global warming not only poses a serious threat to the health of our planet, it also puts our own health at risk...
With rising temperatures, there will be many more smoggy days. While ozone - the main ingredient in smog - high up in the atmosphere actually protects us from the sun's ultraviolet rays, ozone down near the ground is very dangerous to lung health and can lead to wheezing and coughing, increased risk of asthma attacks, and more visits to the hospital for breathing problems...
Californians experience the worst air quality in the nation, with more than 90 percent of residents living in areas with unhealthy levels of ozone or particulate pollution, according to the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Air pollution exposure can lead to asthma attacks, chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function, worsening of lung illnesses such as emphysema, heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer, premature deaths and abnormal lung development in children. The increased frequency and intensity of heat episodes in California from global warming will create additional challenges to protecting residents from poor air quality.
(Read full article here)
(Download these authoritative reports describing the impacts Californians can expect from global warming, and recommended mitigation measures.)
Global Warming: Impacts to Public Health and Air Quality
Global Warming: Public Health Impacts and Key Mitigation Strategies
Global warming not only poses a serious threat to the health of our planet, it also puts our own health at risk...
With rising temperatures, there will be many more smoggy days. While ozone - the main ingredient in smog - high up in the atmosphere actually protects us from the sun's ultraviolet rays, ozone down near the ground is very dangerous to lung health and can lead to wheezing and coughing, increased risk of asthma attacks, and more visits to the hospital for breathing problems...
Californians experience the worst air quality in the nation, with more than 90 percent of residents living in areas with unhealthy levels of ozone or particulate pollution, according to the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Air pollution exposure can lead to asthma attacks, chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function, worsening of lung illnesses such as emphysema, heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer, premature deaths and abnormal lung development in children. The increased frequency and intensity of heat episodes in California from global warming will create additional challenges to protecting residents from poor air quality.
(Read full article here)
(Download these authoritative reports describing the impacts Californians can expect from global warming, and recommended mitigation measures.)
Global Warming: Impacts to Public Health and Air Quality
Global Warming: Public Health Impacts and Key Mitigation Strategies
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Governor signs budget-balancing bills
Published in Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com/1095/story/2062713.html
by By Steve Wiegand, Tuesday, Jul. 28, 2009
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a 27-bill "good, bad and ugly" budget-balancing package today that imposes deeper cuts in programs that range from operating state parks to preventing AIDS and puts aside a relatively paltry $500 million reserve.
"This has been a very tough budget, probably the toughest since I have been here in Sacramento," the governor said as he signed the bills before a horde of reporters and aides packed into a Capitol conference room. "I'm the only one responsible for these cuts ... but we dealt with it because I think it's important to have a reserve."
Schwarzenegger characterized what amounted to re-balancing the budget adopted last February for the fiscal year that started July 1 as "good, bad and ugly:"
• Good because it contains no tax increases, "lives within our means" and includes reforms of some programs.
• Bad because of severe cuts in virtually every state program that serves California's most needy populations. "That's why you don't see us celebrating."
• Ugly because the package legislators sent Schwarzenegger on Friday lacked a reserve and was $156 million short of balanced, forcing the governor to make even deeper cuts. "That's ugly, when already we've cut so much," he said.
The governor also warned that more cuts might be in the offing if the state's economy continues to deteriorate.
"We are not out of the troubled waters yet," he said. "We are ready if our revenues drop further to make the necessary cuts to again live within our means."
At least one legislative leader took immediate umbrage to the cuts, challenging whether the governor had the legal authority to make further reductions in a budget adopted in February.
"We will fight to restore every dollar of additional cuts to health and human services," Senate President Darrell Steinberg said in a prepared statement. "We question whether the majority of these vetoes are legal.
"The Governor has the right to blue pencil an appropriation. The funding levels identified in the budget revision in many cases are not new appropriations. This is not the last word."
To eliminate the $156 million deficit and create the $500 million reserve, Schwarzenegger made $489 million in additional cuts, borrowed $50 million from one of the state's special funds and found about $117 million in savings from money not spent in the last fiscal year.
The biggest single cut was $80 million in funds allocated to counties to finance programs that investigate and remediate cases of child abuse and neglect. Administration officials said the program had been spared in earlier rounds of budget cuts.
"The situation has just gotten to the point we can't exempt them anymore," said Mike Genest, Schwarzenegger's finance director.
Other cuts include:
• $60.6 million from funds used to pay for Medi-Cal eligibility workers at the county level. Aid to recipients was not cut, but they will likely have to wait longer for service.
• $50 million from the Healthy Families Program, a 12-year-old program that provides low-cost medical insurance to low-income families that don't qualify for Medi-Cal. New enrollments were frozen two weeks ago due to budget cuts; officials say that unless other funding is found, some families now on the program will be disenrolled.
• $52.1 million from the Office of AIDS Prevention and Treatment. Officials said the cut means the elimination of all services except providing drug assistance and monitoring the number of cases.
• $27.8 million from the Williamson Act program, which provides money to counties that give tax breaks to landowners who keep their land as open space. Because the governor couldn't unilaterally abolish the program, he cut the budget to a token $1,000.
• $6.2 million from state parks. Coupled with earlier cuts, the added reduction could mean as many as 100 of the state's 279 parks could close in October. But officials cautioned that local governments with nearby parks, or public-private partnerships, might save some parks.
Officials are banking on the package being enough to convince Wall Street lenders to provide the state with $8 billion to $10 billion in loans to help with California's cash-flow needs, and allow state Controller John Chiang to stop paying many of the state's bills with IOUs.
"It's not going to be as easy as it has in the past," Genest said of the prospects of securing the loans.
Genest said administration officials would be huddling with Chiang and state Treasurer Bill Lockyer to figure out exactly how much in loans the state should seek, and when Chiang can turn off the IOUs.
But he acknowledged that even if all of the lawmakers' and governor's machinations work, the state has no unforeseen emergencies and no one successfully sues the state to thwart some budget-balancing effort, California's books might still be from $7 billion to $8 billion out of whack by the end of this fiscal year.
"No one can predict with certainty what's going to happen," he said.
by By Steve Wiegand, Tuesday, Jul. 28, 2009
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a 27-bill "good, bad and ugly" budget-balancing package today that imposes deeper cuts in programs that range from operating state parks to preventing AIDS and puts aside a relatively paltry $500 million reserve.
"This has been a very tough budget, probably the toughest since I have been here in Sacramento," the governor said as he signed the bills before a horde of reporters and aides packed into a Capitol conference room. "I'm the only one responsible for these cuts ... but we dealt with it because I think it's important to have a reserve."
Schwarzenegger characterized what amounted to re-balancing the budget adopted last February for the fiscal year that started July 1 as "good, bad and ugly:"
• Good because it contains no tax increases, "lives within our means" and includes reforms of some programs.
• Bad because of severe cuts in virtually every state program that serves California's most needy populations. "That's why you don't see us celebrating."
• Ugly because the package legislators sent Schwarzenegger on Friday lacked a reserve and was $156 million short of balanced, forcing the governor to make even deeper cuts. "That's ugly, when already we've cut so much," he said.
The governor also warned that more cuts might be in the offing if the state's economy continues to deteriorate.
"We are not out of the troubled waters yet," he said. "We are ready if our revenues drop further to make the necessary cuts to again live within our means."
At least one legislative leader took immediate umbrage to the cuts, challenging whether the governor had the legal authority to make further reductions in a budget adopted in February.
"We will fight to restore every dollar of additional cuts to health and human services," Senate President Darrell Steinberg said in a prepared statement. "We question whether the majority of these vetoes are legal.
"The Governor has the right to blue pencil an appropriation. The funding levels identified in the budget revision in many cases are not new appropriations. This is not the last word."
To eliminate the $156 million deficit and create the $500 million reserve, Schwarzenegger made $489 million in additional cuts, borrowed $50 million from one of the state's special funds and found about $117 million in savings from money not spent in the last fiscal year.
The biggest single cut was $80 million in funds allocated to counties to finance programs that investigate and remediate cases of child abuse and neglect. Administration officials said the program had been spared in earlier rounds of budget cuts.
"The situation has just gotten to the point we can't exempt them anymore," said Mike Genest, Schwarzenegger's finance director.
Other cuts include:
• $60.6 million from funds used to pay for Medi-Cal eligibility workers at the county level. Aid to recipients was not cut, but they will likely have to wait longer for service.
• $50 million from the Healthy Families Program, a 12-year-old program that provides low-cost medical insurance to low-income families that don't qualify for Medi-Cal. New enrollments were frozen two weeks ago due to budget cuts; officials say that unless other funding is found, some families now on the program will be disenrolled.
• $52.1 million from the Office of AIDS Prevention and Treatment. Officials said the cut means the elimination of all services except providing drug assistance and monitoring the number of cases.
• $27.8 million from the Williamson Act program, which provides money to counties that give tax breaks to landowners who keep their land as open space. Because the governor couldn't unilaterally abolish the program, he cut the budget to a token $1,000.
• $6.2 million from state parks. Coupled with earlier cuts, the added reduction could mean as many as 100 of the state's 279 parks could close in October. But officials cautioned that local governments with nearby parks, or public-private partnerships, might save some parks.
Officials are banking on the package being enough to convince Wall Street lenders to provide the state with $8 billion to $10 billion in loans to help with California's cash-flow needs, and allow state Controller John Chiang to stop paying many of the state's bills with IOUs.
"It's not going to be as easy as it has in the past," Genest said of the prospects of securing the loans.
Genest said administration officials would be huddling with Chiang and state Treasurer Bill Lockyer to figure out exactly how much in loans the state should seek, and when Chiang can turn off the IOUs.
But he acknowledged that even if all of the lawmakers' and governor's machinations work, the state has no unforeseen emergencies and no one successfully sues the state to thwart some budget-balancing effort, California's books might still be from $7 billion to $8 billion out of whack by the end of this fiscal year.
"No one can predict with certainty what's going to happen," he said.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
ACTION this Tuesday - Sustainability and Arts and Cultural Commission Ordinance
Your participation in civic affairs is important and vital to ensuring our quality of life in Benicia. This Tuesday's Council meeting agenda includes two ordinances that will establish major commissions: Benicia Arts and Cultural Commission and Benicia Community Sustainability Commission. Your interest, support and future membership are welcomed.
The ordinances will be discussed and a few minor suggestions are anticipated. For instance the ordinance for the BACC should include the power and the duty to review projects for consistency with the Public Arts Ordinance. The ordinance should also clarify that membership is art and cultural demonstrated interest-based and not organization-centric (in other words, not a club for the community organizations, but a commission of broad public membership).
Please read the staff reports here:
Benicia Community Sustainability Commission
Benicia Arts and Cultural Commission
The ordinances will be discussed and a few minor suggestions are anticipated. For instance the ordinance for the BACC should include the power and the duty to review projects for consistency with the Public Arts Ordinance. The ordinance should also clarify that membership is art and cultural demonstrated interest-based and not organization-centric (in other words, not a club for the community organizations, but a commission of broad public membership).
Please read the staff reports here:
Benicia Community Sustainability Commission
Benicia Arts and Cultural Commission
Monday, July 20, 2009
CalWORKS: Is it costing too much?
It's the kind of statistic that makes radio talk show hosts drool:
California is home to about 12 percent of all Americans – and more than 30 percent of all Americans on welfare.
Critics of the state's welfare program, called CalWORKs, say it's clear proof that the system is flabby and overly beneficent, particularly as compared to other states.
"We are more lenient here; we are more generous in the state of California," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said last week, "and also we are giving greater benefits for longer periods of time, and there are really no consequences if someone doesn't fulfill the work requirements."
But program officials and advocates for welfare recipients say the statistic masks the fact that California's welfare system is one of those government rarities: a program that actually works.
"That (statistic) is an apples-and-oranges thing," said Frank Mecca, executive director of the County Welfare Directors of California. CalWORKs has been "one of the most successful programs the state has had in the past decade."
There's little argument over the numbers themselves. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 1.2 million Californians (950,000 of them children) participated during the 2008 fiscal year in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program.
In California, TANF is called CalWORKs and is fueled by about $5.5 billion in federal and state funds.
The 1.2 million Californians receiving cash assistance represent 31.3 percent of all TANF recipients – or more welfare patrons than the next nine most populous states combined.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, California's $694-a-month grant for a single-parent family of three was surpassed only by those in Alaska and New York.
But a commonly held theory that California's relatively high benefit level attracts large numbers of welfare recipients from other states is disputed by system officials and program analysts.
"We've never seen any evidence of that," said Mecca, whose experience dates back over two decades. "The fact is, low-income people just can't pack up and move that easily."
Instead, officials and analysts point to a covey of other factors that have helped swell the ranks of welfare recipients in California, including:
The Safety Net. The federal TANF program, a product of compromise in the mid-1990s between Democratic President Bill Clinton and a Republican-controlled Congress, required that recipients be weaned off the program within five years.
California, however, is one of 11 states that have a "safety net" under its welfare program. The net allows children under the age of 18 to continue to receive cash assistance even after the five-year clock has run out on their parents.
Lack of "Full Family" Sanctions. Under the TANF program, adult recipients who fail to comply with rules on working, seeking work or undergoing job training (130 hours a month is required in California) can be sanctioned by a state, and their benefits withheld.
But California is one of six states that penalize only the adult portion of the benefit – which is currently $139.
Moreover, the five-year clock is suspended while a sanction is in place. That means children can continue to receive benefits until they turn 18, even if their parent or parents have been sanctioned for years.
"Technically, you could be on (welfare) aid for 18 years," said John Wagner, director of the state's Department of Social Services. "With our current system, an adult could either work 130 hours or face $139 in sanctions. That's very little incentive to participate in activities, including work, that lead to a family's self-sufficiency."
Undocumented Immigrants. About 48,000 of the state's 526,000 CalWORKs households are headed by illegal immigrants.
While the adults are not eligible for welfare, any of their children born on U.S. soil – about 95,000 – are American citizens, and thus entitled to all government services.
"We're trying to get numbers of similar cases in other states, but my sense is this is higher in California than in other states," Wagner said, increasing the state's welfare workload.
"Umbrella Benefits." California includes some programs under its welfare system, such as some foster care services, that other states do not, thus increasing the overall TANF-related numbers.
Eligibility Rules. Because of its higher cost of living, California allows CalWORKs participants to hold more resources than other states' welfare programs. That broadens the eligibility pool here.
But while most of those involved agree the state's large number of welfare recipients is due to a multiplicity of factors, there is sharp disagreement as to what kind of a problem it poses – and how to fix it.
The governor, has proposed a sheaf of changes to CalWORKs, including:
• Reducing total eligibility from five years to two.
• Limiting support services such as job training and child care to the 22 percent of CalWORKs families that currently meet strict federal work guidelines.
• Imposing "full family" sanctions that would end aid to children as well as adults for repeated violations of program rules.
• Requiring recipients to meet with caseworkers every six months.
"We will give you the bootstrap," Schwarzenegger said, "but you have to pull yourself up."
The administration has estimated the proposed changes could save the state $753 million in the current fiscal year and $1.5 billion by 2012.
But critics of the governor's proposals contend they are based on false assumptions and faulty logic – and would demolish a program that directly aids those who need it most.
They point out that 65 percent of CalWORKs adults who can work already participate in work or education activities; that about 500,000 people have moved from the program to jobs since 1998; that the governor's cost-cutting estimates are wildly speculative; and that slicing services such as child care during tough economic times will only exacerbate the program's problems, not solve them.
"We want to look at sensible policies," said Mecca, "but the governor hasn't increased funding for (the program) since he's been in office, and now he wants to make $800 million in cuts ... and expects that to result in a more efficient system?
"That's not sensible; it's nonsensical."
Call Steve Wiegand, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 321-1076.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
WHAT IS FAMILY ECONOMIC SUCCESS?
Simply put, family economic success (FES) seeks to help families overcome the economic, social, and policy barriers to achieving financial stability. Women In Government’s Family Economic Success Policy Resource Center is dedicated to connecting state legislators to
policy resources that support financial stability for lowincome, working families.
Our current Family Economic Success portfolio includes:
· Asset Building and Financial Literacy
· Earned Income Tax Credit
· Home Mortgages and Foreclosures
· Pay Disparity
· Predatory and Payday Lending
· Workforce Development
WHY FOCUS ON FAMILIES?
Families with children that are below the poverty level are at the heart of Women In Government’s FES efforts. The FES Policy Resource Center shares in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s approach to strengthening lowincome families and isolated communities through assetbuilding, family economic support programs, and workforce development. As noted by the Casey Foundation, children in the greatest trouble in America are those growing up in poor households and in economically disconnected communities. By linking state legislators with resources on FES issues, we hope to stimulate legislative interest in family economic
success issues and encourage policymakers to sponsor and cosponsor FES legislation in their own states.
For more information on Women In Government’s
Family Economic Success Policy Resource Center, visit:
http://www.womeningovernment.org/familysuccess
Telephone (202) 333-0825 Fax (202) 333-0875
1319 F Street NW, Suite 710 Washington, DC 20004
www.womeningovernment.org
QUICK FACTS
· The 2009 federal poverty
level for a family of four is a
gross yearly income of
$22,050 or a gross monthly
income of $1,838. (U.S.
Department of Health &
Human Services)
· In 2007, the family poverty
rate and the number of
families in poverty were 9.8%
and 7.6 million, respectively,
both statistically unchanged
from 2006. (U.S. Census
Bureau)
· In 2007, marriedcouple
families had a poverty rate of
4.9% (2.8 million), compared
with 28.3 % (4.1 million) for
femalehouseholder,
nohusbandpresent
families and
13.6 % (696,000) for those
with a male householder and
no wife present. (U.S. Census
Bureau)
· In 2007, more than 37 million
people lived below the
official poverty level, which
was just over $20,000 for a
family of four. (U.S. Census
Bureau)
· In 2006, the median
household income for white,
nonHispanic
families was
$50,673, over 1.5 times the
amount for black families
$31,969. (U.S. Census
Bureau)
FAMILY ECONOMIC SUCCESS
POLICY RESOURCE CENTER
policy resources that support financial stability for lowincome, working families.
Our current Family Economic Success portfolio includes:
· Asset Building and Financial Literacy
· Earned Income Tax Credit
· Home Mortgages and Foreclosures
· Pay Disparity
· Predatory and Payday Lending
· Workforce Development
WHY FOCUS ON FAMILIES?
Families with children that are below the poverty level are at the heart of Women In Government’s FES efforts. The FES Policy Resource Center shares in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s approach to strengthening lowincome families and isolated communities through assetbuilding, family economic support programs, and workforce development. As noted by the Casey Foundation, children in the greatest trouble in America are those growing up in poor households and in economically disconnected communities. By linking state legislators with resources on FES issues, we hope to stimulate legislative interest in family economic
success issues and encourage policymakers to sponsor and cosponsor FES legislation in their own states.
For more information on Women In Government’s
Family Economic Success Policy Resource Center, visit:
http://www.womeningovernment.org/familysuccess
Telephone (202) 333-0825 Fax (202) 333-0875
1319 F Street NW, Suite 710 Washington, DC 20004
www.womeningovernment.org
QUICK FACTS
· The 2009 federal poverty
level for a family of four is a
gross yearly income of
$22,050 or a gross monthly
income of $1,838. (U.S.
Department of Health &
Human Services)
· In 2007, the family poverty
rate and the number of
families in poverty were 9.8%
and 7.6 million, respectively,
both statistically unchanged
from 2006. (U.S. Census
Bureau)
· In 2007, marriedcouple
families had a poverty rate of
4.9% (2.8 million), compared
with 28.3 % (4.1 million) for
femalehouseholder,
nohusbandpresent
families and
13.6 % (696,000) for those
with a male householder and
no wife present. (U.S. Census
Bureau)
· In 2007, more than 37 million
people lived below the
official poverty level, which
was just over $20,000 for a
family of four. (U.S. Census
Bureau)
· In 2006, the median
household income for white,
nonHispanic
families was
$50,673, over 1.5 times the
amount for black families
$31,969. (U.S. Census
Bureau)
FAMILY ECONOMIC SUCCESS
POLICY RESOURCE CENTER
Sacramento area is Delta's top pesticide source, study finds
Urban Sacramento is the leading source of pesticide contamination disrupting the Delta aquatic environment, according to new research on pollution in the estuary.
The study, led by UC Berkeley toxicologist Donald Weston, found enough pyrethroid pesticides in the American River to kill tiny shrimp – among the first links in the aquatic food chain.
Those pesticides likely reached the river from urban storm drains, which collect runoff from the Sacramento area's 1.4 million residents.
For five years, biologists have hunted for the cause of a collapse in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem, a water supply for 23 million Californians. Nine fish species are declining, from tiny Delta smelt to giant green sturgeon.
Weston's research supports the theory that no single villain is to blame. The problem probably lies at the complex interface between people and water.
"We were just amazed by this data," said Weston. "The American River is not supposed to be toxic. I think it reflects the fact that the river's going through 30 miles of heavy urbanization."
The study also found that among the water sources tested, Sacramento's regional wastewater treatment plant is the single largest source of pyrethroid pollution in the Delta. The plant discharges treated sewage into the Sacramento River near Freeport.
The reason for this contamination is less clear. It may be caused by people dumping unused pesticides into sink drains. It could also come from consumer products, such as shampoos made to kill lice and fleas.
There is no evidence pyrethroids are harmful to people at typical consumer exposure levels. But they are proving harmful to aquatic life at very low concentrations.
"It might be that a public education program could go a long way," said Stan Dean, chief of policy and planning at the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District, which operates the regional wastewater treatment system. "Ultimately, you might need to have more controls on consumer products that have pyrethroids in them."
Pyrethroids are manufactured versions of pyrethrins, natural insecticides produced by certain species of chrysanthemum. These stronger synthetic versions began to dominate the retail market in 2000.
That followed the phasing out of pesticides known to be more dangerous to humans and other mammals – mainly the organophosphates diazinon and chlorpyrifos.
Pyrethroids were considered safer, partly because they don't easily dissolve in water. But biologists learned later that pyrethroids are actually more harmful to aquatic life.
The chemicals attach easily to soil. They can remain toxic in creek beds or landscaping for months, then hitch a ride downstream when overwatering or a storm washes topsoil into storm drains.
Pyrethroid-based pesticides dominate the shelves at grocery and hardware stores. They are common in powders and sprays used by homeowners and pest control companies to kill a variety of insects, from flies to cockroaches.
Weston presented his findings last week to the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board in Rancho Cordova.
The board funded the study and plans to list several area waterways as "impaired" because of pyrethroids, including Strong Ranch and Chicken Ranch sloughs, and Arcade, Morrison and Elder creeks.
In 2006, the state Department of Pesticide Regulation began a process to regulate pyrethroids. This could bring new usage rules and even a ban on some products. It has found pyrethroids in waterways throughout the state.
Pyrethroids found most often in Weston's sampling were bifenthrin and cyfluthrin, common on ingredient labels of many consumer pesticides.
He and a team of researchers sampled water in the American, Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, as well as creeks in Vacaville, on several occasions in 2008 and 2009. They also sampled agricultural runoff on several Delta islands, and sewage treatment outfalls in Sacramento, Vacaville and Stockton.
They found the Delta islands are a small source of pyrethroids. Urban areas appear to be a much bigger source, with Sacramento by far the largest among the areas sampled.
Researchers used a species of shrimp as a test subject. Toxic effects were revealed by exposing the quarter-inch shrimp to water samples for four days and counting how many were killed or paralyzed.
Almost no pyrethroids were found in Stockton's treated wastewater. Unlike Sacramento, Stockton holds wastewater in giant ponds as long as 30 days before discharging to the Delta. The ponds may allow pyrethroids to settle out or degrade before discharge.
Paul Towers, state director of Sacramento-based Pesticide Watch, noted many other areas also likely are adding pyrethroids to the Delta, such as Redding, Chico and Contra Costa County.
"Ultimately, if we took better steps to keep pests from entering our homes, or redefined what our landscapes should look like, we wouldn't have to use these chemicals," he said.
Call The Bee's Matt Weiser, (916) 321-1264. To read more about Delta issues, visit www.sacbee.com/delta.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Benicia debates smog, noise from motorcycles
Posted: 07/09/2009 01:00:48 AM PDT
BENICIA -- A discussion about loud motorcycles dominated Tuesday's Benica City Council meeting, with a downtown resident and a merchant complaining about "rolling thunder" on weekends.
"We know it is a beautiful day ... because before our alarm goes off we are jarred (out of bed) by the sound of motorcycles" rolling past her East Second Street home, resident Robin Stanton told the council members. "Sometimes it shakes the house."
The discussion arose while the council considered its position on a pending state law requiring smog checks for motorcycles. The council ultimately voted to support the legislation if it is amended to focus only on smog rather than after-market systems that make bikes louder.
The legislation, which addresses air pollution, also would require checks for after-market exhaust systems that may make bikes louder than regulated factory standards.
Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson said she raised the issue because the bill would address smog. But later Patterson said she wanted to give residents a chance to speak out about "noise pollution" on quiet Benicia streets.
Tony Shannon, a First Street business owner, told council members that packs of loud motorcycles disrupt his Web design business -- even when his doors and windows are shut to block out the noise and exhaust.
Shannon questioned the argument raised in the motorcycle community that louder bikes save lives by alerting motorists of their presence.
"It is not OK to annoy everyone just to be a little safer," Shannon said.
A representative of the American Motorcycle Association, Wayne Phillips, testified that his group supports making motorcycles cleaner and quieter. But Phillips, an Orinda resident, said that the proposed state law would create an "uneven playing field" because it would require muffler checks for motorcycles but not for cars.
"The (association) is against the bill because it should go after (engine) performance, not mufflers," Phillips said.
Patterson suggested that the Benicia Police Department could crack down on excessively loud bikes by enforcing noise laws. The noise limit for most motorcycles in California is 80 decibels.
Police Chief Sandra Spagnoli, however, said that the state's law is vaguely written and lacks specific direction on how to measure noise. Noise citations that officers hand out could therefore be overturned in court, Spagnoli said.
About two noise citations a month are issued, police said.
Police identified the Military corridor and E. Second Street as especially prone to loud traffic because both roads are connected to freeway entrances.
Patterson said that some California cities have outlawed motorcycle traffic on certain roads -- a measure that Phillips said his group strongly opposes.
The legislation -- SB 435 by state Sen. Fran Pavely, D-Agoura Hills, narrowly passed the Senate last month. It is now in the Assembly.
Contact staff writer Tony Burchyns at tburchyns@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6831.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Knowing the price of everything and the value of nothingx
By Elizabeth Patterson
To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, there are some state legislators who, along with the governor, know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Duncan McDuffie, an early 20th century developer in San Francisco and Berkeley, once said: “Next to our fertile soil, California’s greatest single asset is the opportunity it offers for outdoor life. It would seem to be sound business for the state to see that its major opportunities for recreation and enjoyment of the out-of-doors are left open for the use and enjoyment of both its citizens and its visitors.”
California’s magnificent state parks — from the sublime to the spectacular — are facing the most severe budget cutbacks in state history. Having governed his way along with the Legislature to a $24.3 billion deficit, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has set forth a shortsighted proposal to eliminate all funding for state parks. Only parks that make money, such as off-road vehicle parks, will remain open.
This means that about 80 percent of the parks will be shut down, starting as early as September. To put this in perspective, the public will soon be losing access to about 1.3 million acres of parkland — a vast expanse larger in area than all Native American-owned forest in the United States, the Grand Canyon and the entire state of Delaware.
Californians have fewer acres of state park system land available to them per capita today than at anytime since 1930. Today we are coping with the most severe economic recession since that time, but even in those Depression days, parks were maintained and expanded. One compelling reason why parks were kept open was because most people in the cities and towns did not have the means to access large rural open spaces; they depended on urban and regional parks, small and large.
Parks are important to our quality of life. Proximity to parks is one of the most important factors people consider when locating or purchasing a home or business, because parks increase property values while providing recreation and restorative benefits.
The governor and legislators clearly believe that eliminating park system funding makes economic sense. Let’s ask them to think again:
First, think about the effects of park closure on our downtown businesses. The Benicia State Capitol building contributes about $230,000 per year in economic activity in the city. And think about the effect of closure on our property values.
Second, California’s General Fund budget for parks amounts to less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the state budget. Our state parks serve as an enormous economic engine, attracting 80 million visitors a year and generating revenues of $2.1 billion in direct expenditures and $4 billion more in indirect spending. In exchange for comparatively small savings, the state would lose these tremendous sources of revenue, as well as thousands of jobs statewide.
A survey commissioned and funded by the California Parks and Recreation Department found that park visitors spend an average of $57.63 per visit, including $24.63 inside state parks and nearby communities, and $33 in communities more than 25 miles from the park being visited.
So what’s the alternative to zeroing out the California state park system?
As the Sacramento Bee reported this week, some have suggested raising fees. But the parks have done that four times in this decade, and attendance has declined. Others have suggested that state parks should use volunteers. But the parks already have 17,000 volunteers — and only 3,000 paid staff.
The parks have also partnered with the private sector to provide services and have raised millions from private sources to supplement public dollars. But none of this can fully replace the $140 million from the General Fund.
The California State Parks Foundation supports a proposal by former Assemblyman John Laird of Santa Cruz to increase the vehicle license fee by $15. In return, any car with California license plates would get free entrance to all state parks. This fee revenue would be more than enough to cover the $143 million in the General Fund, plus begin the backlog of maintenance and repair (about $1 billion). It may be enough to begin to reach the same level of park land per capita that we had in the 1930s.
It takes a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to pass this fee increase equal to one movie and popcorn once a year, so don’t hold your breath. But urge your friends who live in Republican districts to write their representatives to support this fee. See these Web sites for district maps and names:
• http://www.sen.ca.gov/ftp/SEN/senplan/senate.htp
• http://www.assembly.ca.gov/defaulttext.asp
California should not be so entirely void of vision that its state parks become playgrounds only for those who can pay large fees — or closed off entirely to the public. As the Sacramento Bee editorial said, “The Schwarzenegger administration seems to believe that you can simply shut the gates and reopen them ‘when the budget improves.’ They’re in la-la land. Closed parks will go feral — expect graffiti, fires, illegal camping, dumping and crime.”
There are only two state parks in Solano County. They are both here in Benicia: one small historic site downtown and one small coastal park between Benicia and Vallejo. Closing these parks is not an option.
Today, June 21, a Save Our Solano Parks Day of Action — a march/bike ride and rally — will be held to oppose the proposed closure of the Benicia State Recreation Area and the Benicia State Capitol Historic Park. The rally gets under way in the Benicia SRA at 9:30 a.m. (see front-page story for details on the issue).
The Day of Action is being conducted in conjunction with similar actions in state parks across California. The California State Parks Foundation, the Benicia State Parks Association and the California Native Plant Society Willis Linn Jepson Chapter are leading the efforts in Benicia. The city of Benicia will provide a city bus to take people who need a ride from the State Recreation Area to the State Capitol in downtown Benicia. Join us.
Elizabeth Patterson is mayor of Benicia.
To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, there are some state legislators who, along with the governor, know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Duncan McDuffie, an early 20th century developer in San Francisco and Berkeley, once said: “Next to our fertile soil, California’s greatest single asset is the opportunity it offers for outdoor life. It would seem to be sound business for the state to see that its major opportunities for recreation and enjoyment of the out-of-doors are left open for the use and enjoyment of both its citizens and its visitors.”
California’s magnificent state parks — from the sublime to the spectacular — are facing the most severe budget cutbacks in state history. Having governed his way along with the Legislature to a $24.3 billion deficit, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has set forth a shortsighted proposal to eliminate all funding for state parks. Only parks that make money, such as off-road vehicle parks, will remain open.
This means that about 80 percent of the parks will be shut down, starting as early as September. To put this in perspective, the public will soon be losing access to about 1.3 million acres of parkland — a vast expanse larger in area than all Native American-owned forest in the United States, the Grand Canyon and the entire state of Delaware.
Californians have fewer acres of state park system land available to them per capita today than at anytime since 1930. Today we are coping with the most severe economic recession since that time, but even in those Depression days, parks were maintained and expanded. One compelling reason why parks were kept open was because most people in the cities and towns did not have the means to access large rural open spaces; they depended on urban and regional parks, small and large.
Parks are important to our quality of life. Proximity to parks is one of the most important factors people consider when locating or purchasing a home or business, because parks increase property values while providing recreation and restorative benefits.
The governor and legislators clearly believe that eliminating park system funding makes economic sense. Let’s ask them to think again:
First, think about the effects of park closure on our downtown businesses. The Benicia State Capitol building contributes about $230,000 per year in economic activity in the city. And think about the effect of closure on our property values.
Second, California’s General Fund budget for parks amounts to less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the state budget. Our state parks serve as an enormous economic engine, attracting 80 million visitors a year and generating revenues of $2.1 billion in direct expenditures and $4 billion more in indirect spending. In exchange for comparatively small savings, the state would lose these tremendous sources of revenue, as well as thousands of jobs statewide.
A survey commissioned and funded by the California Parks and Recreation Department found that park visitors spend an average of $57.63 per visit, including $24.63 inside state parks and nearby communities, and $33 in communities more than 25 miles from the park being visited.
So what’s the alternative to zeroing out the California state park system?
As the Sacramento Bee reported this week, some have suggested raising fees. But the parks have done that four times in this decade, and attendance has declined. Others have suggested that state parks should use volunteers. But the parks already have 17,000 volunteers — and only 3,000 paid staff.
The parks have also partnered with the private sector to provide services and have raised millions from private sources to supplement public dollars. But none of this can fully replace the $140 million from the General Fund.
The California State Parks Foundation supports a proposal by former Assemblyman John Laird of Santa Cruz to increase the vehicle license fee by $15. In return, any car with California license plates would get free entrance to all state parks. This fee revenue would be more than enough to cover the $143 million in the General Fund, plus begin the backlog of maintenance and repair (about $1 billion). It may be enough to begin to reach the same level of park land per capita that we had in the 1930s.
It takes a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to pass this fee increase equal to one movie and popcorn once a year, so don’t hold your breath. But urge your friends who live in Republican districts to write their representatives to support this fee. See these Web sites for district maps and names:
• http://www.sen.ca.gov/ftp/SEN/senplan/senate.htp
• http://www.assembly.ca.gov/defaulttext.asp
California should not be so entirely void of vision that its state parks become playgrounds only for those who can pay large fees — or closed off entirely to the public. As the Sacramento Bee editorial said, “The Schwarzenegger administration seems to believe that you can simply shut the gates and reopen them ‘when the budget improves.’ They’re in la-la land. Closed parks will go feral — expect graffiti, fires, illegal camping, dumping and crime.”
There are only two state parks in Solano County. They are both here in Benicia: one small historic site downtown and one small coastal park between Benicia and Vallejo. Closing these parks is not an option.
Today, June 21, a Save Our Solano Parks Day of Action — a march/bike ride and rally — will be held to oppose the proposed closure of the Benicia State Recreation Area and the Benicia State Capitol Historic Park. The rally gets under way in the Benicia SRA at 9:30 a.m. (see front-page story for details on the issue).
The Day of Action is being conducted in conjunction with similar actions in state parks across California. The California State Parks Foundation, the Benicia State Parks Association and the California Native Plant Society Willis Linn Jepson Chapter are leading the efforts in Benicia. The city of Benicia will provide a city bus to take people who need a ride from the State Recreation Area to the State Capitol in downtown Benicia. Join us.
Elizabeth Patterson is mayor of Benicia.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Confessions of an Environmentalist for Earth Day
While in college I, as a student representative, had lunch with David Brower – an environmental hero. Over nearly 25 years we would take time at various conferences and events to talk. His resolve toward sustainability was resolute. He was fond of quoting Adlai Stevenson, who said in 1965:
"We travel together, passengers on a little space ship, dependent upon its vulnerable reserves of air and soil, all committed for our safety to its security and place, preserved from annihilation only by the care, the work and, I will say, the love we give our fragile craft. We cannot maintain it half fortunate, half miserable, half confident, half despairing, half slave to the ancient enemies of humankind, and half free in a liberation of resources undreamed of until this day. No craft, no crew, can travel safely with such vast contradictions. On their resolution depends the security of us all."
During my college days, I heard Senator Gaylord Nelson’s (D-Wisconsin) call for a nationwide "Environmental Teach-in," on college campuses. Working my way through college kept me too busy to be very active in things, but this one-day “environmental teach-in” event seemed perfect for me. And that was my first experience of the energy of a grassroots explosion. More than 20 million people from all parts of the country participated in the first Earth Day. Events were held in 10,000 schools, 2,000 colleges, and over 1,000 communities. I learned the lessons of the power of grassroots organizing and successfully influencing governmental and private change.
On the 25th Anniversary of Earth Day, Senator Nelson said, "It worked because of the spontaneous, enthusiastic response at the grassroots. Nothing like it had ever happened before. While our organizing on college campuses was very well done, the thousands of events in our schools and our communities were self-generated at the local level . . . They simply organized themselves. That was the remarkable thing that became Earth Day."
That grassroots legacy can be seen this Tuesday at our Council meeting where there will be a timely presentation on the status of the closure of the former IT Corporation Panoche Facility Class I Landfill. The facility occupied 248 acres and at one time contained 45 surface impoundments, two landfills, four waste piles, and five drum burial areas. Wastes managed at the Facility included caustic and acidic liquids and solids, petroleum refining sludges, catalyst, hydrogen sulfide abatement sludges, oily slurries, truck-washout debris, inorganic precipitates, contaminated soils, organic sludges, shredded currency, and paint pigment sludges. Waste management practices used at the facility included biological treatment, neutralization, evaporation in ponds, and burial of waste in landfills and trenches. The facility received between 80,000 and 220,000 tons of waste material per year from 1968 through 1986.
Local Benicia residents including Mayor Marilyn O’Rourke, Bob Berman, Marilyn Bardet, Mary Francis Kelly Po among a few others fought for the closure of the landfill because it leaked and was a public health threat. For this Earth Day we can celebrate their success. It was not easy. There were the skeptics that things could be so bad, government regulators who minimized the cleanup, and the responsible corporation who declared bankruptcy.
For years, environmental contamination was seen as the inevitable (and accepted) consequence of economic progress. As cities grew and industries flourished, toxic emissions polluted the air and wastes were dumped into waterways or buried in the ground. Benicia was no different.
In the 1960s, Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring, exposing the health effects of pesticides and other chemicals on our birds, mammals and us. Others wrote passionately about squandering what once seemed like the country's limitless resources. The 60s word "environment" meant more than simply preserving wilderness areas or regulating the most obvious forms of pollution. Media coverage of disasters like the Santa Barbara oil spill focused popular concern on the environment threatened by human activities and the need for protection.
At times it seemed that every day there were newly discovered threats followed by new protections. Being able to have confidence in law makers and government to address air and water pollution, we saw their efforts to protect us from ourselves as the highest calling of responsible governance. My own path to becoming a public servant owes, in part, from the examples set by Congress and the California legislature’s bold environmental protection actions.
Environmental protection was not a Republican or Democratic issue and the best of both parties coalesced around the needed action. Of course, it could have been better, stronger and quicker, but it was done. A perfect example of this bipartisan and shared sense of responsibility is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established by President Nixon, followed by Congress's passing of a series of laws that regulated the introduction of pollutants into the nation's air and waterways, controlled the production of pesticides and other toxic substances, and required "cradle-to-grave" tracking of hazardous waste.
The 1970s have been called the "golden age" of environmentalism in the United States, but it was also a time when the nation first became aware of a serious threat to human health and the environment.
And that brings me back to Benicia. For it is due to those myriad laws passed, and the power of the EPA, that set the stage for those Benicia citizens’ efforts demanding state regulators investigate the Class I landfill at Lake Herman Road and close it – shut it down. Without all the public awareness, regulations, and grassroots efforts, this closure would not have happened as quickly, nor been as thorough. Neither would the cleanup of Rose Drive have been possible, without Cal-EPA, the city's toxics consultant Jodi Sparks, and the hard work of neighborhood activists, especially Dick Lubin, Larry Fullington and Tom Busfield, who rallied successfully to have landfill wastes left from the Braito dump cleaned out of backyards and Blake Court.
This Tuesday, when you listen to the report about the on-going monitoring of the plumes of toxic brew that almost polluted Paddy Creek and has polluted the city’s watershed, take a moment and reflect on the drama of getting the right legislation at the right time to protect our water and air and public health. (Although we do not use the ground water now, we may want to in the future, but it will need to be cleaned up).
What Earth Day awareness did for Benicia in the 1980s for public safety, Benicia citizens working on the new General Plan in the '90s, and activists such as Gene Doherty, Kathy Kerridge, Jim Stevenson and the usual suspects have carried forward, to promote economic and environmental health. These citizens advocate for sustainability as a city priority. Staff has made exceptional effort in developing the greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and the draft Climate Action Plan. This is a new green generation of environmental protection. Next year we will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day in 2010 by highlighting our progress at reducing greenhouse gases, increasing water conservation, providing alternative energy, transit and walkable streets – all the interconnected actions necessary to protect our planet and grow our economy.
Some say we live in dark times: we are destroying Mother Earth and many people have lost hope. But I am energized by all the efforts ongoing at our schools, in our community, our state and – at long last – our nation, again.
I am deeply touched by what Benicians are doing - we are realizing that we as individuals truly make a difference and are thinking more carefully about the effect of our actions. My greatest source of hope for the future is the energy, commitment and often the courage of our young people who are engaged in solving the peril of the warming earth.
But we cannot put off tomorrow for our youth to solve the problems of today. We must take the responsibility to ensure that their environment is not wrecked. A compassionate and successful society will invest its assets in the good health of its children – all of its children. It is up to us to weigh our responsibilities and to invest our limited resources from government, industry, and our residents, without delay addressing environmental needs including local and regional transit, clean air and water and safe community public places.
“The test of the morality of a society is what it does for their children.”
- German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer
As Mayor, my pledge for this Earth Day is to seek:
- Policies and action, without compromise, for air and water protection and cleanup.
- Policies and actions toward a carbon-free future based on renewable energy.
- Policies and actions toward responsible, sustainable consumption.
- Policies and actions toward expanding our cleantech and greentech businesses and local jobs for our residents.
- Collaboration with Benicia Unified School District to support entrepreneurial environmental programs and prepare students for vocational green job training and careers.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Benicia LWV Garden Tour, April 26
I hope to see you on Sunday. I will be at Mary Farmer school to greet people and provide tour material.
This is the League of Women Voter's annual fundraiser which makes it possible for them to put on the various forums during elections and other times. And, this popular event is really fun! Please check out the details below and join in the fun!
BENICIA LEAGUE OFWOMEN VOTERS 2009 GARDEN TOUR
Sunday, April 26, 2009
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
$15 Single $25 Couple (no charge for children accompanied by adults )
CASH OR CHECK ONLY
Hillside terraces, native plants and spring flowers will be showcased when six Benicia homeowners open their gardens to the public. The tour includes homes on the Westside, as well as the hills of Southampton. Additionally, three community gardens will be featured.
TOUR BEGINS AT: Mary Farmar School (901West Military)
Maps and brochures will be provided, or go to www.LWVBenicia.org
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT:
Benicia Main Street (90 1st St.)
Camellia Tea Room (828 1st. St.)
Bookshop Benicia (Southampton Shopping Center)
This is the League of Women Voter's annual fundraiser which makes it possible for them to put on the various forums during elections and other times. And, this popular event is really fun! Please check out the details below and join in the fun!
BENICIA LEAGUE OFWOMEN VOTERS 2009 GARDEN TOUR
Sunday, April 26, 2009
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
$15 Single $25 Couple (no charge for children accompanied by adults )
CASH OR CHECK ONLY
Hillside terraces, native plants and spring flowers will be showcased when six Benicia homeowners open their gardens to the public. The tour includes homes on the Westside, as well as the hills of Southampton. Additionally, three community gardens will be featured.
TOUR BEGINS AT: Mary Farmar School (901West Military)
Maps and brochures will be provided, or go to www.LWVBenicia.org
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT:
Benicia Main Street (90 1st St.)
Camellia Tea Room (828 1st. St.)
Bookshop Benicia (Southampton Shopping Center)
Monday, April 20, 2009
Benicia's Earth Day Celebration, Aprill 22
Want to learn about ways to save energy? Simple things matter and this Wednesday will be a presentation on some simple things that residents can do to save energy and be part of the solution!
Join the City of Benicia to celebrate The Green Generation, Earth Day 2009, as it relates to our community.
When: Wednesday, April 22nd, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Where: Veteran’s Memorial Hall, 1150 First Street
Why: To provide tools to residents and homeowners for being energy and water efficient, and highlight resources available within the community.
** At 7:00 p.m. we are hosting a presentation for homeowners on simple things that they can do to improve household energy efficiency and water conservation.
EVENT PARTICIPANTS
Allied Waste – Recycling Techniques
Arts Benicia – Eco Art Project for kids
Benicia High School SAGE Program
Benicia Main Street – Farmer’s Market
Benicia Plumbing – Energy Efficient Products
Bookshop Benicia
CA Native Plant Society – Drought Resistant Landscaping
Farm Fresh to You – Locally Grown Produce
Master Gardeners – Household Composting
Pedrotti ACE Hardware – Green Product line
PG&E – Climate Smart Program
Raley’s – Organic and Green Product line
And more . . .
THE CITY OF BENICIA PRESENTS: Climate Action Plan; Green building and energy efficiency retrofit information; Library resources for green living and eco education; Water conservation techniques; Tree program and Mills Community Center green building efforts (LEED) Recycling, Benicia Transit and more.
ON SITE RECYCLING Visit the Battery booth to get rid of those unwanted batteries. Cell Phones – old, unused or broken cell phones will be collected. E-Waste Recycling will be on location collecting TV’s, computers, monitors and other e-waste.
You won’t want to miss the CAR DISPLAY Featuring high efficiency vehicles. Come see the new Smart Car and Hybrid Vehicles
Join the City of Benicia to celebrate The Green Generation, Earth Day 2009, as it relates to our community.
When: Wednesday, April 22nd, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Where: Veteran’s Memorial Hall, 1150 First Street
Why: To provide tools to residents and homeowners for being energy and water efficient, and highlight resources available within the community.
** At 7:00 p.m. we are hosting a presentation for homeowners on simple things that they can do to improve household energy efficiency and water conservation.
EVENT PARTICIPANTS
Allied Waste – Recycling Techniques
Arts Benicia – Eco Art Project for kids
Benicia High School SAGE Program
Benicia Main Street – Farmer’s Market
Benicia Plumbing – Energy Efficient Products
Bookshop Benicia
CA Native Plant Society – Drought Resistant Landscaping
Farm Fresh to You – Locally Grown Produce
Master Gardeners – Household Composting
Pedrotti ACE Hardware – Green Product line
PG&E – Climate Smart Program
Raley’s – Organic and Green Product line
And more . . .
THE CITY OF BENICIA PRESENTS: Climate Action Plan; Green building and energy efficiency retrofit information; Library resources for green living and eco education; Water conservation techniques; Tree program and Mills Community Center green building efforts (LEED) Recycling, Benicia Transit and more.
ON SITE RECYCLING Visit the Battery booth to get rid of those unwanted batteries. Cell Phones – old, unused or broken cell phones will be collected. E-Waste Recycling will be on location collecting TV’s, computers, monitors and other e-waste.
You won’t want to miss the CAR DISPLAY Featuring high efficiency vehicles. Come see the new Smart Car and Hybrid Vehicles
Friday, April 10, 2009
Important Meeting on Ferry Service
The Water Emergency Transportation Authority is holding a meeting to discuss the future of ferry service in our area:
Wednesday, April 15, 6:30pm
Vallejo City Hall
555 Santa Clara Street
The Authority is seeking comments on its draft Transition Plan (for assuming control over Vallejo Baylink service) and Emergency Management Plan.
WETA must also continue to consider and develop projects requiring --
"planning for implementation beyond the five-year period. In support of this effort, WETA will continue preliminary environmental and conceptual design work associated with development of ferry services between San Francisco and the cities of Antioch, Hercules, Martinez, Redwood City commitments for construction and operation. However, none have sufficient funding to date to support full implementation, and would require the support of new funding commitments to be fully implemented".
Wednesday, April 15, 6:30pm
Vallejo City Hall
555 Santa Clara Street
The Authority is seeking comments on its draft Transition Plan (for assuming control over Vallejo Baylink service) and Emergency Management Plan.
WETA must also continue to consider and develop projects requiring --
"planning for implementation beyond the five-year period. In support of this effort, WETA will continue preliminary environmental and conceptual design work associated with development of ferry services between San Francisco and the cities of Antioch, Hercules, Martinez, Redwood City commitments for construction and operation. However, none have sufficient funding to date to support full implementation, and would require the support of new funding commitments to be fully implemented".
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Looking for Good People
A recent Benicia Herald news story about ways to get involved in your community described city committees, boards and commissions as one way. How can you apply for openings on the following boards and commissions? Click on the link below or go to www.ci.benicia.ca.us to the heading "Government & Officials" -Boards, Committees and Commission Openings.
Openings and Application for downloading
Sky Valley Open Space Committee meets about every 3rd month or more often as needed. Guest speakers are invited to discuss a range of topics from watershed management, public access, land use, Lake Herman Road and surrounding areas and sundry other issues as they related to Sky Valley. If you want to hep permanently protect Sky Valley from urban development (or intense rural development) this is the committee for you. There is an opportunity to use the Good Neighborhood Steering Committee and Valero settlement money for buying conservation easements. One full term to 2013 is open.
Civil Service Commission is responsible for hearing and making final determinations on personnel related appeals and to certify its findings and recommendations. Other duties include advising the City Manager and City Council on matters related to recruitment processes and personnel rules.
Meetings: Third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm in the Commission Room.
Open Government Commission advises the City Council and provides information to other City departments and bodies on appropriate ways in which to implement the Sunshine Ordinance or Title 4, Open Government, with a priority on simple, standard procedures. The ordinance provides rules for how city meetings are noticed to the public, and access to information. The ordinance expands the public's rights for meeting notice, minutes and timely city response to requests for documents and records (that are not protected by state law).
One of the key challenges of the Commission is to act as a conduit between the city and the public regarding meetings, minutes, information and help in navigating city appeals. The Commission also may propose amendments to the City Council of the Ordinance as needed, and reporting to the City Council on any practical or policy problems encountered in the administration of the Ordinance.
There is one full term open to 2013.
2009 Meetings: Jan. 27; March 24; July 28 (tentative); Oct. 27 (tentative)
Library Board of Trustees is responsible for making and enforcing rules, regulations and bylaws necessary for the administration, government and protection of the public library. There are two full terms to 2012.
Meetings: Second Monday of each month at 6:30 pm at the Library.
Finance, Audit and Budget Committee shall advise the City Council on matters of financial importance to ensure the accurate reporting and long range fiscal stability of the City including keeping tract of the budget and the state of the economy. While the committee makes no budget policy decisions, they are the "light house" for monitoring the budget and reporting to the Council with recommendations for potential policy needs.
Meetings: Friday following the first Council Meeting of each month at 8:00 am in the Commission Room.
We need your interest, skills and time for these important committees. Major initiatives or recommendations often begin here. Help influence the direction of the city by volunteering for one of the openings posted above.
Openings and Application for downloading
Sky Valley Open Space Committee meets about every 3rd month or more often as needed. Guest speakers are invited to discuss a range of topics from watershed management, public access, land use, Lake Herman Road and surrounding areas and sundry other issues as they related to Sky Valley. If you want to hep permanently protect Sky Valley from urban development (or intense rural development) this is the committee for you. There is an opportunity to use the Good Neighborhood Steering Committee and Valero settlement money for buying conservation easements. One full term to 2013 is open.
Civil Service Commission is responsible for hearing and making final determinations on personnel related appeals and to certify its findings and recommendations. Other duties include advising the City Manager and City Council on matters related to recruitment processes and personnel rules.
Meetings: Third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm in the Commission Room.
Open Government Commission advises the City Council and provides information to other City departments and bodies on appropriate ways in which to implement the Sunshine Ordinance or Title 4, Open Government, with a priority on simple, standard procedures. The ordinance provides rules for how city meetings are noticed to the public, and access to information. The ordinance expands the public's rights for meeting notice, minutes and timely city response to requests for documents and records (that are not protected by state law).
One of the key challenges of the Commission is to act as a conduit between the city and the public regarding meetings, minutes, information and help in navigating city appeals. The Commission also may propose amendments to the City Council of the Ordinance as needed, and reporting to the City Council on any practical or policy problems encountered in the administration of the Ordinance.
There is one full term open to 2013.
2009 Meetings: Jan. 27; March 24; July 28 (tentative); Oct. 27 (tentative)
Library Board of Trustees is responsible for making and enforcing rules, regulations and bylaws necessary for the administration, government and protection of the public library. There are two full terms to 2012.
Meetings: Second Monday of each month at 6:30 pm at the Library.
Finance, Audit and Budget Committee shall advise the City Council on matters of financial importance to ensure the accurate reporting and long range fiscal stability of the City including keeping tract of the budget and the state of the economy. While the committee makes no budget policy decisions, they are the "light house" for monitoring the budget and reporting to the Council with recommendations for potential policy needs.
Meetings: Friday following the first Council Meeting of each month at 8:00 am in the Commission Room.
We need your interest, skills and time for these important committees. Major initiatives or recommendations often begin here. Help influence the direction of the city by volunteering for one of the openings posted above.
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