President Obama’s Final State of the Union

January 12, 2016

 

DNC Talking Points: In Advance of President Obama’s Final State of the Union

January 12, 2016

Topline Message
The State of the Union is Strong. After seven years of Democratic leadership in the White House, our country is more secure than ever, the economy is adding jobs at a record pace, and the American people are safer and healthier than ever before.
While Republican presidential candidates continue their doom and gloom race to the bottom, President Obama is going to remind us that our best days are still ahead. The American people have come too far to let a Republican drag us back. But we have to elect a Democrat as the 45th President to keep America moving forward.

Key Points
• We’ve made remarkable progress since President Obama took office seven years ago. Americans today are better off and more secure than before he took office
o Nationally
o Economically
o Personally
• When the last Republican President left office, our country was losing 800,000 jobs a month — 8 million lost in total in the Bush recession — whileforeclosure signs littered streets across America, and too many Americans had to choose between bankruptcy and health care.
• Under President Obama:
o America has enjoyed 70 months in a row of private sector job growth, creating more than 14 million new jobs.
o We’ve added more net private sector jobs in the last 12 WEEKS [851K] – than were added in the last 12 YEARS of Republican Administrations [747K]
o Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more than 17 million Americans have healthcare coverage they didn’t have, no one can be turned away for preexisting conditions, and our uninsured rate is the lowest ever recorded.
o And just last week the President took executive action to turn the tide against the gun violence affecting so many of our communities by keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.
• So when you hear doom and gloom from Republican candidates, remember, the American people have come too far, fought too hard. They’ve already made America great.
• Tomorrow we’ll hear the State of our Union is strong. There’s still much to do to ensure every American has a fair shot, and that’s what’s at stake in these elections.
• We need to keep America moving forward, not let a Republican president drag us back.

Expanded Talking Points
• There’s still much to do…
o to build an economy that gives everyone in America a fair shot.
o to make America safer by using all the elements of our national power without offending our allies and alienating those we need to bring terrorists to justice.
o to strengthen the economic security of every community so that no one has to worry that they’ll graduate college only to be burdened by student loans, or face bankruptcy because they get sick, or be fired simply based on who they love.
• We need a President who keeps the economic, personal and national security of the American people moving forward.
• The last thing we need is a Republican President to drag us backwards.
• Whether it’s Trump, Rubio, Cruz, or any of the other Republican presidential candidates, each of them would:
o repeal the Affordable Care Act, causing 19 million people to lose their health insurance.
o return to the same failed economic policies of George W. Bush that were in place when we were losing 800,000 jobs a month.
o defund Planned Parenthood, oppose equal pay for women, roll back equality for the LGBT community, and gut voting rights laws.
o continue to stall comprehensive immigration reform.
o block commonsense reforms to curtail gun violence, at a time when 33,000 Americans per year are being killed by guns.
o And every single one would take us back to the reckless, go-it-alone foreign policy that destabilized the Middle East in the first place.
• Tomorrow night, the Republican Party’s response to President Obama’s speech will come from South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley.
• Haley has wreaked havoc on the economy in her state, and exemplifies exactly why the we don’t need a Republican president making the same mistakes at the national level.

State of Jefferson: Sierra County supervisors decline to join, supporters rally in Sacramento

Thursday, 07 January 2016 Elizabeth Larson

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – In the latest developments in the effort to form a 51st state, on Tuesday the Sierra County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt a resolution declining to join the State of Jefferson, while supporters went to Sacramento the following day to rally for leaving California.

The Sierra County Board vote was 3-2, which followed a lengthy discussion by board members, opponents and supporters.

That final action followed an initial vote in which the board voted down tabling the matter indefinitely.

While the board of the 3,000-resident “frontier” county acknowledged that Northern California counties like theirs face serious challenges that state legislators need to work harder to address, members nevertheless “also see the benefit of sharing a state government with our suburban and urban counterparts, a state that is the 8th largest economy in the world,” the resolution said.

The resolution faulted “unverifiable petition signatures” requesting adoption of a declaration for Sierra County to break away from California and a failure of State of Jefferson proponents “to prove financial viability or that forming a new state will solve the above problems and will likely never be approved by the California Legislature and the United States Congress.”

“While rural America faces many challenges, we all live here by choice, and often for the lifestyle,” said Sierra County Board of Supervisors Chair Lee Adams. “Both urban and rural areas give and gain from each other and both are dependent on each other. California prospers because of its entire landmass, and is extremely blessed by nature, and I will continue to work within the existing state structure for the benefit of all of Sierra County.”

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McGuire and Dodd announce they have secured desperately needed recovery funds for Lake County

January 7, 2016

Sacramento, CA – Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Bill Dodd announced that the Governor’s budget, released this morning, includes millions of dollars to assist Lake County in the long recovery from the devastating Valley Fire.

Since the start of the Valley Fire – the third most destructive in state history – Dodd and McGuire have been active on the ground in Lake County working to ensure residents have the resources they need to recover and rebuild.
Specifically, the budget includes $1.3 million to cover lost property, sales and bed tax revenue for Lake County. The Valley Fire damaged or destroyed more than 1,900 structures including homes, apartment buildings and multiple businesses, resulting in over $1 billion in damage and significant lost tax revenue for the county as well as other special districts.

The budget also includes $2.2 million for the South Lake County Fire Protection District, which is located in the heart of the Valley Fire burn zone. The Fire District needed these funds to ensure the residents of the region continue to receive robust fire and emergency services throughout the year.
The State has also committed additional CALFIRE personnel in the Valley Fire zone. These enhanced staffing levels – which have already been embedded in the District – will ensure residents have the emergency resources needed to respond to any El Niño related storm impacts.

“Assemblymember Dodd and I have been working overtime with the Governor’s Office to ensure Lake County has the resources needed to recover, rebuild and thrive,” Senator McGuire said. “These funds will be immediately put to work to ensure the county and emergency services don’t miss a beat serving local communities. We’re grateful for the partnership with Governor Brown and appreciate his continued dedication to Lake County.”
Senator McGuire and Assemblymember Dodd worked with the Governor’s office and Lake County officials – for the last several months – to secure this budget allocation.

“When natural disasters strike, it’s critical the state of California helps impacted communities, and receiving these funds in Governor Brown’s budget is a critical step towards recovery from the Valley Fire,” Assemblymember Dodd said. “These funds will help residents receive critical services, especially fire protection and emergency services. Senator McGuire has been a great partner in advocating for our communities, and we will continue fighting to get the residents of Lake County the help they need to recover and thrive.”
In addition to the $3.5 million allocated in the Governor’s budget for Lake County property tax relief due to the Valley Fire, schools in Lake County will receive property tax backfill funding from Proposition 98, which is the previously guaranteed source of funding to cover lost property tax revenues for school districts.

President Obama Share the Steps He’s Taking to Reduce Gun Violence

January 5, 2016

Lake County Democratic Club hosts Senator Mike McGuire January 12

January 2, 2016

Senator Mike McGuire will be the guest speaker on Tuesday, January 12, 2015, to discuss the current state of the county. Time will be allotted for Q & A.

Lake County Democratic Club meetings are held in the Social Hall of the Lower Lake Community United Methodist Church, 16255 Second St., Lower Lake, on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m.

Meetings are open to the public. Membership is open to all registered Democrats.

The Lake County Democratic Club is an officially chartered club of the Democratic Party of Lake County

Weekly Address: Making America Safer for Our Children

January 01, 2016
WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President reflected on the progress of the past year, and looked forward to working on unfinished business in the coming year, particularly when it comes to the epidemic of gun violence. As he has many times before, the President reminded us that Congress has repeatedly failed to take action and pass laws that would reduce gun violence. That’s why the President a few months ago tasked his White House team with identifying new actions he can take to help reduce gun violence, and on Monday will meet with the Attorney General to discuss the options. In his address, the President called on everyone to join him in the fight to reduce gun violence, because it’s going to take all of us to make America safer for our children.

Lake County Board of Supervisors Rescind Vote on “State of Jefferson”

December 20, 2015

Keep it California Press Release

On Tuesday, December 15, the Lake County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to rescind a prior resolution, adopted March 3, 2015, that would have placed an advisory measure on the November 2016 ballot asking if the county should adopt a declaration of support for seceding from California in order to participate in the formation of a new state.

The proposal to rescind was brought forward by Board Chair Anthony Farrington at the request of community residents. Farrington questioned the “Jefferson” movement’s financial analysis, which fails to take into account many sources of state funding received by the county as well as direct support from state agencies, access to California’s higher education system, and branding for agricultural products. The importance of this support was particularly evident during the wildland fires that devastated the county during the past summer.

Local “State of Jefferson” proponents retain the option of gathering signatures to place the matter on the ballot by petition.

Lake County Jefferson Declaration Committee member Randy Sutton of Upper Lake did not raise objections to rescission of the resolution authorizing the advisory vote:  “This will proceed, with or without county government,” he said.

Keep It California county coordinator Victoria Brandon of Lower Lake, who has been a vocal opponent of the “Jefferson” plan since it was first presented to the Board of Supervisors in December 2014, urged the board to rescind the resolution. “What seems to me the center here is that we have been told over and over again that the issue is lack of representation. I think we have seen that lack of representation in Lake County is not a problem,” she said, adding that Assemblyman Bill Dodd and State Senator Mike McGuire “have stepped forward dramatically in our time of need” to make sure state agencies responded to help the county during the fires. “County residents need to concentrate on recovery efforts rather than squabbling with each other about a political notion that isn’t going to happen anyway.”

Supervisor Rob Brown echoed praise for Senator McGuire in particular, saying that if the state had 39 other senators like him, the question would never have arisen in the first place, and pointed out that since he’s now trying to obtain millions of dollars in state funding to help local citizens, he intends to show respect to the state and its leaders.

Farrington passed the gavel to Brown so he could make the motion to rescind the ordinance, which the board voted 5-0 to approve.

For more information click here or go to the Keep it California website at http://www.keepitcalifornia.org.

Lake County Democratic Club December Crossword Puzzle

December 7, 2015

The Lake County Democratic Crossword Puzzle is based on the November Club meeting minutes.

Lake County Democratic Club December Crossword Puzzle

WEEKLY ADDRESS: We Will Not Be Terrorized

December 5, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President offered his condolences to the families and community of the victims of the San Bernardino shooting.   He recognized the possibility that the two attackers may have been radicalized, a reminder to all of us that we need to work together to prevent people from falling victim to attempts by extremist organizations to encourage violence.  The President called on Congress to close the loophole that allows people on the No-Fly list to purchase guns, a simple and logical step that would make it harder for potential terrorists to acquire weapons.  And he reminded us that we cannot accept mass shootings like this one as routine in our country, and emphasized that above all else, his priority is the safety and security of the American people.

Dec. 8th Democratic Club festivities and meeting

November 18, 2015

News flash to everyone who was unable to attend our Democratic Club meeting in Nov.  Next month when we meet to install our new slate of officers for 2016, we have decided to make the meeting a little bit of a festive affair.  We will gather @ 6:00 pm instead of 6:30 and have a pot luck.  Anyone who wishes should bring a favorite dish or appetizer or sweet, and we will have a party as we hand over the reins to the new officers.

Rich and I will bring hot apple cider as an alternative to the usual coffee & water.  The club will supply plates, napkins, cups and utensils.

Congratulations to our new Club Chair William Manners and our new Parliamentarian Louis Rigod !

Also, happily, the following officers have agreed to serve another year for the club:

Vice-Chair – Rich East

Secretary – Judy Conard

Treasurer – John Sheehy

Vice-Treasurer – James Evans.

Thank you and hope to see you next month.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Carlene Leskar

Lake County Democratic Club November Crossword Puzzle

November 17, 2015

The Lake County Democratic Crossword Puzzle is based on the October Club meeting minutes.

Lake County Democratic Club November Crossword Puzzle

Senator McGuire and Assemblymember Wood host hearing on crab season delay

November 16, 2015

North Coast legislators will chair the December 3 hearing focused on the California Dungeness Crab Fishery and the impacts of a delayed start of season

Santa Rosa, CA – Senator Mike McGuire, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Assemblymember Jim Wood, Committee Vice-Chair, are hosting a hearing focused on the delayed opening of the Dungeness Crab season. The legislators will be focused on public health issues, ocean conditions and the coastal fishing economy. A panel of experts will discuss the current status, ocean conditions, what to expect in the weeks ahead and impacts of the season delay.

Here is the hearing information:

What: The California Dungeness and Rock Crab Fishery: Public Health, Ocean Conditions and Maintaining a Strong Coastal Economy

When: Thursday, December 3

Where: Main Room of the Steele Lane Community Center, 415 Steele Ln., Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Time: 3pm – 6pm

Who: State & federal agency representatives, fishing industry representatives, leaders from the Dungeness Crab Task Force, North Coast county elected officials and more.

In early November, just as the recreational and commercial Dungeness crab seasons were set to open, unsafe levels of domoic acid were found in local crab.

“We know that the North Coast is crab country – it’s a top industry here – and the decision to delay the opening did not come lightly,” Senator Mike McGuire said. “This forum will bring all of the industry experts together in one location, focused on protecting the public’s health, ocean conditions and our crab dependent coastal economy.”

The hearing will begin at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3.

“This hearing will provide an important opportunity to bring together industry leaders, and decision makers,” said Assemblymember Wood. “It is crucial that we know what we to expect for the rest of this crab season, and what to be prepared for in the future.”

The closure will remain in effect until the Director of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), in consultation with the Director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), determines that domoic acid levels no longer pose a significant risk to public health and no longer recommends the fisheries be closed.

The Dungeness crab fishery is in the top tier of California’s commercial fisheries. Values have exceeded $95 million per year and long-term averages of nearly $60 million.

For more information on the health advisories and the commission’s decision to delay the recreational Dungeness crab season, visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing/ocean/health-advisories.

Weekly Address: Giving Veterans their Chance

November 14, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, President Obama honored our nation’s veterans, who have served and sacrificed in defense of our country. This past week, Americans came together on Veterans Day to pay tribute to those men and women in uniform who have risked their lives to protect our freedom.  In recent years we’ve worked to reduce the veterans’ unemployment rate to 3.9 percent and slash the disability claims backlog at the VA by nearly 90 percent from its peak.  But there is still more that can be done.  Since day one of his Administration, the President has remained committed to serving the brave men and women who have served us.  And in his address, he reminded us that we all have a role to play in ensuring that veterans have the opportunities and support they deserve.

 

Lake County Democratic Club Meeting November 10

November 9, 2015

We will meet on November 10 at 6:30pm in the Social Hall of the Methodist Church at 16255 Second St. Lower Lake.

11 Lake County Democratic Club November 10, 2015 Agenda

10 October 13 2015 Lake County Democratic Club Minutes

 

The Lake County Democratic Club is an officially chartered club of the Democratic Party of Lake County.