Due to the Thanksgiving holiday there will be no Harman Report next week.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Capitol Comment: Education reforms should be passed
Earlier this month the Senate passed much needed education reforms to improve the state’s schools and enable California to better compete for federal “Race to the Top” dollars. Some of those reforms are still pending in the Assembly and should be passed.
One of my top legislative priorities is education, which is why I have supported pro-active measures to ensure that California is eligible to compete for the $4.35 billion “Race to the Top” dollars available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
As you may have read, California’s ability to compete for those dollars was in jeopardy because of a provision in state law that prevented student testing data from being used in teacher evaluations. The legislature has already addressed that specific problem but more work needs to be done. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass announced yesterday that the Assembly will take these measures up in December.
While proficiency in English and Math are creeping up across California, the numbers for economically-disadvantaged children tells a different story:
- 50 percent of California’s children tested proficient or above in English, up from 46 percent the year before. Only 36% of economically-disadvantaged students scored proficient in English.
- 46 percent of students were proficient in math, a gain of three points. Just 37 percent of economically-disadvantaged students were proficient in math.
- Only 37 percent of California’s African-American and Hispanic students are proficient or above in English—31 points behind white students and 36 points behind Asian students.
This achievement gap crushes the future of many poor and minority students. As the San Francisco Chronicle’s Jill Tucker recently wrote, “Based on the rate of improvement from 2003 to 2009, it would take up to 105 years to close the white/Hispanic achievement gap and at least 189 years to close the white /black gap, which has failed to narrow by even a point in English since 2003.”
Allowing charter schools to compete with failing public schools is one idea that could give parents in the poorest communities a chance to better their child’s education. In California, charter schools are already successfully serving the most disadvantaged students. In schools where more than 70 percent of students qualify for the free lunch program, 12 of the 15 top-performing schools, based on test scores, are charter schools.
Much needed reforms to address these types of issues have already passed the Senate with bipartisan support. Now it is the Assembly’s turn to pass these measures and start moving forward on fixing a public school system that frankly fails too many of its kids.
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Budget woes... and Californians refuse to foot the bill
Voters reject higher fees and increased taxes to fill budget gaps
Hardly an early Christmas present – Governor Schwarzenegger’s office recently predicted that California’s budget will be back in the red by January. Yesterday the Legislative Analysts Office (LAO) weighed in saying the deficit could be as high as $21 billion.
In the past three years California ran up $60 billion in deficits.
The LAO report was extremely clear - spending is wildly out of control and continues to plague our state’s fiscal house. We must bring spending in-line with revenues and enact common-sense reforms that will put a stop to the spending that is pushing us off the cliff.
You can expect another drawn out budget stalemate as across the board spending cuts loom in the state’s future. Big spenders in the Legislature are already claiming we have nowhere else to tighten our belts. But, recent polling shows the average Californian isn’t buying it and wants Sacramento to quit spending money it doesn’t have. The average Californian has had to do more with less the past few years and they expect government to do the same.
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More on the Polling...
The Public Policy Institute of California, a non-partisan think tank, recently released a study that confirms the notion, long held by me and my Republican colleagues, that hardworking families do not want higher fees or increased taxes to fill an ever-growing budget shortfall. 56% of those polled said NO to higher taxes and fees.
This study focused on this year’s budget cuts to higher education and the increased tuition costs that ensued. Higher education remains a very high priority for a vast majority of families, but Californians do not want their kids to pay for the Legislature’s inability to solve the state’s fiscal crisis. Just look at the stats:
- Eighty-six percent of those surveyed think that college affordability is a problem
- 89 percent are concerned about increased tuition fees
California’s higher education system is vital for the states economic and social stability. Increasing barriers to college entry and completion will prolong the recession and prevent the upward mobility of many of California’s most disadvantaged children.
California families want their children to have access to an affordable and quality education. They are sick of being over-taxed to pay for wasteful and unproductive programs at the expense of their children’s future. With limited resources families already realize they can’t do everything. Shouldn’t the legislature be doing the same thing - getting its priorities in order and spending accordingly?
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Thanksgiving is a Time for Friends, Family and Lending a Helping Hand
It is that time of the year again: time to stuff the turkey, peel the potatoes, and prepare the pumpkin pie. As Thanksgiving approaches, many of us look forward to a spending memorable evening amongst the warmth of close family and friends.
As our economy continues to falter, many of our fellow citizens are struggling. This holiday season may be a good time for us to help those in our community who are less fortunate. There are numerous ways to get involved to ensure that this Thanksgiving will be a special day for everyone.
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Dana Point Turkey Trot: This year, Dana Point will host their 32nd annual turkey trot. The Second Harvest Food Bank and Golden State Foods have partnered together to sponsor the race since 1977. Profits from the race directly fight hunger in Orange County, with last year bringing in over $40,000. The turkey trot is looking for participants for featured races such as the “kids fun run”, and both a 5K, and 10K run. Additionally, volunteers who are not running are always welcome. The festivities begin at 6:00AM on Thanksgiving, Thursday November 26, 2009. Visit www.turkeytrot.com for more information.
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Thanksgiving Food Drive: The Share Our Selves Organization has over 750 volunteers throughout Orange County who assist those in need of basic living essentials. Share Our Selves will be hosting a Thanksgiving Food Drive between November 16-20. More information on how to get involved is available at www.shareourselves.org.
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Thanksgiving Jam: If you’re in the mood for entertainment, the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa will be hosting a “Thanksgiving Jam” for charity. The concert takes place on Saturday, November 21st at 7:00pm featuring Jonah Matranga.
These are just a taste of the activities that Orange County has to offer this Thanksgiving Holiday. Whether it’s through a monetary donation, or through physical volunteer work- it is crucial to help out those in our community less fortunate than us.
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Team Harman in the Community
The holidays can be a wonderful time of good cheer and fellowship but they can just as easily be a time of great stress and hardship for those of us that are struggling to make ends meet or otherwise suffering. This week my office teamed up with the Golden State Water Company and delivered Thanksgiving turkeys to the American Legion Newport Harbor Post 291. Members of the Legion will then deliver the turkeys to military families in need during this holiday season.
Commander Steve Spriggs of the American Legion Newport Harbor Post 291, Emanuel Patrascu of my Costa Mesa office and representatives of the various troops receiving holiday turkeys.
In addition to military families, Emanuel Patrascu from my Costa Mesa office delivered turkeys to the Precious Life Shelter in Los Alamitos and the Laguna Relief and Resource Center in Laguna Beach. Precious Life Shelter provides a variety of emergency and transitional services to pregnant women lacking a place to live. The shelter’s goal is to help these women become independent and self-reliant. Laguna Relief and Resource Center is a non-profit organization of community volunteers that puts the needy in contact with a network of local resources and agencies to address their specific needs.
I am so pleased that my office was once again able to participate in this vital community effort.
American Legion Newport Harbor Post 291 was founded in 1924 by a group of thirty World War I veterans who were residents of the Newport Harbor area. It is the largest American Legion Post in the state of California.
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