Legislative Update
May was a busy month “under the Dome.” I participated in numerous policy committee hearings and heard debate on hundreds of bills. No committee was allowed to meet the first week in June, however, as it was the last week to debate and vote on Senate Bills on the Senate Floor. I voted on approximately 150 bills in a three day period, but the Assembly will be sending us over 300 bills!
Two of my legislative proposals, Senate Bill 548 and Senate Bill 598, passed off the Senate Floor with overwhelming bipartisan support this last week.
Senate Bill 548 will make certain that when a California’s Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (DVBE) contractor hires a disabled veteran, the veteran is awarded both the agreed upon work and pay.
In all too many cases, once a veteran has been worked into a contract to meet the state’s requirements, contractors do not award the agreed-upon jobs. Worse yet, some contractors use veterans’ services on a project but do not pay them for their hard work.
Senate Bill 598 amends existing driving-under the influence laws by encouraging drivers to voluntarily accept ignition interlock device (IID) installation on their vehicles in return for the chance to apply sooner to DMV for a restricted drivers license.
Only a small percentage of people convicted of multiple DUIs are required by court to install an IID on their vehicles to discourage recidivism. SB 598 provides one more tool to proactively fight drunk driving.
Both pieces of legislation now face another round of policy hearings in the Assembly.
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Diamond Bar Relay for Life
Team Huff is currently recruiting walkers to participate in the Diamond Bar Relay for Life on June 13 and 14 at Lorbeer Jr. High School in Diamond Bar. The relay begins on Saturday morning, June 13 at 9 a.m. and ends on Sunday morning, June 14 at 9 a.m. Team members take turns walking or running and are asked to have a member on the track at all times for the 24 hour period. Team Huff will walk in memory of Senator Huff’s good friend, former Diamond Bar Mayor Bob Zirbes, who died of cancer in 2007.
For more information or to participate in the Diamond Bar Relay for Life, please call Jody Roberto at Senator Huff’s District Office at 626-914-5046; e-mail jody.roberto@sen.ca.gov. You can also sign up online by clicking here.
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Montecito Fine Arts College of Design in Arcadia named Small Business of the Year
I am pleased to announce that I have selected Montecito Fine Arts College of Design in Arcadia as my Small Business of the Year. I had the privilege of touring the facility last fall and I was very impressed with the school and their involvement in the community.
The Montecito Fine Arts College of Design along with the Montecito School Children’s Center, offers a wide range of arts and graphics education for children ages 4 to 12 as well as teens and adults alike. The Children’s Center in particular allows children to explore and develop their creative abilities, offering many opportunities to expand and grow into the curriculum at the College of Design.
With President Ed Kuckelkorn at the helm of the Montecito Fine Arts divisions, it is no surprise that the business has blossomed into the success it is today. When I visited the school, I saw first hand the commitment of President Kuckelkorn and his entire staff and faculty in making the Montecito Fine Arts School Children’s Center a place where children can truly grow.
The three schools have 1,000 students enrolled and employ over 100 staff and faculty with locations in Arcadia, Brea and Monrovia. President Ed Kuckelkorn is involved in the Brea and Monrovia Chambers of Commerce, works closely with the Chinese American Business Alliance, and generously gave out $750,000 in scholarships last year.
The phrase “If a student fails, the teacher will be terminated” is not only their philosophy but policy. It is this dedication to the students and enthusiasm for arts education that makes this business the unequivocal choice as my Small Business of the Year.
Ed Kuckelkorn was honored in Sacramento on May 26th at an awards luncheon sponsored by the California Small Business Association and other business organizations.
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Walnut High School Graduate to Showcase Artwork in Sacramento
I am always very impressed with the talented young people we have in our local communities. One of those great talents is Diana Ahn, a recent graduate of Walnut High School who is currently attending Scripps College in Claremont. Diana was chosen as the winner of a recent art contest that I held in my district. She submitted an outstanding picture of a California Veteran she drew using colored pencils.
The California State Senate initiated the art contest twelve years ago to celebrate contemporary California art. Every year, California State Senators select an artist from their respective districts to feature art which best represents their district. I am proud to announce that Diana’s artwork will be displayed at the State Capitol from May 2009 through September 2010. It will also be featured in a catalogue which accompanies the art show. Congratulations Diana!
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Does More Money Translate into a Better Education?
Ever wonder how much money your local school district receives and how its academic achievement ranks compared to its neighbors? That sort of fairly simple information has been hard to come by, but the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) has finally created a user friendly website that puts such information at your fingertips. Their School Finance Center webpage gives you data for school districts and charter schools across California. One of my favorite features of the site is a simple chart that looks like your gas tank gauge. It allows you to measure from low to high where your chosen district ranks in academic achievement and in funding received per student. For example, one district in the area I represent comes in at the low 25th percentile on performance but over 80th on the amount of money it gets per pupil. While another school district falls in the high 90th percentile for performance but only in the 40th percentile for funding. You can visit the School Finance Center online by clicking here.
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What are the Real Reasons Students Don’t Perform as Well As They Could?
I’ve always believed parental involvement is the largest factor in successfully educating our children. Since this is my column, let’s just stipulate that at a minimum, parental involvement is very important. But many in the education community clamor for more money, citing statistics (often in error) of our state’s ranking in per pupil funding and that we just need more money to get the education results we desire. Then along comes this book that you might find very interesting that looks at the connections between more money and better outcomes. It concludes what many of us have suspected for years: that poor student performance is due to our top-down bureaucratic public schools structure, which protects bureaucratic waste while enjoying the ultimate captive clientele. The book is called Schoolhouses, Courthouses, and Statehouses: Solving the Funding-Achievement Puzzle in America’s Public Schools. You can find more details on the book here.
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Status of the Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project in Chino Hills
In the matter of the proposed application of Southern California Edison Company (SCE) for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for the Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project going through the city of Chino Hills:
According to the Draft EIR/EIS, all of the alternatives considered, including the “no project” alternative, have significant environmental impacts that cannot be mitigated. Therefore, if the Commission approves this CPCN application, its decision will require a statement of overriding considerations.
Further, the Draft EIR/EIS proposes a number of routing alternatives for the proposed project.
For the Commission to select an alternative other than an environmentally superior alternative identified in the Final EIR/EIS, it must be shown that an environmentally superior alternative is infeasible.
In order to ensure that the Commission has a sufficient record to support a Statement of Overriding Considerations, as well as to determine the feasibility of the project and any alternatives, it will hold evidentiary hearings.
Evidentiary hearings are currently scheduled to begin July 6-10, 2009, starting at 10:00 a.m. at the Commission Courtroom, State Office Building, 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102.
Developments that have occurred since the CPUC's DEIR's hearings earlier this year include: 1) A key environmental group has reached a decision to support Alternative 4C proposed by the City of Chino Hills with a minor modification related to the location of the switching station, and 2) SCE has conceded that its cost estimates for the project's proposed route and those of the City of Chino Hills for their supported Alternative 4C were equally likely to be correct. The City’s estimate showed no cost difference between the two.
Currently, the Final EIR/EIS is scheduled to be published late June 2009 and the Commission's Proposed Decision on SCE's CPCN will be mailed during the Third Quarter 2009.
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State Agency Expo
On Saturday, May 30th, I held my first annual State Agency Expo at Westfield Santa Anita in the city of Arcadia. The expo consisted of a variety of state agencies that came out to help raise awareness of the many services and programs offered by their departments. Participating agencies included: Veteran’s Affairs, Franchise Tax Board, Board of Equalization, Contractors State Licensing Board, Public Utilities Commission, Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Healthcare Services, Employment Development Department, Department of Insurance, California Community College’s “I Can Afford College” campaign, California Emergency Management Agency, California Highway Patrol, and the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Often times, people are dissuaded by the difficulty of navigating through websites or getting lost in automated routing systems on the telephone. I was happy to provide a forum where my constituents were able to bypass such barriers and have the opportunity to meet with representatives from participating state departments. These contacts helped to alleviate some of those concerns as the representatives provided answers and direction for many of the local residents.
Special thanks to Westfield Santa Anita and all who participated in this event. I look forward to hosting similar events in the future.
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