Pacific Progressive

Is Your Home in a Flood Area?

Floods, even small ones, can be devastating for your house.  Many of us have experienced a broken water heater, overflowing dishwasher, or slipped hose on a washing machine.  We've seen the mess - water that needs to be sucked out, ruined carpets, warped wooden floors that must be replaced, soaked drywall that becomes moldy.  And don't even think about the smell if something didn't get dried out completely.

That was a water heater. What if it was an overflowing creek from a rainstorm where you couldn't turn off the water to make it stop.  And the water was filthy.

That's a problem many people in Orange County may face and not realize it.  The massive amount of development in Orange County has changed the way water flows in and along the ground.  Areas which did not flood 50 years ago may flood now because hillsides have been cut away, pavement has been added, and creekbeds moved.  Flood maps in San Juan Capistrano have been redrawn and are now available. http://sanjuancapistrano.org/Index.aspx?page=127

Newport Beach Makes over 12% Cut in Expenditures

Newport Beach http://www.city.newport-beach.ca.us/ will have about $14 million less in total revenue for the coming year but the proposed budget shows cuts of over $32 million.  Property taxes are expected to increase by over $1.5 million, but sales tax is anticipated to drop by over $3 million.  

"Other Funds" is being cut in half from the same time last year.  In Newport Beach, "Other Funds" includes the Tidelands programs and the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) that are not funded using General Fund Revenue.  (Note:  Each city puts different money into the "Other" or "Misc" account, so check these carefully.)  The money is being taken from CIP projects, not from Tidelands projects.

A summary of the proposed FY 09-10 budget follows.

Skills Gap in California Economy On Horizon - Potential Solutions

An earlier story addressed the potential gap between the number of available college graduates in California and the number needed by the labor market.  This story explores possible ways of filling in the gap.

Reducing the High School Dropout Rate

Before more students can get to college, more students must graduate high school. Students leave high school for a variety of reasons - cannot maintain grades, lack of interest in curriculum, need to work to help to support family.  The first two issues (maintaining grades to graduate and maintaining interest in curriculum) could be addressed by improving counseling and support services for students, routing students to courses that keep them interested, and early interventions in possible problems. 

The problem of economic need to drop out to support family members is difficult for schools to address on their own. Schools could begin to address this issue through partnerships with social service agencies to help families find assistance that would allow school-aged children to remain in school.  The current economic downturn will make this problem even more prevalent.

Teach Students About College and How to Get There

Families who have a family history of attending college understand the system - take a certain sequence of classes, keep a high GPA, save money for college, apply for financial aid, and then attend college.  

La Palma Gets More Money but Still Shrinks Budget

La Palma http://www.cityoflapalma.org/ received found money this year - a sales tax case was settled in their favor (about $8 million) and the city received about $2.3 million more in sales tax revenue than was expected. 

The proposed FY 09-10 budget contains about 4% less spending than last year's June budget.  Capital projects have been cut in half, but General Fund positions (city administration, police, recreation) receive increases.  

A summary of the budget follows.

Rep. Sanchez Votes to Combat Border Crimes

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Vice Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, voted to make investments in homeland security programs that protect our borders, support first responders like police and fire, help prepare for national disasters and secure our ports and airports.  The bill produced gross savings of $1.8 billion by eliminating 17 programs and cutting funding to 40 other programs.

"As Vice Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, I am committed to providing our law enforcement officials and security agencies with the resources they need to keep Americans safe," said Rep. Sanchez.  "This bill will help prepare for 21st century security challenges.  It allows us to better prevent threats and attacks, prepare and plan for emergencies, and invest in programs that will safeguard our citizens."  

Melissa Fox Kicks Off 70th AD Campaign

Melissa Fox  http://www.actblue.com/page/melissafox kicked off her campaign to take the 70th AD seat of the termed-out Chuck Devore.  Fox's district includes Newport Beach, Irvine, Lake Forest and Laguna Beach. 

The Newport Beach event was filled to capacity.  Local elected officials including Larry Agran and Rose Espinoza attended the event. Steve Young, a candidate for 68th AD, Ken Arnold, Steve Blount, and Danielle Nava also attended. The local business community was also represented.  

Melissa Fox  is a wife, mother and business owner who sees the impact of Sacramento decisions on the lives of her family.  "My son's choir teacher has been cut.  It was this choir teacher who helped my son find out that he loves to sing.  Now, he's in the All American Boys Chorus.  Without that teacher, my son would not gone to choir camp."

Melissa has been endorsed by the Hon. Rose Espinoza of La Habra.  Rose Espinoza is currently a member of the La Habra City Council, has served as Mayor of La Habra, and is currently a candidate for Orange County Supervisor.  She also founded Rosie's Garage,http://www.rosiesgarage.org/  a program for youth in La Habra.

Laguna Woods Sees Same Downturn as Rest of County

Laguna Woods http://www.lagunawoodscity.org/  is seeing the same downturn that the rest of the county is.  Revenues are projected to be off by a little over 4% and expenses have been cut by over 7.75%.  Laguna Woods is one of the few cities to cut deeper than the budget required.

The hits to revenue are caused by a drop in transient occupancy taxes and transportation funds.  Property tax revenues are projected to increase slightly.  It is possible that property tax revenues will stay flat or increase slightly because Laguna Woods is a unique community - it is a destination community, the closest substitute is Leisure World in Seal Beach.

Expenditures have been reduced accordingly. City council has taken an almost 4% decrease in expenses.  Administrative and community services also take significant cuts in the budget.

A summary of the FY 08-09 budget and FY 09-10 proposed budget follows.

Sen. Boxer Requests $18.3 Million for Water Quality and Environment

Sen. Barbara Boxer has requested $18.3 million in funding for water quality projects and environmental projects in California.  Some of the projects with local impact are:

• $10 million in federal matching funds for vehicle emission reductions programs to help meet federally mandated air quality standard.
• $1 million is slated for the pilot seawater desalination plant at Dana Point. The plant is being built by the Municipal Water District of Orange County.  The plant features slant intake wells dug into the sand to avoid trapping fish and other marine life in the water intakes for the plant.
• $300,000 to remove perchlorate from water and contain contaminated groundwater. Rialto will receive the funds as part of Inland Empire Groundwater Remediation and Drinking Water System Improvements.

The FY 2010 Interior Appropriations Bill goes to the full Senate for approval.

http://boxer.senate.gov/

Cypress Residents Meet About Healthcare Reform

Cypress residents met on a Saturday morning to learn how they can advocate for the healthcare changes that can improve their healthcare and help businesses compete in the world economy.  The event was organized by Rose Ann Howard, the local Organizing for America (OFA) coordinator   http://www.barackobama.com/index.php .

 

Dr. Bill Honigman, a local emergency room physician, was the keynote speaker.  Dr. Honigman is a state coordinator for Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) http://pdamerica.org/statecaucus.php?s=CA .  He spoke about the need for reform that will put more money into patient care and less money into overhead. At one point, he pulled out a prop dollar bill and tore off a third, held up the torn section and said, "One third of every dollar goes to overhead, advertising, and doesn't get used for patients.  If we get that number down to single digits, even 5% , there is already enough money in the system to pay for education and preventive care. "

Cypress residents discussed healthcare issues that impact their lives.  

• How to get more young adults insured?  One woman spoke about her son, who has a family.  He doesn't have health insurance because he can't afford it. He works an hourly job and the coverage offered would take most of his take-home pay and not leave enough money to live on.
• How to get more young adults pushing for health care reform?
• How can America be able to compete in the world if our businesses pay health care costs which are much higher than other countries.  This puts a burden on our businesses and makes the prices they can charge for goods and services too high to compete on a global market.

Loretta Sanchez Votes for National Defense Authorization Act

Rep. Loretta Sanchez, the highest ranking woman on the Armed Services Committee, voted for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  The bill authorized Pres. Obama's request for $9.3 billion for missile defense programs.  Rep. Sanchez also successfully included initiatives to help eliminate sexual abuse and domestic violence in the  Armed Services.

"This bill will make critical investments in missile defense programs that will keep America safe," Rep. Sanchez continued.  "It provides crucial funding for testing, sustaining, and modernizing the existing long-range missile defense system currently deployed in California, as well as other measures that will improve US security at home and abroad."

Funding from the bill will be used to make further investments in existing defense systems such as Aegis BMD and THAAD.  Over $1 billion is provided to continue research & development and testing for systems such as the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system and the Aegis Standard Missile-3 Block IIA Interceptor.  Both systems are designed to counter long-range missiles.

Funding for sexual assault and domestic violence prevention was also included in the bill. 

Laguna Niguel Revenues & Expenditures Shrink Simultaneously

Laguna Niguel http://www.ci.laguna-niguel.ca.us/  has reduced spending by almost 5% to meet the nearly 5% drop in total revenues.  And, unlike many other cities, expenses for City Council declined slightly.  

Laguna Niguel is predicting an almost 15% drop in property tax revenues.  The areas getting the biggest hit in revenue are development related - engineering fees will drop by almost 63%, planning fees and grading fees are off by over 50% each.

A summary of the proposed FY 09-10 budget follows.

Finding Money for College - Fee Waivers & Tax Breaks

Money is tight everywhere these days, but it seems like money is even tighter when it comes to paying for college.  Many students are not aware of fee waivers available for community college fees or tax deductions for tuition.  

Using tax deductions can pay off but takes a little planning. Unlike financial aid payments which pay bills as they are due, students using tax deductions pay the bills for school themselves, then receive credits on their tax returns to offset the costs of college.  If you're using tax credits, save your receipts, and talk with who ever does your taxes so they can help you.

California Community College Fee Waivers

Fee waivers are available for students who are legally independent from their parents and for students supported by their parents who are in need.  In recent years, about 30% of all California community college students received fee waivers.  The criteria for determining eligibility can seem complex, but taking the time to do the paperwork to determine your eligibility can pay off for you.  Information and forms for fee waivers are available at the Chancellor of the California Community College System site http://www.cccco.edu/ChancellorsOffice/Divisions/StudentServices/StudentFinancialAssistancePrograms/Forms/tabid/678/Default.aspx .   Financial aid offices at local community colleges can also provide the forms and additional information about eligibility.

American Opportunity Credit (formerly Hope Credit)

The American Opportunity Credit covers 100% of the first $2000 in tuition payments and textbook costs.  25% of the second $2000 is covered. The maximum credit is $2500. 

Casualty in Costa Mesa - Concerts Cut

Costa Mesa has announced that summer concerts in July will not happen because there is not enough money in the city budget.  This is one of the first confirmed budget casualties.  http://www.ci.costa-mesa.ca.us/

John Campbell Becomes a "Birther"

Rep. john Campbell (R, CA 48) has become a sponsor of the "birther" bill introduced by Rep. Bill Posey (R, FL 15).  http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR01503:@@@P The bill would require a Presidential candidate to include a copy of their birth certificate with the principal campaign committee state of organization.  Other sponsors on the bill include John Carter (R, TX 31), John Abney Culberson (R TX 7), Bob Goodlatte (R, VA 6), Randy Neugebauer (R, TX 19).

Rep. Campbell's actions are troubling on several levels.  Campbell agrees with Wiley Drake, the pastor from Buena Park who preaches that Obama is an illegal alien.  Campbell now agrees with people like the white supremacist who killed a guard at the Holocaust Museum.  Campbell is showing growing intolerance in an increasingly diverse world.

And, is this what Rep. John Campbell should be spending his time on?  Why isn't he working to bring money and jobs his district?   Why isn't he trying to lower the costs of health care so the unemployed and uninsured people in his district can get medical care without having to go the emergency room?  Why isn't he working to get money to help schools and colleges so classes don't have to be cut?

Why won't John Campbell do something that would benefit the people of his district?

Lou Correa on Side of Mobile Home Residents

Mobilehome residents face an array of issues that many of us who live in housing tracts never think about: 

• They may own their home, but they often don't own the land under it.  As a result, they are vulnerable to rent increases or the ground being sold out from under them.
• Even though it's called a "mobilehome", the structure really can't be moved once the wheels are off and the home is on a permanent foundation.
• Federal and state laws regulate the sale, transfer, financing and modification of the home. For example, hanging an awning by drilling holes into the home can cause the mobilehome to lose HUD certification and become unsalable.  

Sen. Lou Correa http://dist34.casen.govoffice.com/ is having a panel of experts available to talk with mobilehome and manufactured home residents on Friday, July 10, 2009.  At the Rancho Santiago Community College Building (2323 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, CA 92706),  experts will answer questions about park inspections, health and safety codes, fair housing and senior housing issues, utility service changes, local housing programs, and new legislation impacting mobilehome residents.

Free Mobile Home Residency books will be available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.  Call 714-558-4400 to RSVP or if you have questions about the event.