Thursday, May 17         Dewz Restaurant (1505 J Street in Modesto)

5:30 –  Reception

7:00 –  Dinner

$100 per ticket or $150 for two tickets.

RSVP – pjneifert@centurytel.net

SACRAMENTO, CA— Citing her unparalleled record promoting public safety, Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton, was endorsed today by several major law enforcement organizations in her bid for State Senate, including the:

• California Professional Firefighters
• California Association of Law Enforcement Employees
• California Correctional Peace Officers Association
• California Association of Fraud Investigators
• California Statewide Law Enforcement Association
• LA County Professional Peace Officers Association

“As someone who has been personally affected by crime, I have total respect for the men and women who work to protect our communities,” said Assemblywoman Galgiani. “I have been an outspoken leader in the San Joaquin Valley and throughout California to make sure that our communities are safe and that our law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to protect citizens.”

Recently, Assemblywoman Galgiani has been an outspoken public safety ally by facilitating cooperation between the San Joaquin County sheriff’s office and the FBI to help speed up efforts to recover remains of victims of the “Speed Freak Killers.” Her efforts have garnered local and statewide media attention to what was once thought to be a closed case. She believes it is imperative to the victims’ families that the search be expanded using the proper state and federal resources in order to recover the remains and identify all the victims.

Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani has always made public safety a top priority. A 5^th generation Stocktonian, Galgiani has lived and worked in the San Joaquin Valley her entire life.  She has become a recognized leader among law enforcement organizations, many of whom are now publically supporting her candidacy for Senate District 5. Assemblywoman Galgiani was elected to State Assembly in 2006 and has worked to facilitate the fast-moving development of the nation’s first High-Speed Rail project which will create 600,000 new jobs, and put California’s economy on a fast-track to recovery. Galgiani is dedicated to creating safe communities in the San Joaquin Valley and ensuring that our public safety is a top priority.

SACRAMENTO, CA – Chairwoman of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture, Cathleen Galgiani spoke at the capitol in support of local farmers and strengthening the California economy. She also recognized 20 counties throughout California actively participating in “Eat Local, Buy California Grown Day.”

“California leads the nation as the country’s largest agricultural producer and exporter” said Assemblywoman Galgiani, a Stockton Democrat and candidate for Senate District 5. “Buying California food will help ensure that family farmers, California producers and small businesses continue to thrive and generate billions for the state’s economy.”

Assemblywoman Galgiani, who joint-authored Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 42 in 2011 titled “Eat Local, Buy California Grown” Day, called on constituents and municipal leaders statewide to invest in local produce and support local farmers.

“California agriculture builds on centuries of progress by constantly seeking advances in science, research, technology, production, and marketing to meet the demands of changing consumer needs and complex world markets,” she said. “I commend our local farmers and farm laborers for contributing to our state’s health, heritage and economy.”

As Chairwoman of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture, Assemblywoman Galgiani is a recognized leader on agricultural issues throughout California.

Assemblywoman Galgiani was elected to the State Assembly in 2006 and has worked to facilitate the fast-moving development of the nation’s first High-Speed Rail project which will create 600,000 new jobs, and put California’s economy on the fast-track to recovery. A Democrat, Assemblywoman Galgiani is running in the new Senate District 5 which includes Stockton, Tracy, Modesto and neighboring communities.

Watch Assemblywoman Galgiani discuss the important role agriculture plays in California’s economy here

STOCKTON, CA – Citing her independent approach to addressing critical issues confronting education, the California Teachers Association (CTA) and the California School Employees Association (CSEA) announced their support for Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani in her race for Senate today.

“Education remains one of my top priorities in the Assembly, and will be one of my focuses as a Senator,” said Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani. “From working closely with local educators to pushing for access to higher education, I am committed to fighting to protect our schools and increase educational opportunities in my district and throughout California.

CTA represents more than 325,000 teachers and is affiliated with the 3.2 million-member National Education Association.

CSEA represents over 215,000 classified employees in California’s public school and community college systems. CSEA employees serve public education as instruction aides, peace officers, secretaries, groundskeepers, food service, transportation and maintenance personnel.

Assemblywoman Galgiani was elected to the State Assembly in 2006 and has worked to facilitate the fast-moving development of the nation’s first High-Speed Rail project which will create 600,000 new jobs, and put California’s economy on a fast-track to recovery. A Democrat, Assemblywoman Galgiani is running in the new Senate District 5 which includes Stockton, Tracy, Modesto and neighboring communities.

Cindy Lashbrook enjoys the sounds of the Merced River as it meanders through McConnell State Recreation Area in northern Merced County.

Actually, the river itself moves pretty slowly. The decibel level is no threat to your eardrums.

It’s the noises the park’s visitors make that she enjoys most.

“I live right across the street from McConnell,” Lashbrook said. “Hearing families squealing in the water. Revivals. Mariachis. Families blowing off steam in a good way.”

Anything that nice can’t last, it seems. McConnell and George Hatfield State Recreation Area, 21 miles downstream, are on the state park closure list. So are Railtown 1897 in Jamestown, Turlock Lake, Mariposa’s Mining Museum and the West Side’s Henry Coe State Park.

According to State Parks sector Superintendent Greg Martin, McConnell and Hatfield parks together draw about 37,000 visitors a year. The more popular of the two, McConnell generates about $100,000 annually in user fees. Hatfield State Park brings in about $21,000.

Maintenance costs the state $184,000 collectively, meaning it would save roughly $63,000 a year by closing them.

The stereotypical reaction to park closures is simply to inundate your state legislators with letters, e-mails and phone calls, and that will somehow compel Sacramento to restore funding in a state with a projected $28 billion budget shortfall.

Consequently, Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, D-Livingston, and Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres, recently co-authored a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown asking to have the planned closures of McConnell and Hatfield parks re-evaluated. They cited Merced County’s 23 percent poverty rate, 18.7 percent unemployment rate and the fact the state would save less than $70,000 while affecting the poorer citizens who rely on these parks for recreation.

In reality, though, money simply isn’t there and it isn’t going to be.

That leaves one basic option to avoid park closures: Raise funds locally to subsidize a park’s upkeep. That happened in Gilroy, where the Coe Park Preservation Fund raised enough money to keep that park open through 2015, thus removing it from the closure list.

Likewise, train enthusiasts and residents of Tuolumne County are trying to develop a plan to keep Jamestown’s Railtown 1897 open, and the East Merced Resource Conservation District is doing the same to preserve McConnell and Hatifield.

After private business owners crunched the numbers and concluded they couldn’t make money operating McConnell and Hatfield, the nonprofit last week began soliciting area businesses and individuals in hopes of generating multiyear commitments.

“We need $65,000 in pledges or gathered by March 31,” said Lashbrook, a volunteer with the Eastern Merced Resource Conservation District.

The general public sees only the serene lawns and oak groves along the river, the state’s Martin said. The costs of insurance, labor, equipment, furnishings — picnic tables, benches and restrooms — along with landscape maintenance and restroom supplies all add up quickly, he said. And vandals contribute to the costs by breaking tables and door handles, and tagging.

If local groups can’t make up the shortfall, the parks will, indeed, be shuttered.

“I can’t tell you what a closed park looks like,” Martin said. “I can only imagine we’d be removing the park benches and picnic tables and using them elsewhere. We’d be boarding up the windows and doors.”

That the gap between income and expenses for the two parks is less than $70,000 bodes well for the region.

It shouldn’t be that difficult to raise, even in this economy. But it will need to be raised.

The dismal state of the state’s affairs demands it.

For more information, visit www.emrcd.org.

SACRAMENTO,- Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani unveiled new legislation of which she is a co-author to create the Middle Class Scholarship program. Introduced by Speaker John A. Pérez, (D-Los Angeles), the proposal is designed to keep more money in the pockets of middle-income families with students attending the state’s public colleges and universities, according to a news release from her office.

“California’s public universities and colleges used to be a bargain for middle class parents,” Galgiani said in the release. “While low-income students could still rely on Cal Grants and Pell Grants, the middle class was forced to bear the burden of higher costs resulting from the national recession and budgetary shortfalls. Middle Class Scholarships make public universities and colleges affordable again and I am honored to be a coauthor on this important legislation.”

Since the 2003-2004 school year, CSU fees have increased 191 percent, UC fees have increased by 145 percent, and community college student fees have also increased significantly. Many middle-income families turn to increased use of student loans to cover the thousands of dollars in fee hikes. This leads to years of chronic debt, or worse, some students give up on the promise of higher education altogether. These are the most damaging things possible for the long term health of the economy.

All students at the CSU or UC with family incomes less than $150,000 that do not already have fees covered will receive a Middle Class Scholarship that cuts costs by two-thirds, the news release said:

Under this proposal:
· About 150,000 CSU families will save more than $4,000 a year;
· Nearly 42,000 UC families will see a savings of $8,169; and
· Community Colleges will receive $150 million to expand affordability efforts.

“California’s public colleges create tomorrow’s leaders,” Galgiani said in the release. “This investment in our future will be covered by closing a tax loophole that only benefits out-of-state corporations.”

This effort will require a two-thirds vote of the Legislature, which means some Republican legislators will have to join Democrats in supporting the plan.

Author: KSEE News

In response to extensive public comments and feedback from Central Valley residents, agricultural groups, and businesses, the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board agreed with the staff recommendation to carry forward the “hybrid alternative” route as the preferred alignment for the project’s Merced to Fresno section at its monthly meeting in Merced.

“Today is a milestone for the state’s high-speed rail project,” said Thomas J. Umberg, Chairman of the Board. “I’m grateful for the tremendous public feedback and community participation. This puts us one important step closer to building an intrastate high-speed rail system, connecting the Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area to the Los Angeles and Anaheim region. That trip – which will take less than 3 hours – is a real investment in our state’s future. “

Since its August 2011 release, Central Valley residents submitted more than 2,500 public comments in response to the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Merced to Fresno section. In addition, more than 350 people attended the board meeting, and more than 150 people in the audience addressed the Board.

“The decision to move forward with the recommended route brings us closer to the start of construction on the nation’s first, true high-speed rail system,” said Umberg. “Construction will create thousands of jobs at a time and in a place where they are needed most. There is no better time than now to start California’s high-speed rail project.”

Many turned out at the meeting in support of the “hybrid alternative”:

“This is a visionary decision. Thank you for the hard work and heavy lifting. You are listening to the Valley and you came up with the hybrid route, and we thank you,” said Fresno County Supervisor Henry Perea.

“I have asked your staff to be supportive of agriculture, so I am extremely pleased to see the staff recommendation for the hybrid approach. Thank you for taking our comments into consideration,” said Merced County Supervisor John Pedrozo.

Creating needed jobs in the Central Valley was a chief concern to commenters:

Mark Kyle, Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3, concluded: “The construction industry has been one of the hardest hit sectors of the economy in this recession. The state’s high-speed rail project will create tens of thousands of badly needed jobs in the next year in the Central Valley. As construction begins over the next two decades, this project will generate many thousands of jobs up and down the state.”

Others from the Valley praised the Board’s decision, including Cathleen Galgiani, California Assemblymember (D), District 17. “We started a high-speed rail committee in 2003 when we first had concerns about potential impacts to the agriculture community. We came to you and worked with you, our community came up with a preferred alternative – you made tweaks, came up with the hybrid approach that addresses most of our concerns. We’ve worked together to find a workable solution to a very complex, technically limited issue. While there are still some issues to address – we have made a tremendous amount of progress.”

Added Merced Supervisor John Pedrozo: “I have asked your staff to be supportive of agriculture, so I am extremely pleased to see the staff recommendation for the hybrid approach. Thank you for taking our comments into consideration.”

And Madera Mayor Brett Frazier said: “We passed a resolution supporting the hybrid route. It is evident that your staff paid attention to our concerns and compromised. In this day and age, compromise is good to see.”

The route was one of three alternatives under consideration. The hybrid alternative generally parallels the Union Pacific Railroad and State Route 99 between Merced and Fresno. To avoid impacts to downtown Madera, this route travels east to be adjacent to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) corridor. The station locations preferred along this route include downtown Merced between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and G Street and downtown Fresno at Mariposa Street.

The Authority studied potential routes for the Merced to Fresno Section, a corridor of approximately 65 miles, from 2001 to 2005. Based on this analysis, five alternative north-south alignment routes were identified in 2010. In August, that list was narrowed to three routes, which were included in the Authority’s draft EIR/EIS.

Based on community feedback and further analysis, the Authority identified the hybrid alternative route, which combines elements of the other two routes identified in the draft EIR/EIS. It is estimated that the Union Pacific Railroad / State Route 99 would have cost $1 billion more than the Hybrid Alternative and the BNSF route would have cost $500 million more.

Staff is preparing the Final Environmental Impact Report/Statement for the Merced to Fresno section, which will include Tuesday’s hybrid route, to be heard by the Board in February 2012.

FRESNO TO BAKERSFIELD UPDATE

The Board also approved the staff’s recommendation to add the Hanford West Bypass route, with an accompanying station alternative, to the routes under consideration in Kings County within the Fresno to Bakersfield section.

The decision to re-introduce the West Hanford Bypass was announced in October 2011 in response to feedback from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as well as comments from the community on potential improvements to the East Hanford route.

There are two options for the location of the optional Kings/Tulare regional station, one on the Hanford East Bypass north of Hwy 198 and east of Hwy 43, the other also in Hanford, but on the Hanford West Bypass east of 13th Avenue and north of Hwy 198.

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM LISTENING SESSION

About 50 small business owners, mostly from Merced and Madera Counties, crowded into a separate conference room at the event to ask Authority representatives questions about its Small and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program and to receive contracting opportunity information.

The program was developed to ensure small businesses in California are able to access contracts related to the construction of high-speed rail. The Authority has called for a 30% goal for small business involvement in the project.

STOCKTON – The California high-speed rail business plan would build the first phase of the state’s proposed $98.5 billion system through the Central Valley, a decision that has drawn fire from critics of the proposal but has the potential to better connect San Joaquin County to the rest of the state in a regional rail system.

The higher price tag in the business plan from the California High Speed Rail Authority released Tuesday is new, though the rail authority has been moving toward beginning construction on the Valley “spine” using voter-approved state funds and federal economic stimulus to build a network of high-speed trains connecting Northern to Southern California.

One of high-speed rail’s biggest supporters in Sacramento is Cathleen Galgiani, D-Livingston, whose district includes part of Stockton.

“It’s about a vision and recognition that we don’t get there overnight,” she said in an interview Tuesday, during which she defended the Valley location of the system’s first phase. She said it was the right place and time to build and that it could tap nicely into plans to bolster regional rail service connecting San Joaquin County to other parts of Northern California.

She said the business plan has a more incremental approach toward building the whole system, which provides more opportunities to make connections with regional rail services, which in Northern California includes the Altamont Commuter Express.

Tapped into the main spine, the ACE improvements could be part of a complete phase of the high-speed rail system that could generate profits that could be used to complete later phases, she said.

“Once we have an operable segment – since it’s generating revenue – then we can take those profits and put them back into the system,” she said. It’s one of the lessons learned through the authority’s international partners from countries with successful high-speed rail systems. Excluding China, these countries build their high-speed rail systems upon existing infrastructure, she said.

The 130-mile first segment between Fresno and Bakersfield has drawn billions of federal dollars that require construction begin in late 2012. Trains along this spine would be able to move on electrified tracks at speeds reaching 220 mph, a combination the rail authority says make the option both environmentally friendly and able to compete with airline travel.

In 2008, state voters passed a $10 billion bond to pay for the construction of high-speed rail. It includes nearly $950 million available for regional rail, said Galgiani, who authored legislation opening up the Altamont corridor to funding. That’s money local officials are pursuing, she said.

Improvements being considered by ACE include linking with BART and connecting the high-speed rail spine with a broader slice of Northern California, said Thomas Reeves, a spokesman for the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, which owns and operates ACE. It also would cut the travel time between Stockton and San Jose in half.

The new business plan doesn’t speed up or hinder the process currently under way, he said. “If anything, it really shows why this is the place to start.”

Contact reporter Zachary K. Johnson at (209) 546-8258 or zjohnson@recordnet.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/johnsonblog.

Labor activist Dolores Huerta will be in town Sunday, when she will be honored by the Democratic Women’s Club. Club founder Patty Hughes said she met Huerta at an event and was so impressed she wanted to bring her to Modesto.
“She is a dynamo,” Hughes said of the 81-year-old Huerta. “She just makes so much sense.”
Huerta will be honored at the club’s Inspire award lunch at Galletto Ristorante. The club also plans awards to Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, D-Livingston, and Secretary of the State and Consumer

Services Agency Anna Caballero, as well as Phyllis J. Babcock, a longtime community activist; Addie Brinkley, president of the California Workers Association District 9 Retired Members Council; Lisa Mantarro-Moore, deputy chief of staff for Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater; and Mickey Peabody, senior senator in the California Senior Legislature.
In addition to the honorees, several elected officials and candidates for public office on both sides of the political aisle are expected to attend, Hughes said.
The event has been very popular, she said Wednesday. “We were sold out 10 days ago and we’re still getting calls,” she said. Standing-room-only tickets are available, as are tickets to a pre-program reception.