Hillary Wins ACT’s Mock Iowa Caucus February … · February, 2016 Hillary Wins ACT’s Mock Iowa...

OOnn -- LLiinnee OOnn -- LLiinnee

The Official Publication of ACT P. O. Box 40074, (626) 795-2798

Published by Chuck Hains & Sally Beer

Volume 44 Number 2

February, 2016

Hillary Wins ACT’s Mock Iowa Caucus

Our second Mock Iowa Caucus was another unqualified success. We gathered at Mijares on IowaCaucus night (February 1) for an evening of socializing and fun while watching the real IowaCaucus on CNN and MSNBC. We even had a radio correspondent in attendance. Simon Stefanskifrom Danish National Radio found our event via John McLean’s Internet advertising. Simonrecorded it all and did some interviews.

Thanks to everyone who attended and supported us. Special thanks to Jon Fuhrman and EdWashatka for organizing our Caucus, to our go-to MC John Buchanan for his usual graceful job, toBeth Gertmenian and Betty Krachman for doing the sign-in table, to John McLean for his Internetwork, to Inman Moore and Marguerite Cooper who spoke for Hillary Clinton, to Bruce Wright whospoke for Bernie Sanders and to Mijares for the terrific Taco Bar, beverages and excellent service.You did us proud.

And how did we vote?

After the handful of ‘undecideds’ picked their candidates, the final vote was: 41 for Hillary and 14 for Bernie. Will we prove to be closer to the end result than the voters of Iowa?

Page two The Phoenix February, 2016

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Robert Banning

We were sorry to note the death of long timeACT member Bob Banning on Christmasmorning. Bob, who was born in Los Angeles in1924, grew up in San Marino. Following highschool he served in WWII with the Army AirCorps weather service. After the war hegraduated from UC Berkeley and began acareer with L A County Health Services wherehe held many managerial positions over theyears. Upon his retirement, Bob began asecond career that he loved, holding leader-ship positions in several Pasadena and Cali-fornia philanthropic organizations.

We extend heartfelt sympathy to wife Joan,sons Robert, Jr. and Winthrop and theirwives, four grandchildren, and Bob’s sisterElizabeth Ames. We share in their loss andwill remember Bob fondly.

ACT & ADC Officers Elected for 2016 Welcome to Jeanette Mann, elected Febru-ary 1 to be an ACT Co-Chair. Jeanette willserve for 2016-2017. She replaces astute andhard-working Linda Centell who has just com-pleted her two years as Co-Chair. (Thank you,Linda!)

In addition ACT members re-elected BarbaraPaul - Recording Secretary, Beth Gertmenian -Corresponding Secretary, and Ed Washatka -Treasurer. (They serve the same offices forADC.) ACT Co-Chairs John McLean andJeanne Register will continue for 2016.Thanks to these folks for agreeing to continueat important, but pretty thankless jobs. Theirwork is essential to our success.

Arroyo Democratic Club (ADC) members re-elected Bill Hacket, President and Tim Wend-ler, Vice President. Thanks, guys for being willing to continue. We are all grateful.

Research Committee Meeting Scheduled

ACT’s Research Committee will meet onSaturday and Sunday, March 12 and 13 at thehome of Marilee Marshall and Bruce Wright,654 S. Madison Avenue, Pasadena to inter-view candidates for local races on the June2016 Primary Election ballot.

Contact Research Committee Chair MarileeMarshall at 626 564-1136 (office) or [email protected] for details.

Democratic Party Caucus Endorses Portantino for State Senate On Saturday, January 30th, the first step ofthe Democratic Party's endorsement processtook place at the Altadena Library. Some 165delegates from across the 25th State SenateDistrict came together to hear the candidatesspeak and to make their choice for the Demo-cratic nomination. After a spirited contestAnthony Portantino, our former State Assem-bly Member, was the overwhelming choice. Because he received more than 70% of the vote(70.3%, to be exact), Anthony's nominationwill be placed on the consent calendar at theDemocratic State Convention in late Feb-ruary. If the convention ratifies the local vote,Anthony will be the party's officially endorsedcandidate in the June primary election. Thewinner is expected to face Republican MikeAntonovich in November.

Welcome New and Returning ACT Members: Bonnie Armstrong, Pasadena Brice & Carolyn Harris, Los Angeles Jimmy Wittrock, Glendale Alex Zucco, Monrovia

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Wonderings and Wanderings By Inman Moore

Obama’s Presidency In the midst of the 2016 presidential race, Irecently sat down to contemplate the ObamaPresidency. Has it been perfect? No! Wehave never had a perfect president. GeorgeWashington owned slaves. In fact twelve ofour early presidents owned slaves. ThomasJefferson had some unfortunate sexual affairs.Franklin Roosevelt presided over the detenionof all Japanese on the West Coast. PresidentEisenhower had an affair with his Jeep driverwhile a general in World War II. Ronald Rea-gan illegally sent arms to Iran. Richard Nixonpresided over the illegal Watergate break-in. Icould go on but the above mentioned weresome of our most prominent presidents. Youget the drift. There never has been a perfectpresident. To judge a president, one needs tolook at the total picture. One of the things I like about Obama is hisability to handle outlandish criticism. And hehas had a lot. WND, an ultra-conservativeblog, has carried on a relentless campaignclaiming Obama is not an American citizenand is also a Muslim. In addition Obama’senemies have carried on a continuing cam-paign about his school credits, claiming henever went to Occidental College, ColumbiaUniversity, or Harvard. I talked to a manfrom Glendale who was a classmate of Obamaat Occidental. How could you be editor of theHarvard Law Review and not be a studentthere? How could Columbia give a scholasticdegree to someone who never attended? JonStewart, longtime former host of the DailyShow once had a guest who detailed all thecharges against Obama. Jon slyly enteredinto the conversation, “And don’t forget he isblack.” For some people it has been impossiblefor them to believe that we have twice elected

a black man as President of the United States.In spite of all the criticism Obama’s continuedinclusion of all races, creed, and color isphenomenal. Another thing I like is his ability as a speaker.I just watched his recent speech at the MuslimMosque in Baltimore. It was a moving exper-ience as he brilliantly laid out America at itsbest in accepting on an equal basis people ofall religious faiths as well as people of noreligious faith. He reminded us that, whilemost of our citizens are Christians, we are notofficially a Christian nation. While he men-tioned that he is a Christian, he pled for theacceptance of all religious faiths. Also, Obama is not a hawk. There are thosewho say that we should not be trying to makeother countries love us, but rather to makethem fear us. Some in America never saw amilitary expenditure they didn’t like. Plentyof money for bombs and planes, but no moneyfor education! While we have a huge militarybudget we can’t find money to provide for theeducation of our citizens through the collegelevel. On the world level we are no longer atthe top of the list of the educated countries.Nor are we at the top in providing medicalcare. This is a shame and disgrace. Obamahas been a champion of better schools andbetter medical care. For that I applaud him. Obama is a family man. His love of his wifeand children is phenomenal. And for that Iapplaud him. Obama is a visionary. Ratherthan finding ways to kill all our enemies,Obama has been searching for ways to makefriends of enemies and bystanders. Forexample, he seems to have an innate sense ofrealizing that Israel, along with othercountries in the Middle East, can onlycontinue to exist by ultimately finding ways tolive in peace with their neighbors. So, again, is Obama perfect? No! But viva hiscourageous heart in the attempt to makeAmerica and the World a better place to live!

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by Jon Fuhrman

Tuesday,Feb. 9

We thought that after Iowa and New Hamp-shire, we’d have some clarity in this crazyyear. Well, we have some clarity, but we alsohave more confusion.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Bernie Sandershad an excellent night, with a 21-point marginover Secretary Clinton. That equals, or slight-ly exceeds, the final polling predictions. It wasa solid win, across nearly all age, racial,economic and ideological groups. It establish-es unequivocally that Bernie’s folks will in-deed come out and vote, and that he has abroad appeal across the heart of the party. Onthe other hand, there is scarcely another statedemographically as well suited to his appealthan New Hampshire. Further, the turnoutwas actually not that great. New Hampshireofficials had predicted around 270,000 voteswould be cast; in 2008, 287,000 votes werecast; but this year, only about 245,000 votes

were cast. It would appear many indepen-dents chose to vote on the Republican side,perhaps propelling Trump or Kasich. Wouldthey otherwise have voted for Hillary? That’simpossible to know.

There has been much talk about the Clintoncampaign’s failure to communicate, to inspire,to “campaign in poetry.” That may be a bitunfair, but it captures a central dilemma shefaces. Sen. Sanders has a vision, an overarch-ing theme of opposition to the rigged system,to the greed and oppression of the oligarchy, tothe inherent unfairness of the income in-equality that defines our society. It evokesrevolutionary ardor, passionate commitment,a belief that supporting him will bring truth,justice, fairness and righteousness back toAmerica. That’s a tough vision to competeagainst. Sen. Clinton offers commitment tofurther progress, to further reform, to incre-mental enhancement, to rationally calculatedand achievable improvements. Yes, that maylack poetry, but it has the advantage of beingactually doable and being acceptable to abroad majority of voters. It’s not yet clear ifSen. Sander’s vision is achievable or evenpalatable to most voters. And therein lies theessential dilemma between Democratic heartsand minds. Thinking back to the George McGovern days, Ihave little doubt that McGovern carried the 18– 29 year old vote by margins equivalent tothose that Sanders won. Yet we all rememberwhat happened to McGovern. However, by weI mostly mean folks of my generation; the newmillennials really have no recollection of thosepolitical fights (nor, apparently, much of anemotional appreciation of the struggles theirmothers and grandmothers endured in fight-ing for respect and equality in the workplaceand in breaking so many of the glass ceilingspast which they are ascending). So will elect-ability – or at least our perception of electabil-ity – come into play at some point soon?

by Jon Fuhrman

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The Democrats next proceed to Nevada, forcaucuses on Saturday, Feb. 20, and then toSouth Carolina, for a primary on Saturday,Feb. 27 (with the next debate scheduled forThursday, Feb. 11 in Milwaukee). Both statesare far more favorable for Sen. Clinton, giventhe diversity and smaller number of collegestudents in the mix of Democratic voters. Fur-ther, Clinton had $38 million in cash on handat the end of December, compared to only $28million for Sanders. Sanders, however, proba-bly did out-raise Clinton in January, but mayalso have outspent her. More critically, threedays after the South Carolina primary isSuper Tuesday, with 9 primaries (7 in the

caucuses). So I think Clinton will be the nom-inee, but along the way she has to thread theneedle, competing against and criticizingSanders while not alienating most of his sup-porters. That’s a fine line to tread, and thestronger Sanders performs the tougher it be-comes to call him out on the unrealistic natureof his proposals while not forswearing theidealism he represents. The next two monthswill indeed be something to watch.

On the Republican side, the Donald has final-ly, dramatically, indisputably proven that heis for real, that his supporters are for real, andthat he is indeed the dominant player in the

South, one in Massachusetts andone in Vermont) and two caucus-es (Colorado and Minnesota). No one has time to organize realground efforts in nine separate states, so they will depend,essentially, on national mediaand momentum. Clinton willhave a large advantage given thehigh level of African-American participation in Democratic pri-maries in the South; that will bethe real test for Sanders, as dele-gate counts start to amass significantly. En-dorsements will also matter more than theyhave, and a likely endorsement of Sec. Clintonby Congressman James Clyburn, the formerhead of the Black Caucus in Congress and amajor leader in South Carolina, may be a keyfactor. My guess is that, despite the passion of Sen.Sanders supporters and his tremendous grass-roots fundraising success, Sec. Clinton willcarry Nevada by a narrow margin and SouthCarolina by a larger margin, and go on to winmodestly convincing victories in most SuperTuesday states (with Sanders winning hishome state of Vermont and next-door Massa-chusetts, and probably winning the Minnesota

GOP right now. He polled wellover twice as many votes as hisnearest competitor, even thoughhe was only at 36% of the overallvote total. Further, if you add theTrump, Cruz and Carson votes,they are a narrow majority of theparty – further evidence that the“establishment” wing of the partyis losing the race, even if a singlecandidate could emerge from thatgroup. For the Republicans, the next

stop is the South Carolina primary on Satur-day, Feb. 20 (with their next debate the priorSaturday in Greenville, SC.), another settingideal for Trump. Although South Carolinasupposedly allots delegates proportionally,they selected a geographic option; the winnerin each Congressional district gets all the del-egates from that district, and the winner state-wide gets all the at-large delegates. Thismeans that if the South Carolina results mir-ror the New Hampshire results, Trump willwin all 50 delegates, a huge media coup forhim even if it has only limited practical effect. The other reason that South Carolina is anideal next battleground for Trump is that hisrunner-up in New Hampshire, Gov. John

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Kasich, is utterly unsuited to South Carolina;I would be surprised if he exceeds 10% of thevote there. Kasich expanded Medicaid in Ohiounder Obamacare, making him “complicit”with President Obama in the eyes of manyGOP voters. He flatly opposed Trump on thedeportation of 11 million undocumented in-dividuals, and talked very openly about a pathto legalization. His moderation, which couldbe a huge general election asset, is lethal in aGOP primary in a conservative state. Kasichwould be well advised simply to skip SouthCarolina and head directly to Nevada, wherethe GOP will have their caucuses on Tuesday,Feb. 23. Kasich’s main aim is at the Michiganprimary on March 8, and then the Ohio win-ner-take-all primary on March 15. If he canwin those, he solidifies his credentials as theestablishment alternative to Trump.

But that’s a tough road to travel. Jeb Bush,who achieved a narrow 4th place, is particular-ly well-positioned to challenge Trump in SouthCarolina, or at least vie for a strong secondplace. With home-state Sen. LindsayGraham’s endorsement, and his brotheractively campaigning for him, it is really hislast hurrah. But should Bush achieve secondplace, then the field remains truly scattered.Sen. Ted Cruz won Iowa, but under a consi-derable cloud for sleazy campaign tactics. Sen.Rubio achieved an unexpected third place inIowa, but utterly wilted in the last debate andscored a somewhat pathetic fifth place in NewHampshire. Gov. Kasich has a strong secondin New Hampshire, but will wilt in the moreconservative southern states. Gov. Christiehas essentially ended his campaign, and sincehe has no operation or staff or major endorsersin other states, his endorsement would be oflimited utility. So the “establishment” lane of the GOP re-mains utterly fragmented, with no candidatehaving a substantial shot at outperforming theothers or of forcing them out of the campaign.

As of December 31, Rubio had the most cashon hand, with just over $10 million, and Bushhad a little under $8 million. There is lots ofmoney in various super-PACs, but that can’tbe used to pay for staff, for travel, fororganizing events. It can be used for advertis-ing, but that advertising can’t be coordinatedwith the campaigns. Thus, at this juncture inthe primary, all that super-PAC money justreally isn’t very useful to the candidates.

My guess is that Trump will win South Caro-lina decisively, sweeping all the delegates,with Jeb Bush coming in second (ahead ofCruz). That should be enough to propel Trumpto win the Nevada caucuses (a natural statefor him) and then sweep the Super Tuesdaystates, and on to the nomination, to the utterastonishment of most of the political establish-ment. However, I believe Sec. Clinton will bewell positioned to start picking away at hisgrandiose statements, his barbaric policy posi-tions, his evasion of any detailed plans to im-plement his visions.

Stuart Stevens, who was Mitt Romney’s keystrategist in the general election, wonderedaloud why other Republicans weren’t aimingtheir fire at Trump. Trump, he noted, is

“a man who has changed parties five times, been married three, had businesses go bankrupt four times and has openly specu-lated about dating his own daughter. For policy prep he [Trump] says he watches all the shows, perhaps mostly cartoons, as he is unaware of even a high school level of public policy. Nuclear triad? What's that, a Chinese gang with really good weapons?”

So even traditional Republicans are acutelyaware of Trump’s vulnerabilities; will the pub-lic see them as such, or be beguiled by preem-inent marketing genius?

One final word on some United States Senateraces. Some ACT members have asked howthey could perhaps maximize the impact of

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their contributions. I would point to three keySenate races: each has a Democratic womancandidate with state-wide recognition, in asmall state where modest contributions actu-ally make a substantial impact, and each willbe critical to the Democrats’ chances to takingback the Senate. In New Hampshire, incum-bent Gov. Maggie Hassan is running againstincumbent GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte. In Neva-da, State Attorney General Catherine CortezMasto will be running for the open seat left byretiring Sen. Harry Reid; her opponent is JoeHeck, a conservative Congressman. In Ari-zona, Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick will berunning against Sen. John McCain, or who-ever beats him in the contested GOP primary.

If the Democrats win two of those three races,we are nearly guaranteed to take back theSenate. Hassan and Masto have strongerchances; Kirkpatrick is well known in Arizona,but running against Sen. McCain would betough. In any case, all three deserve strongsupport, and with small states with smallmedia budgets, modest contributions will havegreater impact than they would for candidatesin California, Illinois, or Pennsylvania.

— Jon Fuhrman

Special Thanks to Our Patrons Louise Brinsley, Pasadena John & Teri Buchanan, Sierra Madre Robert & Maureen Carlson, Pasadena Kevin Ennis, Pasadena Ray & Jackie Fisher, Sierra Madre Don & Meg Gertmenian, Pasadena Mary Hayden & Carla Tomaso, Pasa. Susan Kane & Jon Fuhrman, Pasa. Lara Larramendi, Monrovia Al & Rose Marie Lowe, Castro Valley Anita Pemstein, Pasadena Betty Sandford, Monrovia Rhodes & Liz Trussell, Pasadena

Livable Wage Progress Pasadena low wage workers scored an im-pressive victory on Monday, February 1 whenthe City Council voted 7-0 to raise the mini-mum wage starting July 1 from $10 to $10.50followed by increases to $12.00 on July 1, 2017and $13.25 on July 1, 2018. In addition to raising the minimum wage, theCity staff asked the Council for direction onseven additional items to be incorporated intothe ordinance. The Council voted 7-0 in favor of a deferral forsmall businesses and non-profits of 25 employ-ees or less and also for non-profits with morethan 25 employees as long as the non-profitmeets one or more of four specific criteria.There had been much concern over whetherthere should have been exemptions for smallbusiness and non-profits. At the urging ofPasadenans For A Livable wage a coalition offaith based, labor, and activist organizationsincluding ACT, the council chose to rejectdemands for exceptions in favor of mimickingwhat LA City and County passed. During the four Economic Development andTechnology Committee (EDTech Committee)hearings that preceded the Council vote, theChamber of Commerce had pressed for “totalwage compensation” language that would ex-empt businesses from the minimum wage re-quirement so long as the employer’s overallwage including tips exceeded the minimumwage. The Council rejected the Chamber’sappeal 7-0. The City Attorney had provided counsel in amemo asserting any such exemption would beagainst state labor law which specificallystates that tips are the property of employeesand cannot be counted toward the minimumwage. Council member Andy Wilson had beenpushing for such an exemption on behalf ofbusinesses even though this would require theCity to challenge the state labor code.

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In the end, Wilson voted with the otherCouncil members noting that no other munici-pality has been willing to test the State codein this area and that it probably wasn’t worththe risk given that “pioneers often wind upwith arrows in their backs.”

The Council voted 5-2 for a “learners” exemp-tion for young workers with no experienceaged 14-17. Such workers would get a start-ing wage of 85% of the minimum wage for thefirst 160 hours. The Council’s motion favoringthe learners wage for youth mirrors what wasdone in the City of Los Angeles.

Council members Tyron Hampton and AndyWilson had pressed for a learner wage for thefirst 480 hours regardless of age even thoughthe State law specifies the learners wage onlyfor the first 160 hours. They argued it wouldprovide more employment opportunities ifbusinesses could pay the lower wage to firsttime workers for a longer period of time.

The Council members rejected the higherhours limit because they felt it might createenforcement problems since employers bystate law would have to raise the wage to thestate minimum after 160 hours even thoughthe local ordinance provided a maximum of480 hours. Additionally, the 480 hour ceilingmight encourage employers to terminatelearners or any worker in favor of hiring newemployees just to take advantage of the lowerwage.

Pasadenans For A Livable Wage had beencalling for a path to $15 an hour by 2020.Council member Steve Madison supported thecoalition and repeatedly called on his fellowcouncil members to vote for all five wage stepincreases without a break.

But, in a major concession to the Chamber ofCommerce, the Council voted to pause thestepped increases after 2018 in favor of a re-port assessing the impact of the increased

minimum wage on the local economy. Thestaff is required to provide an analysis byFebruary 15, 2019 before the Council could“confirm” through another vote to continue theincrease in the minimum wage to $14.25 onJuly 1, 2019 and finally $15 on July 1, 2020.At the same time, the Council would vote toconfirm cost of living increases beginning July1, 2022.

Throughout the EDTech hearing process, theCouncil members heard repeated testimonyoften tearful and heart rending from workers,labor lawyers, and UCLA Labor Center staffregarding wage theft.

The Council was moved by the testimony anddirected EDTech to meet again and developspecific plans to deal with enforcement andwage theft. Pasadenans For A Livable Wagehas been pushing for dedicated staff with anoffice to handle the crimes of wage theft whichresult in millions of dollars stolen from work-ers annually.

Lastly, Madison urged the Council to voteagainst the staff recommendation to exemptthe City from its own minimum wage ordin-ance with respect to paying its employees.Madison said the City needed to model be-havior by paying the minimum wage specifiedin the ordinance. The Council voted 7-0 infavor of his argument to reject the staff’s re-commendation

Make plans to attend the next EDTech meet-ing and make public comment in support ofthe City hiring dedicated staff to support wageenforcement and curb wage theft.

In the interim, please email Mayor Tornekand the City Council members in support ofhiring dedicated staff to support wage enforce-ment and stop wage theft.

Mayor Terry Tornek: [email protected]

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District 1 (Tyron Hampton): EDTech Commit-tee Member [email protected] District 2 (Margaret McAustin):

[email protected] District 3 (John Kennedy):

[email protected] District 4 (Gene Masuda):

[email protected] District 5 (Victor Gordo): EDTech Committee Chair [email protected] District 6 (Steve Madison): EDTech Commit- tee Member [email protected] District 7 (Andy Wilson): EDTech Committee Member [email protected]

-- Ed Washatka

Special Thanks to Our Sustaining Members Sally Beer, Altadena Michael Cornwell, Pasadena Yudie & Jane Fishman, Sierra Madre Kathryn Fogarty, Pasadena Andrea Gordon, Altadena Wendy Gordon, Pasadena John & Virginia Kimball, Pasadena Ross & Muriel Mitchell, Pasadena Bobbie & Henry Moon, Altadena Janet Petersen, Glendale Elizabeth & Tom Polenzani, Pasa. Charles & Eileen Read, Pasadena Robert Smith, Pasadena Marta Stern, Altadena Edie Taylor, Pasadena Roger & Anne Wolf, Pasadena

Help Run the United Democratic Headquarters!

Whether you're "feeling the Bern," or look-ing to shatter the glass ceiling with Hillary, ifthis is the year for YOU to get personally in-volved in the campaign for President, here'san opportunity you won't want to miss: repre-sent the Arroyo Democratic Club\ACT on theUDH Steering Committee.

UDH stands for the United Democratic Head-quarters, which will open in Pasadena thissummer with a staff of volunteers and profes-sional organizers. The UDH will be the latestin a long line of local headquarters, going backat least 70 years. As always, it will be thelocal and regional hub for L.A. County effortsto get out the vote for the whole Democraticticket -- from President and U.S. Senator toour local members of the state legislature.

Nearly a dozen Local Democratic clubs andorganizations work together to plan andoperate the UDH. Each participating club hasone representative on the UDH Steering Com-mittee for every 100 members, so ADC\ACThas three representatives. Our representa-tives will be appointed at the March SteeringCommittee meeting. So if you are interestedin serving please plan to attend.

The UDH Steering Committee meets once amonth. Club representatives are expected notonly to act as liaisons for other members whowant to get involved, but to actively volunteerat the headquarters. It is a great way to be atthe center of the action in this exciting andimportant election year.

--Fred Register

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From 41st District Assemblymember Chris Holden Dear ACT Friends,

The 2016 legislative session has begun.Legislators are addressing bills left on thetable from last year and introducing others.Governor Jerry Brown gave his State of theState and proposed a fiscally prudent budget.With the progress we’ve made in the past fewyears on so many issues, California continuesto be in good shape, but more work remains.As always, I look forward to improving thelives and communities in the 41st AssemblyDistrict and the state at large.

My first bill for the 2016 legislative sessionwould increase access to tobacco cessation ser-vices and treatment. Unfortunately, smokingcontinues to be the leading preventable causeof death in the United States. In California,tens of thousands die each year. The habit alsoexacts an enormous economic burden on thestate – $18.1 billion according to one UC SanFrancisco study. In a recent American LungAssociation report, California received an “F”on access to tobacco cessation services. Medi-Cal patients have some of the highest smokingrates in the State and need cessation servicesthe most. That’s why I introduced AB 1696which requires tobacco cessation medications,counseling, and assessments to be covered forMedi-Cal patients.

Higher education, transportation infrastruc-ture, and sustainability of the Medi-Cal pro-gram remain top priorities in the proposed FY2016-2017 budget. I’m excited to see the 4.4%increase in funding for California’s Communi-ty Colleges which means more high schoolstudents can immediately access college level

courses provided for by my concurrent enroll-ment bill, AB 288. I applaud the Governor’sproposed reforms to provide additional sus-tainability for the Medi-Cal program andensure developmental disabilities funding.The fastest way to provide this funding wouldbe though an increase in the Managed CareOrganization (MCO) tax. In addition to state-wide priorities, I’m cur-rently working to secure funding from thestate budget for two local items – the PasadenaPlayhouse and the South Pasadena ArroyoSeco bike path. In just one year, the landmarkPasadena Playhouse – the official playhousefor the State of California– will celebrate its100th anniversary. I am requesting $1 millionfrom Governor Brown for necessary retrofitsand restoration for the celebration. I’m alsorequesting $1.8 million for the South Pasa-dena Arroyo-Seco bike trail. The trail willconnect the San Gabriel Valley to the City ofLos Angeles and the Los Angeles River provi-ding residents active transportation that alsocurbs carbon emissions. None of these will come easy, but I look for-ward to working with my colleagues, commun-ity groups, and advocates to see these priori-ties funded. Assemblyman Holden represents some 420,000people in the foothills communities of Altadena,Pasadena, South Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Monro-via, San Dimas, La Verne, Claremont, and Upland.He can be reached via his website at: www.asm.ca.-gov/holden and fill out the contact form. Holden can be reached at: www.asm.ca.-gov/holden

Demo. Party State Convention This year the State Convention will be onFriday, February 26 – Sunday, February 28 atthe San Jose Convention Center. GuestSpeakers include Senator Barbara Boxer andRobert Reich. See www.cadem.org/conventionfor more information.

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From 43rd District Assemblymember Mike Gatto Easy Estate-Planning Deeds Available Now

As you know, whenever the 1st of Januaryarrives, new laws take effect in California. This year my AB 139, a measure that estab-lished a new estate-planning tool, finally wentinto effect, giving homeowners the ability totransfer their home with a simple form. Re-formers had tried to pass this historic legis-lation for ten years, failing until my AB 139.

Before now, middle-class Californians had twocostly options to transfer the title of theirhome upon death: hire an attorney to draft atrust (which typically costs homeowners be-tween $2,000 and $6,000) or force survivingloved ones to weather the lengthy, delay-filledprobate process (with an average cost of$26,000). I’ve always felt that one of the primary roles ofthe legislature should be to simplify life forCalifornians. AB 139 will do that, by helpinghomeowners avoid costly probate and attor-neys’ fees and unintended burdens on familymembers. It’s also important for us to operateunder the rules we propose, so I wanted toshow everyone how easy and secure thisprocess is by signing deeds for my own homesthis month. Supporters of my bill, including the HowardJarvis Taxpayers Association, expressed theirenthusiasm for the availability of the new tool,noting that these new “Easy Estate Planning”deeds will grant all Californians theopportunity to use an inexpensive tool to passtheir home to a loved one. Most counties were quick to make the formsavailable on their websites. After notarization

of the form, Californians can simply mail thedeed to their local County Recorder’s office,pay a small fee, and file the form. The aver-age fee, of $25, pales in comparison to thelawyers’ fees involved for previous methods.

To easily download a Revocable Transfer onDeath deed form, see: Tinyurl.com/SimpleDeed. Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Utilities & Com-merce Committee and the longest-serving currentmember of the State Assembly. He represents Cali-fornia’s 43rd Assembly District, which includes LosAngeles, Glendale and Burbank.

Email www.asm.ca.gov/gatto.

Voter Turnout Focus Groups

Low voter turnout in municipal elections isa problem. According to Pasadena Neighbor-hood Leadership Institute (PNLI) fewer thanone in five registered voters actually voted inthe 2015 election. PNLI is conducting focusgroups to assess why this problem persistsand what can be done to improve this situa-tion. If you live in Pasadena, please join asmall group of other residents to explore whyvoter turnout is so low, and discuss ideasabout ways to get Pasadenans more engagedin voting in the future. Focus groups will takeplace between February 8 and March 31 inmultiple locations all over town, including theJackie Robinson Center, Flintridge Center,and Pasadena Public Library branches. Tofind out more and reserve your place at a focusgroup near you, e-mail your interest [email protected]. A representativeof PNLI will respond with more informationabout scheduling options and how you canparticipate.

--Monica Hubbard

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From 25th District State Senator Carol Liu... Sacramento Update

I am sharing the Democrats highlightsfrom our accomplishments of 2015 to remindeveryone how important it is to elect Demo-crats to office.

From the first day of session, Senate Dem-ocrats pledged to build on our state’s progressand give more Californians — especially mid-dle-class families and underserved communi-ties — greater access to the California Dream.And that’s exactly what they have done.

Giving Every California Kid a Fair Shot:A Budget that Made Historic Investmentsin K-14 Education. This year’s budget prior-itized education funding – the best investmentin California’s future. It invests more than $68billion, the highest level of funding in thehistory of California. That means more than$10,000 per K-12 pupil – an increase of 15% injust two years.

More Opportunity to Attend College. Sen-ate Democrats ensured targeted investmentsin UC and CSU to allow 15,000 more Califor-nia students to attend our universities. The$216 million increase to the CSU is the largestinvestment in over a decade. It also restoresCal Grant eligibility at private non-profitschools and provides more than 3,000 addi-tional competitive Cal Grant awards.

A Commitment to Early Care and Educa-tion. A centerpiece of the Senate Democraticagenda this year was child care and earlychildhood education. This year’s budget in-cludes over 13,000 new preschool and childcare slots. Access to quality, affordable childcare for working families and their childrenensures a strong foundation for future success.

Protecting Foster Youth from Overpre-scribed Psychotropic Drugs. In response toreports that children in foster care are beingprescribed psychotropic medications at alarm-ingly high rates, the Legislature passed apackage of bills that would reform the system,enhance oversight, and improve care andaccess to services for these vulnerable child-ren. This legislation is already being hailed asa national model.

California Climate Leadership: Poweringthe New Economy. By setting aggressivestandards for energy efficiency and renewableresources and divesting from coal – Californiacontinues to lead the world in the fight againstclimate change and building a clean energyeconomy.

Responding to California’s Fourth Yearof Drought. Through this year’s budget, Sen-ate Democrats fought for more than $3 billionto reduce the impacts of the state’s drought,including investments in water conservation,recycled water, storm water capture, andmoney for food and housing assistance in themost affected regions.

Strengthening Working Families: TheCalifornia Fair Pay Act. The strongestequal pay law in the country would help en-sure that women are paid equally to theirmale colleagues for the same work, and pro-tect them from retaliation if they discuss orask about the wages of their male colleagues.

Combating Wage Theft. Stealing the pay oflow wage employees is unconscionable. TheFair Day’s Pay Act empowers the labor com-mission to crackdown on unscrupulous em-ployers. Strengthened California’s family leavelaws. To better reflect the caregiving respon-sibilities of California’s diverse and multi-gen-erational families, the Legislature passed abill to strengthen the California Family Rights

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Act to ensure that when accessing the PaidFamily Leave Program to care for seriously illgrandparents, grandchildren, siblings, in-laws, or children, regardless of age, Californi-ans do not risk losing their jobs and can takejob-protected leave. Countering Poverty. The state’s EarnedIncome Tax Credit will assist California’slowest-income workers. This new credit willprovide an estimated $380 million in tax reliefto 2 million Californians. Consumer and Privacy Protections. Re-forms to California’s wage garnishment anddebt collection laws would help familiesstruggling to have a fair chance and get backon their feet. Additionally, this year’s legis-lation to strengthen privacy laws will protectagainst warrantless government access topersonal electronic information. Sen. Liu represents about 930,000 people in the25th Senate District, which includes Burbank, Glen-dale, Atwater Village, Sunland-Tujunga, Pasadena,La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, Alta-dena, San Marino, South Pasadena, Sierra Madre,Monrovia, Bradbury, Duarte, Glendora, San Dimas,La Verne, Claremont, and Upland.

Visit www.senate.ca.gov/LIU.

Update on Police Oversight in Pasadena The Pasadena City Council is moving to-ward implementing increased civilian over-sight over our Police Department. Theyhave engaged a well-respected consultingfirm to report back to the City Council, atthe end of March, on alternative structuresand approaches that might work for Pasa-dena.

One of the critical issues is whether the“auditor” would have independent investiga-tive authority. That would mean that theAuditor could independently investigate anincident if the Police Department was not

asking the right questions or collecting rel-evant evidence. That independent investiga-tion could include questioning both civilianwitnesses and police officers involved in theincident. Some advocates believe that, without thatindependent authority, the Auditor would beunable to help the community find the truthbehind incidents where police conduct isquestioned. Others don’t believe the Pasa-dena community as a whole, and the CityCouncil in particular, is ready to create asecond, internal police authority outside thecontrol of the Police Chief. They believe theAuditor should do just that – audit and re-view the conduct of the police, reporting tothe Chief, the City Manager, the City Coun-cil and ultimately to the citizens when theAuditor finds police conduct outside of estab-lished policy or when they believe Depart-mental policies or procedures need to bechanged. Look for public hearings on this importantissue to be held by the City Council in lateMarch or early April.

Really special thanks to Our Benefactors Laurence Eggers, Pasadena Dale & Temetra Gronemeier, Sierra M. Fred & Jeanne Register, Altadena Ed Washatka & Linda Centell, Pasadena Bruce Wright & Marilee Marshall, Pasa.

And Thanks to Members for Additional Contributions to ACT's Operating Account Louise Brinsley, Pasadena Michael Cornwell, Pasadena Ray & Jackie Fisher, Sierra Madre John & Virginia Kimball, Pasadena Anita Pemstein, Pasadena

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Schedule of Upcoming Presiden-tial Primaries and Caucuses: Needed for nomination: ● Republicans – 1237 delegates ● Democrats – 2242 delegates Saturday, Feb. 20 ● Nevada Democratic Caucus: 39 delegates ● S. Carolina Republican primary: 50 delegates Tuesday, Feb. 23 ● Nevada Republican Caucus: 30 delegates Saturday, Feb. 27 ● S. Carolina Democratic primary: 57 delegates Tuesday, March 1 – Primary elections for both

parties ● Alabama: Rep. 50 delegates; Dem. 58

delegates ● Arkansas: Rep. 40 delegates; Dem. 37

delegates ● Georgia: Rep. 76 delegates; Dem. 112

delegates ● Massachusetts: Rep. 42 delegates; Dem. 121

delegates ● Oklahoma: Rep. 43 delegates; Dem. 42

delegates ● Tennessee: Rep. 58 delegates; Dem. 77

delegates ● Texas: Rep. 155 delegates; Dem. 237

delegates ● Vermont: Rep. 16 delegates; Dem. 23

delegates ● Virginia: Rep. 49 delegates; Dem. 112

delegates

Tuesday, March 1 – Caucuses for both parties ● Colorado: Rep. 37 delegates; Dem. 77

delegates ● Minnesota: Rep. 38 delegates; Dem. 94

delegates

Saturday, March 5 ● Kansas Caucus: Rep. 40 delegates; Dem. 37

delegates ● Kentucky Republican caucus; 45 delegates ● Louisiana Primary: Rep. 46 delegates; Dem.

61 delegates

Sunday, March 6 ● Maine Caucus: Rep. 23 delegates; Dem. 30

delegates Tuesday, March 8 ● Hawaii Republican Primary: 19 delegates ● Idaho Caucus: Rep. 32 delegates; Dem. 24

delegates ● Michigan Primary: Rep. 59 delegates; Dem.

152 delegates ● Mississippi Primary: Rep. 39 delegates; Dem.

41 delegates Tuesday, March 15 ● Florida Primary: Rep. 99 delegates; Dem. 238

delegates ● Illinois Primary: Rep. 69 delegates; Dem. 190

delegates ● Missouri Caucus: Rep. 52 delegates; Dem. 88

delegates ● Ohio Primary: Rep. 66 delegates; Dem. 165

delegates ● North Carolina Primary: Rep. 72 delegates;

Dem. 120 delegates

And Thanks to Members for Additional Contributions to ACT's Political Account Bobbie & Henry Moon, Altadena Mary Naff, La Canada Anita Pemstein, Pasadena Frieda Stahl, Pasadena Marta Stern, Altadena Roger & Anne Wolf, Pasadena Bruce Wright & Marilee Marshall, Pasa.

Progressive Discussion Group Friday Morning Progressive DiscussionGroup meets on every first and third Friday ofthe month, 9 a.m. at Dupar’s Restaurant, 214S. Lake Ave., Pasadena. Come and join the discussion. Everyone iswelcome. Order breakfast, coffee, etc., or not.Check with Inman Moore at 626-795-2201 [email protected] for additional infor-mation.

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Membership Renewal Time for ACT and ADC Please respond to your membership renewal letter as soon as you are able or use the form below and mail your check c/o ACT/ADC, P. O. Box 40074, Pasadena, CA 91114‐7074. You may renew online at www.ACTpasadena.org if you choose. ACT and ADC dues are still a bargain, especially if you join both organizations. If you have any questions about your membership contact Executive Director Jon Fuhrman at 626 795-5255 or [email protected]. P.S. Thanks to everyone who has already renewed. We are grateful for your prompt support!

I'd like to join both groups for one low price! (Checks payable to ACT/ADC) � $40 Single � $70 Single Sustaining � $25 Each additional member per household � $90 Double Sustaining � $15 Student or limited income � $150 Patron � $275 Benefactor I'd like to join ACT (Checks payable to ACT) � $35 Single � $60 Single Sustaining � $20 Each additional member per household � $85 Double Sustaining � $15 Student or limited income � $125 Patron � $20 Gift Membership (NEW!) � $275 Benefactor I'd like to join the Arroyo Democratic Club (Checks payable to ADC) � $35 Single � $60 Single Sustaining � $20 Each additional member per household � $85 Double Sustaining � $15 Student or limited income � $125 Patron � $275 Benefactor Extra Contribution � $ ___________ Political Account (for endorsed candidates and issues) � $ ___________ Operating Account (for organizational costs) $ __________ Total enclosed

Name Home Phone

Address Office Phone

City ZIP

Email address

Mail to ACT, P. O. Box 40074, Pasadena, CA 91114-7074

RENEW TODAY


Calendar February 19 Progressive Discussion Group Friday at Dupar’s Restaurant, 214 S. 9 a.m. Lake Ave., Pasa. Contact

Inman Moore at 626 795-2201.

February 23 Coalition Building & Outreach Tuesday Committee meeting at Grone- 7:30 p.m. meier & Associates office, 1490

Colorado Blvd, Eagle Rock.

Feb. 26-28 2016 California Democratic Fri.-Sunday State Convention, San Jose Convention Center.

March 3 ACT Steering Committee and Thursday Arroyo Democratic Club Meet- 7 p.m. ing at the home of Wendy

Gordon and Michael Gottlieb, 1535 Ontario Ave., Pasadena. Socializing at 7 p.m.; meeting at 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 4 & 18 Progressive Discussion Group. Fridays Details same as 2/19.

March 12-13 Research Committee interviews Saturday for June 2016 ballot races at & Sunday 654 S. Madison Ave., Pasa. Con-

tact Marilee Marshall, 626- 564-1136 or [email protected].

March Phoenix Deadline The March Phoenix deadline will be Sun-day, March 6. Please send items to ChuckHains at [email protected] on or beforethat date. Mailing preparation will be Thurs-day, March 10 at 7 p.m. (Mailers will receivea telephone reminder.)

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P. O. Box 40074 Pasadena, California 91114-7074

San Jose

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