Bruce Tokars took the Salmon Water Now video camera to Half Moon Bay on Saturday, December 4, 2010 to capture the Salmon Summit hosted by Representatives Jackie Spier and Mike Thompson. Over 200 people, including recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, Indian Tribal members and environmental activists, attended the standing room-only event in the Maverick's Lodge and Conference Center.
Here is the link and the details:
HMB Salmon Summit - 12/4/10 - (Parts 1 - 4)
"They came to Half Moon Bay, California to talk about wild salmon and the reasons for their near extinction," said Tokars. "The overflow crowd heard from fishery scientists, fishermen, business owners, and people who just want salmon back in their diet. It was a remarkably powerful event and it gives hope that salmon can be saved, if we act now."
Part 1 (16:40) features opening remarks by Congresswoman Jackie Spier and Congressman Mike Thompson. Representatives from the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources describe the state of salmon. There are lively exchanges between these presenters and the attending crowd.
Part 2 (20:06) spotlights presentations by Christina Swanson, chief scientist of The Bay Institute and Zeke Grader, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA).
Dr. Swanson explains the state of salmon and their troubled habitat and what must be done to reverse the collapse of salmon. Grader's comments address the human suffering caused by the loss of salmon and forcefully points to the forces in government and agriculture that have been responsible for the decline of the salmon fishery.
Part 3 (15:20) covers legendary charter boat skipper, Jacky Douglas (FV Wacky Jacky), describing her love of salmon and the need to reverse their decline.
Marc Gorelnik of the Coastside Fishing Club makes a passionate presentation about the importance of salmon to recreational anglers and the need to stop the "criminal" policies and actions of big agriculture on the West side of the Central Valley that has been the main cause of the decline of salmon.
Duncan MacLean, a commercial salmon fisherman, describes how the loss of salmon impacts his life. His forceful comments and call to action are a rallying cry that anyone who cares about salmon should hear.
Part 4 (21:04) features Peggy Beckett, owner of Huck Finn Sport Fishing in Pillar Point, describing the hardships she has been dealing with since the collapse of salmon.
Caleen Sisk-Franco, Chief and Spiritual Leader of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, explains her people's connection to salmon and their efforts to be heard by the U.S. Government. Over 30 members of the Tribe went to New Zealand in the spring of 2010 to conduct joint ceremonies with the Maori Nation and to arrange the reintroduction of the eggs of winter run chinook from the Rakaira River back to the McCloud River, their native river, above Shasta Dam.
Following these two presentations, the Representatives wrap up the summit with a call to have additional meetings in all 74 harbors throughout the state to keep the public spotlight on the plight of salmon.
Finally, Salmon Moods (7:17) offers images of salmon fishing, salmon cooking and eating, salmon dreaming set to music.
On the day of the summit, the San Francisco Chronicle ran my commentary supporting Speier's call to save the salmon and outlining my solutions to the salmon collapse:
Support fish, fishermen
I applaud Rep. Jackie Speier for standing up for the salmon and salmon fishermen in her opinion piece, "No water, no salmon" (Open Forum, Dec. 2).
California urgently needs the jobs that will be provided by the full recovery of Central Valley chinook salmon runs.
To restore these iconic fish, three major actions are needed.
First, the state and federal agencies must comply with the federal biological opinions protecting Central Valley steelhead, Sacramento River chinook salmon, green sturgeon, delta smelt and southern resident killer whales.
Second, the state and federal governments must abandon all efforts, including the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, to build a peripheral canal/tunnel to facilitate water exports to Southern California and corporate agribusiness.
Third, the agencies must work cooperatively with Indian tribes, fishermen and environmentalists to reintroduce salmon and steelhead, wherever feasible, to Central Valley rivers above dams, including Shasta, Englebright, Folsom and New Melones dams.
Dan Bacher, Sacramento
This article appeared on page A - 9 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Not in the borrowing sense, but in the way credit cards are issued. If you look at all those credit card applications that you (used to) receive, you'll notice they come from only two states: South Dakota and Delaware. That is because the federal guidelines allow banks to issue credit cards to customers in other states. So, states starting racing down to the bottom. The "winners" were DE and SD, and they won by eliminating their usury laws and allowing outrageous rates of interest that simply aren't allowed in states like California.
And now Utah and Mississippi are hoping that will be the same for health care, as the "big idea" that Republicans bring to the table is the idea of selling plans across state lines. Carly Fiorina touted this idea at her launch as one of her central campaign themes. How will that work for health care? Well, California has requirements that protect the consumer and patient that other states don't really have. Mental health parity, where insurers are required to treat mental illness in the same manner as a physical illness, is one example. Jackie Speier fought this fight in California for 14 years, and today she is fighting it in Congress.
Healthcare overhaul bills in both the Senate and the House would open the door to insurers selling policies across state lines -- which some lawmakers fear could allow health plans to take advantage of the lenient rules in some jurisdictions while avoiding tougher enforcement regimes in places like California.
"It would be a huge problem for California consumers," said Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough), who helped craft insurance laws when she served in the state Senate. "California is leading the way in terms of consumer protection, and I don't want to see that lost." (LAT 11/16/09)
Yet at least some part of this idea is already in the bill that the House passed, and looks like it will appear in the Senate bill. It isn't as pure as the Republicans would like, as it includes a federal floor. Because, you know, the Republicans would like to be able to buy/sell insurance that covers only severed limbs, but won't help you when you get cancer.
The funny thing about this "big idea" is that even the insurance companies think it is a terrible idea. It will encourage states to be more permissive to insurance companies and allow them ever greater liberties in what they cover. And health insurance companies, operating in competitive markets, will offer some form of the basement floor insurance plan.
Whereas some insurers want to be able to sell policies across state lines, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Assn. opposes the idea. It argues that such permission would result in inexpensive, watered-down policies. Establishing a minimum level of benefits at the federal level could mitigate that somewhat, said Kris Haltmeyer, Blue Cross Blue Shield policy director.
Still, he said, "I do worry that there will be a race to the bottom, but the bottom won't be as low as it used to be."(LAT 11/16/09)
As we just finished writing the credit card "bill of rights" we are now moving to use that same failed model for our health insurance? Apparently some of our national leaders need more convincing evidence than what is directly in front of their faces.
As an endnote to this story, I'll simply describe the exciting packet I received from Kaiser yesterday. Despite not changing in their demographic or risk assessment model, nor changing anything in my individual plan, my monthly health insurance fees went up about 20% year over year. This just isn't sustainable.
I planned to attend this a few days ago, and confirmed my attendance with MoveOn. I planned on arriving between 8:15-8:30AM for a 9AM Town Hall in San Carlos. This morning after showering, I saw I had received email from Move On, suggesting that people plan on arriving two hours early. It was a little too late for me for that, but I hurried up and arrived 90 minutes early... To find I was the first person to arrive. So, I watched the set-up, etc, which was fairly boring.
I did learn that 80% of the San Carlos police department was at the park. It was going to be very hot there, as we're in the midst of a warm spell, and most of the audience area was in the sun. It was already 80 degrees by 9AM. I talked with a couple people attending, and was struck by the nature of CA-12, electing people directly effected by religious insanity: Leo Ryan, killed in Jonestown, Tom Lantos, the only Congressman who also was in a Concentration Camp, and now Jackie Speier, who was an aid to Leo Ryan and was shot in Jonestown.
Congresswoman Speier arrived roughly on time, and the fun began.
I THINK IT'S APPARENT to most Democrats in California that after six years of a Republican actor as governor, it's time to elect a qualified candidate from among our own ranks in 2010. But please forgive me if I'm underwhelmed by our choices right now.
The indefatigable Jerry Brown hasn't even officially declared yet and has already raised seven times as much money as his nearest Democratic competitor, Gavin Newsom, a likeable but flawed candidate.
On the short list of alternates often mentioned is Jackie Speier, a dynamic freshman Congresswoman from San Mateo. So when I was recently invited to hear her speak at a luncheon hosted by the Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County, I happily accepted.
With a friendly nature, indomitable spirit and ambition to spare, the popular Speier spent 18 years in Sacramento in both the Assembly and the Senate and was elected with 75 percent of the vote last fall to the 12th Congressional District. She lost a primary contest for lieutenant governor in 2006 by a very narrow margin to John Garamendi.
Few in the mostly female audience disagreed with her assessment that we need more women in public office. "The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world," Speier said, quoting Charles Malik, former president of the United Nations.
But while California has two female senators, currently only 17 percent of the U.S. House is female. And giving up her House seat to run for governor would be a "difficult" decision, she said.
But we urgently need someone who isn't afraid to stand up to the special interests, Speier maintained. "I won't support anyone who won't take on the prison guards union."
That's a pretty fearless statement considering the California Correctional Peace Officers Association is one of the most powerful unions in the state and has funded many an independent expenditure attack on candidates who cross them.
A new initiative organized by Howie Klein, Jane Hamsher, fellow Calitician Dante Atkins and myself to verbally and financially reward Congressmembers who pledge to vote down any healthcare bill that does not include the public option is catching fire today. The objective is to use carrots as well as sticks to achieve progressive goals. As I said in the diary kicking off this intiative at DailyKos:
Human beings are psychologically predictable creatures, much like Pavlov's famous canine. We do respond well to punishment, but we respond just as well if not better to positive reinforcement. Do nothing but beat a dog with a stick, and the dog is likelier to be aggressive than lovingly loyal. Do nothing but scream at a child, and the child will eventually fail to respond to her abusive parent. Senators and Representatives, no matter how elevated, are still just people: the rules of psychological conditioning still apply. If all we can do is scream at people who don't do what we want, eventually no one will listen to us at all.
If you have the resources, please consider donations to our excellent California legislators. For those who can't chip in, DFA has a thank you action item to thank our healthcare heroes.
With an approach that uses more carrots and less sticks, hopefully we can encourage others in California and across the country to join these brave progressive leaders.
Like many of you, I am increasingly worried about how an early call in the presidential race will affect turnout in California during the critical hours before the polls close. And I'm not encouraged by a giant No on 8 party starting at 6 PM and the email I received this morning that Jackie Speier's election night party will start at 7:30 (polls don't close until eight). When it comes to GOTV, volunteer all the way until the end, regardless of what went on in the east coast. That is why I love this new program by the California Democratic Party (from email):
Finally, think about all your friends and family in California who will share that joy with you. Is there a chance, even a small chance, that if they hadn't voted by 6pm, people you know just might not vote at all? Maybe they'll just be tired after a long day at work. Maybe they won't be quite sure where to vote. Maybe they'll see a long line at their polling place and figure "Obama's gonna win California, so why bother?"
Help us make sure that your family and friends don't give into temptation. Help us make sure your friends and family vote to defeat Propositions 4, 8 and 11 by sending them a quick text message.
Research shows that one of the easiest and most effective ways to get someone you know to vote on Election Day is to send a text message reminding them to vote. There is no better person to remind your friends and family to vote than you!
Use our free tool today to write an Election Day text message to your friends and family in California and we will send it to them for you on November 4th.
http://www.txtoutthevote.com/p/ca
Take a minute and set it up today. And spread the word.
• Prop 2, the factory farm measure, was the subject of a favorable op-ed by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times. Prop 2 would likely end the use of cages for hens in egg production. In very quick terms, it would require that the animal (e.g. chickens, pigs, and baby cows) could stand up and turn around in its cage.
• The lobbyists are gearing up to fight AB 583, Asm. Hancock's (D-Berkeley) bill to make the 2014(?) Secretary of State race a publicly-funded clean campaign. AB 583 was originally intended to fund the 2010 governor's race and some legislative races, but it was amended down. Either way, lobbyists just aren't thrilled about the increase of their fee from $25 to $700.
• The SF Chronicle reads far, far too much into the VP selections of both candidates. Once again, I strongly disagree with former Lieberman for President strategist Garry South. The VP pick is a public executive decision and gives an indicator of who the candidate is, but a good pick can't save a campaign. And a bad pick won't kill it either. I refer you to Lloyd Bentsen v. Dan Quayle.
• Calitics friend Jackie Speier is forwarding her first piece of legislation, to set a national speed limit at 60 mph in urban areas and 65 mph on rural highways. Slowing down to 60 mph or less significantly improves fuel efficiency. Then again, so does not driving - as SoCal's newest transit riders are learning. But this is a tiny fix that could have an immediate impact on reducing gasoline use.
• Hey look, it's Dianne Feinstein promoting a Republican-supported water bond that would build more dams (it's a compromise measure, because some of the money earmarked for dams could go to groundwater storage and other water projects)! Telling that Dave Cogdill immediately endorsed it while Da Don was cool.
Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, had a tepid response, calling on the governor to first authorize $872 million in unspent water funds and reach agreement on a $15.2 billion budget shortfall before seeking a water bond in the Capitol.
"I am open to doing a water bond," Perata said in a statement. "First, however, the state should spend the bond money voters approved in 2006, and then, we must pass a responsible budget that can pay for the debt service on a new bond."
Ignore the physical differences between Jackie Speier and Ronald Calderon, the jokes are too easy to make. These two legislators are basically examples of where the California Democratic Party is coming from and where it is headed. Calderon is the past, Speier is the future.
Current Representative (and 20-year state legislator) Speier is a leader who stands up to corporations. The privacy bill that she passed is the toughest in the nation. And she passed that despite the fierce opposition of financial institutions that the bill regulated, save for the CEO of e-Loan. Oh, and she pissed off the Republicans in the House. While the privacy bill is her hallmark legislation, she has a record that anybody would be proud of.
Calderon, on the other hand, is part of the "Mod Squad" intent on nuzzling up to the corporate trough. He is fond of the all money is good money philosophy, no matter how many strings are attached. And perhaps he knows something about which Rep. Speier speaks. In this session, he has been pushing SB1096, a bill to allow pharmacies to sell medical records to pharmaceutical marketers. The privacy implications are astounding, and unacceptable.
The legislation would allow pharmaceutical firms to send mailings directly to patients. Supporters of the proposal say the intent is to remind patients to take their medicine and order refills. But consumer privacy advocates are outraged.
"This bill would be a windfall for corporations seeking to track, buy and sell a patient's private medical records," said Zack Kaldveer, spokesman for the Consumer Federation of California. "This would represent a significant intrusion by pharmaceutical companies into the privacy of patients.
"By opening this Pandora's box, consumers could wind up receiving mailings designed to look as if they came from the pharmacy yet conflict with what their pharmacist or doctor has recommended. Such a scenario would be a threat to their health."
The California Medical Association opposes the legislation, contending that it could jeopardize patient safety and hurt doctor-patient relationships. The mailings are particularly problematic for patients with sensitive medical issues such as mental illnesses, says the association. (SF Chron 5/28/08)
The bill originally failed by a vote of 17-17, with an interesting coalition of Republicans and Democrats opposing the bill. Eventually, Calderon was able to pass the bill out of the Senate last week by adding an opt-out provision. The final Senate vote was 21-16, with the Noes including progressives like Kuehl and Migden and conservatives like McClintock and Battin.
However, opt-out is not strong enough. Heck, even e-mail marketers for retail stores like the gap have the common courtesy to ask before they send us spam. The least California can do is require that pharmacies get affirmative opt-ins to this practice. The privacy of medical records is just too important to monkey around with opt-out rules.
But opt-out wouldn't really work for the drug marketers, would it? The data would be too sporadic to have any great value. This bill was essentially written by Adheris, the self-described leader in "prescription drug patient behavior modification." In other words, they're trying to sell more drugs. By the way, they don't have such a great record on these issues:
A primary backer of the bill is Adheris Inc, a subsidiary of a drug marketing company that was sued several years ago under its former name for privacy violations. Adheris is involved in a pending class-action lawsuit in San Diego involving the same issues in the Calderon bill. (SF Chron 5/28/08)
The California Senate made the mistake of letting this stinker slip through. The Assembly cannot do the same. Contact your Assemblymember and tell them to vote NO on SB 1096. I know I'll be contacting mine.
Rep. Jackie Speier's congressional career began with some real fireworks. Her first speech on the war made the Republicans throw a hissy fit and several of them walked off the floor. Just a fantastic start. When we talk about electing more and better Democrats, this is what it looks like. Chron:
Newly elected Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier of Hillsborough was sworn into Congress this morning and delivered a fiery speech criticizing President Bush's Iraq policy that led some Republicans to boo and walk out of the House chamber.
Speier, who won a special election Tuesday to fill the seat of the late Rep. Tom Lantos, was always an outspoken lawmaker in her years as a San Mateo County supervisor, state Assemblywoman and state Senator. She served notice Thursday that she plans be just as aggressive as a member of the House.
"The process to bring the troops home must begin immediately," Speier told fellow lawmakers including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco. "The president wants to stay the course and a man who wants to replace him suggests we could be in Iraq for 100 years. But Madam Speaker, history will not judge us kindly if we sacrifice four generations of Americans because of the folly of one."
While Democrats applauded, Republicans began a chorus of low boos. Some Republicans who had congratulated her just moments before, including Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista (San Diego County), walked out of the hall in protest.
Of course Issa was one of the ones to throw a fit and walk off when she started saying something he didn't agree with. That is the congressional equivalent of putting his fingers in his ears and sticking out his tongue.
Thank you Rep. Speier. Just phenomenal work. Keep it up.
We want more of this! Maybe you can light a fire under the asses of a few of your new colleagues.
Jackie Speier's election yesterday to the House of Representatives shows the importance of building a pipeline of qualified women working their way up the ladder of elected office. We are excited to extend warm congratulations to newly elected congressional incumbent Jackie Speier. Jackie won the California Congressional 12th District seat running away with 78% of the vote in the special election held yesterday. Her win shows the overwhelming importance of creating a sustainable pipeline of women candidates moving up the steps of the political hierarchy.
(Me? I din' do nothin' - except promote this diary. Thank YOU, Congresswoman Speier. - promoted by David Dayen)
We did it!
Thanks to the help from so many of you here at Calitics and throughout the California progressive blogosphere -- Bob, Melissa, Brian, Frank, Greg, Robert, Julia, Dave, and so many of you -- our campaign won a resounding victory last night.
Your support in the blogosphere made a real difference on Tuesday. Thank you so much for blogging about the race, building support, mobilizing activists, and helping us get out the vote. I promise that I will work as hard as I can, every day, to make you proud.
Together, we won a tremendous victory Tuesday night -- but now it's already time to get to work. I just got off a plane, and I am already in Washington, DC. Tomorrow I'll be sworn in on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and cast my first vote as a Member of Congress.
I'm quite fortunate to live in Speaker Pelosi's district. It's definitely cool to say that the Speaker of the House is your representative. But, on Tuesday, I'll wish I lived a few blocks (literally) to the west so that I could vote for Jackie Speier.
Yesterday, I headed down to South San Francisco, the land of fog and strip malls, to chow down on some pancakes with Jackie Speier. When I and my blogger crew (namely: Sweet Melissa & Spots) rolled in there, it was a little slow. And, to put it mildly, we lowered the average age by a few decades. But that's all well and good, because we were about to get served pancakes by a future Congresswoman, but instead we sat down to a plate of flapjacks served by a high schooler whom I later found out was Jackie's daughter.
You can see the video of much of Jackie's remarks. She spent much of the time talking about the people that have endorsed her and the 41 community meetings that she's held between her campaign kickoff and the election tomorrow. She's basically running this campaign as an old-school as you get. She kicked it off in January with hot dogs and cotton candy, and is making the close with pancakes and spaghetti in an attempt to meet every possible voter. The election on Tuesday will be verrrry low turnout, so ever voter counts.
Jackie's extremely qualified for the job. In her speech she ticked off all her priorities, especially consumer protection. Her privacy bill remains the strongest in the nation, and she will continue to fight for the rights of the consumer in Washington. If she gets 50%+1 on Tuesday, she will be representing CA-12 on Thursday. So, if you're in the district, please remember to vote.
Former state Sen. Jackie Speier offers you a choice of pancakes (Sunday morning, South SF) or spaghetti (Sunday night, Burlingame). The pancake event is free, but the spaghetti will cost you $10. Find out more or RSVP here.
As for me, I'm a pancake fan. Expect to see me lining up for a big ol' stack Sunday morning. Also, speaking of CA-12, Jackie's election is Tuesday. She needs 50%+1 to get her seat in Congress. If you live in the district, make sure you show up and vote so the district gets representation ASAP.
Speier is far and away the most qualified of the five candidates on the ballot. If she wins a majority of the vote, she could be sworn into office as early as Wednesday.
As a state legislator, Speier achieved an impressive succession of victories for consumers, most notably her determined three-year push to overcome the resistance of the banking industry to produce the nation's strongest financial privacy law. In retrospect, one of her bills that did not pass demonstrates her foresight: a 2006 bill that would have strengthened consumer protections against subprime loans.
"I think it speaks volume about the power of the special interests," Speier said. "Even when we see something coming, we don't act."
Speier, as much as anyone in the State Capitol, showed a willingness to take on entrenched interests. Her targets included the powerful prison guards' union and the University of California administration. There is every reason to believe Speier will be every bit as vigorous in challenging the Washington establishment on issues such as the war in Iraq and consumer concerns - including health care.
This will be low turnout, there hasn't been much of a race. But Speier is amazingly popular (for good reason), has a top-notch campaign team and is anticipated to get around 109% of the vote on Tuesday. Which is good, because we need her in Washington ASAP.
I was preparing to write a piece about how Lawrence Lessig was waiting far too long to make a decision about whether or not to run for Congress, but apparently he got the same message.
With lots of mixed feelings, I have decided a run for Congress would not help the Change Congress movement. I explain the thinking in this 5 minute video (a new record for me!). First question: What happens to the contributions to Lessig08? As explained on the ActBlue page, all will go to (the yet to be established) Change Congress organization.
I will miss what would have been a very interesting debate in the 12th District, but I'm confident that Jackie Speier is going to be an excellent addition to our Congressional delegation. In the end, Lessig just didn't have enough time to make the sale.
Welcome back to the long-awaited California House races roundup! These things take up an inordinate amount of time, but I've finally found some, and I'm ready to go with this roundup. There's a lot of additional information, including Q4 2007 fundraising numbers, the turnout in the February primary offering a decent snapshot of Democratic chances in a particular district, and quite a few new candidates to speak about. I'm going to rank the top ten challenges to Republican-held seats across the state, as well as take a look at the two intriguing races held by Democrats. But first, it should be mentioned that the deadline for applying to run for a Congressional seat is fast approaching (March 7, I believe), and 4 of the 19 Republican-held seats in the state still have no challenger: CA-02 (Herger), CA-19 (Radanovich), CA-22 (McCarthy), and CA-25 (McKeon). This is especially distressing in CA-19 and CA-25, where turnout in the Feb. 5 primary was either even or favored Democrats. So anyone in these 4 districts: run for Congress! It's a résumé builder!
(By the way, you can follow all of the candidates in all these races at the 2008 Race Tracker.
Lawrence Lessig has announced that he's creating an exploratory committee to run for CA-12, which can be found at http://lessig08.org. If he does decide to run, Lessig would be about the only person who would make it tough for me to determine who to support. I'm actually about a block away from the district, so I don't get to vote, but both candidates would be excellent Congress members.
I am really, really looking forward to the debates in this race. I think this has the opportunity to become one of the just plain coolest races for quite some time. So, keep an eye out, CA-12 just got a whole lot more interesting
