Update October 17, 2013:  President Obama signed the measure into law last night, ending the shutdown.

By Nadin Abbott

October 16, 2013 (San Diego)--Tonight both the House and the Senate voted to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling—just in time to prevent the U.S. from defaulting on our national debt by tomorrow’s deadline. The measure will fund the Government until January 15 and raise the ceiling until February 17. Moreover, a conference committee between the House and the Senate to discuss the budget has finally been appointed.

Among San Diego’s Congressional delegation, only Republican Duncan Hunter was unwilling to prevent a default on America’s debts, casting a “no” vote.  Republican Darrell Issa joined with Democrats Susan Davis, Juan Vargas and Scott Peters to vote in favor of the continuing resolution to find the government and end the shutdown. Overall in the House, 285 voted yes and 144 voted no. 

The vote in the Senate was overwhelming, with 81 of 100 Senators voting for the bill, including most Republicans.  California Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein both voted yes.

4 of 5 local Congressional members not sure yet how they will vote; both CA Senators support military intervention

By Miriam Raftery

September 4, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – Three days ago, NBC news reported that San Diego’s Congressional delegation had “mostly positive” reactions to news that President Obama had decided to ask Congresss for approval before waging a military air strike on Syria.  But a  poll by CNN of Congressional members found San Diego’s representatives remain mostly undecided on whether to vote for war or not.  Both California Senators, however, support the President’s call for military action.

Overall, the CNN poll found the majority in both houses of Congress have not yet committed how they will vote.  In the Senate, 24 Senators say that they will support the war declaration, 16 will oppose it, and 58 remain undecided. In the House, 27 support going to war, 91 oppose, 254 are undecided, and the positions of 61 others are unknown.

This is a rare issue in which the vote does not split down party lines. Both parties are split, with many members on each side of the weighty issue appearing ready to vote their consciences or the will of their constituents, not a party preference.

By Miriam Raftery

August 4, 2013 (Washington D.C. ) –Two members of Congress (Jerry McNerney, D- Stockton, CA and Matt Cartwright, D- PA) have introduced the Smart Grid Advancement Act of 2013 (HR 2685) that would require the Secretary of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator to take designated actions if they find that use of smart grid technologies save energy and money.  Congressman Scott Peters from San Diego (D-52) is a cosponsor of the bill.

But opponents say this could require all electricity providers (including rural cooperatives and municipal utilities) to join the ‘smart’ grid and install ‘smart’ meters, and that it could negate states’ rights to regulate smart meters and wireless appliances.  The bill could lead to an overriding of state laws and regulations that give consumers power to opt out of having smart meters, which produce electro-magnetic frequency radiation that have raised health concerns, opponents warn.  It could lead to requiring energy-saving appliances to include wireless transmitters.

By Congressman Scott Peters (D-San Diego)

March 12, 2013 -- Two weeks before the sequester took effect, House leadership called a recess and sent us home. As a former Port Commissioner and City Council president, that was foreign to me. I could not believe, with the amount of work still to be done, we were sent home. And, even more frustrating, that we were sent home without being allowed to vote on a single alternative to the sequester, because leadership didn’t agree with the legislation. This, in my opinion, is not representative of the democratic process that the United States is regarded for.

I used my time at home to send a message back to Washington. I worked with our port commissioners, scientific research community and maritime workers to tell Congress that the negative effects of the sequester will be felt in San Diego through layoffs, furloughs, stifled research and decreased GDP.

December 19, 2012 (San Diego)– The U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Caucus today announced that Rep.-Elect Scott Peters has been assigned to serve on the House Armed Services Committee.  The move strengthens San Diego’s representation on the committee, where Democrat Susan Davis and Republican Duncan D. Hunter are already members.

“Our military and defense industry is a large and critical part of our regional economy that employs hundreds of thousands of San Diegans,” said Peters, who defeated Rep. Brian Bilbray in the November election.  “As the Representative for the new 52nd District, which is home to seven military bases, serving on Armed Services is an important assignment and an honor.”

By Nadin Abbott

November 7, 2012 (San Diego)—While Democrats failed to retake control of the United States House of Representatives, right now seats by party are at Republican 232, and Democratic at 191, with 12 seats still not decided. Among those not decided is San Diego’s own 52nd District contest between Scott Peters (D) and Congressman Brian Bilbray (R), where Peters now leads by a narrow margin.

November 2, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego’s local Republican Congressmen Brian Bilbray, Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa voted for the Paul Ryan budget which would have deeply reduced emergency response and preparedness to disasters such as Hurricane Sandy and local wildfires. An analysis from Third Way says that the Ryan-Bilbray budget “would set the clock back on disaster preparation to the days before Hurricane Katrina.”

Mitt Romney, in a primary debate, called disaster relief “immoral” and said he would privatize FEMA.  Following Hurricane Sandy, he has sought to blur his stance, though his running mate’s budget would also have radically cut federal aid and hampered states’ abilities to respond when disasters strike.

October 9, 2012 (San Diego) -- The National Committee to Protect Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), one of the most trusted, independent and effective advocates for these programs in the country since 1982, has endorsed Scott Peters for Congress, the Peters campaign announced today.

 NCPSSM President and Chief Executive Officer Max Richtman said they are endorsing Peters over Bilbray because they trust Peters to protect Medicare and Social Security, while Bilbray has voted repeatedly to cut these critical programs which protect many of America’s seniors from living in poverty.

September 11, 2012 (San Diego) -- The national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund and the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) together announced their endorsement of Scott Peters for the U.S. House of Representatives in California’s 52nd district. In backing his congressional bid, LCV Action Fund and CLCV cited Peters’ long and accomplished record of public service in the San Diego community, leading initiatives to strengthen public health standards, protect the environment, and grow the economy by creating thousands of new local jobs. Peters, a Democrat, will face long-time incumbent Rep. Brian Bilbray in the general election.

By Miriam Raftery

August 27, 2012 (San Diego)—Democrat Scott Peters’ Congressional campaign has issued a press release blasting his opponent, Republican Brian Bilbray, for a record on women’s rights and choice that “closely mirrors Mr. Akin’s,” Peters’ communications director MaryAnn Pintar said.

May 2, 2012 (San Diego) – In the hotly contested 52nd Congressional district, incumbent Brian Bilbray is weathering attacks from opponents on both sides of the political aisle for his votes on women’s issues.  With the Supreme Court just one vote away from overturning Roe vs.

Story and photo by Nadin Abbott

February 12, 2012 (San Diego) – Declaring it time to “regain control of the people’s House from the special interests,” California Democratic Party Chairman hosted a joint press conference with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in San Diego, site of the 2012 California Democratic Convention themed “Battleground California.”