March 6, 2010 (San Diego) -- Congressman Bob Filner is among 111 cosponsors of the Community College Energy Training Act (H.R. 3731), legislation that will support community colleges as they train a new generation of technicians and other workers in America’s renewable energy industry.

February 23, 2010 (San Diego) – Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego) recently introduced H.R. 4488, the National Wildfire Infrastructure Improvement & Cost Containment Act.

“It is about time that we properly recognize our brave federal wildland firefighters and make sure they are on par with other federal firefighters,” Filner said in a newsletter to constituents. “Congress must provide American citizens with the strongest, most cost-effective, and efficient federal wildfire response possible to meet the challenges and complexities of wildfires in the 21st Century.”

 
 


“It simply is not prudent to introduce new projects into an area that is already prone to wildfire and will also reduce the ability of fire fighting agencies…”—Congressman Duncan Hunter, on impacts of the proposed Tule wind energy and Sunrise Powerlink transmission line projects

“Sempra’s track record does not show that it will develop or manage the Baja California wind energy resources properly.” – Congressman Bob Filner
 

By Miriam Raftery
 
February 14, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine), Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego) have sent letters to federal and state regulatory agencies voicing serious concerns over several major energy projects proposed in East County.

February 6, 2010 – As snow fell on the nation’s capitol, Chula Vista’s Park View Little League players, coaches and family members received a warm welcome at the White House from President Barack Obama. Each player on the world champion team was greeted personally by the President.

“He said that he was proud of us for representing the United States,” said catcher Daniel Porras Jr., according to the Union-Tribune. Players presented the President with a team jersey imprinted with his name. 

January 5, 2009 (Washington D.C.)--Congressman Filner (D-Chula Vista) Urges Toyota to Improve Push-To-Start Feature on Lexus Vehicles!
Recently, Congressman Filner contacted Christopher Tinto, Vice President for Technical and Regulatory Affairs, Safety for Toyota Motor Company regarding concerns stemming from Push-to-Start buttons on Lexus vehicles.

In an emergency, these Push-to-Start buttons may also be used as Push-to-Stop buttons; however, many consumers are not aware of this feature. This has resulted in accidents and fatalities when drivers are unable to turn off their vehicle.

December 22, 2009 (San Diego) – “I am pleased to announce the first green jobs grants awards authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the U.S. Department of Labor,” said Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego). “Californians continue to benefit from additional funding for job creation and training through the Recovery Act. These Green Jobs programs will take our industry in a direction that is better for the long-term preservation of the environment and our natural resources.”

Three green jobs grants have been awarded San Diego:

Congressman Filner provides update on funds with breakdown by Congressional districts

By Miriam Raftery

December 12, 2009 (San Diego) – More than $250 million has been allocated for the San Diego region through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for transportation and infrastructure projects, according to figures released yesterday by Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego). Filner is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which recently held a hearing titled The Recovery Act: Progress Report for Transportation Infrastructure Investment.”

November 18, 2009 (Washington, DC) – The Fire Grants Reauthorization Act passed by a 395-31 vote in the House of Representatives today, providing local firefighters with tools and resources to prevent and fight fires, enhancing community safety. At a time when many cities face budget shortfalls and cuts to basic services, the Act invests in programs that allow local fire departments to provide training, purchase equipment and vehicles, and hire personnel.

Among San Diego’s Congressional delegation, Republicans Duncan Hunter and Brian Bilbray voted yes, along with Democrats Bob Filner and Susan Davis, while Republican Darrell Issa voted no.

November 8, 2009 (Washington D.C.) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Affordable Healthcare for All Act last night by a 220-215 margin.  Local Democratic representatives Bob Filner and Susan Davis voted for the landmark measure, while local Republicans Duncan Hunter, Darrell Issa and Brian Bilbray voted no. 

In the House, only a single Republican (Joseph Cao of New Orleans) voted for the measure.  In addition, 39 Democrats voted no, including representatives from conservative districts as well as some liberal members.

By Miriam Raftery

October 18, 2009 – The House and Senate are grappling with several versions of major healthcare reform measures that could dramatically transform our nation’s healthcare system. Four of the five measures would include a public option, which give Americans a choice between private health insurance or opting for coverage under a government-run system similar to Medicare.

Where do your Congressional and Senate representatives stand? All have now taken a firm position either for or against the public option. Here are statements directly from San Diego County’s five Congressional representatives and California’s two U.S. Senators. If you wish to contact your Congressman or Senator to voice your views, you can find their contact information in our Citizens Action Center.

College Board responds to Public Outcry

October 18, 2009 (Chula Vista) – On October 14, Southwestern College District Governing Board approved cancellation of its agreement with Xe . The agreement allowed the college's law enforcement students to use a training facility in Otay Mesa operated by Xe Systems LLC, the company formerly known as Blackwater. Blackwater, which gained notoriety for its activities in Iraq, was also the center of controversy in East County, where the company sought to open a private military training base at Potrero but withdrew following massive public opposition.

“To save a few bucks, you basically sold out your souls and made a pact with the devil,” Congressman Bob Filner told college board members at an April 15th board meeting. “These are bad guys. They have killed innocent civilians in Iraq, and they lost their contract with the State Department for so doing."

By Congressman Bob Filner
Democratic Representative from the 51st Congressional District

The impacts of the climate crisis are already being seen around the world through increasing hurricane intensity, melting ice caps, and refugees fleeing extreme weather conditions. Here in Southern California, we are particularly vulnerable to a variety of threats posed by unchecked global warming – threats to our environment, our economic stability, and our overall quality of life.

While residents of San Diego are no strangers to drought and emergency water conservation measures, climate change will bring a new generation of drought’s stranglehold on our communities as we see our water supply shrink from increasing average global temperatures. Local Scripps researchers concluded in an April 2009 report that if human-induced global warming continues to reduce runoff from the Colorado River, San Diego will be unable to deliver a regular water supply to the region (The press release can be found online at http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/Releases/?releaseID=977).

As the economic downturn intensified over the last year, previous gains in women’s wages disappeared. From 2007 to 2008, real wages for full-time women workers fell by 2 percent – twice the rate of male workers’ wages.

“We must have a more aggressive strategy to close the wage gap to ensure that both men and women are able to earn a living and keep themselves and their children out of poverty,” said Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego).

4 San Diego Congressional representatives vote “aye”; Hunter votes “no”

September 24, 2009 (Washington D.C.)—San Diego Democrats Bob Filner and Susan Davis joined with Republicans Brian Bilbray and Darrell Issa in voting  to stimulate the local economy and provide stability to American families by extending unemployment insurance benefits to those hit hardest by the recession. Rep. Duncan Hunter, who represents most of East County, voted against the bill.

The Unemployment Compensation Act of 2009 (HR 3548) will provide immediate assistance, extending relief to the estimated 314,000 workers who would otherwise exhaust their unemployment benefits by the end of September, and one million more whose benefits would run out by the end of the year.

 
September 19, 2009 (San Diego)--Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego)  announced that a $299,993 Recovery Act grant has been awarded to San Diego State University (SDSU) Research Foundation through the U.S. Department of Energy. Funds will be used for a web-based carbon dioxide (CO2) subsurface modeling project and will create training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to develop skills for implementing and deploying carbon capture and storage technologies. 
 
“If we are serious about cutting greenhouse gas emissions, then we need trained scientists to find ways to limit carbon emissions from coal-fired utilities,” said Filner. “This funding for SDSU carbon capture research is the key to making so-called ‘clean coal’ a potential reality.”

 
September 17, 2009 (San Diego) -- Tomorrow, Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego) will be joined by key federal, state, and local officials, as well as government agency and business leaders, for a roundtable discussion on overcoming obstacles to access Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding.
 
Roundtable event will provide a brief overview on finding solutions to benefit local small businesses.
 
WHEN: Friday, September 18th, 2009, 1:00 p.m.

 
By Miriam Raftery

August 25, 2009 (Rancho Sa Diego/El Cajon)—The setting was serene, but the political exchanges were rocky at “Politics in Paradise,” a community legislative forum sponsored by the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce Friday evening at Cuyamaca College’s Water Conservation Garden.
 
“Welcome to East County’s first town hall yelling match on healthcare reform,” emcee Barry Jantz quipped, though the forum covered a broad range of issues. Congressmen Bob Filner D-San Diego) and Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) took center stage (photo, above) in a rare dual appearance, along with Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-Alpine) and supervisor Diane Jacob.  (Assemblyman Marty Block (D-Lemon Grove) and State Senator Denise Ducheny (D-San Diego) were unable to attend the evening of impassioned discussion about issues impacting East County businesses and residents.

 
August 21, 2009 (Washington, DC) – The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) of the House and Senate has just released a new report detailing how our current health care system isn’t working for women and the drastic number of women who have lost their health care coverage in the current economic crisis.
 
“This report underscores the urgent need to reform our health care system. Every day that we focus on disruptive town hall meetings or the gross misinformation being generated in this debate, is a day crucial facts are not heard,” said Congressman Bob Filner (D-Chula Vista), whose district includes southern portions of East County. “The facts are staggering: over a million American women have lost insurance during this recession because their husband lost his job; three out of four women between age 55 and 64 report delaying health care because their own coverage was jeopardized by a spouse’s transition onto Medicare; and a full 28% of women under age 25 have no insurance at all – in the richest country in the world.”

 
August 20, 2009 (El Cajon) – The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce invites members and the public to “Politics in Paradise”, an open forum with an opportunity to interact with your elected officials while they are in town during the Congressional and state legislative recesses. The event will be held Friday, August 21st at the Cuyamaca College Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon.
 

By Miriam Raftery
 
August 6, 2009 (San Diego) – Violence, arrests and racial slurs have disrupted town hall meetings on healthcare reform in Florida, Pennsylvania and other states, where mobs opposed to healthcare reform attempted to shout down and drown out supporters.
 

 
HALF OF ALL HOMELESS IN SAN DIEGO ARE VETS
 
By Miriam Raftery
 
Photos by Joel Ryerson and Leon Thompson
 
July 18, 2009 (San Diego)—“No mayor in America has done more for homeless veterans than Gavin Newsom,” Congressman Bob Filner (D-Chula Vista), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, told veterans and media during a press conference yesterday at Stand Down, a three-day event at San Diego High School to help homeless veterans.
 
Filner announced that he has met with the new head of the Veterans Administration and that both agree there should be “zero tolerance for homeless veterans on the streets of America.”  

Facilities include Olympic Training Site in Chula Vista
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, announced that the House of Representatives approved a critical funding increase for a paralympic program for veterans and members of the Armed Services. Hundreds of injured veterans now actively participate in paralympic sports and training programs that enhance their rehabilitation and promote healing from the wounds of war.

 
By Miriam Raftery
 
June 28, 2009 (San Diego)— Last week, President Barack Obama presented his “prescription for America” (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=7922187&page=1). The President aims to create a public option for a government healthcare program similar to Medicare that would compete against private insurance companies.
 
As debate in Washington D.C. heats up, local advocates are speaking out, holding forums, and mobilizing citizens in San Diego and East County to lobby legislators in favor of healthcare reform—a move they say is needed to counter heavy lobbying by health insurers, pharmaceutical companies and other healthcare industry interests. But while some applaud the Obama plan, others believe it doesn’t go far enough—and believe only a single-payer plan which eliminates private insurance will solve our healthcare crisis. Still others oppose any government healthcare plan option, arguing it will prove costly and cost jobs in the private healthcare industry.

By Miriam Raftery June 27, 2009 (Washington D.C.)–H.R. 2996, landmark legislation that aims to protect air, clean up waterways and restore our public lands, has passed the House of Representatives by a 254-173 vote. Among San Diego’s Congressional representatives, Bob Filner and Susan Davis voted in favor of the measure, while Brian Bilbray, Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa voted against it.

By Miriam Raftery
 
June 27, 2009 (Washington D.C.) – By a scant seven votes (219-212), the U.S. House of Representatives last night passed the landmark American Clean Energy and Security Act. The bill has been hailed by the Environmental Defense Action Fund as “the most important environmental and energy legislation in our nation’s history.”
 
Supporters say the bill will create millions of “green jobs” while shifting the nation to reliance on clean, renewable energy resources to curb the potentially devastating impacts of global warming by reducing U.S. dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil. Opponents argued the bill would increase energy costs and bureaucracy. San Diego Congressional Democrats Bob Filner and Susan Davis voted for the measure, while Republicans Brian Bilbray, Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa voted no. Several area members offered comments on their votes. The Senate will now consider climate change legislation before a final measure goes to President Obama for signature.

June 20, 2009 (Washington, DC) – Congressman Bob Filner announces that he has secured significant funding for critical community projects within California’s 51st District through the bi-partisan Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill as follows:

• $1.2 million for the Regional Communications System Upgrade through the County of San Diego, which will also benefit Imperial County
• $200,000 for Gang and Drug Crime Investigation and Prosecution efforts through the County of San Diego District Attorney’s office
• $350,000 for the Regional Gang Enforcement Collaborative through the County of San Diego Sheriff’s Department
• $400,000 for the Prisoner Re-entry Employment Program through San Diego Second Chance
• $95,000 for the Homeless Outreach Program and Enforcement (HOPE) Project through the City of National City, CA
• $100,000 for the Turning the Hearts Center in Chula Vista, CA.

CONGRESS GRANTS FDA AUTHORITY TO REGULATE TOBACCO PRODUCTS, PROTECT KIDS FROM SMOKING IMPACTS June 16, 2009 (Washington D.C.) The House and Senate have passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, designed to protect children and teens from the harmful effects of smoking. The bill grants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate the advertising, marketing and manufacturing of tobacco products to protect public health. San Diego Congressional representatives Brian Bilbray, Susan Davis and Bob Filner voted for the landmark measure, while Congressmen Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa voted against it. Issa, the only San Diego representative to take tobacco industry money during the last election, received a $1,000 campaign contribution in 2008.

June 15, 2009 (Washington D.C.) – Many local small businesses will soon be eligible for interest-free loans under a new program created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego) announced today.
 

Local Representatives Split Votes By Miriam Raftery
June 10, 2009 (Washington D.C.)--Three local representatives have voted in favor of a “cash for clunkers” program that will allow consumers to trade in their old, gas-guzzling cars for vouchers worth up to $4,500 to help people buy new, more fuel-efficient vehicles.
The Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act (HR 2751) aims to spur sale of up to one million more fuel-efficient cars and trucks, while stimulating the ailing auto industry and reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a 298 to 119 margin. Among San Diego County representatives, Brian Bilbray, Susan Davis and Bob Filner voted for the measure, while Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa voted against it.
 

May 29, 2009 (San Diego) – Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, announced today that the Department of Veterans Affairs has chosen a San Diego firm, Van Dyke Landscape Associates, to design a newly-approved Miramar Satellite Cemetery.

"Progress at last!” said Congressman Filner, who chairs the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. “We need to move this along as quickly as possible. Veterans’ families should not be required to travel to the Riverside National Cemetery to pay respect to their loved ones.”