California Democratic Party - Rural Caucus: Rural Issues

Rural Issues

The State Budget
Californians deserve real solutions to the budget deficit. Responding to our economic crisis with deep cuts will only make the state's problems worse. They would undermine our economic recovery and President Obamas investment in economic stimulus, disproportionately harm the most vulnerable Californians, and go against our core values. Is $24 billion in cuts what California residents really want? Two recent polls (Binder, www.docstoc.com/docs/6220193/Reasons-Prop-1A-Failed-memo, and Field Poll, www.field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2306.pdf) reveal that Californians in fact support some revenue increases and do not favor drastic cuts to education and other essential services. These polls counter the interpretation that the failure of the special election measures represents voter rejection of any and all new revenues. Our legislators should fight for increased revenues from those who can afford to pay. Progressive tax increases need to be on the table. Visit www.fixthebudgetnow.org for mor information on this topic.

The Farm Bill
At www.myruralamerica.org, you'll find news on the Farm Bill, Food Politics, and other "kitchen table" issues. You'll also learn that in Iowa, John McCain said that if he were president, he would veto the Farm Bill. McCain has always voted against the Farm Bill, so this latest statement shouldn't really be considered news. Rather, it should be considered documention of Senator McCain's consistent opposition to rural communities and family farmers, as well as to our nation's poorest who benefit from the nutrition aspects of the bill, including school lunch and food stamps.

Genetically Modified Organisms - GMO's
The Rural/Environmental Caucus would like to inform you of a bill that has been authored in the Assembly, has passed and has now entered the Senate. The bill (AB541 authored by Assemblymember Huffman), would give a 2 part protection to our California family farms against genetic-engineered crop contamination and protection against their manufacturers. Although the bill is now not as strong as originally written (miraculously supported by the Farm Bureau) it is the first big step in protecting our family farms. We are asking you to help in supporting this bill by calling or writing to your state senators,especially the state senators that belong to the Committee of Agriculture. They are: State Senators Denham, Ducheny, Florez, Kuehl and the Chair, Maldonaldo. Please call or e-mail Assemblymember Huffman's office as well, to show your support of this bill.

What is Genetic Modification & Engineering?
Genetic engineering is a process whereby genes from one organism are moved into the genome of another organism. In the case of genetically engineered foods, genes from bacteria or other plants or organisms are moved into crop varieties with the assistance of a viral vector. This provides herbicide-tolerance and/or insect resistance to existing domesticated plant varieties. In many cases, biotechnology breaks down natural species boundaries. The genes inserted cannot be removed and thus become released into the environment during the pollination process.

For the Fact Sheet from Environmental Commons, visit http://environmentalcommons.org/gmo-factsheet.html

Rural Broadband - SB 1191
This Bill, introduced by Senator Elaine Alquist, co- authored by Assemblywoman Patty Berg will permit community service districts to provide broadband services in areas where the private sector has not yet stepped forward. This bill would authorize a community services district to construct, own, improve, maintain, and operate broadband facilities and to provide broadband services, under specified circumstances, until a private person or entity is ready, willing, and able to acquire, construct, improve, maintain, and operate broadband facilities and to provide broadband services, and to sell those services at a comparable cost and quality of service to the district and its property owners, residents, and visitors. The bill comes out of the recommendations in the recent Report of the Governor's Rural Broadband Task Force. For more information on this bill, visit http://www.calink.ca.gov/ To read Senator Obama's support on this important issue, click here.

Healthcare Not Warfare
Dr. Bill Honigman (California Coordinator for Progressive Democrats of America and the Issues Chair for the California Democratic Council) has been busy pushing the “Healthcare Not Warfare” campaign here in California. The goal is a grassroots push to turn from warfare to healthcare for all. While growing ever since it came into existence four years ago, PDA has been working with and, more often, pushing Democrats in Congress to end the occupation of Iraq. Integral to its progressive program, PDA has been mobilizing support behind H.R. 676, the bill to create a universal single payer system to guarantee healthcare for all. While the news media and all too many politicians simply treat “war” and “healthcare” as isolated issues, PDA is organizing for a fundamental shift in policies and priorities. Four decades after Dr. King decried “the madness of militarism,” we see how that madness continues to have wide-ranging and devastating effects, whether in our own communities or in Iraq. In the midst of a political system with economic powerhouses largely dictating public policy, our only hope involves persistent organizing for humanistic priorities. PDA's launch of the “Healthcare Not Warfare” campaign goes to the heart of our current predicament and our goals for the future - a society and a world that nurture human life and social justice. Take action with your county committee or club by using the resolutions and petitions from PDA at
http://pdamerica.org/articles/misc/2008-02-29-14-19-42-misc.php

Please send us more issues that we can make our members aware of! To email us an article, website, or information that you'd like to see posted on this site, click on the "Contact Us" link across the top of the screen and then choose Southern Vice Chair - Lori.