Earlier today Representative John Garamendi was sworn in as the newest member of Congress. Garamendi was elected this past Tuesday and will represent the tenth Congressional district in California. The position became vacant when Rep. Jane Harman was confirmed by the Senate as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.

Rep. Garamendi has served the people of California since 1974, being elected to the offices of State Assemblyman, State Senator, Insurance Commissioner and most recently Lieutenant Governor. You can watch the swearing in ceremony and remarks from Rep. Garamendi here.

“Apple is committed to protecting the environment and the communities in which we operate around the world. We strongly object to the Chamber’s recent comments opposing the EPA’s effort to limit greenhouse gases.”

You can read the full letter here.

Last week, Exelon, PG&E and PNM Resources resigned from the Chamber and Nike resigned its position on the Board of Directors.

About one-third of the Recovery Act funds are committed to projects like this one: infrastructure and technology investments that will help America lead in the 21st century economy. A New York Times editorial this morning took aim at the oil lobby's “Astroturf” efforts to undermine the emerging clean energy industry and millions of new green jobs.

Yesterday the three committees working on a health care in the house (Energy & Commerce, Education & Labor, and Ways & Means) released a full draft of their legislation, H.R. 3200 the “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act”. Here’s a round up on the bill from the New York Times. The bill supports President Obama’s three principles for reform, includes a public option, and would cover 97 percent of Americans. The House pays for the bill by identifying $500 billion savings over 10 years and through a surcharge on the wealthiest Americans.

Then today, the Senate HELP Committee passed it’s version of reform (first released a couple of weeks ago) on party lines, 13 to 10. Like the House bill, HELP’s version of the legislation requires Americans to obtain health insurance and would help people who couldn’t afford it on their own. It also requires employers of a certain size to provide insurance to their employees, or pay a fee to the government. It stops insurance companies from denying coverage based on a pre-existing condition, establishes a health insurance exchange (where people can compare and contrast plans and pick the one that’s right for them) and includes a public option.

Here’s an excerpt from the President’s remarks from earlier today:

On nurses:

"…When both my daughters were born, the obstetrician was one of our best friends, but we saw her for about 10 minutes in each delivery. The rest of the time what we saw were nurses who did an incredible amount of work in not only taking care of Michelle but also caring for a nervous husband and then later for a couple of fat little babies.

“So I know how important nurses are, and the nation does too. Nurses aren't in health care to get rich. Last I checked, they're in it to care for all of us, from the time they bring a new life into this world to the moment they ease the pain of those who pass from it. If it weren't for nurses, many Americans in underserved and rural areas would have no access to health care at all.

And that's why it's safe to say that few understand why we have to pass reform as intimately as our nation's nurses. They see firsthand the heartbreaking costs of our health care crisis. They hear the same stories that I've heard across this country -- of treatment deferred or coverage denied by insurance companies; of insurance premiums and prescriptions that are so expensive they consume a family's entire budget; of Americans forced to use the emergency room for something as simple as a sore throat just because they can't afford to see a doctor."

On the House and Senate Bills:

"…Yesterday, the House introduced its health reform proposal. Today, thanks to the unyielding passion and inspiration of our friend Ted Kennedy, and to the bold leadership of Senator Chris Dodd, the Senate HELP Committee reached a major milestone by passing a similarly strong proposal for health reform. It's a plan that was debated for more than 50 hours and that, by the way, includes 160 Republican amendments -- a hopeful sign of bipartisan support for the final product, if people are serious about bipartisanship.

Both proposals will take what's best about our system today and make it the basis for our system tomorrow -- reducing costs, raising quality, and ensuring fair treatment of consumers by the insurance industry. Both include a health insurance exchange, a marketplace that will allow families and small businesses to compare prices, services, and the quality, so they can choose the plan that best suits their needs. And among the choices available would be a public health insurance option that would make health care more affordable by increasing competition, providing more choices, and keeping insurance companies honest. Both proposals will offer stability and security to Americans who have coverage today, and affordable options to those who don't."

On the momentum behind reform:

"…I just want to be clear: We are going to get this done. Becky and I were talking in the Oval Office. Becky just pointed out, we need to buck up people a little bit here. (Laughter.) And that's what nurses do all the time -- they buck up patients, sometimes they buck up some young resident who doesn't quite know what they're doing. (Laughter.) You look at Becky, you can tell she knows what she's doing. And what she's saying is it's time for us to buck up -- Congress, this administration, the entire federal government -- to be clear that we've got to get this done.

"Our nurses are on board. The American people are on board. It's now up to us. We can do what we've done for so long and defer tough decisions for another day -- or we can step up and meet our responsibilities. In other words, we can lead. We can look beyond the next news cycle and the next election to the next generation, and come together to build a system that works not just for these nurses, but for the patients they care for; for doctors and hospitals; for families and businesses -- and for our very future as a nation."

President Obama is committed to passing health care reform that lowers costs, protects choice and expands access to quality, affordable care -- and making it happen by the end of the year. The interim goal is to pass legislation in the House and Senate before Congress goes into recess on August 8th.

Five Congressional committees (three in the House – Energy & Commerce, Ways & Means, Education & Labor; and two in the Senate – HELP and Finance) have jurisdiction over health care legislation. Given all the moving pieces and how quickly things are moving it can be difficult to keep track of where the legislation is in each committee, and what it means for the overall process.

Here’s a quick primer on what our Democratic Congressional leaders are working to do before the August recess:

In the House

- The three House committees with jurisdiction have released a "tri-committee" version of their legislation. Mark-ups (debating, amending, rewriting the legislation) in each committee are expected to begin next Monday.

- The full House is expected to vote on its version of the bill before the August recess.

Key players: Energy & Commerce, Ways & Means, Education & Labor Committee members, Chairman of Energy & Commerce Henry Waxman (CA), Chairman of Ways & Means Charlie Rangel (NY), Chairman of Education & Labor George Miller (CA).

In the Senate

- The Senate HELP Committee released its version of the bill late last week. They are currently in “mark up”.

- The Senate Finance Committee is expected to release its version of their bill as early as this week, and start its own “mark up” process as early as next week.

- Its expected that the HELP and Finance Committees will combine their versions of the bill, and bring one bill to the floor for a full Senate vote before the August recess.

Key players: HELP and Finance Committee members, Chairman of HELP Ted Kennedy (MA), Senator Chris Dodd (CT), Chairman of Finance Max Baucus (MT).

Once the House and Senate have passed their versions of health care reform legislation, Congressional leaders will work to create a combined version of the bill -- if the schedule above holds, this is the step that will happen during August recess.

Have you told your Congressional leaders where you stand? Have you signed a declaration in support of President Obama’s three principles? Have you shared your personal health care story? We've talked about health care reform for more than 50 years, now it's within our reach. Do your part to make it happen.

John Burton is widely considered one of the most effective and experienced legislative leaders in the State of California - if not the nation. He began his career as a Deputy Attorney General, served as the President of the Young Democrats, and won election to the County Central Committee. He then served as a State Assemblymember, President of the California Democratic Council, Chair of the California Democratic Party, U.S. Congressmember and as President pro Tem of the California State Senate. After being termed-out of the Legislature, he created a foundation which has raised millions of dollars to assist homeless and foster care children across California.

With a consistent 100% voting record throughout his career from environmental, labor, and human rights organizations, the California Journal wrote: "Burton is trying to do right by some of the least among us.... There’s a sense that he’s not wielding or exercising power for the sake of power itself; the things he’s trying to do have a real purpose behind them."

John Burton wrote the laws that make California better:

• Established landmark farm mediation for farm workers and the UFW;
• Achieved DNA testing to free the wrongly convicted and help identify guilty parties
• Secured prevailing wage rates for construction and building trades and restored the 8-hour day;
• Guaranteed CalGrant college scholarships for every student with financial need;
• Led the effort in the State Senate to pass the nation's first state law requiring automakers to reduce greenhouse gas pollution from cars;
• Increased aid for the elderly, blind and disabled;
• Facilitated agreement to save Headwaters Forest Preserve and Farallones Marine Sanctuary; prohibited offshore oil drilling along the Point Reyes seashore;
• Enacted historic levels of support for mental health and juvenile crime prevention programs;
• Overhauled the state’s flawed child support collection system;
• Increased affordable housing and helped fight homelessness with a $2.1 billion bond issue; and
• Set tough campaign contribution limits and increased public disclosure of contributions.

You can learn more about the California Democratic Party at their website http://www.cadem.org.

You can read more about John Burton and the state party at calitics.com one of the credentialed blogs from the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Earlier today the Desert Sun paper in Palm Springs, California ran a story on one of those Americans, Philip Gaskin of Cathedral City, CA. The story shares how the recession cost Philip his job;

Gaskin, who worked for BCD International, a Southern-based global management and consulting firm for Fortune 500 companies, said he was laid off in January. He was working from his Cathedral City home for the company.

That is not the end of his story though. Philip was utilizing COBRA to continue his insurance coverage and paying those costs out of pocket;

Then he was notified his COBRA bill — which is the continuation insurance individuals can apply for when they're laid off — was cut by more than half, going down from $468 to $163, he said.
This was due to Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Philip's story is similar to that of many Americans who are facing hardships but with the help of many programs initiated by President Obama and his administration, they are receiving help.

President Obama signed a memorandum Monday requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider an application by California to set more stringent auto emissions and fuel efficiency standards than required by federal law.

If the EPA grants a waiver allowing California to set its own emissions standards, the nation's largest state will be allowed to require automakers to produce trucks and cars that get better mileage than what is required under the current national standard.

Thirteen other states could take similar action.

"It will be the policy of my administration to reverse our dependence on foreign oil," Obama said. [...]

Besides the EPA waivers, Obama also called for automakers to increase their fuel efficiency standards nationwide.

The president also directed the federal government to make its buildings more energy efficient and to find new ways for federal agencies to save energy.

Check out the WhiteHouse.gov blog for the President's full remarks.

The second memo paves the way for California and more than a dozen other states to raise emissions standards above and beyond the national standard. They'd asked to do so before, but the Bush administration had denied the request.

"Instead of serving as a partner, Washington stood in their way," President Obama said. "The days of Washington dragging its heels are over."

The U.S. economy lost 524,000 jobs in December, closing out the worst year for job losses since World War II, the Labor Department said Friday.

Nearly 2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008, with 1.9 million destroyed in just the past four months, according to a survey of work places. It's the biggest job loss in any calendar year since 1945, when 2.75 million jobs were lost as the wartime economy was demobilized.

The 1.5 million jobs lost in the fourth quarter were the most in any three-month period since 1945.
As a percentage of employment, job losses in 2008 totaled 1.8%, the worst since 1982 and the third largest since the war.

The numbers were released as Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-California) began her Senate confirmation hearings as the next Secretary of Labor for President-elect Barack Obama's incoming administration.

President-elect Barack Obama's pick to become the top U.S. labor official said on Friday her priorities would be to boost job training and search assistance to fight a deepening U.S. recession.

Democratic Rep. Hilda Solis, tapped by Obama to become labor secretary, also told her Senate confirmation hearing she would fight job discrimination and ensure employees "get the pay they have earned working in safe, healthy and fair workplaces."

The President-elect also named Karen Mills as Administrator of the Small Business Administration and former Mayor Ron Kirk as United States Trade Representative.

Hilda has always been an advocate for everyday people. When she received an award several years ago, she said, “Fighting for what is just is not always popular, but it is necessary.” And that is exactly what she has done throughout her career, blazing new trails every step of the way. Whether it’s creating green jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced or expanding access to affordable health care or raising the minimum wage in California, Hilda has been a champion of our middle class. And I know that Hilda will show the same kind of leadership as Secretary of Labor that she showed in California and on the Education and Labor Committee by protecting workers’ rights – from organizing to collective bargaining, from keeping our workplaces safe to making our unions strong. [...]

Few understand our infrastructure challenge better than the outstanding public servant I am asking to lead the Department of Transportation – Ray LaHood. As a Congressman from Illinois, Ray served six years on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, leading efforts to modernize our aviation system by renewing our aging airports and ensuring that air traffic controllers were using cutting edge technology. Throughout his career, Ray has fought to improve mass transit and invest in our highways. But he has not only helped rebuild our landscape, he has helped beautify it by creating opportunities for bikers and runners to enjoy our great outdoors. When I began this appointment process, I said I was committed to finding the best person for the job, regardless of party. Ray’s appointment reflects that bipartisan spirit – a spirit we need to reclaim in this country to make progress for the American people.

The owner of a firm that the California Republican Party hired to register tens of thousands of voters this year was arrested in Ontario over the weekend on suspicion of voter registration fraud.

State and local investigators allege that Mark Jacoby fraudulently registered himself to vote at a childhood California address where he no longer lives so he would appear to meet the legal requirement that all signature gatherers be eligible to vote in California. His firm, Young Political Majors, or YPM, collects petition signatures and registers voters in California and other states.

Jacoby's arrest by state investigators and the Ontario Police Department late Saturday came after dozens of voters said they were duped into registering as Republicans by people employed by YPM. The voters said YPM workers tricked them by saying they were signing a petition to toughen penalties against child molesters.

The firm was paid $7 to $12 for every Californian it registered as a member of the GOP.

John McCain's campaign has directed $175,000 to the firm of a Republican operative accused of massive voter registration fraud in several states.

According to campaign finance records, a joint committee of the McCain-Palin campaign, the RNC and the the California Republican Party, made a $175,000 payment to the group Lincoln Strategy in June for purposes of "registering voters." The managing partner of that firm is Nathan Sproul, a renowned GOP operative who has been investigated on multiple occasions for suppressing Democratic voter turnout, throwing away registration forms and even, once, spearheading efforts to get Ralph Nader on ballots so as to hinder the Democratic ticket.

More from the Sproul file:

Indeed, Sproul's history is filled with allegations of political misdeeds. During the 2004 election, Sproul & Associates (the former name of Lincoln Strategy) was accused of attempting to destroy forms collected by Democratic voters in Nevada. That same year in Oregon, Sproul & Associates allegedly instructed canvassers to only accept Republican registration forms in addition to destroying those turned in by Democrats.

In Minnesota, meanwhile, Sproul's firm was accused of actually firing workers who brought back Democratic registration forms, while other canvassers were allegedly paid "$13 an hour, with the $3 bonus for every Bush, undecided or Ralph Nader voter registration." Similar problems related to Sproul & Associates popped up in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The number of job cuts announced in September rose as the economy slowed, according to a report released Wednesday.

Positions on the cutting board rose 7.2% to 95,094 from 88,736 the previous month, and were 33% higher than the same month last year, when 71,739 cuts were announced, according to outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

September brought the announced layoff total for the third quarter to 287,142 - the largest number since 2005, according to the report.

We cannot afford four more years of the same.