California

FRESNO, Calif., March 4, 2010 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today pledged additional funding to assist California agricultural producers struggling to cope with drought-related water cutoffs. Dave White, Chief of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), made the announcement on Vilsack's behalf during a visit to California to meet with and listen to the needs of farmers.

"With the challenges to California farmers caused by three years of drought, we are making available much-needed assistance to some of the hardest hit producers," said White. "This funding will help farmers deal with the current conditions, such as preventing dust and wind erosion in fallowed areas and keeping trees and vines alive."    » read more »

March 2, 2010 -- California's dirty air caused more than $193 million in hospital-based medical care from 2005 to 2007 as people sought help for problems such as asthma and pneumonia that are triggered by elevated pollution levels, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Researchers estimate that exposure to excessive levels of ozone and particulate pollution caused nearly 30,000 emergency room visits and hospital admissions over the study period. Public insurance programs were responsible for most of the costs, with Medicare and Medi-Cal covering more than two-thirds of the expenses, according to the report.    » read more »

Governor’s Leadership Secures Over $2.3 Billion for High-Speed Rail, Overall Project Estimated to Generate Up to 600,000 Jobs

01/29/2010 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was joined today in Fresno by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari as well as other government, labor, business and environmental leaders to celebrate California being awarded more than $2.3 billion of the $8 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment (Recovery Act) funding President Obama made available to states for high-speed intercity rail. California received more funding than any other state in the nation.

The building of California’s Anaheim-to-San Francisco high-speed train system is estimated to bring up to 600,000 jobs throughout the state.    » read more »

Weekly Radio Address

01/29/2010 -- Governor Schwarzenegger:

Hello, this is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with another California Report.

This week, we received some great news from Washington.

I am proud to say that the President and Congress made a major commitment to high-speed rail in California.

They awarded California more stimulus funding for high-speed rail, than any other state in the nation.

California will receive $2.3 billion and let me tell you, this will help revolutionize our state’s transportation system.

We know that to have a 21st Century economy, we must have a 21st century transportation system.

That is why we have been working for more than a decade to develop a high-speed rail system for California.    » read more »

High-speed rail system to create jobs, spur growth

January 28, 2010 -- Washington, DC -- U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation’s announcement that California will receive $2.25 billion in stimulus funding, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to help develop a high-speed rail system in the state.

“Bringing a major high-speed rail system to California has been a dream of mine for many years, and now we’re finally seeing it move forward,” Senator Feinstein said. “This will create tens of thousands of jobs, spur commerce and the rapid movement of goods, curb congestion on our freeways, and reduce greenhouse gases and our dependence on oil.    » read more »

High-Speed Rail: California

January 27, 2010 -- California has made signicant investments in passenger rail that have led to remarkable ridership growth. Over 5.5 million people per year now ride on California’s three intercity corridors, making these routes the busiest in the U.S. after the Northeast Corridor.

The long-term vision for passenger rail in California is among the most ambitious in the nation. Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will go toward the construction of a new, electrically powered high-speed rail system of 800 miles serving major population centers from San Francisco and Sacramento to Los Angeles and San Diego with over 300 trains per day.    » read more »

January 26, 2010 -- WASHINGTON – Congressman Dennis Cardoza said today he had lost confidence in the top housing official in the Obama Administration, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan.

The three biggest cities in Congressman Cardoza’s district – Merced, Stockton, and Modesto – have the 3rd, 5th, and 6th highest foreclosure rates in the country, respectively. These cities also rank in the top 6 cities nationwide for unemployment rates.

“After personally coming to my community and pledging support to me and my constituents, HUD developed criteria to provide assistance that overlooked the region that needed the most help. This is absolutely unacceptable and reflects complete incompetence,” said Congressman Cardoza in a letter to Secretary Donovan.    » read more »

01/22/2010 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement after the California Employment Development Department reported the state’s unemployment rate in December was unchanged at 12.4 percent:

“Boosting employment remains the single most important challenge facing our country and our state.

"That’s why I announced the California Jobs Initiative as part of my budget and that’s why my budget fully funds education and holds the line on taxation.

"Keeping California cost-competitive and preparing our citizens for the 21st century workforce are the keys to strengthening our economy.

"I look forward to partnering with the legislature to implement this plan to boost employment, create jobs and stimulate our economy.”    » read more »

01/21/2010 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement after the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) established a California Solar Initiative (CSI) Thermal Program to provide incentives to promote the installation of solar water heating systems:

“Today’s decision brings us even closer to achieving the goals of my California Solar Initiative. In 2004, I said that we could increase energy efficiency by harnessing the power of the sun, and we have made incredible progress.    » read more »

01/21/2010 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today sent the following letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urging them to oppose any effort in the Senate to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to enforce the Clean Air Act to fight global climate change.

January 21, 2010

The Honorable Harry Reid
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Minority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Reid and Senator McConnell,    » read more »

Projects Supported by DOE Expected to Create Over 1600 Jobs in California

January 21, 2010 -- Washington, DC – Today, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced the Department of Energy has closed its $465 million loan with Tesla Motors, Inc. for construction of a manufacturing facility in southern California on the Model S electric sedan and a power-train manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California.

The Palo Alto facility will assemble electric vehicle battery packs, electric motors, and related electric vehicle control equipment, both for Tesla’s own electric vehicles and for sale to other automobile manufacturers.    » read more »

Washington, D.C. -- Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) released the following statement regarding the Department of Energy’s announcement that it has completed an agreement with Tesla Motors for a $465 million low-interest loan under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program.

The loan will be used for construction of a manufacturing facility located in southern California and a power-train manufacturing facility located in Palo Alto. Tesla estimates that over 1,600 California jobs will be created by this loan.    » read more »

January 19, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, DC – More than $13 million will be available for California agriculture to address plant pest and disease issues, Congressman Cardoza announced today. The funding is part of the 2008 Farm Bill.

“I am pleased to see California receiving a significant share of these funds and am certain this will assist our state’s growers in addressing problems associated with pests and diseases,” said Congressman Cardoza, who sits on the House Agriculture Committee and chairs the Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture.    » read more »

Section 136 loan will generate 1,600 new jobs in California

January 21, 2010 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today applauded news that the U.S. Department of Energy had finalized a $465 million loan to Tesla Motors, a California-based company that manufactures electric vehicles. The loan, issued through the Department’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program (ATVM), will generate up to 1,600 new jobs in California.

“I strongly supported creating the program that made possible this $465 million loan to Tesla Motors, which will generate up to 1,600 manufacturing jobs in California,” Senator Feinstein said.    » read more »

01/18/2010 -- In response to a series of powerful winter storms moving through California this week, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today directed his departments and agencies to take action to prepare and respond to the needs of affected Californians.

The storms are expected to bring high winds and heavy rain in some areas. Southern California could see three to six inches of rain for coastal and valley areas and as much as 10 inches in some mountain locations. Northern California could see even more rain, with forecasts of 10 to 20 inches of rain for coastal mountains and eight to 15 inches for inland valley and foothills.    » read more »