~ Anne Zerrien-Lee, First-grade Teacher

Parents,teachers and students need our help NOW to block severe budget cuts that threaten to further reduce the quality of education for every California public school student.

We need to (1) compel Sacramento to pass all the federal stimulus money intended for education down to the public schools, (2) pressure local school boards to spend that money on teacher and staff retention as Congress and President Obama intended, and (3) support elimination of the 2/3 requirement for passing a state budget so we can get true progressive tax reform and end the shame of ranking 48 out of the 50 states in per-pupil education funding.

Please write or email your state legislators, school board members and the Governor now!

Together, we CAN make a difference!


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~ Michael Lee, Club President

On Tuesday, May 19th, we will be asked to vote for seven propositions on the California Special Election Ballot.  These seven initiatives are part of the compromise budget deal that was enacted in February.  The deal was fashioned by Governor Schwarzenegger and Democratic legislative leaders, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg after much delay.  According to Speaker Bass, if enacted, these measures would balance the rest of this year's budget and also the next year's.  However, weeks later, the Legislative Analyst's Office predicted that there would be a revenue shortfall of $8 billion due to falling revenues even if these measures are passed on May 19th.


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The results of the March 10th, 2009 elections for Pasadena School Board and City Council are in:

City Council

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District 3 - Chris Holden
District 5 - Victor Gordo
District 7 - Too close to call (runoff election April 21st)

Pasadena Unified School District

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P.U.S.D. Seat 1 - Elizabeth Pomeroy
P.U.S.D. Seat 5 - Ramon Miramontes
P.U.S.D. Seat 7 - Ed Honowitz

Congratulations election winners!

Democrats of Pasadena Foothills has endorsed Terry E. Tornek in the District 7 runoff election to be held April 21st, 2009.

Proposition 1A, Rainy Day/Budget Stabilization Fund: Asks voters to impose a limit on the amount the state can spend each year based on revenue growth over the previous 10 year period.  Money above that amount would be saved in a rainy day fund.  That fund would be capped at 12.5 percent of revenue and any amount above that could be used to pay debt or for one-time purposes.  If the voters approve the cap, 1A would trigger up to $14 billion in additional taxes from July, 2011 to June, 2013.

Proposition 1B, Education Funding: Asks voters to modify Propositon 98, the voter approved minimum school funding guarantee, to protect K-12 and community college funding.  It repays K-12 and community colleges $9.3 billion over 5 years beginning in 2011.  Voters must also pass Proposition 1A for Propositon 1B to be enacted.

Proposition 1C, Lottery Modernization Act: Asks voters for permission to hand out larger lottery jackpots as a way to sell more tickets.  Protects funding levels for schools currently provided by lottery revenues.  Increased revenues will be used to address the budget deficit.

Proposition 1D, Children's Services Funding: Asks voters to redirect $608 billion in First 5 money for early child development to other children's programs for five years.  Voters approved Proposition 10 in 1998, adding a 50 cent tax to each pack of cigarettes.

Proposition 1E, Mental Health Funding Budget: Asks voters to shift $227 million in voter-approved funding from Proposition 63, the state mental health fund, for two years to pay for a low income child development program called Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program.

Proposition 1F, Elected Officials' Salaries: Asks voters to amend the Constitution to freeze the pay of lawmakers and state elected officers, meaning they would not be eligible for raises, during the years the state is running a deficit.

Proposition 13 Constitutional Amendment: Provides that construction to seismically retrofit buildings will not trigger reassessment of property tax value.  Limits the exemption to construction and reconstruction that qualify as seismic retrofit improvements.

~ Michael Lee, Club President

The good news is that we now have a budget in California.  The bad news is how it was done and what it has wrought.  To enact a budget, a two-thirds vote of all legislators is required.  We share that distinction with only two other states- Arkansas and Rhode Island.  That means that the clear Democratic majorities in both houses do not matter and an ideological minority can deny passage.  This forces the majority to negotiate away programs and, this year, to destroy our political parties.  This year, we have a Governor who negotiates a package with our legislative leaders and also those of his own party and then, in the guise of Senator Abel Maldonado, proceeds to deal in bad faith to achieve one of his political goals - the open primary.


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~ Mary Ellen Early

My trip to Washington for the Inauguration came after much hard work and planning. The hard work involved getting Barack Obama elected as the 44th President of the United States. The planning revolved around navigating the crowds and surviving the cold weather.

I arrived on the morning of January 15th, and found my way to the Early residence in Maryland, which was to be my base of operations. On Saturday night I attended a DNC reception honoring Howard Dean at the Museum of American History. This museum has reopened recently, after being closed for remodeling, and we got to walk through the exhibits that evening, in addition to enjoying food, drink, and big band music.

Sunday night was reserved for the California Democratic Party’s Fly Me to the Moon gala at the Air and Space Museum, another of the Smithsonian’s magnificent offerings. In addition to food, drink, music and exhibits, we got to enjoy the company of all the other Californians who had braved the cold and crowds in our nation’s capital.

Martin (my husband and LACDP alternate) arrived on Monday, and we carefully plotted out our options for Inauguration Day. I had saved every news article I could find that contained maps of the Capitol area, including advice on what streets would be closed. We were advised to have Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C, because we had no way of knowing what obstacles we would encounter on our quest to view Barack Obama taking the Oath of Office.

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~ Michael Lee, Club President

As I watched President Obama's speech, along with 200 of my neighbors courtesy of Congressman Adam Schiff, I was struck by the simple eloquence of the words I was hearing.  It did not have the flourishes of his earlier speeches; it was a call to arms for Americans by a community organizer.  We must make hard choices and we must choose hope over fear.  President Obama told us, "America is bigger than the sum of all our individual ambitions, greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction."  Our collective national goal remains the same as it has been for over 200 years.  We strive for a nation where "all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."


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This month, our guest speakers will be Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Edwin Diaz and PUSD Chief of Staff Stephen Brinkman. They will be discussing the impact of Measure TT on Pasadena Schools, as well as taking your questions.

We will also be holding the election of our 2009 Club Officers.

Coffee and snacks at 7:00PM. Meeting start at 7:30PM. Check our online calendar for details. Hope to see you there!

If you missed our last meeting, please be aware that our new meeting room at Villa Gardens is downstairs in the Solarium.

Club Endorsements for the City of Pasadena and Pasadena Unified School District Primary Election, March 10, 2009:

Pasadena Council District 3 - Chris Holden
Pasadena Council District 5 - Victor Gordo
Pasadena Council District 7 - Terry E. Tornek

PUSD Seat 1 - Elizabeth Pomeroy
PUSD Seat 3 - Terri Darr
PUSD Seat 5 - Ramon Miramontes
PUSD Seat 7 - Ed Honowitz

Thanks to our members for debating and voting on these endorsements.