Free Republic

Our County Supervisor has been giving this talk the past few months around Santa Clara County. He put this invitation on NextDoor. Supervisor Joe Simitian, Santa Clara County District 5 November 14th at the Los Altos Library Dear Friend, Here in the Bay Area we live in a bubble, in a bubble, in a bubble. While 46% of the American electorate voted for President Donald Trump last fall, at home the numbers were dramatically different. In California 32% voted for President Trump, in Santa Clara County it was 21%, and in my hometown of Palo Alto, just 12% voted for...

A measure that would require utilities to receive one-third of their power from renewable energy sources by 2020 passed off the Senate floor Tuesday with the bare minimum of 21 votes. The bill, SB 14 by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-San Jose, has been tagged as a top priority for Senate leader Darrel Steinberg. The bill’s passage was the first major policy decision in which Steinberg muscled a proposal out of his house, despite reservations from many within his own party. When Steinberg took the leadership gavel in December, he noted three top legislative priorities that could give the Legislature “a...

This billboard is catching people's attention as they drive on 101. California Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, is the target of a billboard advertisement attracting attention alongside Highway 101 in Palo Alto. Grant Paulson of Pleasanton spent $10,000 to post a verbose message to Simitian, criticizing him for his efforts to pass a cell phone ban for California drivers. "Your Cell Phone Law Sucks," the message reads. "Amazing how one man's bad idea can screw over and inconvenience millions of people in California." Some drivers have complained that the sign has caused them to nearly get into accidents because of...

Governor vetoes climate change curriculum California public students will stick to reading, writing and arithmetic, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger decided as he vetoed a bill late Friday that would have required climate change be added to schools' curriculum. The measure, sponsored by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, also would have required future science textbooks to include climate change as a subject. In January, the state Senate approved the bill, SB 908, by a 26-13 vote. Only two Republicans supported the proposal. In his veto statement, Schwarzenegger said he supported education that spotlights the dangers of climate change. However, the Republican...

Reading, writing and . . . global warming? A Silicon Valley lawmaker is gaining momentum with a bill that would require "climate change" to be among the science topics that all California public school students are taught. The measure, by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, also would mandate that future science textbooks approved for California public schools include climate change. "You can't have a science curriculum that is relevant and current if it doesn't deal with the science behind climate change," Simitian said. "This is a phenomenon of global importance and our kids ought to understand the science behind...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday condemned one of the most prototypical Los Angeles driving practices — grasping a steering wheel with one hand and a cellphone with the other — and gave a strong boost to legislative efforts to outlaw hand-held mobile phones throughout California. During an online interview with a reporter broadcast over the Internet, Schwarzenegger called such driving distractions "terrible" and "inexcusable" and said: "We have to see if the right way to go is through a bill or any other way, but I think we must make sure that people don't use phones, because it not only...

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday signed legislation that requires public schools to give more information about where their money is going and gives county superintendents more oversight of charter schools. ___ SCHOOL SPENDING: California schools will now have to report the average per-pupil spending and teachers' salaries at individual schools in the annual accountability reports they are required to give parents and the state. The change should shed light on the inequities in spending within school districts, such as whether some schools have more qualified teachers than others, said Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, who introduced the bill,...