Washington, DC – Coming on the heels of last Friday’s train collision, the most deadly in Metrolink’s history, Representatives Adam Schiff, Henry A. Waxman and Elton Gallegly introduced legislation late yesterday that would require all major U.S. railroads to install “positive train control” systems designed to help avoid collisions. The Rail Collision Prevention Act is a companion measure to a bill introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer earlier this week.

“First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers are with those affect by this tragic event. Last Friday’s accident may have been avoided had the proper technology been in place,” said Schiff. “I have been fighting in Congress for years to ensure better railroad safety measures are adopted, and it saddens me that it takes such a terrible accident to compel needed reforms. This is a common sense measure that will protect lives, and I hope we can expedite its passage in the waning days of this session.”

“This accident was an enormous tragedy. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of those who have been lost or injured,” Rep. Waxman added. “Rail passengers in California and across the United States need to have the utmost confidence that all steps are being taken to ensure their safety.”

“I offer my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragedy and my hopes for a fast recovery to those who are injured,” Gallegly said. “As the investigation continues, there probably will be other measures Congress will take to make rail travel safer. This bill is a good and important first step. I assure the families we will do everything we can to determine the cause and to ensure that something like this never happens again.”

In January 2005, a Metrolink train in Glendale in Rep. Schiff’s district collided with an automobile that was abandoned on the tracks. That collision killed 11 people and was the deadliest Metrolink crash in its history, until the tragic collision last week. Rep. Waxman’s district includes Chatsworth, the site of the collision that took 25 lives and injured 135 people, 40 of them critically. Twenty-one of those who died in Friday’s accident had lived in Rep. Gallegly’s district. Rail safety experts say a positive train control system could have prevented Friday’s collision of a Metrolink commuter train with a Union Pacific freight train. CONTINUED »

FILLMORE CITY COUNCIL
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2008

REGULAR MEETING
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
6:30 P.M.

FILLMORE CITY HALL
CENTRAL PARK PLAZA
250 CENTRAL AVENUE
FILLMORE, CALIFORNIA 93015-1907

AGENDA SUMMARY

ITEM REFERENCE**

1. CALL TO ORDER & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Oral

2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Oral

3. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Oral
Oral Communications is the time for citizen presentations or comments on items not on the agenda, but within the responsibility of the City Council. Please complete an Audience Participation Form prior to the beginning of oral communications and hand it to the clerk if you wish to speak. Please stay within the time limit indicated by the Mayor. If you wish to speak on an item on this agenda, please fill out an Audience Participation Form and hand it to the clerk prior to that item.

4. CITY COUNCIL CONSENT CALENDAR (7:00p)
4A. Warrant List for September 23, 2008. Copy
4B. Trust Warrant List for September 23, 2008. Copy
4C. Minutes of August 7, 2008 Regular City Council Meeting. Memo

5. PRESENTATIONS – None. CONTINUED »

Bert Rapp
City of Fillmore, Public Works Director

On July 8, 2008 the Fillmore City Council received and rejected one bid on the recycled water conversion work for the Fillmore Middle School and railroad right of way. The one bid was $5.7 million dollars, about $2 million over budget. The Council directed that the project be refined and re-advertised for bids.

On Tuesday September 16th seven new bids were received with the low bid by Union Engineering at $3,585,884, a $2 million reduction in cost. This reduced cost will allow the project to go forward without expending contingency reserves in the Water Recycling Program.

This project is one of the most critical in the Water Recycling Program because it constructs rapid infiltration basins under the Middle School Playgrounds. These rapid infiltration basins will help percolate excess treated water during heavy rain events when discharge to the river will not be allowed.

The work also includes converting the Middle School to recycled water for irrigation and builds an irrigation/disposal field along the railroad right of way from Central Avenue to B Street. This irrigated area will be landscaped with a tall fescue grass that will beautify the railroad corridor.

During the re-bidding the Boyle Engineering team encouraged more contractors to bid on the project, answered their questions and helped them understand the project so the bids would be more competitive. Their hard work paid off with seven bids and a $2 million reduction in cost.

The Water Recycling Program is progressing well. The work is on schedule, on budget and the current projected sewer rate for 2010 lowered by 9%. The Treatment Plant is currently abuzz with many workmen installing equipment, pipes and conduits. The first sewage may begin flowing through the new plant as early as April 2009. The plant is required to be fully operational by September 9, 2009.

Interested Ventura County Republicans are cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of the Simi Valley Republican Party Headquarters this Friday, September 19th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Headquarters is located at 3208 E. Los Angeles Avenue, Unit 32 between Sycamore and Sequoia Avenues in the Catalina Spas building. Local candidates are invited and refreshments will be served. For more information, call (805) 462-7914 or e-mail venturacountygop@gmail.com

Interested Ventura County Republicans are cordially invited to attend Presidential and Vice Presidential Debate Watching Parties on Friday, September 26th; Thursday, October 2nd; Tuesday, October 7th; and Wednesday, October 15th. All parties will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ventura County Republican Center located at 2219 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 103, Thousand Oaks (across from “The Lakes”). The events will allow individuals the opportunity to learn about John McCain’s agenda for America and learn what they can do to help John McCain win in November. Please join the Ventura County Republican Party for these important and fun events.
Admission is free and refreshments will be served. To RSVP, please contact the Ventura County Republican Center at venturacountygop@gmail.com, by calling (805) 557-1240, or my visiting www.johnmccain.com.

Congressman Elton Gallegly
Serving the 24th Congressional District encompasses most of Ventura County and inland Santa Barbara County.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The so-called energy bill passed by the House of Representatives today further threatens the economic and national security of the United States by increasing federal spending and raising taxes while doing nothing to increase domestic supplies, Congressman Elton Gallegly (R-Ventura & Santa Barbara Counties) said.
“What America needs is an honest comprehensive energy program that fosters conservation, develops alternative energies, increases domestic oil and gas supplies, and allows new refineries to be built,” Gallegly said. “Instead, the House of Representatives today sent Americans an empty tank that will siphon tax dollars while taking us nowhere but deeper into crisis.”
The bill:
• Allows states to opt into offshore drilling, but disallows exploration within 50 miles of the coast, which is where all experts say the oil is. It also does not give states any revenue sharing from oil and gas from offshore leases.
• It also forces interior states to opt in to developing oil shale deposits, but, again, doesn’t share any of the profits with the states or local communities if they do.
• The bill imposes $5.8 billion of new fees on some leases that currently pay no royalties to the companies. It also imposes $1.8 billion in new fees on non-producing Gulf of Mexico leases and requires retroactive lease payments back to October 2007 on some leases.
• While stopping exploration and development and imposing fees on leases that aren’t producing, it stops alternative energy development by tying federal expenditures on renewable energy to revenues gathered from the exploration of domestic oil and gas that the bill prohibits.
• The bill does not provide for any expansion of U.S. refining capacity.
• It would burden American families with $19 billion in new taxes applied to their energy bills, at a time when families are already scraping to make ends meet.
• In addition, the bill provides for no nuclear energy, continues the ban on drilling in the Alaskan arctic wasteland, and ignores clean coal and coal-to-liquid technologies.
“This is not an energy bill,” Gallegly said. “It’s a black hole sucking in innovation and foresight and leaving us in an even deeper energy crisis.”

Congressman Elton Gallegly
Serving the 24th Congressional District encompasses most of Ventura County and inland Santa Barbara County.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congressman Elton Gallegly (R-Ventura & Santa Barbara Counties) will host two Academy Information Nights this month for young adults interested in attending one of America’s military academies.

The informational nights will be on Monday, September 22, 2008, at Thousand Oaks High School cafeteria, 2323 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks, and Tuesday, September 23, 2008, in the Buena High School cafeteria, 5670 Telegraph Road, Ventura. Both sessions begin at 7 p.m.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens; have reached their 17th birthday but not their 23rd; and be unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligation for support of a child or other dependents. High school juniors are welcome to preview what will be expected should they wish to apply next year. Parents and siblings are also welcome.

Representatives from each branch of the U.S. military will be on hand to discuss the application process. Information on the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy will be presented.

Nominees for appointment to the service academies are selected on a competitive basis, using criteria determined by the academies to be indicative of one’s potential for success as a Cadet, Midshipman or Airman. Each member of Congress can recommend a limited number of recruits for each academy. The nominees must reside in the member’s congressional district. Congressman Gallegly will make 10 nominations for each vacancy. The academies will select the most all-around qualified nominees for appointment.

During the nominations process, applicants will be evaluated on academic qualifications, leadership ability and physical aptitude, as well as an interview with members of Congressman Gallegly’s Academy Selection Board.

For more information on Academy Information Night, contact Deputy Director Steve Lavagnino at (805) 686-2525. Interested students may also wish to visit Congressman Gallegly’s academy nominations Web page at http://www.house.gov/gallegly/services/academies.htm, which includes links to the different academies.

Tony Strickland announced the support of all five of Ventura's county-wide elected officials eligible to make an endorsement during a press conference at the Ventura County Government Center. Endorsers include District Attorney Greg Totten, Sheriff Bob Brooks, Auditor-Controller Christine Cohen, Treasurer-Tax Collector Larry Matheney and Assessor Dan Goodwin. Also making an endorsement was Ventura County Fire Chief Bob Roper and Supervisor Peter Foy.

Tony Strickland represented a majority of Ventura County as an Assemblymember representing the 37th District from 1998-2004. During that time, Strickland prided himself on being accessible to residents and earned a reputation as a hard-working legislator with an open door policy.

"I am extremely honored and very humbled to have earned the support of these Ventura County elected officials," said Strickland. "Here in Ventura County, we do a lot of things very well and it all can be attributed to the people we entrust to serve us here. It is the Ventura County values that they bring to the office that ensures that the county runs efficiently, our communities are safe and our homes are protected when there are fires. I look forward to working with each of them again and voicing the same values in Sacramento that they do here to improve our neighborhoods, this great county and the entire state as a whole."

Today's endorsement announcements follow several unanimous city council endorsements for Strickland from around the 19th Senate District. The support of these public officials reflect Strickland's broad appeal and respectable record as a former state legislator.

Ventura County officials attending today's press conference praised Strickland for his service to the county and offered reasons for their support and endorsement in his current bid for 19th District State Senate seat (below):

"I have known Tony Strickland for nearly fifteen years and know him to be a man of integrity, trust and great character. I am proud to lend my full support to Tony Strickland in his race for State Senate." - Greg Totten, Ventura County District Attorney

"Tony Strickland is not only a strong advocate of public safety but he has always been a champion for fiscal restraint. With the current situation is Sacramento, we need to elect someone who has displayed true leadership representing us in this district. Tony Strickland is a leader who has earned my trust and he should have the trust of voters as well." - Bob Brooks, Ventura County Sheriff

"Tony has a proven record of independent leadership, integrity and the ability to bring needed change to government. This district needs someone like Tony Strickland to look out for our interests in Sacramento." - Peter Foy, Ventura County Supervisor

"One of the things that has always stuck with me in the years that I have known Tony Strickland is that when he gives you his word, he's going to follow through with it. My family feels comfortable putting their trust in Tony to do the right thing for Ventura County residents and the residents of the entire district and state." - Larry Matheney, Ventura County Treasurer-Tax Collector

"Tony is a man of character with a record of fighting to rid our government of waste, fraud and abuse. He is always accessible and willing to work with local leaders to address the issues facing our county and I have no doubt that he will continue his strong, independent leadership as State Senator. He has my full support." - Christine Cohen, Ventura County Auditor-Controller.

City of Fillmore

FILLMORE CITY COUNCIL
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2008

SPECIAL MEETING
5:30 P.M.
(GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR NEW RIVER PARK)
“C” Street and River Street

REGULAR MEETING
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
6:30 P.M.

FILLMORE CITY HALL
CENTRAL PARK PLAZA
250 CENTRAL AVENUE
FILLMORE, CALIFORNIA 93015-1907

AGENDA

IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK: Oral Communications is the time for citizen presentations or comments on items not on the agenda, but within the responsibility of the City Council. Please complete an Audience Participation Form prior to the beginning of oral communications and hand it to the clerk if you wish to speak. Please stay within the time limit indicated by the Mayor. If you wish to speak on an item on this agenda, please fill out an Audience Participation Form and hand it to the clerk prior to that item.
AUDIBLE DEVICES: Please ensure all audible devices (pagers, telephones, etc.) are off or otherwise not audible when the Council is in session. Thank you. CONTINUED »

City of Fillmore

CITY OF FILLMORE REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
REGULAR MEETING

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2008
6:30 P.M.

FILLMORE CITY HALL
250 CENTRAL AVENUE, FILLMORE, CA 93015-1907

AGENDA
ITEM REFERENCE*
1. CALL TO ORDER

2. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS (See City Council Agenda for Oral Communications.)

3. REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY CONSENT CALENDAR
3A. Warrant List for September 9, 2008. Copy
3B. FY 2008-09 Statement of Indebtedness. Copy

4. REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY PUBLIC HEARINGS – See City Council agenda for any joint public hearings.

5. REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BUSINESS ITEMS – See City Council agenda for any
joint business items.

6. REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY EXECUTIVE SESSION – None. CONTINUED »

Senator George Runner
Serving the 17th District which incorporates portions of the Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura and Kern counties.

Earlier this week, Senate Republicans proposed a balanced budget plan that refrains from new taxes and borrowing from local government. Our plan is the fiscally-responsible way to solve California’s budget problems, and includes long-term budget reform to fix a broken system. The Senate Republicans budget is a road map to ending our state’s budget stalemate without going back to taxpayers for more of their hard-earned money. At the same time it protects education, public safety and health care for the poor.

We hope in the coming days our budget will be heard and debated on the Senate floor.

Key features of the Senate Republican budget include:

Funding education next year at the same level proposed by both Governor Schwarzenegger and Senator Don Perata - $57.9 billion.
No borrowing from local government, and takes no funds from either Proposition 1a or Proposition 42.
Securitizing the Lottery to add another $1.9 billion to K-12 education.
Reducing government spending $1.5 billion.
Restoring funding for doctors who provide health care services to the needy under the Medi-Cal program.
Eliminating a dangerous early release proposal that would have resulted in thousands of felons being set free without being supervised by a parole officer.
Restoring critical law enforcement funding for COPS & Juvenile Justice programs – both valuable in crime prevention and intervention.
Removing the Governor’s proposed fire tax, saving taxpayers $50 million in the next fiscal year.
Removing a proposed tax increase to homeowners and renters, saving taxpayers another $55 million.
Creating a strict spending limit and strong rainy day reserve to help prevent future deficits from hurting Californians.
It also creates budget reform by authorizing mid-year cuts; requiring a two-third vote of the Legislature to withdraw from the Rainy day fund; and preventing the Legislature from adjourning until the budget is passed.

Finally, it stimulates the economy in the following ways:

Brings federal conformity to high wage overtime exemption;
Creates more Public Private Partnerships for transportation and other infrastructure;
Creates work schedule flexibility for California employees;
Expands healthcare options for workers;
Provides regulatory relief.
Democrats have challenged us to produce a sound budget without borrowing from local governments or creating tax increases, and Senate Republicans have responded to the challenge by proposing an honest budget that invests in the priorities of working families, while protecting taxpayers. Californians are counting on us to work together and put our differences aside to pass a compromise budget that makes sense for our state. We believe our budget does that.

The Strickland for Senate campaign is honored to annouce the endorsement of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen (CAHP). As a former Assemblyman and current candidate for State Senate, Tony Strickland believes public safety should be the top priority of elected officials. The California Highway Patrol has done an excellent job of enforcing public safety and keeping our highways safe.

In a letter to the campaign officially announcing their support for Strickland, the Association states:

"Your support of law enforcement generally, and of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen specifically, has earned you the respect and admiration of law enforcement throughout our great state...through your actions, you have demonstrated a real concern for the safety of the public and the members of our Association."

The endorsement follows a long line of local law enforcement officials supporting Strickland's bid for State Senate.

"I have always had a great working relationship with the CAHP and their support means a great deal to me", Strickland said, "I remain committed to making public safety a top priority and I'm honored to have the support of such an effective and professional law enforcement organization."

For more information about Tony Strickland and his campaign for State Senate, visit www.tonystrickland.com

Senator George Runner
Serving the 17th District which incorporates portions of the Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura and Kern counties.

Law enforcement officials decry cuts in vital public safety programs in the Senate/Assembly Conference Report. The same budget Senate Democrats are considering bringing before the full Senate later this week.

In a recent press release, local law enforcement leaders said: “… This budget is bad for local public safety. It cuts our front-line law enforcement resources, undermines our ability to use forensic services, and increases the number of criminals with whom we will have to contend. It is the worst public safety budget in our collective memory and should be rejected out of hand by all legislators who are serious about protecting our communities.”

In recent weeks, Republicans have demanded restoration of these vital resources for local law enforcement to fight crime. Republicans have solutions that don't involve cuts to law enforcement or raising your taxes.

Republicans have outlined a number of ideas related to solving our state budget. Those plans include:

Fueling the state economy and easing the burdens on workers by creating workweek flexibility and lessening bureaucratic red tape.
Streamlining government to maximize limited tax dollars.
Ensuring more money goes to our classrooms and upholding voters' commitment to give 40 cents of every tax dollar to schools.

Establishing a spending limit and new rainy day fund to end chronic deficits.

To read more about Republican solutions, please visit www.SenateRepublicanBudget.com.

FILLMORE CITY COUNCIL
TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2008
REGULAR MEETING
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
6:30 P.M.
FILLMORE CITY HALL
CENTRAL PARK PLAZA
250 CENTRAL AVENUE
FILLMORE, CALIFORNIA 93015-1907
AGENDA.

IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK: Oral Communications is the time for citizen presentations or comments on items not on the agenda, but within the responsibility of the City Council. Please complete an Audience Participation Form prior to the beginning of oral communications and hand it to the clerk if you wish to speak. Please stay within the time limit indicated by the Mayor. If you wish to speak on an item on this agenda, please fill out an Audience Participation Form and hand it to the clerk prior to that item.

AUDIBLE DEVICES: Please ensure all audible devices (pagers, telephones, etc.) are off or otherwise not audible when the Council is in session. Thank you. CONTINUED »

Candidates for City Council (three seats; each a four-year term)

Jamey Brooks
Candidate Statement: Not filed
Date of Filing: July 21, 2008

Steve Conaway
Candidate Statement: Filed
Date of Filing: July 22, 2008

Gayle Washburn
Candidate Statement: Filed
Date of Filing: August 5, 2008

M. Cecilia Cuevas
Candidate Statement: Filed
Date of Filing: August 6, 2008

Royce Davis Jr.
Candidate Statement: Not Filed
Date of Filing: August 7, 2008
Norris Pennington
Candidate Statement: Filed
Date of Filing: August 8, 2008

Marcos Hernandez Sr.
Candidate Statement: Filed
Date of Filing: August 13, 2008

Omero Martinez
Candidate Statement: Filed
Date of Filing: August 13, 2008

Grace Donahue
Candidate Statement: Not filed
Date of Filing: July 30, 2008

Angelica Richardson
Candidate Statement: Not Filed
Date of Filing: August 8, 2008

Norma Gutierrez
Candidate Statement: Filed

Arnold Schwarzenegger
California State Governor

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security today announced an unparalleled level of partnership to stop the flow of illegal weapons across the border. The Border Governors Conference, chaired by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and is comprised of 10 states from the United States and Mexico, has agreed to work with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to implement eTrace, a program that will help identify and bring to justice gun traffickers.

“A safe and secure border is in all our best interests,” said Matthew Bettenhausen, Director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security (OHS). “This agreement will ensure state and local public safety officials have access to, and are trained on, the best investigative tools to bring gun traffickers and other criminals to justice.”

All 10 Governors are showing their commitment to suppress the siege on the border by having their worktable group agree to a Declaration of Cooperation (DOC) with ATF to expand the use and execution of eTrace, an internet-based firearm tracing system that has led to the successful seizure of thousands of firearms headed to Mexico.

“There is a commitment among all of us to work cooperatively for the security of citizens on both sides of the border,” said California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow, chair of the worktable group. “This should make a significant impact on the cross border flow of illegal weapons.”

Director Bettenhausen also participated in the worktable, representing a State partnership between CHP and OHS that will ensure these important programs are developed, implemented, and readily available to all law enforcement.

Some highlights from the DOC:

· The ten Border States will be provided with the necessary tools and training to fully implement eTrace by the ATF.

· Law enforcement in the Border States will be able to identify the source of weapons used in violent crime and allow investigators to draw correlations between previously unrelated crimes.

The Declaration of Cooperation can be found at this link (http://www.ohs.ca.gov/press/press_release.html).

For more information on OHS, visit our website at www.ohs.ca.gov.

Senator George Runner
Serving the 17th District which incorporates portions of the Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura and Kern counties.

Economic Recovery Will Provide More Revenues Without Tax Hikes

Californians are facing gas prices that hover around $4 per gallon, grocery prices continue to soar, and people are in danger of losing their homes and jobs. Republicans are proposing common-sense solutions to fuel California’s economy today and protect consumers and small businesses in the future.

Worker Schedule Flexibility. Allow small business owners and employers to establish a family-friendly schedule that eases traffic congestion and helps meet environmental standards as fewer cars would be on the road to produce emissions.

Expand Health Care Options. Allow individuals and employers to purchase health insurance through any licensed provider.

Provide Regulatory Flexibility. Give flexibility to small businesses by calling for agencies to examine and review the economic impact of any regulation on small business.

Common Sense Budget Reform

QUICK FACTS:
State spending outpaces inflation and population growth.
State spending up $25B since 2003.

Each month California spends half a million more than it takes in.
Senate Republicans propose a fiscally-responsible budget reform plan that establishes a spending limit and a rainy day fund. These reforms are vital to getting state spending under control and preventing severe deficits from harming Californians in the future.

Prohibits Reckless Spending. Create a spending cap that would limit government spending each year to a formula based on population and inflation.

Establish a Rainy Day Fund. California should be prepared for fiscal emergencies.

End Chronic Deficits. Adopt policies that encourage multi-year budget planning and make it more difficult for the legislature to raise fees.

Taxpayers Desperate for Government Reform

These solutions allow state and local governments to maximize every taxpayer dollar. One example from this package includes creating private-public partnerships to maximize California’s Public Works projects.

Common Sense. Offer flexibility such as school saving alternatives to maximize our surplus dollars. This will ultimately allow state and local governments to get the greatest bang for their buck.

Maximize Every Dollar. Republicans promote measures that cut bureaucratic red tape to streamline government projects. Also, partnerships with private organizations and companies will maximize our vast Public Works projects. Such measures will ultimately save California millions in the coming years.

Education Vital to California's Future

California’s future rests in the hands of our children. This is why Republicans openly support ideas to create flexibility. Giving our classroom teachers and local educators the opportunity to maximize their funding will foster an atmosphere that is both cost efficient and tailored to the needs of each local district.

Protecting Education. Republicans support a budget that ensures that our children receive a quality education. We are fighting to provide a stable and reliable level of funding for our classrooms and reform the system so school districts can stretch their dollars further.

Local Flexibility. The state can cut costs by giving local schools greater control over their resources. Allowing districts to easily funnel money to the classrooms acknowledges that local educators and parents know what is best for their students.

Stability. Develop policies that ensure a sound future for our children’s education. Republicans believe that now is the perfect time to devise a comprehensive education plan that can be both cost efficient for taxpayers and beneficial to our young students.

November 4th Election

City Council Candidates:
(This list includes only those persons who have qualified for the ballot. The nomination period has been extended to Wednesday, 8/13 at 5 p.m. for non-incumbents):
JAMEY BROOKS
STEVE CONAWAY
CECILIA CUEVAS
ROYCE DAVIS JR.
GAYLE WASHBURN
NORRIS PENNINGTON

City Clerk (Filing period closed):
CLAY WERSTLING
SHIRLEY SPITLER.

City Treasurer (Filing period closed):
GRACE DONAHUE
ANGELICA RICHARDSON
NORMA GUTIERREZ

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments today on the role that atheists are seeking at the Democratic National Convention:

“The Democrats are in a jam. Long the party of choice for atheists, they have profoundly alienated people of faith from joining their ranks, so much so that they have lost the last two elections because of these so-called values voters. But now that they are reaching out to the faithful, however clumsily, they have angered the atheists.

“No one is in a jam more than Leah Daughtry, the religious point-person for the Democrats and CEO of the Convention. She has been boasting a lot lately about her effort to have the first Democratic convention start with a religious service, but not only is her boast unwarranted, it has drawn fire from atheists.

“To begin with, the Democratic Convention is not starting with a religious service: it is being held on August 24, the day before the convention begins. It is still not clear whether clergy will be allowed to wear religious garb, but the venue has been decided. According to the New York Times, ‘the service [will] be held in a theater, in neutral, secular space, so as not to offend anyone.’ Among those who are already offended by the watered-down event is the Secular Coalition of America.

“The Coalition says the meeting ‘excludes nontheistic Democrats’ and is ‘divisive rather than unifying.’ Accordingly, they have asked Daughtry for an invitation to be there, adding, naturally, that ‘this whole situation could be avoided if no interfaith gathering existed in the first place.’ Daughtry, sporting her inclusive stripes, questioned, ‘Atheists speaking at an interfaith service…does that work? I don’t quite know. But they’re part of the Party, you treat them with respect.’ She still hasn’t answered.

“Meanwhile the Freedom from Religion Foundation is posting a billboard near the Convention Center that says, ‘KEEP RELIGION OUT OF POLITICS.’ Looks like they may have scored one with the Dems.”