SCOTT STEEPLETON and MORGAN HOOVER, NEWS-PRESS
June 20, 2009 7:41 AM
Of the many environmental initiatives to take place in California over the past 15 years, you can bet Maureen Gorsen's fingerprints are all over them.
The 45-year-old was appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson as general counsel of the state Resources Agency and, while there, led reforms of the state Environmental Quality Act as it pertains to the Endangered Species Act, the Williamson Act and the Coastal Act.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tapped her as deputy secretary for law enforcement and general counsel of the state Environmental Protection Agency in 2003. Among her accomplishments cited in this role was advising the agency during negotiations of AB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.
The same year Mr. Schwarzenegger signed that bill into law, he appointed Ms. Gorsen director of the state Department of Toxic Substances Control.
She left that post earlier this year to join Los Angeles law firm Alston & Bird as a partner in the Environmental and Land Development Group.
She was at the Santa Barbara Club on Friday to discuss with business people the legal landscape in land use, manufacturing and climate change.
After the talk, she sat down with the News-Press.
Q: As you go around to these business groups, explain in laymen's terms your message to them.
A: I just kind of tell people what's going on in Sacramento, what regulations are coming, what you need to think about and be prepared for.
Q: On the continuum of environmental protection, where does California sit?
A: On the vanguard. The nations of the world signed Kyoto; they've agreed to reduce greenhouse gas five percent by 2012. Well, California's AB 32, signed a couple years ago, will reduce greenhouse gases 30 percent by 2020. So whatever California does, it goes further.
Q: How is Santa Barbara viewed among environmental advocates?
A: I think very positively. Environmental advocates find Santa Barbara to be a good place for them to achieve their objectives. No off-shore drilling, that kind of thing.
Q: What does the federal stimulus plan mean for environmental planning?
A: It's huge. I'm very busy with federal stimulus stuff. There's an enormous amount of opportunity for entrepreneurs in clean tech and environmentally sustainable technology, and there's a ton of seed money being distributed for that right now.
Q: What does all this money mean for the regulation side?
A: The money does come with restrictions that are different. For instance, weatherization. A huge slug of money is coming for low-income housing in Santa Barbara to the extent that it's drafty. Window-caulking and insulation -- all of those services will be provided free. Last year there was $3 million for this. This year there's $185 million, and it all has to be spent by September, whereas the $3 million they normally get, they have three years to spend it. It's an enormous amount of money, and they have to use prevailing-wage laws, whereas normally they could just use minimum wage. So there's regulatory ties that come with the money. It has requirements that are not normally there in the grant cycles.
Q: Why did you leave government?
A: I worked for the governor for five years, and it was a pretty good run, and he only has 18 months left, so I wanted to leave somebody in charge who could continue, and if you leave with less than a year left before the next governor, nobody's willing to step in, and you have this vacuum for a year. You have to time it so that somebody can come and take your leadership mantle and carry it forward. There's an unwritten rule that you don't leave the governor in the lurch for the last year.
Q: Would you go back to government, and, if so, what position would you seek?
A: Yeah! I love public service. I love public policy, but I need a break right now.
Q: What is California's biggest challenge when it comes to protecting the environment and ensuring a robust economy?
A: There's a path forward where environmentally sustainable technologies are incubated in California and spread globally, and California grows its global share of the green chemistry market, material science. We're not a big chemical maker, but if we started making green chemicals made of algae and other green products and start supplanting the petrochemical market, it would be a $600 billion market for California. It's five times the amount of the Internet market. The challenge is to put it into a framework that stimulates the growth instead of just smacking the bad.
Q: Who are the people that you would say "get it?"
A: The governor. I think there's a lot of California-based companies that really get it like Method and Levi-Strauss. There's certainly the vanguard companies that are like, 'Oh, sustainable materials, let's go.'
Showing posts with label schwarzenegger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label schwarzenegger. Show all posts
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Chávez Charter school students vie for $100,000 fitness center : Ventura County schools also among finalists in Governor?s Challenge fitness competiti
MORGAN HOOVER, NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
June 19, 2009 7:27 AM
A Santa Barbara Charter school is rising to the challenge -- the Governor's Challenge.
The Cèsar Chávez Dual Language Immersion Charter school is in the running to win a $100,000 fitness center in the Governor's Challenge Competition, a contest promoting increased physical activity and better health among California's youth.
It has implemented several healthier policies, including serving nutritious snacks such as fruit salad or watermelon slices at birthday parties.
"From time to time, the kids will be like, 'Why can't we have Cheetos?'" said Principal Eva Neuer. "But they realize, 'I like celery sticks with hummus' or 'I like mango.'"
The school has also made it easy for students to be active for the contest-required 30 to 60 minutes at least three times a week, holding dance parties in music class and implementing basketball and track teams for the first time.
"We have a runner's club and a cheerleading group for the sixth graders, and next year we're going to have a walker's club," said Mrs. Neuer, who does her part by wearing sneakers to school every day.
"The way our campus is spread out, I can do my job better," she said. "And it's better for my health because I can move around more."
This is the second year the school has participated in the contest, which is put on by the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Three other Central Coast schools have been named finalists in the competition, including Hueneme High School and Robert J. Frank Intermediate School, both in Oxnard, and Lang Ranch Elementary School in Thousand Oaks. One of of these four schools will be named a regional winner and receive $5,000 in physical fitness equipment.
Three grand prize winners will be named from the list of 92 finalists and will receive a fitness center.
June 19, 2009 7:27 AM
A Santa Barbara Charter school is rising to the challenge -- the Governor's Challenge.
The Cèsar Chávez Dual Language Immersion Charter school is in the running to win a $100,000 fitness center in the Governor's Challenge Competition, a contest promoting increased physical activity and better health among California's youth.
It has implemented several healthier policies, including serving nutritious snacks such as fruit salad or watermelon slices at birthday parties.
"From time to time, the kids will be like, 'Why can't we have Cheetos?'" said Principal Eva Neuer. "But they realize, 'I like celery sticks with hummus' or 'I like mango.'"
The school has also made it easy for students to be active for the contest-required 30 to 60 minutes at least three times a week, holding dance parties in music class and implementing basketball and track teams for the first time.
"We have a runner's club and a cheerleading group for the sixth graders, and next year we're going to have a walker's club," said Mrs. Neuer, who does her part by wearing sneakers to school every day.
"The way our campus is spread out, I can do my job better," she said. "And it's better for my health because I can move around more."
This is the second year the school has participated in the contest, which is put on by the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Three other Central Coast schools have been named finalists in the competition, including Hueneme High School and Robert J. Frank Intermediate School, both in Oxnard, and Lang Ranch Elementary School in Thousand Oaks. One of of these four schools will be named a regional winner and receive $5,000 in physical fitness equipment.
Three grand prize winners will be named from the list of 92 finalists and will receive a fitness center.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Carp Unified Board to mull another $175,000 in cuts
MORGAN HOOVER, NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
June 17, 2009 10:33 AM
The Carpinteria Unified School District Board of Education is preparing to discuss significant budget cuts at its meeting Monday, according to a press release.
The cuts are based on an updated copy of the state budget.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approved a budget in February that cuts education funding as part of a means to close a $6 billion state budget gap.
CUSD cut $358,000 in March and expects to cut an additional $175,000 before the end of the fiscal year in accordance with this plan.
As the governor works with the state legislature on the upcoming budget, the Board expects to cut another $1.27 million in the 2009-10 fiscal year.
According to the district's assistant superintendent, Cindy Abbott, the legislature can do little to counter the slashed funding.
"Most of the legislature supports schools," she said, "but the budget gap is so great that whatever anyone can do is pretty limited."
The cuts made at CUSD will not differ significantly from those of other districts, according to Ms. Abbott.
"... the goal of the legislature is to make sure they're the same per student," she said.
According to its press release, the Board is working to diminish the impact that budget cuts will have on students.
It voted Monday to divert funds intended for maintenance to its general fund, and it warns that if the expected cuts occur next year, class sizes may increase from 20 to 25 for students in kindergarten through third grade.
The Board also voted to cancel summer school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, though older students will still be offered summer school to remain on track to graduate.
As members investigate other ways to limit the effect the cuts will have on students, some roadblocks exist.
"We are not going to be able to lay off any more teachers," said Ms. Abbott. "Other schools can do that."
CUSD cannot lay off more teachers because tenured teachers must be notified of such action by March 15.
There is an additional August layoff window when a budget is passed and the revenue limit has not increased by 2 percent.
According to Ms. Abbott, this window might be used by some districts this year, but "CUSD will not be able to take advantage of that option."
The district's superintendent, Paul Cordeiro said that finding ways to leave the students unaffected is very difficult.
"We are at a low point in education funding," he said. "I have never seen it this bad."
Members of CAUSE, the employee union in the District, agree with Mr. Cordeiro.
"... CUSD ... will be required to pay its fair share in this economic crisis," said Casey Roberts, a representative of the union who pledged that the union will work in collaboration with the Board and District Administration to find solutions.
June 17, 2009 10:33 AM
The Carpinteria Unified School District Board of Education is preparing to discuss significant budget cuts at its meeting Monday, according to a press release.
The cuts are based on an updated copy of the state budget.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approved a budget in February that cuts education funding as part of a means to close a $6 billion state budget gap.
CUSD cut $358,000 in March and expects to cut an additional $175,000 before the end of the fiscal year in accordance with this plan.
As the governor works with the state legislature on the upcoming budget, the Board expects to cut another $1.27 million in the 2009-10 fiscal year.
According to the district's assistant superintendent, Cindy Abbott, the legislature can do little to counter the slashed funding.
"Most of the legislature supports schools," she said, "but the budget gap is so great that whatever anyone can do is pretty limited."
The cuts made at CUSD will not differ significantly from those of other districts, according to Ms. Abbott.
"... the goal of the legislature is to make sure they're the same per student," she said.
According to its press release, the Board is working to diminish the impact that budget cuts will have on students.
It voted Monday to divert funds intended for maintenance to its general fund, and it warns that if the expected cuts occur next year, class sizes may increase from 20 to 25 for students in kindergarten through third grade.
The Board also voted to cancel summer school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, though older students will still be offered summer school to remain on track to graduate.
As members investigate other ways to limit the effect the cuts will have on students, some roadblocks exist.
"We are not going to be able to lay off any more teachers," said Ms. Abbott. "Other schools can do that."
CUSD cannot lay off more teachers because tenured teachers must be notified of such action by March 15.
There is an additional August layoff window when a budget is passed and the revenue limit has not increased by 2 percent.
According to Ms. Abbott, this window might be used by some districts this year, but "CUSD will not be able to take advantage of that option."
The district's superintendent, Paul Cordeiro said that finding ways to leave the students unaffected is very difficult.
"We are at a low point in education funding," he said. "I have never seen it this bad."
Members of CAUSE, the employee union in the District, agree with Mr. Cordeiro.
"... CUSD ... will be required to pay its fair share in this economic crisis," said Casey Roberts, a representative of the union who pledged that the union will work in collaboration with the Board and District Administration to find solutions.
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