State Assemblymember Ira Ruskin and his opponent, Annalisa Temple, participated in a League of Women Voters/American Association of University Women forum on Sept. 25. Ruskin, a Democrat from Redwood City, has represented our 21st District for two terms and is seeking a third and final term. Temple, a Republican from Menlo Park, faces an uphill race to unseat an incumbent in a district carefully drawn to be election-proof.
Ruskin, 64, is the former mayor of Redwood City and a member of the Sierra Club and the Committee for Green Foothills. In Sacramento, he sits on the Budget, Emergency Services and Homeland Security, Foster Care, Hate Crimes, Higher Education, Labor and Employment, Transportation, and Youth Violence Prevention committees. According to Project Vote Smart, Ruskin receives top ratings from Planned Parenthood, PawsPAC (animal rights and wildlife issues), Asian-Americans for Civil Rights and Equality, AFL-CIO, and the National Organization for Women. He gets relatively low marks from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the California Manufacturers and Technology Association, and Gun Owners of California.
Temple, who seems to be in her 20s, holds bachelors degrees in both Political Science and Economics from Santa Clara University. At American University in Washington D.C., she studied the field of Peace and Conflict Resolution and meditation. Formerly Annalisa Yenne, she has experience as a financial representative for individuals, receiving awards for her work.
Assemblymember Ruskin has had ten bills signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in the last six months, three before the budget impasse, and in the last few days of September, seven of eight more bills were signed by the Governor.
The following information was sent by Assemblymember Ruskin's office:
AB 2261, a pioneering bill for higher education, fights the rising cost of college textbooks by empowering community colleges to utilize free online course materials. These “Open Education Resources” (copyright expired materials or those whose authors allow free educational use) can be used by faculty statewide, which will dramatically reduce the cost of textbooks for many community college students. Foothill-DeAnza Community College District is expected to make a bid to run the pilot program.
“This legislation is a major step forward to curb the rising cost of textbooks by supporting talented faculty who are contributing their textbooks to the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources for use by students anyplace, anywhere, and anytime,” said Hal Plotkin, Trustee of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. “We are thankful to Assemblymember Ruskin for his leadership in crafting the legislation, and to Governor Schwarzenegger for signing it.”
The six other Ruskin bills signed by the Governor in the final days:
AB 2347: Mercury Recycling
The Mercury Thermostat Collection Act requires thermostat manufacturers to create free and convenient recycling programs for consumers. Mercury thermostats have about 600 times the amount of mercury as one incandescent light bulb; this legislation will keep them from ending up in landfills and leaching into the water supply. AB 2347, supported by environmentalists and industry, is seen as a national model for Extended Producer Responsibility legislation.
AB 2785: Wildlife Corridors
In order to protect critical wildlife habitat and food supply, it is necessary to prevent disruption of wildlife corridors. However, much of the time, important wildlife corridors are severed by infrastructure projects simply because their locations are unknown to local, regional, and state planning agencies. This bill requires the Dept. of Fish & Game to identify the most essential wildlife corridors and habitat linkages in California, and make the information available to all other agencies and to the public.
AB 2729: Groundwater Protection
Sponsored by the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and strongly supported by school districts throughout the state, the bill authorizes the use of $10 million per year for three years from the Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund to address leaking fuel tank sites on school property. The State Water Resources Control Board has identified over 100 existing California schools with leaking underground fuel tanks where petroleum-related contaminants may pose a risk to human health, or may pose a threat to groundwater, and for which claims have been filed but not paid. The bill also increases from $1 million to $2 million the threshold for applicants to qualify for a streamlined process when proposing remedial action for hazardous material sites.
AB 2679: California Integrated Waste Management Board Enforcement
Gives the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) – the bill’s sponsor -- sufficient authority to effectively protect public health and the environment from illegal disposal of solid waste. The new enforcement powers include the repeal of automatic stays for enforcement orders, and the establishment of administrative civil penalties and criminal penalties for violations of solid waste law.
AB 1907: Sunset Extension on Scanners
AB 1907 benefits consumers and honest businesses by continuing the uniform, statewide inspection program that verifies the accuracy of scanners at grocery store check-out stands. Co-sponsored by the Grocers Association, the Retailers Association and the Agricultural Commissioners. Asm. Ruskin carried the original bill 3 years ago that required scanners to be inspected for accuracy for the first time.
AB 2181: Return to Work: Paperwork Reduction in Workers Compensation Program
Sponsored by Small Business California, this bill removes a duplicative reporting requirement saving both money and time for state employees and insurers.
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