President’s Message
November 18, 2021
Hello Club Members and Friends,
President Biden’s “Build Back Better” Program Advances
Congratulations to President Biden and to the Members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans in both the House and Senate, who recently voted in favor HR 3684, the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which provides long term investments of about $1.2 Trillion in a long overdue upgrade and expansion of our national traditional infrastructure, such as bridges, highways, rail transportation, water, and sewer line upgrades. Only $500 billion of the total represents “new” funding, however. The greater share is provided by re-allocating previous authorizations for other programs now considered of lower priority.
The Infrastructure and Jobs Act, among other things will:
- Extend federal aid for highway, transit, and safety programs.
- Reauthorize several surface transportation programs, including the federal-aid highway program, transit programs, highway safety, motor carrier safety, and rail programs.
- Address climate change, including strategies to reduce the climate change impacts of the surface transportation system and a vulnerability assessment to identify opportunities to enhance the resilience of the surface transportation system and ensure the efficient use of federal resources.
- Revise Buy America procurement requirements for highways, mass transit, and rail systems.
- Establish a rebuilding program for rural bridges to improve the safety and state of good repair of bridges in our rural communities.
- Implement new safety requirements across all transportation modes.
- Direct the US DOT to establish a pilot program for demonstrating a national motor vehicle per-mile user fee to replace diminishing funding, due to rapidly shrinking per gallon gasoline taxes, for restoring the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund and to achieve a state of good repair in the surface transportation system.
Along with President Biden’s successful, and still on-going, fight against the Covid virus, and the enactment of the President’s American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (HR 1319), a $1.9 Trillion package of aid and relief to American families, businesses, hospitals, state and local governments, approved in March of this year, the President’s accomplishments and record of achievements continues to grow.
Attention is now focused on the President’s “soft infrastructure” proposal, known informally as the Build Back Better Act. This is the legislation the Democrats in Congress hope to pass as a Reconciliation Bill, bypassing the risk of a GOP filibuster in the Senate. The proposal would provide an additional $1.85 Trillion for “soft” infrastructure needs such as:
| Preschool and childcare, home care services: | $550 Billion |
| Child tax and Earned Income tax credits for low income: | $200 Billion |
| ACA (healthcare) credits and Medicare Hearing coverage: | $165 Billion |
| Low-income housing and homeless assistance: | $150 Billion |
| Higher education and workforce assistance: | $ 40 Billion |
| Equity and other investments: | $ 90 Billion |
| Immigration contingency proposal: | $100 Billion |
| Total Estimate: | $1.85 Trillion |
The president proposes to finance the Reconciliation Bill through a combination of new and modified taxes on corporations, tax increases and modifications on the very wealthy citizens (0.02%), closing tax loopholes, and net revenues from additional funding of the IRS to recover income taxes from tax cheaters, totaling up to $1.995 Trillion. For more details or to read President Biden’s statement on the Reconciliation Bill, click here:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/28/president-biden-announces-the-build-back-better-framework/
As of now, the Reconciliation Bill remains in the House of Representatives. It appears the Democratic caucus has not yet reached an agreement for sufficient support to win a floor vote. Efforts continue and a vote may be coming as soon as next week. The Reconciliation Bill proponents also face a challenge in the Senate because two Democratic Senators – Manchin (D-WV) and Sinema (D-AZ) – have not yet endorsed the Bill and are continuing to demand reduced spending and tax changes.
If the president is successful in getting all or a substantial portion of the proposed Build Back Better bill approved, he will have achieved the most significant and extensive social safety net improvements since FDR’s New Deal.
Redistricting Commissions Looking to Rearrange Our District Boundaries?
Major changes in our Congressional, State Legislative, and County Supervisorial districts now seem likely, as the two major independent redistricting commissions have approved working draft proposals for final comment and consideration. Both commissions, the California Independent Redistricting Commission and the San Diego County Independent Redistricting Commission, appear to have thrown up their hands at the magnitude of the task to re-balance these districts, starting with the existing district boundaries, under the “one person, one vote” requirement and, at the same time, assure that all ethnic and racial groups have proportionate representation in their districts and a chance to elect representatives from minority ethnic groups, required under federal and state mandates. Instead, the Commissions have decided to start with a clean slate and draw new boundaries from scratch.
For a revealing take on this issue at the State level, read the L.A. Times article from 11/16/2021, page 27, column 1:
https://enewspaper.latimes.com/desktop/latimes/default.aspx?pubid=50435180-e58e-48b5-8e0c-236bf740270e&edid=bf9bdea8-bcc3-49e8-b3a1-e0fbc04f7d91&pnum=27
For a good report on San Diego County Commission’s proposals, read the San Diego U-T article from October 24, 2021 here:
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2021-10-24/san-diego-county-redistricting-maps
Based on the latest proposed boundaries, it appears that Del Mar residents, including Del Mar Heights and Sorrento Valley, will be located in a new San Diego South Coastal Congressional District while Solana Beach residents will be placed in a new San Diego North Coastal Congressional District. How this will affect Mike Levin’s re-election bid is uncertain, as is that of Sara Jacobs, the Congressional representative for La Jolla and southward.
At the County level, the County’s independent redistricting Commission also appears to be starting with a clean slate and will be creating entirely new districts for the five elected County Supervisors. Current proposals call for Del Mar and surrounding area to be located either in a new District 2 or a new District 4. Again, who would decide to run in these new districts is uncertain.
Some area residents in the City of San Diego who are now located in the D-1, the San Diego City Council District 1 (Joe LaCava), are also concerned about proposed boundary changes in their district, although these proposals are not as extensive as those described above.
For more information and to see what the proposed districts look like, here are the websites:
California Independent Redistricting Commission:
https://www.wedrawthelinesca.org/draft_maps
San Diego County Independent Redistricting Commission:
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/redistricting/IRCmeetings2/#upcoming
There are seven options on the table now, three from the SDCIRC numbered as IRC Draft Maps No. 13a, 13b, and 14. And there are four Public Submitted Maps, numbered 7 through 10.
City of San Diego Independent Redistricting Commission:
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/redistricting/IRCmeetings2/#upcoming
All three Commission are continuing to hold public hearings on the various proposals and to take public testimony. So, if you see some proposed changes that you’re not comfortable with, or have other suggestions, exercise your right to participate and express your opinions now. The Commissions will soon end the process of taking public input and begin the process of making their decisions. Each Commission must submit their new approved maps to the Secretary of State by the 4th week of December.
Local High Schoolers Are Stepping Up and Doing Good For Our Environment
Lately, we’ve been hearing increasingly about our young people becoming interested in public issues, particularly those that directly affect them, and getting involved in the civic processes to make their voices heard. During the 2020 election cycle, record numbers of America’s eligible young adults registered to vote and did vote. These votes made a difference and impacted elections in many areas. In previous years, there was universal concern about the apparent indifference young people had toward our democratic processes. How times have changed.
Case in point, a recent article appearing in the Del Mar Sandpiper, a Del Mar nonprofit group publishing and distributing a community journal for City residents, written by Jasmine Criqui, daughter of our Club’s Board Member Marisa Hildebrand-Criqui, a Torrey Pines High School senior and a resident of Del Mar. You may find the Jasmine’s article as uplifting and reassuring as I did about the determination of our youth in doing their part to bring needed change in our society. Click here to read Jasmine’s article: https://delmarsandpiper.org/2021-11-005/.
Since becoming your Club president, I have had concerns about bringing more young people into our Club to encourage them to become more active in civic affairs, and also to infuse our Club with fresh new ideas and energy. While I would still like to see more young adults in our Club, I must acknowledge they’re doing pretty well on their own, without any help from us, in engaging in civic affairs and making a positive difference.
So, to the young people of Del Mar and Solana Beach, my hat’s off to you for your sense of public spirit, commitment, and energy. We welcome and applaud your efforts. And, by the way, we could use your energy and new ideas to help us. So, please give some thought to joining our Club and sharing some of your energy and commitment with us. We need you.
In Solidarity,
Wayne Dernetz,
Wayne Dernetz,
President
November 9, 2021
President’s Message
Dear Club Members and Friends,
The “big news” for us this week has been focused on the release of various drafts of redistricting maps by all three independent redistricting commissions. A brief summary of each follows, beginning with the California Redistricting Commission, which has proposed major changes to our Congressional District boundaries.
CALIFORNIA INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION
The California Independent Redistricting Commission (CIRC) was established by voter approval of a Statewide Citizens Initiative, entitled the Voters First Act (Act), in 2008. Initially, the CIRC was responsible for drawing redistricting boundaries for the State offices of Senator, Assembly Member and Board of Equalization representatives. In 2010, the Act was amended to include California Congressional Districts. The CIRC website is located at: https://www.wedrawthelinesca.org/.
The CIRC is composed of 14 members. Every ten years, the first 8 members of the CIRC are chosen at random from each of three pools of qualified applicants: Democratic, Republican, and Non-Party Preferences. These first 8 Commissioners then choose the final 6 Commissioners, two each from the remaining members of the three pools. Currently, the Commission consists of 5 Democrats, 5 Republicans, and 4 Non-Party Preference voters.
The CIRC has published initial drafts, called “visualizations,” of potential district boundaries for the Congressional, Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization districts. To see the current visualizations, go to: https://www.wedrawthelinesca.org/visualizations. Click on the “layered stack” icon in the upper left corner, check the “Congressional Visualizations” box (make sure all other boxes are unchecked) and the current visualization of new district boundaries will be displayed. You can repeat this for the other types of districts. In the upper left corner, there is a box in which you can enter your home address to see in which district would be your district.
Yesterday, it was revealed that the greater Del Mar area, along with the San Dieguito community east of Solana Beach, Del Mar Heights, Carmel Highlands, Carmel Valley, Sorrento Valley, Mira Mesa, and UCSD would be removed from Congressional District 49 (Mike Levin) and reassigned to a Congressional District comprised of the South Coast of San Diego County, from Del Mar to Imperial Beach. This would represent a whole new alignment of San Diego County’s Congressional Districts and is raising concerns in many areas of the County.
To voice your opinions and/or concerns, go to: https://airtable.com/shrQDD2ta2emnSzzO.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY REDISTRICT COMMISSION
The County Independent Redistricting Commission is governed by State law enacted in 2012 and amended since. The law can be found beginning at section 21550 through 21553 of the California Elections Code. The Commission is composed of 14 members selected at random from pools of eligible candidates. The Commission is primarily responsible for redrawing the five Supervisorial Districts, with a population of approximately 750,000 in each. The current Commission includes 6 Democrats, 4 Republicans and 4 Non-Party Preference voters. The website for the County Commission is at: https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/redistricting.html.
Currently, the Commission has published five separate drafts for the five district boundaries. These five drafts are identified as Draft Map numbers 1 through 4, plus a fifth draft map identified as the “horizontal map.” These maps are available online at: https://maulfoster.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=2238a5b85e6f410cadcf66e8098aee2a
The map website is a bit tricky. Here are some tips on how to use it:
1. After opening the map, click on the white shaded square in the upper left corner to show the map in white background. The black background seems to be the default option, but I find that hard to read.
2. To find each of the Draft Maps, click on the “layers” icon (bottom icon in the upper right corner) to open a menu for the available map data layers. Click on the horizontal arrow preceding “Supervisorial Districts” and a drop-down menu will list the Draft Maps. You must click on one of the choices at a time to “open” the “eye” icon to see the district boundaries. If more than one “eye” is open at a time, you’ll see those maps overlying another.
3. Click on the double right arrow icon (middle icon in the upper right corner) to see the color legend for each of the five districts. It appears they are consistent, with District 1 shown in blue shade; District 2 shown in green shade; District 3 in yellow shade; District 4 in lavender; and District 5 in pink.
The results are significant. The greater Del Mar area and Solana Beach would end up in either District 2 (in Draft Maps 2,3, and 5-7) or District 4 (in Draft Maps 1, 4 and 8).
To voice your concerns, opinions, or to make suggestions to the Commission, go to: https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/redistricting/IRCecomment.html.
CITY OF SAN DIEGO REDISTRICTING COMMISSION
The City of San Diego is also in the process of redistricting it City Council districts. Applicants are selected by a panel of three retired Superior Court judges. One Commissioner is appointed from each of the nine City Council districts and one alternate Commissioner. To see the current roster of Commissioners, go to: https://www.sandiego.gov/redistricting-commission/commissioners.
On October 29, 2021, by a 8 to 1 vote, the Commission approved a map, for public comment, of the proposed City Council District boundaries. You can view that map here:
https://portal.sandiego-mapping.org/submission/p6246.
The new boundaries for City Council District 1, would stretch from Del Mar Heights eastward to Pacific Highland Ranch, along the SR 56, and southward to La Jolla. Portions of University City and the triangular area of old District 1 located south of SR 56 and east of Pacific Highlands would be removed from District 1 (see this webpage: https://districtr.org/plan/72525?portal).
To register your comments or concerns, go to the Comments Portal at: https://portal.sandiego-mapping.org/#submit.
That’s all I have for now. There are many other political issues and news items to cover, but time is limited. Look for more next week.
In Solidarity,
Wayne Dernetz
Wayne Dernetz,
President
Related story from the San Diego Union-Tribune:
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2021-11-07/state-redistricting