Adam speaking to crowd on Election Night
December 18th, 2009 from 5-7 PM
Shakespeare Club of Pasadena
171 S. Grand Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105
This year we are collecting non-perishable food items for distribution to pantries in our District.
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank makes the following suggestions: Unopened Dry Goods or Cereal; Fruit and Vegetable Juices; Canned Soups, Stews, Tuna or Vegetables; Canned Fruit, Peanut Butter, Jelly or Preserves.
Please RSVP to Patricia Horton at 626-583-8581.
American Chronicle | 10-26-2009
“The House of Representatives passed a bill to authorize a sharp increase in solar energy technology research. Congressman Adam Schiff offered an amendment that was included in the bill to ensure that the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is eligible to compete for these grants. The bill establishes a comprehensive process for facilitating the research and deployment of American solar technology in partnership with the private sector, and Rep. Schiff´s amendment clears the way for JPL to be a vital part of this new effort.
‘There is no better place for groundbreaking research and development to be undertaken than JPL. JPL has top-notch facilities and some of the world´s best scientists, and I have no doubt that JPL can lead the way in advancing solar technology right here at home in our backyard,’ said Schiff.”
“The county Board of Supervisors and 14 members of the Southland’s congressional delegation Tuesday asked the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to prioritize projects in Los Angeles County in their bid for federal money.
‘The MTA long-range plan does not currently have a strategy to access much-needed federal funds for several years,’ said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena.
Members of Congress and county supervisors wrote to the MTA asking the agency to include the Foothill and Eastside extensions of the Gold Line and the Crenshaw-South Bay Transit Corridor in its funding priority list.
‘If the board does not include these projects, we leave hundreds of millions of federal dollars on the table that will be directed elsewhere in the country,” Schiff said. “At a time when our unemployment rate is among the highest in the nation, the MTA board cannot afford to overlook the economic imperative to include these projects in its long-range plan.’ ”
Los Angeles Times | 10-12-2009
“The agreement calls for a panel to discuss ‘the historical dimension’ of the killing of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians during World War I. The discussion is to include ‘an impartial scientific examination of the historical records and archives to define existing problems and formulate recommendations.’
That clause is viewed as a concession to Turkey, which denies genocide, contending the toll is inflated and those killed were victims of civil war.
The politically powerful Armenian American community, which Obama courted during his campaign, appeared split over Saturday’s accord.
‘If Turkey normalizes relations with Armenia and ends its blockade of that landlocked country, it would be a very positive step for the region,’ said a statement by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Glendale), a leading supporter of Armenian genocide resolutions in Congress. He said, however, that ‘Turkey must not be allowed to rewrite the history of the Armenian genocide as a price of diplomatic relations.’ “
“If it were approved, the curbed nighttime flight schedule would result in a $48-million revenue loss for the Burbank-Glendale- Pasadena Airport Authority during a 10-year period, according to the study. But the curfew would also save the airport an estimated $67 million over 10 years through reduced needs for residential-acoustical treatment.
Reps. Adam Schiff and Howard Berman said in a joint statement that the proposal would affect only a small number of diverted flights — mostly cargo and general aviation — and called on the FAA to consider issuing a tentative decision before Nov. 1 followed by a public comment period to enable the parties to reach a consensus.
Schiff said there should be a way of making the process less costly and less time consuming.”
“Legislation to make three-wheeled vehicles eligible for Energy Department loans passed a conference committee of House and Senate leaders Wednesday and then got approval from the full House on Thursday.
It is part of an energy spending bill likely to go before the Senate by next week for final congressional passage, a Senate aide said.
‘Obsolete bureaucratic definitions should not create roadblocks and stifle innovation,’ said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who co-sponsored the legislation.”
“Congress on Thursday approved a $224,000 funding request from Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, for a study of watershed management in the Arroyo Seco, as part of the Energy and Water Appropriations Act.
‘This funding will help ensure that the Arroyo Seco returns to its natural state – an environmental gem,’ Schiff said in a statement. ‘Once it’s restored, it will provide enjoyable open space and recreation areas for generations to come.’ “
“Meanwhile, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Glendale), whose district borders the Angeles National Forest, said the Forest Service failed to address concerns that he and five other local members of Congress raised more than two years ago about the agency’s firefighting capabilities.
In an August 2007 letter, the lawmakers cited reports of a ’severe shortage of qualified supervisors’ in the forest and complaints that many firefighters had quit because of low pay and management that ‘has not been responsive.’
‘We’ll look at what the Forest Service investigation reveals and we’ll see if a broader investigation needs to be done,’ Schiff said Wednesday. ‘It seems to me that this is a situation where you would want maximum transparency.’ “
“The House of Representatives Wednesday passed a measure that could make it easier to track down serial arsonists. KPCC’s Washington Correspondent Kitty Felde has the details.”
“Congressman Adam Schiff, a Congressional Leader on Armenian issues and co-author of the California State law allowing family members of Armenian Genocide victims to request payment on the life-insurance policies of relatives, late yesterday filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of a petition for a rehearing before the entire Ninth Circuit Court.
In late August, a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit struck down the California state law which allowed the insurance claims, claiming the state law was pre-empted by federal policy.
In the brief, Rep. Schiff argues that the federal government has never discouraged states from recognizing the Armenian Genocide or acted to pre-empt state efforts to allow insurance claims to go forward. Schiff also pointed out that the state law contains a “severability” clause, meaning any reference held to be invalid can be severed from the rest of the law.
‘It would be a tragically unjust result – not to mention one unsupported by law — for this court to deny relief to the victims of these atrocities because of the use of an historically accepted term that, however proper, could be severed from the statute by its own terms,’ said Schiff. ‘Nothing in law or equity compels such an injurious result.’ “