Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of George W. Koch, who passed away on January 26, 2014, at the age of 87.

Mr. Koch spent more than 50 years in Washington, DC. After 6 years as manager of the Washington, DC office of Sears, Roebuck & Co., he took over as President and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) in 1966. During his 24 years with the GMA, he transformed the organization into a leading industry advocacy group. Major efforts during his tenure included the adoption of the Universal Product Code in 1974 and the development of tamper-resistant packaging in 1982. Mr. Koch became known for his passion, his work ethic and his strong sense of morality. In the late 1970s, the Washington Afro-American honored Mr. Koch for his personal efforts to combat wage-skimming at the Congressional Country Club from its minority wait staff.

After his retirement from the GMA, he became a partner at K&L Gates. He served on the Board of Directors for Borden Chemicals and Plastics, McCormick & Company, and the Watchdogs of the Treasury; the Advisory Council of the International Executive Service Corps; and the Board of Trustees for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. He also served as North American Counsel for the International Center for Companies of the Food Industry and as Congressional Advisor to the Transatlantic Policy Network.

In May of 2013, the Grocery Manufacturers Association chose to honor Mr. Koch with the first-ever George W. Koch Leadership in Public Policy Award, for his decades of service to the organization. This award is now given out annually to exemplary individuals.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we honor and thank George W. Koch for his years of service, his tireless advocacy, and his exceptional moral character.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this bill, a bill that would destroy jobs, does nothing to address the real problem, the drought, and ignores more than 20 years of established science.

What does the bill do? Will this bill help alleviate the drought? No. Even if

we pumped as much water as possible, Central Valley farmers still wouldn't have enough. There simply isn't enough water to go around.

We are in an extreme drought, the worst in the last century. You can look at these photographs and see the snow pack last year versus the snow pack this year. We are in bad straits, and it is a drought. It is not a manmade problem, it is a drought.

Will this bill kill jobs? Yes. The delta supports thousands of jobs in farming, fishing and tourism and has an economic output of more than $4 billion a year. This bill puts those jobs in jeopardy. Will this bill harm drinking water that millions of people rely on? Yes. When clean water is pumped south, the level of saltwater in the delta increases. People can't drink seawater.

The entire State of California is in a drought. You saw it in today's USA Today. There are towns without water. There are more towns in line to lose all the water they have, and it is not due to a lack of pumping because of a ``little fish.'' It is due to the lack of snow and the lack of rain.

Now, I know this is personal for many of my colleagues. It is personal for me, too. Many of the towns that I represent are running out of water. My home town is rationing water--65 gallons per person per day. It is a real, real serious problem.

I understand the concerns of the Central Valley farmers. Ag is big in my district, too, and this drought is hurting my constituents, as well. Because of these dry conditions, grapevines will experience an early bud this year, and without water to protect the early bud from the frost, we have no crops--out of business.

It is a drought that is causing the problem. Proponents of this bill say those who oppose it care more about fish than people. These comments cheapen the debate. They insult the intelligence of Californians and are not based on facts. As UC-Berkeley professor of agriculture and resource economics stated in the paper today, Michael Hanemann, he said that you can kill every fish in the delta and you still would have a real problem.

Simply put, this bill is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to use this drought as an excuse to pump water from other users and to do so with zero regard for the people who depend on that water for their livelihoods. It would be more productive for this body to join in a rain dance on the floor today than to pass this bill. Our people--our constituents--deserve better than this politically driven bill. They deserve solutions. I ask for a ``no'' vote on the bill.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment.

California is facing a severe statewide drought. It is having devastating impacts on families all across our State. This bill will only make things worse for many. It will jeopardize the drinking water for millions of Californians.

In my district, families from Contra Costa and Solano Counties get their drinking water from the delta. This supply is already limited due to the extreme drought. This bill wants to pump that limited drinking water south. Doing this would flood the delta with seawater--and people can't drink seawater.

That is why this amendment is so important. It simply says that this bill shall not harm the delta's very limited drinking water supply.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on the amendment, and I thank the gentleman from Sacramento for bringing it to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, on January 27, 2014, I missed rollcall votes Nos. 24 and 25. My flight to Washington was delayed. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner:

Rollcall No: 24 ``aye.''

Rollcall No: 25 ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Suzanne Brangham, who has been named the City of Sonoma's 2014 Alcaldesa, or Honorary Mayor. The title ``Alcalde,'' or ``Alcaldessa'' when referring to a woman, is the Spanish word for ``Mayor.'' While the Alcalde was the primary civil authority during the Spanish colonial period in California, in modern times, it is an honorary title bestowed upon invaluable members of the community.

Ms. Brangham has lived in Sonoma for 25 years, where she has given back to her community as both a businesswoman and philanthropist. She has founded a number of businesses in Sonoma, including the Ramekins Culinary School, the MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa, and the General's Daughter restaurant, which is located in a Victorian home built by the daughters of Mariano G. Vallejo, the Commander General of California and founder of the City of Sonoma. In addition to revitalizing Sonoma through her business ventures, she authored the bestselling book Housewise, which earned her national interviews and appearances on the Today Show, Good Morning America, and Oprah.

Ms. Brangham is as equally dedicated to her philanthropic efforts as she is to her business ventures. Her efforts include promoting local arts--she has worked with the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, the Sebastiani Theatre Alliance, and the Sonoma International Film Festival--and helping the young people of Sonoma Valley through organizations such as Teen Safe Ride, the Mentoring Alliance, and the Sonoma Valley Boys & Girls Clubs. She has also served with the Sonoma Valley Hospital Coalition, the Sonoma Valley Fund, the Lyon Ranch Animal Rescue and Therapy Center as well as Pets Lifeline.

Mr. Speaker, Suzanne Brangham is a beloved and vitally important member of the community and it is appropriate that we acknowledge her today as Sonoma's Alcaldesa for 2014.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor David Whitmer upon his retirement as Agriculture Commissioner and Sealer of Weights and Measures for Napa County. I thank Mr. Whitmer for his thirty-three years of dedicated service to the people of Napa County, during which time his support for agriculture in Napa Valley and the State of California is both admirable and deserving of recognition.

Mr. Whitmer was born and raised in Napa Valley. He attended Napa Valley College before transferring to California State University, Chico, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Biology. He returned to Napa, where he served the county for thirty-three years, including five four-year terms as Agriculture Commissioner.

As Agriculture Commissioner, Mr. Whitmer worked to protect local crops from invasive species, including the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter, a major carrier of Pierce's disease. When the European Grapevine Moth was discovered in Napa County in 2009, Mr. Whitmer worked with state, federal and international partners to detect, treat and quarantine the threat. For his efforts, he was awarded the first-ever ``Special Achievement-Manager Award'' from the California Agriculture Commissioners and Sealers Association (CACASA). During his years of service, Mr. Whitmer took on a leadership role with CACASA, where he served as both President and as Chair of the Pesticide Regulatory Affairs Committee and the Legislation Committee. Now that he has retired, Mr. Whitmer plans to work with Circles USA, a national campaign to combat poverty.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we honor and thank Mr. Whitmer for his invaluable service to the County of Napa. David Whitmer's unyielding dedication to protecting and promoting agriculture in Napa Valley is greatly appreciated by the entire Napa community and we wish him a most enjoyable retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Chief Mark McCormick, who is retiring after more than 20 years of service with the Santa Rosa Fire Department.

Mark has been a member of the Santa Rosa Fire Department for more than 20 years, during which time he has served our community in a number of capacities. He has served as a Firefighter, Fire Captain, Fire Inspector as well as the Department's Deputy Fire Chief and City Fire Marshal. Mr. McCormick was appointed Fire Chief on September 1st, 2011.

His long and storied career began 32 years ago when he served his country in the United States Air Force in Anchorage, Alaska. After being honorably discharged from the Air Force, he began his post- military career in firefighting with both the City of Corona and the Orange County Fire Departments prior to moving to Santa Rosa in 1991.

During his tenure with the SRFD Mark saw many successes, including the expansion of the department's service territory with the construction of Fire Station-10 and Station-11. In

addition, Mr. McCormick was instrumental in the development of a funding plan for the relocation of Fire Station-5 to Fountaingrove Parkway, which is within a significant Wildland Urban Interface fire zone within the City. Mark also oversaw the implementation of a residential sprinkler ordinance as well as major improvements in public safety communications ensuring that all police and fire communications functioned in all buildings, large and small. These efforts are first hand proof that Chief McCormick's top priority was always the safety of his community.

In addition to his work as a public servant, Mark is a former President of the Santa Rosa Firefighters, IAFF Local 1401 where he served on their Executive Board for eight years. In 2003, Mark was honored by labor and management as the Santa Rosa Firefighter of the Year.

Mr. Speaker, Mark McCormick has spent more than two decades serving his country and community. It is appropriate that we honor him today for his public service and to wish him well upon his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the Chief of Police for the City of Santa Rosa, California, Tom Schwedhelm, who is retiring after a 26-year career in law enforcement.

Chief Schwedhelm worked as a cadet and then a correctional officer in the Sonoma County Jail prior to graduating from the Santa Rosa Training Center's Police Academy in 1983.

In 1996, Tom Schwedhelm was promoted to Sergeant working with Sex Crimes & Family Violence investigations. He also had several collateral assignments: Special Response Unit Team Member and Team Leader; an Instructor in Use of Force, Chemical Agents, and Crowd Control; and an Ethics Facilitator.

In 2002 he was promoted to Lieutenant and was promoted to Captain in 2004 as the Captain in charge of both the Field Services Division and the Special Services Division. In March 2009, he was appointed as the Acting Chief of Police; he was subsequently appointed as the official Chief of Police for the City of Santa Rosa on May 3, 2009.

Chief Schwedhelm was instrumental in developing one of the first Victim Services Programs, and assisted in the implementation of CHOICES Grant Program, a community-wide effort to address gang violence in the community, as well as the Family Justice Center, the Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force and the Police Department Succession Planning.

Chief Schwedhelm is a second generation law enforcement officer. He and his wife, Jackie, have lived in Santa Rosa for 22 years, where they have raised their two children.

Mr. Speaker, Chief Schwedhelm has served the City of Santa Rosa well during his distinguished career. It is therefore appropriate that we commend him for his many years of public service and wish him well on his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Ann C. Noble, an Emerita Professor, Sensory Scientist and Flavor Chemist from the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis. I honor her today in conjunction with the American Society for Enology and Viticulture, which will be hosting an all day symposium in her honor on January 31, 2014.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Noble's research has contributed greatly to the advancement of viticulture and enology. Some of her most notable research conducted while at U.C. Davis was the application of multivariate statistics to sensory data and the creation of a standardized language to describe wine, known as the Wine Aroma Wheel. In addition to this important research, Dr. Noble has also published over 150 papers and book chapters and has taught many students at U.C. Davis through her course, titled ``Wine Types and Sensory Evaluation''.

For her work, Dr. Noble has been honored by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture, Decanter magazine, Women for Wine Sense and IntoWine.com. Significantly, Dr. Noble was the first female faculty hired into the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis.

As founder and co-chairman of the Congressional Wine Caucus, I am incredibly proud of, and grateful for, the contributions Dr. Noble has made to viticulture and enology in California. Mr. Speaker, it is therefore appropriate at this time that we acknowledge Dr. Noble for her significant and lasting contributions to the American Wine Industry.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Napa Valley Education Foundation as they celebrate their 30th anniversary on December 7th, 2013, at their Annual Taste for Knowledge and Gala Fundraising Event. The Napa Valley Education Foundation (NVEF) deserves recognition for their tireless efforts over the past thirty years to improve the quality of education for all children within the Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD).

Since its creation in 1983, the NVEF has demonstrated an admirable commitment to achieving its self-proclaimed vision to create ``great public schools that inspire all children to achieve their potential and become vital members of our community.'' In pursuit of realizing this vision, the NVEF has made significant improvements in the quality of education possible for all students in the NVUSD.

Such improvements include the Teacher Grants Program, now known as the Spencer and Colton Grants, which was founded by the NVEF in 1983 and has raised a total of more than $1.5 million to fund the implementation of improved teaching strategies. Additionally, the NVEF has created The Music Connection, which brings music education and exposure to over 3,000 students, as well as the Campaign to Sustain Music, which has raised $85,000 annually over the past three years to sustain the NVUSD's music education programs. The NVEF has also created Tech Connection, a program to assist families in purchasing laptops for their children. Finally, the NVEF coordinates the Teacher of the Year Awards, which recognize and honor exceptional teachers within the NVUSD each year.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we honor and thank the Napa Valley Education Foundation for their thirty years of unwavering commitment to improving the quality of education for every student within the Napa Valley Unified School District.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor William Francis upon his retirement as a District Attorney Investigator for the County of Napa. I thank Mr. Francis for his more than twenty- eight years of dedicated service to the people of Napa County, during which time his commitment to improving the safety and well-being of the Napa community is both admirable and deserving of recognition.

Mr. Francis began his career in public service in 1981 as a reserve police officer with the City of St. Helena. He then went on to work as a Napa County Sherriff's Deputy in 1985 before beginning his career as an Assistant District Attorney Investigator for the County of Napa in 1997.

Mr. Francis has also been involved with a wide variety of organizations dedicated to improving the wellbeing of the Napa community. He has been a member of the California Sexual Assault Investigator's Association, California Homicide Investigator's Association, Napa County Homicide Task Force, Tri County Investigator's Association, Western State's Livestock Investigator's Association, California Safe and Burglary Association, Governor's Rural Crime Prevention Task Force and the California Crime Prevention Officer's Association. He is currently a member of the California District Attorney Investigator's Association as well as the National Senior Pro- Rodeo

Association. Notably, Mr. Francis won the 2010 Investigator of the Year award given by the California District Attorney Investigator's Association.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we honor and thank Mr. Francis for his invaluable service to the County of Napa. William Francis' unyielding dedication to making Napa County a safer place to live, work and raise a family is greatly appreciated by the entire Napa community and we wish him a most enjoyable retirement.

Mr. Speaker, on December 2, 2013, I missed rollcall votes No. 612-614. My flight to Washington was delayed due to mechanical difficulties. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner:

Rollcall No: 612: ``aye'';

Rollcall No: 613: ``aye'';

Rollcall No: 614: ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Patrick W. Emery, who, along with his law partners at Abbey, Weitzenberg, Warren & Emery, is a recipient of the Sonoma County Bar Association's 2013 Career of Distinction Award. This is the highest honor presented by the Association and it is, indeed, well deserved.

Mr. Emery has been a trial lawyer in Sonoma County for 38 years and is one of the leading plaintiff's attorneys in Northern California specializing in wrongful death, product failures, medical negligence and consumer class action litigation. He has won some of the largest jury verdicts ever awarded in Sonoma County.

For his work, Mr. Emery has consistently been recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer. Super Lawyers is a rating service that selects outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

Mr. Emery has served as President of the Sonoma County Bar Association and as a Judge Pro Tem of the Sonoma County Superior Court.

He is a frequent continuing education lecturer on civil litigation and has taught Trial Practice at Empire College of Law in Santa Rosa and currently teaches in the Trial Advocacy Workshop at Stanford Law School.

Mr. Emery's community involvement includes service as the President of the Sonoma County Fair and the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County as well as the Chair of the Sonoma County Civil Service Commission.

Mr. Speaker, Patrick Emery has been an outstanding attorney in Sonoma County for 38 years. He is respected and held in high esteem by his peers as is reflected in the honor he has received from the Sonoma County Bar Association. It is therefore appropriate that we honor him today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor W. Barton Weitzenberg, who, along with his law partners at Abbey, Weitzenberg, Warren & Emery, is a recipient of the Sonoma County Bar Association's 2013 Career of Distinction Award. This is the highest honor presented by the Association and it is, indeed, well deserved.

Mr. Weitzenberg has been a practicing attorney in Sonoma County for 35 years and he, along with his law firm, has won more large recoveries for his clients than any other attorney in Sonoma County. Mr. Weitzenberg specializes in representing individuals in their claims against insurance companies and large corporations.

For his work, Mr. Weitzenberg has consistently been recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer. Super Lawyers is a rating service that selects outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

He is also recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America according to Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. A listing in Best Lawyers conferred on a lawyer by his or her peers is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor.

Mr. Weitzenberg has served as President of the Redwood Empire Trial Lawyers Association, the Sonoma County Trial Lawyers Association, the Consumer Attorneys of Sonoma County, the Richard Sangster Inn of American Inns of Court and has been a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

He is an instructor in Trial Advocacy with the Stanford School of Law and the Empire School of Law in Santa Rosa, California

Mr. Weitzenberg's community involvement includes board membership on the Sonoma County YMCA, the Redwood Empire Blood Bank and the California Water Fowl Association.

Mr. Speaker, Barton Weitzenberg has been an outstanding attorney in Sonoma County for 35 years. He is respected and held in high esteem by his peers as is reflected in the honor he has received from the Sonoma County Bar Association. It is therefore appropriate that we honor him today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Richard W. ``Dick'' Abbey, who, along with his law partners at Abbey, Weitzenberg, Warren & Emery, is a recipient of the Sonoma County Bar Association's 2013 Career of Distinction Award. This is the highest honor presented by the Association and it is, indeed, well deserved.

Mr. Abbey has been a member of the law firm of Abbey, Weitzenberg, Warren & Emery since 1973. Over the course of those 40 years, he has specialized in real estate, commercial and corporate law as well as in financial institution litigation and transactions. In recent years he has focused on representing businesses within the wine industry.

As a mediator, he has successfully achieved a number of simple and multi-party mediations that have involved a wide range of business and real estate matters.

Mr. Abbey has consistently been recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer. Super Lawyers is a rating service that selects outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

Mr. Abbey has also been a member of the County Bar Association for 40 years and served a term as president of the organization. He has also been a Professor of Law at Empire College of Law in Santa Rosa, a member of both the State Bar of California and the American Bar Association, President and Member of the Board of the Sonoma County Family YMCA and a Member of the Board of the Redwood Empire Food Bank.

Mr. Speaker, Richard ``Dick'' Abbey has been an outstanding attorney in Sonoma County for 40 years. He is respected and held in high esteem by his peers, which is reflected in this honor he has received from the Sonoma County Bar Association. It is therefore appropriate that we honor him today.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise in strong support of our bipartisan amendment to require GAO to study the impacts of aquatic invasive species, and I thank the committee

leadership for including it in the en bloc agreement.

Aquatic invasives impose a challenge across our great country. Just to take one example, aquatic mussels such as quagga and zebra mussels have cost more than $5 billion since their introduction in the 1980s. Unfortunately, too often this important problem only receives attention after it is too late. This amendment would be proactive. It would require a timely report to find gaps in current efforts and minimize duplication of activities.

Invasive species are a national problem with significant and expensive local implications. More than ever, we need knowledge and guidance on this issue.