Floor Statements

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I call you Chair because you were chair when I was on the committee, and I always respect your leadership in this field.

As was stated, I am ranking member of the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee, and that is responsible for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. The entire budgets of those administrations are bigger than the budget of all of California. It is a very important program, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is responsible for food policy. Most of our food policy in the United States is about health care. It's about feeding people and assisting those who don't have adequate access to fresh fruits and vegetables through creation of farmers markets and things like that.

I'm here tonight because I'm deeply disturbed by the attention and sort of the media satisfaction that some are getting when they hear about the Ryan budget cut, squeeze, and trim; and I want to talk tonight a little bit not only to the families that receive the benefits but to the farmers who grow the food in this country.

The Ryan budget is one you ought to look at before you leap, because if you look at it in detail, you will find that it has a lot to do with knowing about the price of everything and the cost of everything, but very little about knowing the value of what these programs are all about.

Look, food in America is very important, and we wouldn't be having all these health care debates and issues if it weren't for the issues of health care. Health care begins with food. If you're going to grow healthy people, it has to do with what they eat, and we also know it has to do with the exercise that they participate in.

Of about a $100 billion budget, $65 billion of that is in food and nutrition. It's about feeding people. We feed a lot of people in the government. We certainly feed everybody in the military. We feed people in public institutions. We feed children in schools, and we also give families a choice of what they want to buy with the old food stamp program, now known as the SNAP program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

In my district, one out of every five families is receiving this assistance. And what do they do with that? They can buy, because we produce so much fresh fruits and vegetables, a much healthier diet than they would have otherwise. Indeed, if we're going to prevent illness in America, we have to keep people healthy.

Who grows this food? Who produces this food? It's the farmers of America. They don't give it away. We buy it from them.

A huge percentage of the income to farmers in this country comes from the food they produce for our institutional feeding and for our health care programs. The Ryan budget devastates that. He cuts, squeezes, and trims the farmers in this country, the growers, the people that create the food security in America.

So look before you leap. This budget does a lot more harm than good.

And, frankly, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program is a very good program. We even have spouses and children of military families that are receiving this because at some locations the pay isn't great enough to be able to give them all of the nutritional foods that they need.

So if we're going to grow a healthy America, we've got to keep this program, and we've got to avoid falling in love with the Ryan budget which will do everything but create a healthier, safer, sounder and more fiscally capable government. I urge the defeat of that budget and the support of the American farmers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and remarkable public service of John Nolen Bailey. Mr. Bailey passed away on March 22nd. He will be remembered for his volunteerism, vision and leadership in Monterey County as well as his leadership in the national field of association management.

Mr. Bailey was born on July 12, 1935 in San Francisco. He began his service to the Monterey Peninsula in 1988, with his wife Mary Adams.

Highlights among John's more than 50 years experience as a leader in the professional association world include his serving as chief elected officer of the 25,000-member American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), President and CEO of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), as well as executive director of Trial Lawyers Care, a New York City-based organization that provided pro bono legal representation to more than 1,700 victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

John served on the National Steinbeck Center Board of Trustees, Forest Foundation, Del Monte Forest Property Owners Association, Clark Foundation, Dorothy's Place, and was the executive director of the Monterey History and Art Association from 2005 to 2007. He later returned to the Museum to assist it during a period of organizational transition. The

museum had been closed and would not have reopened had it not been for the expertise and community trust belonging to John Bailey.

Awards honoring his years of service include being voted by peers as the US Association Executive of the Year, and recipient of the Key Award, the highest honor presented to individuals in the association management profession. He was also a recipient of the prestigious Points of Light Award, which was presented to him by then President George H. W. Bush.

Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for the whole House as I commend John Bailey for all he has accomplished and contributed to our community. I would like to express my gratitude for his selfless service to the people of Monterey County, and indeed to our nation. I would also like to extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and all those whose lives he touched and whose careers he encouraged during this time of grieving. The world has lost a truly good man.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to recognize John Myers. Mr. Myers passed away on March 23rd. Mr. Myers was a lifelong volunteer and champion of community outreach and development in Monterey County.

John attended college at Purdue University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1951. He then joined Union Carbide Corporation where he worked for the next 42 years in research and production of enriched uranium used in nuclear energy and in asbestos research.

Following his retirement in 1993 John remained busy. John served on the Board of Trustees, and as Chairman and Office Manager at Mee Memorial Hospital from 1982 to 2012. His time on the board saw upgraded services in radiology, new and remodeled clinics, a new dialysis center and many other services expanded.

Among John's many other notable positions held was as member of the King City Planning Commission and the King City Council. John served as Mayor of King City from 1992 to 2004, the longest-running mayor in the city's history. As Mayor, he also served as vice chair of the Monterey County Mayor's Association and on the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District Board. He was also a member of the Bay Area chapter of the League of California Cities.

John and his wife of 35 years served on the Hospice Trees of Life committee as well as for the first Valley Heritage Days in King City. He was also an active member and director of Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum.

Mr. Speaker, I have no doubt that John Myers' life and legacy will continue to thrive because of his longstanding work for his community. I would like to extend my sympathy to his family and friends in this their time of mourning.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Mariko ``Mollie'' Sumida. Mollie passed away on March 5th. Mollie was a great woman and personal friend. She played an instrumental role in teaching me cross- cultural sensitivity. She and her husband, Yukio were also close family friends of my mom and dad, the late Janet Haskins Farr and Senator Frederick Sharon Farr.

Mollie and her family moved to the Monterey Peninsula when she was 12 years old. She attended Monterey High School, where she met her future husband, Yukio Sumida.

During World War II, Mollie was interned in Poston, Arizona while her husband served overseas with the highly decorated 442nd Infantry Division. Following the war, they returned to Monterey, where their daughter Ann and son Ray were born.

In 1952, Mollie opened the Cypress Garden Nursery, where she worked until retiring at the age of 80. During this time she became very active in civic as well as business organizations including the Monterey History and Art Association, Gateway Center, and the California Association of Nurserymen.

I fondly remember the many things Mollie taught me in life, including how to speak a few Japanese words and, most everlastingly, how to be a gardener. I will sorely miss her.

Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for the whole House when I recognize the contributions of her remarkable life. I would like to extend my deepest condolences to her family and friends during their time of grieving.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career of Susan A. McCloud, who retires as the longest-serving Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, on April 17, 2012. Sue was born in Connecticut to Walter and Gladys McCloud. Her family moved to Carmel when she was in elementary school and she lives now in the same house her parents bought. We both shared the joys of growing up in Carmel, attending Sunset Elementary and Carmel High School. Sue earned her B.A. in Political Science at Stanford University, attended the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, and graduated from The National War College in Washington, D.C.

In the early 1960's Sue worked as the Special Assistant and interpreter to Richard C. Zellerbach, who was deaf, while he was Acting Chairman of the Board of the Crown Zellerbach Corporation and head of the Zellerbach family foundations. She also assisted with the organization of the family vineyard, Hanzell, in Sonoma, California. From 1963 to 1994 Sue served our nation with the Central Intelligence Agency in France, England, Japan, Switzerland and Sweden. She was named C.I.A. Chief of Station in two of those countries, and retired as a member of the Senior Intelligence Service.

While in the C.I.A. Sue worked with policy levels of foreign governments and served as an advisor to several U.S. Ambassadors, worked on task forces to address long-term planning for the post-Cold War C.I.A. and the greater U.S. Intelligence Community, and headed up the Aldrich Ames damage assessment team.

Upon retiring in 1994 she moved back to her roots, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and immediately got down to work. She was on the Board of Director of Monterey Institute of International Studies and chaired its Planning Committee, was a member of the Carmel Planning Commission and the Board of the Carmel Music Society. In 1998 Sue joined the Monterey Regional Waste Management District and also was elected to the Carmel City Council. She became Director of the M.R.W.M.D. and continues to this day as vice chair. She was elected Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea in 2000 and was re-elected four times, becoming the longest-serving Mayor of our town.

How can I begin to thank her for all her years of public service? She has won so many awards: the 2009 Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Ruth Vreeland Memorial ``Public Official of the Year'', 2000 Lincoln Club of Northern California Ten Most Effective Women Legislators, C.I.A.'s Intelligence Medal of Merit, Donovan Award for Excellence (given in memory of the founder of the Office of Strategic Services.) I am always mindful of the talent that has come from our area, and she is one of our nation's best.

Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for the whole House as I commend Mayor Sue McCloud for all she has done and all she will undoubtedly continue to do. I extend my most sincere thanks and warmest wishes for her success and much happiness in her retirement.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong opposition to the shortsighted foreign assistance cuts in Chairman Ryan's FY13 Budget. The Ryan Budget slashes our foreign aid by 10%, dangerously undermining some of the most low-cost, high-return tools in our national security toolbox. And why? Because the Chairman claims it will help to reduce the deficit. But the numbers tell a very different story. These foreign aid cuts amount to 0.2% reduction in our deficit. Two-tenths of one percent! Dr. Mike Tierney of The College of William & Mary put it best when he said, ``Cutting foreign aid to address the budget crisis is like getting your hair cut in an effort to lose weight.''

In our present fiscal environment, every dollar we spend must yield the highest possible return on our investment. And that means doing everything possible to efficiently reduce the threat of costly conflict and build stable, peaceful American allies. And who is on the frontlines of building peace? Our State Department diplomats, our USAID development professionals, our Peace Corps Volunteers, our US Institute of Peace civilian power, our Inter-American Foundation grassroots development capacity, to name a few. And the budget that supports this smart power amounts to less than 2% of our total budget. Talk about big return on small investment!

But the Ryan Budget cuts will also have real reverberations for US workers. Foreign aid creates strong markets for US goods; 11 of our top 15 trading partners are graduates of US foreign assistance programs. And one out of every five American jobs is tied to trade. So, not only does this ill-conceived budget jeopardize our national security efforts, it takes an unnecessary swipe at American workers in the midst of a fragile economic recovery.

Mr. Chair, make no mistake about it: I firmly believe we need to get our fiscal house in order. So for this reason, we must support foreign assistance because foreign assistance supports peace. And peace is the least costly, most important tool in our national security toolbox.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the distinguished career and public service of Ronald H. Tyler. Mr. Tyler passed away on January 27. He will be remembered for his several decades of work to improve the agriculture industry in Monterey, Santa Clara and San Benito Counties.

Ronald graduated from the University of California Davis with a degree in Pomology in 1955. After graduating, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army, and served two years active duty before rising to the rank of Captain in the California National Guard. In 1957, he joined the University of California Agricultural Extension Service where he became Farm Advisor to San Benito, Santa Clara and Monterey Counties.

Among his many elected and appointed positions, Ronald was a member of the Agricultural Board of Directors, and a founding member and president of the Agricultural History Project. He served as County Director and Farm Advisor in Santa Cruz for three decades, from 1971 until his retirement in 1991.

Ronald exhibited a passion for agricultural development on California's Central Coast. His research involved rootstocks and training for high density apple orchards, irrigation, pest and disease control, and cranberry production. In honor of his research, he was cited for distinguished service by state and national Agricultural Extension organizations and was the first recipient of the Al Smith Friend of Agriculture Award from the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Ronald Tyler. I know I speak for the whole House as I recognize his life and work. I commend him for all he accomplished and contributed to California's agriculture industry, and the communities he lived and worked in. I would also like to extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and those who benefitted from his accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate International Women's Day and the remarkable achievements of women around the world.

I have always used my voice and vote to support foreign policies and assistance to promote equality for women and girls in agriculture, education, the workforce, politics, and beyond. To be sure, the funding is never enough to meet the need. But with minimal resources and relentless grassroots and grasstops advocacy, women the world over are bending the narrative of our times towards gender equality. While this is happening in all corners of the globe, I want to highlight the tremendous gains the women and girls of Latin America have made in recent years.

Not too long ago, women were just 20% of the Latin American labor market. But in the last 50 years, that figure has doubled and today, women are roughly 40% of the region's workforce. These professional gains have a powerful ripple effect, particularly in political participation where women now make up 22% of Latin American legislatures, which surpasses the global average of 18.6%. Clearly, women in Latin America are a force to be reckoned with. And that's a cause to celebrate!

But while these gains are significant, this is no time to sit back on our laurels. There is still much more to be done to sustain this important tide of momentum in Latin America, and also help to propel a similar groundswell in other parts of the world where women still struggle for basic rights and equality. We must continue to fight for policies and programs that promote equal access to opportunity for women and girls. So, today and every day, let us do all that we can to make gender inequality a thing of history and gender equality a reality of the future.

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following.

[From the Monterey Herald, Jan. 22, 2012]

Dave and Wendy Banks Teach Villagers During Peace Corps Experience

(By Amy E. West)

When Carmel's Dave and Wendy Banks met in the 1960s, they

talked about joining the Peace Corps. What they didn't

realize was it would take them more than four decades to make

it happen.

After marrying, raising kids and retiring, they said to

each other, ``You know what we talked about long ago? Maybe

we should try it.''

The retired couple returned to Carmel in 2010 after

spending more than two years in Tanzania, educating villagers

about HIV prevention, biology and English.

Surprisingly, they integrated well into the Tanzanian

culture.

``If you have gray hair, you're in,'' said Dave Banks, 70,

a retired pharmacist.

Their Tanzanian village of about 1,000 people not only

respected their elders, but also respected the customs of one

another. The village, Maringo, had two major tribes, and

Catholic, Muslim and Lutheran faiths lived and celebrated

traditions together, which impressed the Bankses.

``I think a lot of places in the world could take an

example from Tanzania,'' said Wendy Banks, 69, a retired

teacher.

Tanzanians subsist on less than a dollar a day, and at

least 10 percent of the population lives with HIV. The stigma

of the disease, especially with women, inspired the Bankses

to start a life skills club to teach how to prevent the

spread of HIV and brainstorm ways for HIV-inflicted villagers

to support their families.

High school students from the club performed skits and raps

for the younger school kids, and persuaded even Muslim girls

to do condom demonstrations.

Primary education, required in Tanzania, is free, but

tuition for high school costs about $100 a year. Educating

boys takes priority over girls, but the headmaster in Maringo

worked hard to keep the ratio at 50 percent.

To stay in school, girls commonly find older men to finance

their education in exchange for sexual favors. ``Babu'' Dave

and

``Bibi'' Wendy worked to teach the women to say, ``No, not

without a condom.''

``You just don't know if you get through,'' Wendy said.

The headmaster also requested their help teaching in a high

school with 500 students and only two teachers. Dave taught

biology and Wendy taught English to 80 freshmen each.

To start the school's first library, the couple called for

donations from Monterey Peninsula residents, who mailed

nearly 3,000 books. To cover shipping costs of nearly $55 a

box, the community raised $5,000.

The couple's family also offered support. A ganddaughter

requested soccer balls--used or new--instead of gifts for her

10th birthday, and shipped them with pumps to Tanzania. One

of the couple's daughters raised money to finance two girls'

education for three years.

The couple brought with them a laptop, printer, solar

charger, shortwave radio and a power strip, which proved

especially useful in a village that had just one room with

electricity and many villagers with cellphones that needed

charging.

Wendy Banks was struck by villagers' resourcefulness.

``They can do so much with so little,'' she said.

One memorable side trip seems to bear this out. To get to a

larger city a few hours away, the couple rode in trucks

called dala-dalas, which were crammed with livestock, people

and bags and had ``already lived their life and died,'' Dave

Banks said. On one trip, the truck got a flat tire. The

driver used a pile of rocks to jack up the truck, but jammed

on the wrong size spare tire. Soon after starting up again,

the truck ran out of gas. After the driver borrowed a bike to

travel to the only village with gas, he returned and swished

gasoline in his mouth, spit it on the carburetor, and they

were finally on their way.

``Traveling was just so awful,'' Wendy said.

``When we got off the bus, we were always real happy,''

Dave said. The average age of a Peace Corps volunteer is 28,

and only 7 percent of volunteers are older than 50 or

married. The organization is trying to change that. In

November it teamed up with AARP to reach out to volunteers

with a lifetime of skills and professional experience.

The oldest volunteer currently serving in the Peace Corps

is 82, just five years younger than the oldest volunteer ever

to serve.

But the Peace Corps' rigorous medical background may stymie

the process for older Americans, who must provide thorough

documentation to show a clean bill of health. Though both

Wendy and Dave were in excellent physical health, the Peace

Corps still requested medical records dating back to their

20s. Applicants with diseases like diabetes can serve, but

may be placed closer to medical facilities instead of in

remote villages.

For Dave and Wendy, 18 months passed from the time they

submitted the application until they left for Tanzania.

Though they returned a year and a half ago, the couple still

uphold one of the three Peace Corps goals--promoting a better

understanding of Tanzanians to Americans. They've given

numerous talks around the San Francisco Bay Area and don't

seem to tire of telling their stories.

In an African culture that respects their elders, but also

depends on an extended family for support, the Tanzanians

thought it odd for two people to leave their home and family

of four children and 10 grandchildren.

Wendy's response: ``We'll go back to our family . . . and

maybe our family will be better, because we had this

experience to share.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 51st anniversary of the Peace Corps.

In just 51 years, the Peace Corps has been an unparalleled force for peace. Listen to the numbers: 139 developing countries have been served; over 200,000 returned Peace Corps volunteers and four of those are Members of Congress. Taken together, these volunteers have contributed more than 400,000 years of service in the name of peace.

I am proud to be a part of these ranks. The Peace Corps changed my life, and it continues to change the lives of both those who serve and the communities that are served.

In 2012, this call to service doesn't show any signs of slowing down. As I speak, 9,095 Americans are serving in 76 countries. This includes my constituent Chase Rollings of Santa Cruz,

who is working in Ethiopia teaching the English language for a tour guide association to increase ecotourism and helping women develop honey production and dried fruit projects to promote their income. That is just the work of one volunteer.

Today, I honor Chase and hundreds of thousands of other Peace Corps volunteers past and present. Each one of you represents America's highest ideals: peace, prosperity, and friendship. Truly your service is more important today than it has ever been.

Congress must fund the Peace Corps. It is the best job in America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of myself and my late father, State Senator Fred Farr, to honor the life of a dear family friend, Larry Horan, who died recently at the all too young age of eighty-two following a short illness. Larry became a dear personal friend of my father, and for much of my own life, was like an uncle to me. He was a skilled lawyer and devoted family man whose example of public service and dedication to others served as a model for everybody who has the good fortune to know him.

Larry and his wife of fifty-eight years, Jean, were both University of California graduates. They raised five children who in turn gave them twelve grandchildren. Larry and Jean's deep friendship with my late father made them almost a part of my own family, and I theirs. Indeed, as Larry's melanoma took hold, he and Jean approached my wife Shary to help them work the issues that they faced as the end of Larry's life neared. Horan was a devout Catholic who attended 8 a.m. Mass at the Carmelite Monastery virtually every day. I always knew Larry to be concerned about the others around him. It was never about Larry. I don't think he had a negative bone in his body.

Larry was an attorney for more than fifty years and one of the most respected in Monterey County. During a rich and full life, he directed the Peace Corps in three Central and South American countries, was a regional director of President Johnson's War on Poverty, served on the board of the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and was a leader of the Special Olympics. Horan's wide-ranging law practice included civil litigation, conservation easements, and land use among other areas. Upon graduation from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Larry signed on as a prosecutor in the Alameda County District Attorney's office. After five years as a prosecutor, my father, then state Sen. Fred Farr, lured Larry and his wife Jean to the Monterey Peninsula in 1960 to join his law firm. Their partnership and friendship lasted many years. The law partnership grew and transformed and has become one of the leading firms on the Central Coast, with the Horan name at the lead.

The Horans were great admirers of President John F. Kennedy, whose assassination in 1963 spurred them to change their lives. Following JFK's call to service, Larry and Jean became a Peace Corps family. With their four young children, Kevin, Kathleen, Maurine, and Stephen, they set out for Central America. Larry eventually served as agency director in El Salvador and Costa Rica and in Colombia, where their youngest daughter Laura was born and where I was already serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Medellin. Following the Peace Corps, Sargent Shriver tapped Larry to head the Western Regional office for President Johnson's War on Poverty. Later, Shriver asked Larry to establish and chair the Northern California Chapter of the Special Olympics.

Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for the whole House in recognizing the contributions that Larry Horan made to make this world a better place. We offer our condolences to his family and friends. Those of us who had the good fortune to have known Larry are better people for the experience.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize thirty-four Congressional Gold Medal recipients from my District in Central California for their courageous service to our nation during World War II as part of the Military Intelligence Service (MIS), the 100th Infantry Battalion (100th Inf), and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT).

Established on November 1, 1941, MIS graduated 6,000 service members during World War II to provide critical Japanese language capabilities to the American military. These brave servicemen and women provided translation, interpretation and code breaking services in the essential Pacific Theater, which contributed significantly to our nation's victory. In the 1970s, the MIS's name changed to the Defense Language Institute, and all of the Department of Defense language programs were consolidated at Monterey, California. From there the program grew into the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.

The 100th Inf was largely made up of former members of the Hawaii Army National Guard. It was a unit within the US Army's 34th Infantry Division and later combined with the 442nd RCT, another mostly Nisei unit. Together as a single fighting combat team they saw action in Italy where they earned the nickname of ``Purple Heart Battalion.'' Following World War II, the battalion was reorganized into reserve status but over the decades it was ordered back into active service several times, most recently in Iraq.

The original MIS, the 100th Inf, and the 442nd RCT were primarily comprised of Nisei,

second-generation Japanese-Americans. They faced crushing prejudice and discrimination in the United States during WWII. Many of their family members suffered internment while they were serving their country. This exceptional group has received honors and commendations of the highest level. Our nation awarded the Medal of Honor to twenty-one members of the 100th Infantry Battalion of the 442nd RCT for heroism during WWII. In 2000, the MIS received the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest possible honor for a military unit, and in 2010 the Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to the 442nd RCT and the 100th Inf, as well as the 6,000 graduates of the MIS. At the end of the war, General Charles Willoughby, Chief of Staff for Military Intelligence under General MacArthur, said that ``The Nisei shortened the Pacific War by two years and saved possibly a million American lives and saved probably billions of dollars'' during the conflict.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be paying tribute to this outstanding group of men who selflessly served our nation during World War II proving the loyalty and bravery of second generation Japanese Americans. From the 100th Infantry Brigade: Louie Hayashida, Tom Kakimoto, Richard Kawamoto, Robert Kitagi, Ky Miyamoto, William Omoto, Kaz Sugano, and Sam Sugidono. From the 442nd Regimental Combat Team: Haruo Esaki, Yoshio Fujita, Royal Manaka, Yutaka Nagasaki, Winston Nakagawa, Fred Sakasegawa, Roy Sakasegawa, and Kunio Shimamoto. From the Military Intelligence Service: George Aihara, Roy Hattori, Paul Ichiuji, Otis Kadani, Hajime Kawata, Shig Kihara, Robert Mirikitani, George Nakamura, Kei Nakamura, Toshio Nakanishi, Terry Nakanishi, Gengo Sakamoto, Setsuo Takemoto, George Tanaka, Frank Tokubo, Ben Umeda, Jiro Watanabe, and Goro Yamamoto. I know I speak for the entire House of Representatives in honoring these heroes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the public service of a true community pillar of California's Central Coast. Jaci Pappas is a fifth generation Californian who grew up in Stockton, California. But it has been in Big Sur where she has found her life's calling as champion volunteer. And while she has never sought out accolades, her neighbors have seen fit to honor her on March 2, 2012, as ``Volunteer Extraordinaire.'' They have all benefited from Jaci's efforts to realize her life's theme: ``Always give back to your community in whatever way you can.''

Jaci earned a Business Administration degree from Mills College in Oakland, California. Soon after, she began her public service career in Sacramento as assistant to my good friend Assemblyman Willie Brown while he served as chair of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. In 1973, after twelve years in the Capitol, Jaci was appointed City Clerk for the City of Sacramento--the first woman to hold the position since Sacramento's founding in 1850.

In 1979, Jaci married architect Steve Pappas, and together they bought property and moved to Big Sur. She established herself as a bookkeeper working for various small businesses in Big Sur. Her volunteer work began in 1980 when she took on the unpaid position of secretary and then treasurer of the Coast Property Owners Association. She later held the same positions with the Big Sur Historical Society, and also served a number of years as head of the local Election Board, encouraging participation by all community members in the election process.

In addition to these leadership roles, Jaci has devoted countless hours giving her business and administrative skills to help community groups accomplish their work. Jaci has

voluntarily handled the bookkeeping for the Big Sur River Run since its inception in 1981. That event has raised more than $800,000 for the Big Sur Health Center and the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade, two organizations for which Jaci also handles the bookkeeping. Other causes that she has helped in this way include the Big Sur Historical Society, Big Sur Jazz Festival, Big Sur Hidden Gardens Tour, Big Sur Grange, the Big Sur Community Emergency Response Team, the Big Sur Natural History Association, the Henry Miller Memorial Library, the Big Sur Public Library, and the Big Sur Food & Wine Festival. She also contributes her time as the editor of the Big Sur Grange, and the Round Up newsletters. She is even co-chair of the Big Sur Book Club.

Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for the whole House as I acknowledge and congratulate Jaci Pappas, Big Sur's ``Volunteer Extraordinaire,'' for her record of stellar public service, and wish her many happy years ahead in which I know she will continue to teach us all how to live life well in voluntary service to others.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to recognize the life, career, and public service of Dr. Jeff Braff. Dr. Braff passed away on January 16th. He will be remembered for his optometric services to the city of Salinas, his contribution to political change in the Central Coast of California, and as my personal friend and doctor.

Jeff grew up working in his father's contact lens laboratory in Arcadia, California. He attended the University of California at Berkeley where he earned a degree in optometry in 1964. After graduating, he traveled to India where he helped set up the country's first contact lens fabricating laboratory.

After returning to the United States, Jeff was drafted in to the US Army and served as an optometrist at the Fort Ord military base. He completed his military service in 1972 and moved to Salinas where he practiced optometry for the next 37 years.

As the representative for the California Optometric Association and the Monterey Bay Optometric Association, Jeff played an invaluable role in local politics in the Central Coast of California. Jeff volunteered for many political campaigns, including for Leon Panetta's first election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976 and my own run in 1976 for the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. Jeff was also instrumental in drawing support for several political campaigns in Bainbridge Island, Washington.

His ability to draw support to local elections and political change earned him a following. ``Jeff's Group'' became an informal name given to those he could count on to show up and wave signs, hand out coffees, and recruit neighbors to support the many causes he was involved in.

In a document entitled ``How I Want to be Remembered'' Jeff wrote: ``Between being born and dying, he didn't take some things seriously that should have been, took some things seriously that shouldn't have, was getting the hang of love, and anger, and play, and all that; he tinkered with life, and did OK.''

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pain that I announce the passing of Jeff. I would like to personally acknowledge his service to the people of California. It was the relationships that he fostered at his practice that kept him invigorated and loving his work. I would like to express my deepest condolences to Sue, his loving wife of 36 years, his son, Zack and his brother, Brian.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life, public service and philanthropy of Jean Leidig Draper, Carmel's ``Grand Dame.'' Mrs. Draper passed away January 20th. She will be remembered for her generous support of local, civic, and cultural organizations on the Central Coast of California and for the many lives she touched through her community work in the city of Carmel.

After attending Dominican College in San Rafael and the California Institute of Arts in San Francisco, Jean married Raymond Draper. Together they had three children: Wendy, Michael and Susan.

Jean was widely known for her love of Carmel and the causes she supported. Included among the many recipients of Jean's generosity were the Carmel Library, the Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula, the Forest Theatre Foundation, the Carmel Foundation, the Pacific Repertory Theater, the American Red Cross, Westland House, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Jean served as the first elected Chaplain of the Stillwater Cove Yacht Club. She was a dedicated supporter of Chartwell School and a longtime parishoner of the Carmelite Monastery.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pain that I announce the passing of Jean. I would like to personally acknowledge her life and commitment to the city of Carmel. I would also like to extend my deepest condolences to her family, friends and all those who benefitted from her service, generosity, and kindness.