Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Commander John W. Van Hise, Jr., upon his retirement after over 35 years of service in the Naval Security Group Reserve. Commander Van Hise has commendably served his country in a variety of assignments at key duty stations around the world. I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations on his retirement, and express my appreciation for his service to our country.

In 1969, Commander Van Hise enlisted in the United States Navy, and after completing Basic Training was assigned to the Russian Language School at Syracuse University. Shortly after, CDR Van Hise served active duty in Japan as an aircrew and plane captain, flying over 100 missions in the Sea of Japan, the Gulf of Tonkin, and off the USS Coral Sea. Upon returning to the United States he continued his career in the Naval Reserve in California. After relocation to Florida, he served as both Training Officer and Operations Officer at the Naval Reserve Security Group in Tampa. In 1986 CDR Van Hise transferred to Charleston and created the first Direct Support Program for Security Group reservists and as a result, was selected as Commanding Officer. Returning to California in 1991, he served two more tours as the Commanding Officer of Naval Reserve Security Group Santa Ana and Naval Reserve Security Group Ft. Lewis, Washington. In 1996, he enrolled in the Naval War College at the Naval Postgraduate School where he graduated with honors in 1999.

In his exemplary career in the Navy, Commander Van Hise has received many promotions, and has been awarded with many honors and medals. His first Navy Commendation Medal was awarded to him after serving as the Operations Officer of the Naval Reserve Security Group San Francisco from 1994 to 1995. In 1995, the Commander was awarded the Joint Commendation Medal by US European Command for his planning and execution of 40 Military-to-Military contact events between Albanian and US forces. He received a second Navy Commendation Medal in 2000 after serving as Action Officer for Joint Secure Communications under the Director of Naval Intelligence.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to personally congratulate Commander Van Hise on his upcoming retirement, and thank him for his dedicated service in the Navy. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ruth E. Kesler, whose lifelong dedication to San Benito County consists of many volunteer and local government positions. Ruth will be stepping down as the San Benito Supervisor for District 2, where she has served for 12 years.

A longtime resident of San Benito County, Ruth has always taken an active interest in the problems facing senior citizens and the homeless. In addition to her time on the County Board of Supervisors, she has also served as Director and Chair of the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District Board. Furthermore, Ruth has been the county's representative on the California State Association of Counties Board of Directors for the past two years.

In addition, Ruth has served on the Child Care and Development Council, Emergency Medical Care Commission, Mental Health Advisory Board and over a dozen other local government and volunteer committees. She has been a strong advocate of slow growth policies for the county and wishes to insure clean water for all citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate Ruth on her long and honorable career and thank her for her contribution to our society. Ruth has consistently gone above and beyond the roles bestowed upon her, and has left a legacy of community leadership. I wish her all the luck in her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Richard Scagliotti, whose lifelong dedication to San Benito County consists of many volunteer and local government positions. Richard will be stepping down as the San Benito County Supervisor for District 1, where he has served for 16 years.

Following in the footsteps of his father, who served San Benito County in the early sixties, Richard has served nearly his entire public career on the San Benito County Council of Governments and the Local Agency Formation Commission. In addition to his work with the San Benito Board of Supervisors, Richard has served on the Veteran's Memorial Park commission, the Local Transportation Authority, the Inter-Governmental Committee and many other local government groups. One of his proudest accomplishments was the establishment of the Pajaro River Watershed Flood Control Commission in 2000, and has served on the Commission ever since.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate Richard on his long and honorable career and thank him for his contribution to our society. Richard has consistently gone above and beyond the roles bestowed upon him, and has left a legacy of community leadership. I wish him all the luck in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Bob Cruz, whose lifelong dedication to San Benito County consists of many volunteer and local government positions. Bob will be stepping down as the San Benito Supervisor for District 5, where he has served for 8 years.

Born and raised in San Benito County, Bob has been a strong advocate for affordable housing in the community and has been instrumental in the construction of 58 affordable homes in our community. In addition to serving on the County Board of Supervisors, which he chaired for two years, he has also served as Director and Chair of the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District Board. Furthermore, he was the first Supervisor in San Benito to sit on the Children's and Families First Commission, and he immediately took an active interest in establishing this commission and working towards ensuring that early childhood development programs and services are continuously available for children until they begin kindergarten.

In addition, Bob has served on the Mental Health Advisory board, the Building/Expansion Committee, the Treasury Oversight Committee and nearly a dozen other local government commissions. Working beyond his posts in the local government, Bob also oversaw the creation of YMCA programs throughout the County.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate Bob on his long and honorable career and thank him for his contribution to our society. Bob has consistently gone above and beyond the roles bestowed upon him, and has left a legacy of community leadership. I wish him all the luck in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, last night Congress voted to increase the public debt limit by an additional $800 billion to an astronomical $8.18 trillion. Simply put, this is morally indefensible.

Every time we increase the debt ceiling and allow more money to be tacked onto the public debt, the U.S. government is saddling our grandchildren and their grandchildren with an economic legacy that virtually assures economic stagnation in their lifetime. The Republican leadership will hide behind the war on terror or the recession to mask the dire straits of our economy. But the truth is much more damning. The fundamental reason for the spike in the national debt is the unprecedented pace of Republican tax cuts that have occurred since 2001. Recently, the Congressional Budget Office confirmed that tax cuts are responsible for nearly 60 percent of the budget deficit.

We must return to the fiscal responsibility of the Clinton era where we had the political will to make hard, but responsible fiscal policy choices that resulted in the most robust economy in recent history. Moreover, from 1998 through 2000, with President Clinton in the White House, the government reduced debt held by the public, paying off $363 billion. Even in the first year of the Bush Administration, in 2001, under budget policies put in place by the Clinton Administration, the debt came down by another $90 billion.

One of the ways that we established fiscal sanity in the 1990s was the use of the pay-as you-go (PAYGO) budget enforcement rules. This practice helped Congress control spending and acted as a reminder that Congress needed to balance the government's checkbook, no matter whether it was tax cuts or increased spending on domestic programs.

In their overzealous attempts to cut taxes, especially for the highest 1 percent of wage earners--those earning $400,000 and more, the Republican leadership has blatantly ignored the common sense logic of the PAYGO rules. They have added literally billions and billions of dollars to our deficit and, for that reason, the Congress is forced to raise the debt ceiling to avoid shutting down the federal government.

I am deeply troubled that the President of the United States fails to understand or appreciate the financial burden he is imposing on middle income Americans, many of whom reside in ``Red States'' and supported his reelection. During the campaign season, the President promised to make permanent the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts that are scheduled to expire in 2010. This action will cost $1.1 trillion from 2010 through 2014, and even more in the years to follow. Continuing tax cuts permanently will significantly worsen the deficit after 2009, which make a mockery of the President's vow to cut the deficit in half in 2009.

To return to economic prosperity and fiscal sanity, we need to reinstate PAYGO rules as a first step, restore balance between our defense security needs and our domestic security needs, and adopt tax policy that benefits middle income taxpayers and creates jobs. I urge our Republican leadership to chart a new economic course for our country so that the United States of America remains the land of prosperity for ``We the People.''

Mr. Speaker, according to the Foreign Assistance Act, U.S. foreign assistance: ``shall be used in support of, rather than substitution for, the self-help efforts'' of developing countries and ``should focus on establishing and upgrading the institutional capacities of developing countries in order to promote long-term development.''

Over 40 years have passed since the enactment of the 1961 Foreign Assistance Act, and countries throughout, the world still face hurdles, including: extreme poverty, hunger, disease, high unemployment, and civil unrest. The U.S. Government only has a limited amount of resources available for international development assistance, and we need to ensure that we spend every dollar in the most efficient way possible to help as many people as possible. I strongly believe that the most efficient way to distribute foreign assistance is through building local capacity.

What exactly is local capacity building? Local capacity building can be defined as a continuous process where individuals, communities, organizations and governments improve their ability to understand and solve their development challenges in a sustainable way. Assistance means ``to give support'' . . . it doesn't mean do it yourself.

The most effective foreign assistance tools are not necessarily tangible things like bulldozers and construction equipment, or hiring American contractors to do the job in-country, but a more powerful and inanimate tool: knowledge. The transfer of knowledge via technical assistance, training and education is what will create long-term, sustainable development. This transfer of technical skills, be it teaching basic business skills for small businesses to flourish, demonstrating how to build wells, explaining the importance of rotating crops, developing a judicial system that hews to the rule of law, or promoting an educational system that provides opportunities for both men and women, is considered local capacity building and is fundamental for sustainable development.

Today, I am introducing a resolution that reaffirms the importance of local capacity building in U.S. foreign assistance programs. As my resolution illustrates, there is legal precedent and also considerable consensus within the development community that building local capacity is the key to creating long-term sustainable development.

But building local capacity isn't just done on an individual level, it needs to be done on a societal level and a governmental institutional level. Problems like poor access to health care, lack of financial literacy, teacher training are long-term, institutional problems. They are not going to be solved by a one-time infusion of foreign aid. Education and training of citizens in the developing world doesn't evaporate when the political climate or funding level changes in the United States or an international NGO reaches its strategic goals and departs.

The goal of local capacity building is to have individuals and governments take ownership of development programs and modify them to achieve lasting results. Where U.S. assistance can make a powerful difference is by providing the technical assistance and training to locals so that they are able to properly address their own problems. Communities can then take this knowledge and find ways to improve their own livelihoods on their own terms and in the appropriate cultural context.

An excellent example of foreign assistance technology transfer is USAID's Coffee Corps program. The U.S. sends renowned U.S. coffee specialists to coffee producing countries to assist coffee farmers in establishing the highest quality beans that will receive a higher market value. This knowledge transfer stays with individual producers and helps create more wealth and development within a rural community.

USAID has an excellent track record in promoting training programs for foreign aid recipients in key areas of economic development, and we need to recognize USAID's efforts and encourage other foreign assistance programs to push for a broadening of the usage of local capacity building within international development.

U.S. foreign assistance must invest heavily in programs that ``train the trainers'', promote educational and cultural exchanges, and fully fund grassroots development programs like the Peace Corps. The Millennium Challenge Corporation, MCC, appears to be making strides in promoting more sustainable development programs, but we must mandate that a country's commitment to building local capacity is a factor when the MCC considers a country's eligibility for funds.

I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia during the 1960s, and our mantra was: ``Work yourself out of a job.'' Peace Corps volunteers work to educate their counterparts in `best practices' in areas such as agriculture, health, education, small business and IT development. These counterparts are then able to teach these new skills to other community members, enabling local residents to develop and sustain a better quality of life. ``Work yourself out of a job,'' shouldn't just be the mantra of Peace Corps volunteers. It should be reaffirmed as the central tenet of U.S. development assistance so that citizens in developing countries gain the knowledge to improve their lives and, in turn, improve the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my dear friend Julie E. Packard, the Executive Director and Vice Chairman of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation's Board of Trustees and the recipient of the Ted Danson Ocean Hero Award. The award is given annually, in recognition of the recipient's strong commitment toward protection and restoration of the marine environment. Ms. Packard is a woman of principle and conviction. She has worked tirelessly to protect and preserve our delicate ocean ecology.

On October 20, 1984, Ms. Packard was instrumental in opening the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Today, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation is a $124 million institution and has consistently drawn 2 million people to its exhibits each year. It and its sister institution, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, are some of the finest marine life and ocean science research institutions in the United States. She has been its Executive Director since it opened.

Ms. Packard was born in Los Altos, California. She is one of four children, along with a brother, David, and sisters, Susan and Nancy. She went on to earn a masters degree in biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Julie is married to Robert Stephens. Together they are raising wonderful twin daughters.

Through her involvements, Julie has inspired and educated many about the wonders of our oceans and the environment of Monterey Bay and the central coast. She has been instrumental in making the schools of Monterey Bay some of the finest on the central coast, making it possible for future generations of students to nourish a passion for the ocean as strong as hers.

Ms. Packard has been a board member of numerous organizations and committees, including the California Nature Conservancy, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. She was also a member of the Pew Oceans Commission in 2003, which issued recommendations for a comprehensive overhaul of national ocean policy. Ms. Packard has also received numerous awards. Perhaps one of the milestones of Julie's life and work with the oceans is when she received the Audubon Medal for Conservation in 1998, one of the premier recognitions given to those in this field.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress, I would like to honor the many accomplishments of my friend Julie E. Packard and express sincere gratitude for her accomplishments and contributions to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Presidio of Monterey and its historic status for our nation, and for the State of California. This month the Sons of the American Revolution will be honoring the Presidios of San Diego, Monterey, Santa Barbara and San Francisco as historical sites for their role in the American Revolution.

Indeed, many of our fellow citizens are unaware of the role of Spain in our founding as a new nation, but it was an important part of the global politics of the time. On June 21, 1779, King Carlos III declared war on England in support of the American colonies, a declaration that affected not only the Iberian Peninsula, but also the Spanish colonies in the New World. Monterey was one such colony.

In order to assist the militias and people of the united colonies, King Carlos requested that all citizens and residents of Alta California donate money to the struggle. These donations, when gathered together by Father Junipero Serra, totaled 2,683 Spanish silver dollars, a sizable amount that no doubt greatly assisted the funding and financing of this new nation. Besides the local assistance provided by the residents of the Presidio and surrounding missions, Spain's contributions to the fight for independence were of vital importance in bringing about the eventual defeat of the British army and the Treaty of Paris.

Mr. Speaker, most of my constituents already know the Presidio of Monterey well, because it is still an operating military base today. While the fact that it is still a major training center for today's military may mask its historical importance overall, it is recognition such as this month's presentation by the Sons of the American Revolution that keep that history alive. I commend them for their work in highlighting this important institution, and thank them for continuing to remind us of how important our national history is to us all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Western Stage on the 30th Anniversary of its first performance in our community.

The Western Stage, founded in 1974 on the campus of Hartnell College, is the Salinas Valley's public theatre and is a leading arts institution of Monterey County with a national presence and impact. For over three decades The Western Stage has served the diverse population of the central coast region of California, presenting an annual season of plays and musicals and educational programming of the highest professional standard. Over 400 students, community members and professionals participate each year, and the annual audience numbers exceed 25,000 patrons.

The Western Stage also engages the community via its involvement with Hartnell Community College. The Western Stage Auxiliary Corporation is governed by a board of directors composed of community leaders and elected trustees of the College. The Western Stage manages the Hartnell College Performing Arts Center and administers the academic theatre program for the Hartnell College District under the direction of John Light, Melissa Chin Parker and Jon Patrick Selover, three company veterans with an average of 15 years each of experience with the Western Stage.

Furthermore, The Western Stage is a founding partner of the John Steinbeck Chair at Hartnell College and The National Steinbeck Center, the Salinas Public Library and Partners for Peace, and has numerous artistic accomplishments of note with adaptations of major works of American literature and that of John Steinbeck: East of Eden (1992, 1994, 2000), Tortilla Flat (2001), Viva! Zapata (2000), Cannery Row (1995 & 2005) and Travels With Charley (1998); as well as adaptations in collaboration with authors Studs Terkel (The Good War 1988), Ray Bradbury (Something Wicked This Way Comes, 1991) and Victor Villasenor (Rain of Gold 2003 & 2005); and world premieres of Summer Stock (for Harold Arlen, 2000) and Song of Survival (for WWII Dutch POW Helen Colijn, by California's Ray and Eleanor Harder, 1997).

Today's performance of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, directed by Jon Patrick Selover, commemorates 30 years since That Championship Season opened the Hartnell College Performing Arts Center, directed by founder of The Western Stage, Ron Danko.

Clearly, The Western Stage has a commitment to the artistic health of the community providing support and assistance to and nurturing young artists and arts organizations. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank The Western Stage for the outstanding work it has done and honor the many accomplishments of its staff and volunteers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Laura Munoz- Velazquez, who was named (LULAC) League of United and Latin American Citizens Woman of the Year. Mrs. Munoz-Velazquez is one of several outstanding women who were nominated for this prestigious award.

Mrs. Munoz-Velazquez was born in Colusa, California to a family of farm workers. Her parents, Juanita Castanon Munoz and Lucas Placenica Munoz, always stressed the importance of education and encouraged her to go to college. Laura heeded her parents, and in 1973, graduated from California State University Chico with a Bachelor of Arts degree in

Psychology. Mrs. Munoz-Velazquez also obtained an Elementary Teaching Credential and began teaching kindergarten for the Marysville School District. Soon after her time there, she moved to San Benito County with her husband, Felipe Velasquez, and has been teaching for the Hollister School District since 1975. They have four sons: Richard, Adrian, Alejo, and Junior.

While she was growing up, Mrs. Munoz-Velazquez attended a school system that did not support maintaining Spanish language while learning to write and speak in English. Because she recognized the value of having a good grasp of two languages, she purposely chose to become a bilingual teacher, allowing her to reclaim her primary language and culture. Mrs. Munoz-Velazquez truly believes in providing and promoting bilingualism and biliteracy, which she feels is instrumental in the success of children learning a second language.

Of course, with her giving nature, Mrs. Munoz-Velazquez knows how significant it is to give back to the community and has been involved with multiple organizations such as the United Way, American Cancer Society (ACS), Children with Attention Deficit Disorders (CHADD), Mexican American Community on Education (MACE), and League of United and Latin American Citizens Council (LULAC) #2890. She has also taught religion classes at Sacred Heart Church, preparing many young ones for Holy Communion.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Laura Munoz-Velazquez for the outstanding work she's done in my district. I would like to honor and congratulate her on her accomplishments and express my sincere gratitude for her commitment to the community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Steven K. Webster, a dedicated educator and community volunteer, upon his retirement as Senior Marine Biologist at the Monterey, Bay Aquarium. Dr. Webster has diligently worked to develop and shape the aquarium's education, teacher training, and outreach programs. His dedication to the people of the Monterey Bay region has been a great benefit to the community for over twenty-five years.

As an educator at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Dr. Webster developed the Discovery Lab programs that have served over 1.5 million children to date. There is scarcely a child in Monterey County who has not participated in one of the aquarium's free education programs, thanks in great part to Dr. Webster's vision and advocacy. In addition, Dr. Webster has initiated teacher education workshops in which over 10,000 teachers have participated free of charge. He has encouraged thousands of aquarium guides and volunteers in the aquarium's nationally recognized volunteer guide training program which he developed. Dr. Webster has served as an inspiration and has offered great encouragement to those consulting him on a career in marine biology.

Beyond his extensive career in marine biology, Dr. Webster has served in numerous volunteer community and board positions, including the Monterey Bay Chapter of the American Cetacean Society, the Cannery Row Foundation, the Lyceum of the Monterey Peninsula, the State Underwater Parks Advisory Board, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and the Friends of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. An avid diving instructor and underwater photographer, Dr. Webster is a popular speaker on natural history topics ranging from the Monterey Bay to the Galapagos Islands.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank Dr. Webster for his outstanding and invaluable contributions to our community, and commend him for his many accomplishments. I congratulate him on his much deserved retirement and wish him the best of luck in all of his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Peter J. Cutino, a coaching legend in the sport of water polo, who passed away Sunday, September 19th in his Monterey home. During his lifetime Mr. Cutino was a strong pillar of the water polo community. He will be dearly missed by his wife of 51 years, Louise; two sons, Paul and Peter; daughter, Anna; brother Bert; two sisters, Rose Marie and Josephine; five grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Mr. Cutino was born April 3, 1933 in Monterey. He graduated from high school a star athlete in 1951 and earned Junior College All American honors at Monterey Peninsula College. He then transferred to Cal Poly- San Luis Obispo, earning water polo all-conference honors, and graduated with a master's degree in education.

He began his coaching career at Oxnard High School and then moved on to coach the Cal Golden Bears for 26 victorious years. He was the most successful water polo coach in collegiate history and was awarded NCAA Coach of the Year four times. His successes in collegiate sports earned him the coveted role as coach to the U.S. national team in the 1976 Olympics. While at Cal, he coached 68 all-Americans, 6 Pac-10 conference and NCAA players of the year and 5 Olympians.

In 1989 he stepped down as UC Berkeley's head water polo coach in order to open and run the Monterey Sports Club in my district. At the same time, Peter continued his service to the international sports world by serving as chairman of the Men's International Olympic Committee. Additionally, in recognition of his life of leadership and mentorship, he received UC Berkeley's Alumni Centennial Award and Chancellors commendation, and an athletic scholarship at Berkeley was established in his name in 1989. Mr. Cutino was also an active leader in the Italian-American Community in Monterey and was a member of the Campari, Paisano and Amici clubs. In addition to numerous professional water polo publications, he authored a book on the Italian-American community in Monterey.

Mr. Speaker, today I wish to join the local community and Mr. Peter Cutino's family and friends in honoring the life of such an inspirational coach, husband and father.

Mr. Speaker, I stand in mourning to honor my good friend John H.G. Stuart, who passed peacefully on October 23, 2004, at the age of 86. He is survived by his wife, Sheila, his son Orin, his daughter Oria, his sister Kathleen of Toronto, Canada, four grandchildren, and one great grandchild. Mr. Stuart was a great contributor to the global community, and an example of the American dream.

Mr. Stuart, who was known to one and all as Harry, was born in 1918 in County Silgo, Ireland. He and his family later moved to Dublin, where he attended engineering school, and graduated with his degree from Trinity College. He later joined the British Navy, and spent the whole of the Second World War as a naval engineer, including two tours as chief engineer. After the end of World War II, he returned home to Ireland where he met and married Sheila, his wife and lifelong love of 58 years.

In 1948, Harry joined the Calcutta Electric Supply in India. He worked with their three power plants to make sure that Calcutta had plenty of power. Then, after almost 6 years in India and many months of applications and waiting, the Stuarts were granted visas and entry into the United States. They went to San Francisco in 1954 via Hong Kong, and ended up settling in Santa Cruz a year later in 1955.

As an engineer, Harry did power work with local companies and offices such as Pacific Gas & Electric and Lockheed Martin. He was able to help build geothermal plants in Iceland, Hawaii, and southern California. Through this work, he helped the world community to use better and cleaner power.

Harry had many faces. He was an avid traveler, as anyone would know just by reading these exploits, and he loved to fish and smoke salmon. In fact, I spent many a long night with Harry, discussing his travels throughout the British Isles, his passion for the outdoors, and most of all his thoughts on the best whiskey. In short, Harry was one of ``the best,'' a friend and companion to one and all and a beautiful human being.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that we can all stand today and honor this man. He bettered the global environment, exemplified America's true diversity and opportunity to those who want to make a life here, and gave of his time to better the lives of his fellow travelers. I will miss him deeply and extend my deepest condolences to Sheila, Orin, Oria, Kathleen and the rest of his wonderful family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Forest Hill Manor on its fiftieth anniversary of serving our community's seniors. This historic building was once the illustrious Forest Hill Hotel, and is still known today for the fine service it offers its guests.

In 1954 the hotel was acquired by the California-Nevada Methodist Homes for the purpose of providing a retirement residence in picturesque Pacific Grove. Throughout the years the Manor has continued to undergo improvements, designed to maintain the high quality of life residents have come to expect from this institution.

Currently the Manor is beginning work on the latest expansion project, responding to the growing needs of the community. There will be an additional thirty-two independent living apartments, and six more assisted living apartments. The Manor is also adding a skilled nursing facility on the property, with twenty-six beds, so residents will not have to receive care offsite. These new developments will expand the Manor's ability to work for the elderly community in the Monterey Bay.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate the Forest Hill Manor on the outstanding service it has provided our community for the last fifty years. The Manor is a model retirement home, offering a pleasant living experience for 693 residents since 1954. I extend my congratulations to Forest Hill Manor and wish it many more successful years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mark Tracy who is retiring after ten years as the Santa Cruz County Sheriff. Mr. Tracy's lifelong dedication to the Santa Cruz community consists of over 32 years as a police officer, as well as numerous volunteer and leadership positions within local organizations. Beginning his career as a Deputy Sheriff with Santa Cruz County, Mark rose through the ranks to become a Sergeant and a Lieutenant. He was elected Sheriff-Coroner of Santa Cruz County in 1994.

During his years with the Sheriff's Office, Mark has worked in and represented nearly every bureau and capacity in the department and has received numerous awards and commendations. Notably, he has acted as Coordinator of the Search and Rescue Team, was a founding member of the Hostage Negotiating Team, and has served as Chairman for both the Santa Cruz County Criminal Justice Council and the Santa Cruz County Commission on Domestic Violence. By establishing the Domestic Violence Unit and working with advocacy groups throughout the county, he has promoted better services to victims of domestic abuse. Additionally, Sheriff Tracy established the High Tech Crime Unit to address the growing problem of identity theft and computer crimes.

In his career as Sheriff, Mark has also established unprecedented levels of trust and cooperation with the community, including women's groups, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, as well as medical marijuana organizations. He has overseen the opening of new service centers throughout Santa Cruz County and has placed school resource officers at high schools and junior high schools throughout the region.

The Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office has a proud history of aggressively attacking crime in a proactive and timely manner. Mark has been at the forefront of working towards unbiased policing and problem-solving techniques. In his partnerships with local organizations, he has established himself as an integral part of the Santa Cruz community. I have personally enjoyed working with Mark, and I wish to thank him for his dedicated service to our community. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Mr. Tracy on his upcoming retirement as Sheriff, and wish him the best of luck in all of his future endeavors.