Big Bear Valley Democrats: News

Welcome to the Big Bear Valley Democratic Club!

Big Bear Valley is situated deep in the heart of the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California about two hours east of Los Angeles. Big Bear Valley is a beautiful mountain resort. However, we lie right smack in the middle of red territory. Big Bear Democrats of the Big Bear Valley represent Democrats in Big Bear Lake, Big Bear City, Sugarloaf, and Fawnskin.

We hope the 2008 election of President Obama will inspire you to join us so that we can bring about change right here in Big Bear Valley!

July 2009 General Meeting

THE DEMOCRATIC CLUB OF BIG BEAR VALLEY MEETS IN JULY

The Board of Directors have planned for a rousing discussion on the general topic of peace and on the effects of war on veterans, growing private army facilities in California and across the country, and updated military recruitment tactics going on in high schools acress the country. These topics are of vital concern to all Americans.   Mrs. Corla Coles will be presenting a short film as an introduction to her central theme would prefer that the topic be publicized as information about Private Army facilities in California and across the United States.    As always, the meeting will take place in Big Bear Municipal Water District conference room (WMD) starting at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, July 7. You are welcome to attend. Be an informed citizen on issues we are all facing in today's complex world.

Another vital topic that is affecting all Californians is the current financial crisis we are facing. Our Past President, Dr. David A. Foltz, wrote an editorial for the local newspapers, and we are pleased to reproduce it on our website.

                                           Cool Solutions Call For Cool Heads.

What a mess we’re in!   The State of California is in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. It may be only a matter of days until there is no more money in the state coffers to pay the bills.   As it happens with every impending crisis, we tend to play the blame game—blame the Republicans, blame the Democrats, blame the Governor, blame anybody but me. I believe the state has gotten to the brink of economic collapse primarily because the country and the world are in the middle of the Great Recession of the 21^st century that has severely reduced tax-generated state income.   The unemployed no longer pay state income tax, and pay far less sales taxes then when they were fully employed. Folks who have lost their homes no longer pay real estate taxes. Companies that go out of business, and there are many of them, no longer provide the state and local governments a steady stream of income derived from their sales. And at the same time, the need for human services is on the rise. Unemployment compensation, food stamps, law enforcement, health care, increased prison population, are likely to draw heavily on state and federal financial resources in times of economic downturn.

According to the California Budget Project (cbp.org) the budget gap is estimated at $21.4 billion. In his latest effort to find “solutions” Governor Schwarzenegger has ordered severe cuts in state spending. Warnings posted on the California Democratic Party website are pretty scary. For example—
·        Nearly two million Californians will lose health insurance if the Healthy Families program for children is eliminated and Medi-Cal is cut by $1 billion.
·        More than 1 million women and children will be left without any means of subsistence if the CalWORKS program is ended.
·        California kids and young adults will be harmed if the Cal Grant program is axed and billions of dollars are cut from K-14 public education.
·        About 70,000 abused and neglected children will suffer if $200 million is cut from foster care programs.
·        More than 400,000 low-income seniors and people with disabilities would lose the ability to live at home with help and would be forced into more expensive nursing homes and group homes if In-Home Supportive Services are cut back.
The Governor’s proposal is unbalanced. Two-thirds of the dollars needed to balance the budget would come from cutting services while only one-third would come from increased revenue and borrowing. To my way of thinking the imbalance is at best unfair to Californians who depend heavily on state-funded support programs, and at its worst is unethical and immoral.   We are in a no-win situation any way you cut the pie, but we must face up to the fact that the state needs huge increases in revenue, at least in the short term, until the normal revenue sources recover. The Governor, the Legislature, and the people must be willing to bear an additional tax burden, and especially those of us who can afford additional taxes.   The big-profit making industries, like oil, insurance and tobacco companies, must shoulder more of the burden then they are currently. Tax loopholes need to be closed, such as the so-called “luxury” tax exemption on private plane and boat owners that was defeated in Sacramento a year ago.   Unless all Californians are willing to pay more for the services they need and demand, all of us are going to suffer enormous pain when social services are reduced or eliminated. The time for clear,cool, unselfish thinking is now!

Dr. David A. Foltz, Ph.D. Past President of the Big Bear ValleyDemocratic Club

July 2009 General Meeting

THE DEMOCRATIC CLUB OF BIG BEAR VALLEY MEETS IN JULY

The Board of Directors have planned for a rousing discussion on the general topic of peace and on the effects of war on veterans, growing private army facilities in California and across the country, and updated military recruitment tactics going on in high schools acress the country. These topics are of vital concern to all Americans.   Mrs. Corla Coles will be presenting a short film as an introduction to her central theme would prefer that the topic be publicized as information about Private Army facilities in California and across the United States.    As always, the meeting will take place in Big Bear Municipal Water District conference room (WMD) starting at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, July 7. You are welcome to attend. Be an informed citizen on issues we are all facing in today's complex world.

Another vital topic that is affecting all Californians is the current financial crisis we are facing. Our Past President, Dr. David A. Foltz, wrote an editorial for the local newspaper and we are pleased to reproduce it on our website.

Cool Solutions Call For Cool Heads.

What a mess we’re in!   The State of California is in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. It may be only a matter of days until there is no more money in the state coffers to pay the bills.   As it happens with every impending crisis, we tend to play the blame game—blame the Republicans, blame the Democrats, blame the Governor, blame anybody but me. I believe the state has gotten to the brink of economic collapse primarily because the country and the world are in the middle of the Great Recession of the 21^st century that has severely reduced tax-generated state income.   The unemployed no longer pay state income tax, and pay far less sales taxes then when they were fully employed. Folks who have lost their homes no longer pay real estate taxes. Companies that go out of business, and there are many of them, no longer provide the state and local governments a steady stream of income derived from their sales. And at the same time, the need for human services is on the rise. Unemployment compensation, food stamps, law enforcement, health care, increased prison population, are likely to draw heavily on state and federal financial resources in times of economic downturn.

According to the California Budget Project (cbp.org) the budget gap is estimated at $21.4 billion. In his latest effort to find “solutions” Governor Schwarzenegger has ordered severe cuts in state spending. Warnings posted on the California Democratic Party website are pretty scary. For example—
·        Nearly two million Californians will lose health insurance if the Healthy Families program for children is eliminated and Medi-Cal is cut by $1 billion.
·        More than 1 million women and children will be left without any means of subsistence if the CalWORKS program is ended.
·        California kids and young adults will be harmed if the Cal Grant program is axed and billions of dollars are cut from K-14 public education.
·        About 70,000 abused and neglected children will suffer if $200 million is cut from foster care programs.
·        More than 400,000 low-income seniors and people with disabilities would lose the ability to live at home with help and would be forced into more expensive nursing homes and group homes if In-Home Supportive Services are cut back.
The Governor’s proposal is unbalanced. Two-thirds of the dollars needed to balance the budget would come from cutting services while only one-third would come from increased revenue and borrowing. To my way of thinking the imbalance is at best unfair to Californians who depend heavily on state-funded support programs, and at its worst is unethical and immoral.   We are in a no-win situation any way you cut the pie, but we must face up to the fact that the state needs huge increases in revenue, at least in the short term, until the normal revenue sources recover. The Governor, the Legislature, and the people must be willing to bear an additional tax burden, and especially those of us who can afford additional taxes.   The big-profit making industries, like oil, insurance and tobacco companies, must shoulder more of the burden then they are currently. Tax loopholes need to be closed, such as the so-called “luxury” tax exemption on private plane and boat owners that was defeated in Sacramento a year ago.   Unless all Californians are willing to pay more for the services they need and demand, all of us are going to suffer enormous pain when social services are reduced or eliminated. The time for clear,cool, unselfish thinking is now!

Dr. David A. Foltz, Ph.D. Past President of the Big Bear ValleyDemocratic Club

June Meeting

The Democratic Club of Big Bear Valley will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 2nd at 6:30 p.m. in the MWD Building. Everyone is invited to join in on the fun of hearing reports on current issues facing residents and property owners in the Valley.

The featured speaker this evening will be Mr. Rick Ollila, a director of the Big Bear City CSD board. Rick started a business engineering and manufacturing electronic controls for wastewater and potable water systems for commercial aircraft in 1976. He began to study water supply for the valley when he was first elected to the CSD six years ago and has stayed intellectually on top of all aspects of water treatment.

Rick plans to give a short history of the water situation in Big Bear over the last three decades, and what we know right now about our water supply. He will also touch on what happened at BBARWA regarding wastewater recharge into our aquifers, and where the DWP appears to be headed, where the CSD water department is going, and what our residents can do to protect our money and living conditions. All residents should find this program of vital interest to them and their families.

May Meeting

The Democratic Club of Big Bear Valley held its May meeting on Tuesday, May 5 (Cindo de Mayo) at the MWD building. The program wincluded reports from delegates to the San Bernardino Democratic Party Central Committee as well as from local public officials.

The featured speaker was Mark Shepherd, past chair of the San Bernardino County Democratic Party and activist on behalf of issues and candidates of interest to Democrats. Mark spoke about each of the Propositions (1-A through 1-F) that were on the ballot in the special, state-wide election on May 19, 2009.

These measures were being proposed as an effort to close the budget gap that now exceeds $31 billion. Are Californians being asked to choose between a balanced budget or providing excellent human services and environmental protection/clean energy? Or is it possible to accomplish both worthy goals at the same time? Will a "Yes" vote on any or all of these propostions really solve the state's financial crisis? Everyone is invited to come to this timely meeting and take part in the discussion of this vital issue.

And speaking of clean energy, RAW otherwise known as "Uncooked Truth Beyond Belief", a publication of the Sierra Club, recently published a startling article detailing how entranchant are the "Big Oil, Big Coal driven dirty energy" advocates who are successfully preventing Congress from passing new energy laws. This article is well worth reading, including all the we links the author provides to document his arguments. Check it out at this website:

http://action.sierraclub.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=106861.0&dlv_id=91521

April Meeting

At long last the Democratic Club of Big Bear Valley has a permanent home in the spacious, MWD building. We are so thankful to the MWD Board for making their building available to us on a regular basis, starting in April 2009. Please take note of our new home and mark on your calendar the first Tuesday of every month to come out and meet fellow democrats and friends and to enjoy good programs given by knowledgeable presenters, with lots of good refreshments and prizes to give away.

The program presenter for the April meeting was Tracy Drabant, Energy Resource Manager at Bear Valley Electric. She gave a slide presentation on electrical power supply--past, present, and future-- with the latest information regarding alternative energy sources now available in the Valley, following the recent initiatives set forth by the governor and the state legislature, as well as by the Obama Stimulus Package recently signed into law.

March Meeting

Our March meeting featured Mr. Michael Karp, councilman on the Big Bear Lake City Council . The public was invited to hear his message of hope and optimism for the future of Big Bear. Titled, "Can Valley Leaders Apply a Message of Hope to Issues Facing Big Bear?" He addressed some of the pressing issues facing the community--the economy, unemployment and employment opportunites, housing affordability, the current status of the local business community, and valley-wide cooperation and citizen partcipation in the decision-making process.

February Meeting

The Democratic Club of Big Bear Valley has moved its meeting location!

As of our February 3, 2009 meeting we will be at the Parks and Recreation Building on Park Avenue in Meadow Park in Big Bear Lake.

The guest speaker at our February meeting was John Futch, a newly elected member of the Board of Trustees of the San Bernardino Community College District. Mr. Futch spoke on the current status and future of the Valley College program in the Big Bear Valley. This discussion was a prelude to a town hall meeting coming up in late March or early April, sponsored by the community college advisory committee and designed to develop much needed support and guidance on creating a college campus facility in Big Bear.

Happy New Year

The members of the Big Bear Valley Democratic Club wish you a wonderful Holiday and a Happy New Year. It's hard to believe that another year has slipped by and the new year is upon us. Democrats will be bringing in 2009 by holding its first meeting of the year on Tuesday, January 6, at 6:30 in the BBARWA Meeting Hall, 122 Palomino Drive, Big Bear City. Carol Robb, chair of the San Bernardino County Democratic Party Central Committee, will conduct the swearing in ceremony for our newly elected officers. The featured speaker for the evening will be Robin Eliason, a U. S. Forest Service biologist working in the Big Bear Valley. She will give a slide presentation on the national bird and symbol of the nation--the bald eagle. She will be discussing the annual declining eagle population in the Valley, the eroding habitat, and what we can and should do to ensure a healthy eagle population in Big Bear. Her presentation is very timely for two reasons. On Saturday, January 10th. the Forest Service will welcome volunteers to join in on the monthly eagle count around the lake. On the following Tuesday, January 16, the Big Bear Lake City Council may continue and conclude the discussion of the proposal to rezone a large area of forest land adjacent to the lake inhabited by bald eagles, the property adjacent to the Senior Center.

We hope you will come to the meeting as we begin the new year under the leadership of President Deborah Smith and the new board of directors. And two weeks later, on January 20, let's join the tens of millions of Americans across the country to celebrate and witness the inauguration of Barack Obama as the next president of the United States.

December Meeting

The Democratic Club of Big Bear Valley will hold its monthly meeting on the first Tuesday in December, now back to the usual meeting date following a break in the pattern in November. That's Tuesday, December 2, at 6:30 p.m. in the BBARWA Meeting Hall, 122 Palomino Drive, Big Bear City. Although at this time we can't announce the name of the speaker for the evening, we are planning a program to address the current financial crisis and ways to get us out of this mess. It is clear that there is no easy solution, no magic wand to wave to make it all go away. The road to economic recovery will be rough and long, but we just need to take the right road and we will get there.

On another note, we are saddened to announce that the Club will be moving out of BBARWA Building in February 2009. The move is not of our own doing. The BBARWA Board has changed its rules for renting their hall to outside groups such as the Democratic Club, which, in effect, disqualifies us for beng a non-profit organization with a political affiliation. Since August 2007 when we moved in, the Club has thoroughly enjoyed the use of the facility. But now it's time to move on. As soon as we sign a contract for a new meeting hall, we will make the announcement on this website Stay tuned! And see you on December 2nd!

November Meeting

The Big Bear Valley Democratic Club is going to have a party on Tuesday night, at 6:30 in the BBARWA Building to recognize the historic victory of Barack Obama and Joe Biden for President and Vice-President of the United States. All are welcome to join in on the fun, enjoy some home-made goodies and home-grown entertainment, and celebrate their victory. We are all happy to be living through this moment in history when suddenly, from one day to the next, the country and the world have every reason to hope for and expect resolutions to the horrific problems facing the nation. In an instant we moved out of a sense of dispair and gloom and into an atmosphere of euphoria and joy. So come to the meeting, relax, gorge on the good food, and enjoy the singing (and maybe some dancing).

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