Mark Leno Talks to Bloggers

This morning, Assemblymember Mark Leno California was the guest of the premiere episode of the Politics Chat Show with Brian Leubitz of Calitics and Frank Russo of the California Progress Report.

You can listen to the show here.

Mark Leno on Budget Reform and the Internet

If he sounds a little tired, it is because this was recorded Friday night and he hadn’t slept in 40 hours due to the all night budget session (but he’s tireless).

Marriage as a Fundamental Right

Dan Chmielewski writes:

My wife and I are about six weeks away from our 24th wedding anniversary; I don’t see how allowing gays and lesbians to marry will damage our marriage or our family. The only people who matter in a marriage are the two people in it.

Or, as the Washington Post recently editorialized: The Sky Isn’t Falling.

Inequality for at least 36,000 same-sex binational couples

Teresa Watanabe has a moving piece in today’s LA Times about Americans who cannot live in our country with those they love due to discrimination.

A Free Press is a Cornerstone of Our Democracy

Recently, a Reuters photographer took a picture of George Bush’s speech for the opening of the new White House Press Room. As you can see from the picture, Bush crossed out the line, about a free press being one of the “cornerstones” of our democracy.

Assemblyman Mark Leno, on the other hand, strongly disagrees. Upon Assembly passage of legislation to provide journalists greater access to prisoners, the Associated Press reported:

The news media would be given greater access to interview prison inmates under legislation approved earlier this week by the state Assembly, setting the stage for a showdown with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“All it does is bring some transparency to the operation of state prisons,” said Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. “It’s about time the taxpayers get to know how the dollars are being spent within our prison system.”

Additionally Assemblyman Leno is fighting for a federal shield law for journalists.

The state Assembly on Thursday urged Congress to provide legal protections for journalists who seek to keep their sources confidential when judges or federal authorities ask for them.

It was the second time in two years lawmakers endorsed a nonbinding resolution urging Congress to enact a federal shield law.

“The federal government has yet to pay attention to us. We want to keep our voice clear and strong,” said Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, a co-author of the resolution. “Without it, the government is in a position to make use of reporters as their personal investigators. That does not serve Democracy well.”

The resolution passed 73-0 in the 80-member chamber.

This is a very important issue for democracy:

“The framers of the Constitution understood very well that a truly free society demands a press without government obstruction,” said Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). “In an age when our cherished freedoms are vanishing at the hand of our own Federal Government, we must do everything in our power to uphold the democratic principles our country was founded on. Without a federal shield law, I worry about a dramatic and chilling effect on our freedom of the press and journalistic integrity in America.”

Indeed.

Take the Live Earth Pledge

To follow up on yesterday’s post with Live Earth stats and video of Assemblyman Mark Leno discussing Carbon Footprints, here is how you can join the billions worldwide working together to combat Global Warming.

Live Earth is asking people make a commitment today and sign the pledge:

1. To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
2. To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become "carbon neutral;"
3. To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;
4. To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;
5. To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;
6. To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,
7. To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.

Looking Back at Live Earth

There is a remarkable convergence of forces all coming together and working together to stop global warming. There are now solid numbers out on the Live Earth 7.7.07 worldwide events that were so far beyond huge that your humble editor lacks the words to describe the magnitude of the event. So let me just give you some numbers:

• 2,000,000,000 – Number of participants worldwide
• 30,000,000 – Number of Live Earth videos streamed online
• 10,000,000 – Number of people who watched Live Earth on MSN
• 1,000,000 – Number of participants in 10,000 Friends of Live Earth Events in 131 Countries
• 100,000 – Number of participants at over 1,300 MoveOn house parties across America

So go calculate your Carbon Footprint today and then take steps to lower it.

NBC 11 on Industrial Hemp

More legislative progress in Sacramento:

A bill allowing California farmers to grow a controversial product passed the California Senate Public Safety committee Tuesday, NBC11’s Mike Luery reported.

The proposed pilot program would allow California farmers to grow industrial hemp.

“Thirty countries around the world are growing this. Of course, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington grew hemp. The sails of the Nina, Pinto and Santa Maria were made from industrial hemp as were the draft copies of the Constitution,” said San Francisco Democratic Assemblyman Mark Leno, who co-authored the bill.

With bi-partisan support!

Hemp is used in everything from soap to clothing to food products. It’s a multimillion-dollar industry that some conservative Republicans are supporting. Irvine Assemblyman Chuck Devore co-authored the bill.

“It’s nice that we can make money off of this,” Devore said. “It’s nice that it’ll boost the California economy; but to me, this is a freedom issue. This is about freeing American farmers to grow a crop that is legally imported into the United States every day.” [...]

The hemp bill still has a few hurdles ahead, but with some key Republicans and Democrats joining together, supporters said they believe this measure will reach the governor’s desk.

Here is video of Assemblyman Mark Leno discussing the bill:

Marriage Equality Measure Clears Key Senate Hurdle

From a press release:

SACRAMENTO, CA— The Senate Judiciary Committee moved California one step closer today toward recognizing and respecting the love and commitment that hundreds of thousands of same sex couples share by approving Assemblyman Mark Leno’s AB 43, which would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in the state.

“I am buoyed by the support of my legislative colleagues who share the belief that denying anyone the basic human right to marry the person she or he loves is completely contrary to our cherished constitutional foundation that all people are equal in the eyes of the law,” said Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). “I look forward to the day that all couples regardless of their sexual orientation, are able to pursue their dreams and care for their children with full and legal protection.”

Assembly Bill 43 is nearly identical to AB 849 of 2005, which was the first proactive marriage equality legislation in the history of the United States to pass both houses of a state legislature. AB 43 would amend Section 300 of the Family Code to define marriage as a civil contract between two persons instead of a civil contract between a man and a woman. The measure respects one’s religious choice by reaffirming that no religious institution would ever be required to solemnize marriages contrary to its fundamental beliefs.

The measure is sponsored by Equality California (EQCA), the statewide LGBT civil rights advocacy organization. “Marriage is universally recognized and respected around the world and for many people is one of life’s most significant milestones,” said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. “Same-sex couples in California have lived with domestic partnerships for many years, but they continue to be treated differently than married spouses. LGBT Californians want the choice to marry so that we can live our lives with the same dignity and freedom that everyone deserves.”

Currently, same-sex couples can register with the State of California as domestic partners, affording them hundreds of protections. However, same-sex couples in California and their families still are not eligible for more than a thousand federal protections offered to married couples, including family and medical leave, social security benefits, long-term care insurance and the ability to sponsor a partner for immigration benefits. Additionally, a 2003 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling put it succinctly by declaring that the denial of marriage equality on the basis of sexual orientation is "arbitrary," and reinforces the stereotype that all people are not created equal.

AB 43 is co-authored by 27 Assemblymembers and 14 Senators, including Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senator President Pro Tempore Don Perata. A broad coalition of over 250 civil rights organizations and leaders are in support of the measure, including the NAACP California State Conference, United Farm Workers, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Chinese for Affirmative Action, CA Teachers Association, CA Nurses Association, CA National Organization for Women, ACLU and CA Church Impact, among many others.

AB 43 will be heard next in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Hopefully, this critical civil rights legislation will pass the senate. You can help by contacting your state senator today.

Update on AB 43 – The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act

Local blogger Sam Spade’s San Francisco has the latest on AB 43.