Politics

Bipartisan Bill Will Help Support Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

By Mara Lee

WASHINGTON, D.C. (OBSNews.com) – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) voted in favor of H.R. 4715, which would reauthorize the Environmental Protection Agency's National Estuary Program (NEP) through Fiscal Year 2016. Protecting our nation’s estuaries – especially the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, which contains the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta – is of critical economic and environmental importance. As the largest estuary on the West Coast, it provides drinking water to 22 million Californians, irrigates 4.5 million acres of farmland, and supports important economic activities including commercial and sport fishing, shipping, industry, agriculture, recreation and tourism.

“Ensuring that our nation’s estuaries are ecologically healthy is good public policy,” stated Representative Matsui. “Estuaries and coastal areas are central to the prosperity of our region and our country. They provide significant economic value nationwide through tourism, energy production, navigation and agriculture and it is critical that we act to protect them.”

By Patrick McGilvray

SACRAMENTO (OBSNews.com) - When light rail was installed 23 years ago on the K Street Mall in Sacramento bicyclists were prohibited from riding down the pedestrian mall. Many critics of the city have long pointed out the need for more pedestrian traffic on the mall to help the sometimes nice, but often grungy and scary area.

“Creating greater connectivity for all modes of transportation continues to be a top priority in maintaining a safe and reliable multi-modal transportation system for the City and the region. This is another important accomplishment toward that priority,” said Jerry Way, transportation department director.

By Mara Lee

SACRAMENTO (OBSNews.com) - Today, Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (CA-05) urged Sacramento families and small businesses to take advantage of the 25 different tax cuts in the Recovery Act – part of the more than $800 billion in broad-based tax cuts for working families and small businesses that this Congress passed since last year. These include benefits in the Recovery Act, the largest health care tax cut in history, job-creating tax incentives to spur hiring of out-of-work Americans, and tax credits and accelerated write offs for small businesses.

“Most people don’t realize that tax cuts are the biggest individual piece of the Recovery Act,” said Rep. Matsui. “President Obama and this Congress gave 95% of working Americans one of the largest tax cuts in history through the Recovery Act. And as you file your 2009 income taxes, you may qualify for a series of other generous tax cuts – for example, you could save money for attending college, making energy-saving home improvements, purchasing a home for the first time, or buying a new car.”

By Mara Lee

SACRAMENTO (OBSNews.com) - On Monday of this week, Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (CA-05) joined Sacramento City Councilman Kevin McCarty, Deputy Secretary for the California Department of Food and Agriculture David Pegos, Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Jonathan Raymond, and members of the community for the grand opening of the Tahoe Park Community Garden and Slow Food Festival. Congresswoman Matsui is the original sponsor of legislation in the House of Representatives (House Resolution 649), which would designate each August as Community Gardening Awareness Month. The event offered Sacramento families the opportunity to learn about community gardening, eating healthy, and the wealth of local produce available. Congresswoman Matsui’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:

“Thanks to the efforts of Councilman McCarty and many others here, the neighborhood of Tahoe Park can finally say that they have a Community Garden! And here in the Tahoe Park neighborhood, the strong sense of community that already exists will only be enhanced by this wonderful garden.