DAS WILLIAMS

Sugary Sports Drinks in Schools

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 01:55:00 +0000

Das has introduced a Bill that Supports the Nationwide Movement Against Sugary Drinks to Fight Childhood Obesity

Details about the Bill and Links to multimedia are here:

Proposed Legislation to Ban the Sale of Sports Drinks in Schools - Assemblymember Das Williams Representing the 35th California Assembly District - AD35

Income Inequality Drags Down Our Economy

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:02:00 +0000

Recently, Das and members of the assembly Democratic Caucus heard a discussion by Robert Reich on why income inequality drags down the economy:

State of The State

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:02:00 +0000

(Sacramento, 1/20/2012) – The Governor’s State of the State Address was a tough, but fair place to start getting California’s budget in order. California State Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) was proud of the Governor’s courage to ask all citizens to be part of the solution. Assemblymember Williams says he wants to start immediately addressing the state’s $9.1 billion deficit, and get California working again:

‘Stuff the Bus’ Campaign

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:41:00 +0000

‘Stuff the Bus’ Campaign Deemed a Success for Peoples’ Self-Help Housing - Noozhawk.com

Climate Conference 12/15/2011

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:35:00 +0000

Gov's conference live on EXTREME CLIMATE RISKS AND CALIFORNIA'S FUTURE, Thurs. Dec 15Th:

Governor Releases Additional Details on Climate Conference

Das is attending

Streaming live: www.gov.ca.gov

SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.... released additional details on panel participants and the issues that will be covered at the Governor’s Conference on Extreme Climate Risks and California’s Future.

The conference will be held this Thursday, December 15, 2011 at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Due to space limitations, attendance is by invitation only. The entire conference will also be webcast live on Governor Brown’s website at www.gov.ca.gov and conference viewers can submit questions to conference speakers through this site.

Event registration will open at 8:30 a.m. and the conference will begin at 9:30 a.m. See below for additional media information.

The Governor’s Conference on Extreme Climate Risks and California’s Future Participants (partial list):

• California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.
• Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group
• Nancy Sutley, Chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality
• Other participants include public safety, insurance industry, public health and climate change experts, emergency response officials, public utility experts and farmers.

Das is attending, as well.

Topics:

• California and the Global Climate Challenge
• Climate Change’s Human and Economic Impacts on California
• A National Perspective on Climate Action
• Climate Solutions to Protect California Communities and Help our Economy

For additional information on the event and participants, please visit http://www.gov.ca.gov/ecrcf.php

Safe Parking Program

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:56:00 +0000

Das spoke about the Safe Parking Program from his office in Sacramento, November 2011:

A+ for Seniors

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 16:25:00 +0000

Local Assemblymember Receives Perfect Rating from Seniors

SACRAMENTO — First term Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) received a perfect score from the California Congress of Seniors on their annual legislative report card.

Each year the state's leading senior citizens group analyzes and reports the voting records of California Legislators on bills affecting the lives of millions of senior citizens throughout California.

"Great leaders like Hubert Humphrey have said that the moral test of government is how it treats the aged and children. For us to be a just society we must respect and support seniors," Assemblymember Das Williams said.

The report card is aimed to help seniors understand how their elected officials have responded to the issues facing our families and communities. The CCS works with others in the senior network to analyze bills, write letters of support or opposition and more to advocate on the behalf of California's seniors. The report card is an analysis of lawmakers votes on several key bills identified as important for seniors.

"Das Williams typifies the kind of legislator we as seniors should look to as an example of a lawmaker that genuinely has the interests of the seniors in California in mind," said Hank Lacayo, State President of California Congress of Seniors.

"It was Das' first shot at a report card and he got an A-plus from us. That is a very good beginning for a real friend of the seniors in California."

To view the entire 2011 Legislative Report Card for the California Congress of Seniors, visit www.seniors.org

http://www.seniors.org/godocuserfiles/2413.29837_R2_Report.pdf

Pesticides in the Watershed

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:24:00 +0000

Das talks about Pesticides in the Watershed

on the "Surf and River Report," October 2011

The Destiny of Das

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 02:56:00 +0000

The Destiny of Das: How a kid from Isla Vista became Montecito’s Assemblyman

BY JOSHUA MOLINA · OCTOBER 14, 2011
NEWS · TAGGED: CALIFORNIA, DAS WILLIAMS, JOSHUA MOLINA, MONTECITO, SANTA BARBARA

Five purple dreadlocks dangled from his clean-shaven head.
And he stunk. The smell of stale beer and old sodas exuded from his
pores.

But a 16-year-old skinny kid named Das Gault-Williams was undaunted.
He was determined.

He earned money every weekend sorting recyclables at the Community
Environmental Council’s collection center at Montecito Union School.
Das figured out a way on weekends to get from Santa Barbara’s Pershing
Park, where he lived — in his Volkswagen van — to the collection center.
But on this otherwise perfect day in Montecito, Das was unusually
vexed. He needed to make a telephone call to the CEC’s main
headquarters.

It was the early 90s, and Das didn’t carry a cell phone. He wouldn’t
have wanted one anyway at the time, even if he could have afforded it.
They just weren’t cool gear for the skate-surf-kid, heavily influenced
by the punk street and surf culture.

So dreadlocks, sweat, smell and all, Das trekked up San Ysidro Road
into the upper village and the heart of Montecito. It was the first
time he had ever ventured that far. People stared. And glared.

“I got some strange looks,” he said. “I totally don’t blame them. I am
thankful that the people of Montecito don’t hold their first
impression against me.”

More than 20 years later, Das still turns heads when he walks. But he
doesn’t need the flamboyant dreadlocks, or skater-garb anymore.
When he goes to Montecito, he’s just a grown Das Williams, a two-term
former Santa Barbara City Councilman and now a first-term California
state Assemblyman, representing Montecito and half of Santa Barbara
and Ventura Counties.

And he smells good now, especially when he occasionally attends
Montecito Covenant Church or rides a wave at a secret surf spot near
Butterfly Beach.

The Assemblyman

When he is home on the South Coast, life is scheduled in 15-
minute increments. The idea of not having a telephone seems almost
other-worldly. He lives on his Smartphone. Talking. Text-messaging.
Emailing. Researching.

“The pace is so much different,” said Williams, recently from his
downtown Santa Barbara office. “On the City Council, my life was
scheduled in hour increments. Meetings lasted two hours. Now, I need
to get things done in 15 or 30 minutes. I just have so much more to do.”
Since taking office last December, after defeating Republican Mike
Stoker, the whirlwind that had always been Williams only spun faster.
He’s never been a guy who could sit still very long.

He’s always on to the next thing.

Since taking office last December, 10 of Williams’ bills have become
law. He added a fee to every DUI in the county – money that goes to
Cottage Health System’s Level 2 Trauma Center. Over two years, that
amount will reach $1.4 million. He helped the Santa Barbara Unified
School District maintain nearly $2 million in parcel taxes after the
elementary and secondary districts unified.

In the Assembly, his biggest focus has been education. One of the
bills that stalled in the legislature was a proposal to double fines
of motorists speeding in school zones.

He also fought for the rights of schools to take back redevelopment
money gained from property taxes, most of which currently goes to
cities to clean up blight or build affordable housing.

He’s most proud that the state spared deep budget cuts to K-12 as
it was looking to make up a $20 billion deficit. On the table was a
proposal to cut three weeks out of the school year.

Williams said he couldn’t let that happen.

“I felt schools had been savaged too much in previous years,” Williams
said. “If you look at the biggest indicators of performance, it’s
length of instruction, not quality of instruction. The worst thing you
can do is cut the amount of time students spend in the classroom.”

Isla Vista kid

The idea that school is Williams’ No. 1 issue as an assemblyman is
more than a bit ironic, considering his own battles with the public
school system as kid.

Williams attended seven different elementary schools, bouncing around
between divorced parents. He grew up mostly in Isla Vista, but also
went to schools in Ojai.

The son of Malcolm Gault-Williams, a famed writer and surf historian,
Williams practically lived on a surf board as a kid and teen, catching
waves at Sands Beach, Hammonds, anytime he could get a free moment to
break free.

As a teenager, Williams fled to the ocean to escape a world around
him where he never felt like he truly belonged. A self-described former
“teenage alcoholic” Williams struggled to find his sense of purpose.
When he wasn’t on a surfboard, he was on a skateboard, rolling all
over Isla Vista, with his sometimes shaved head, or long hair,
depending on his mood.

Wildy curious, Williams had problems with school. He liked to be
outside, and he rejected structure.

“When I was moving around in elementary school between Santa Barbara
and Ventura County, I always felt like a perpetual outsider,” Williams
said. “I was an introvert who brought big books with me and read them
everywhere I went.”

He dropped out of Dos Pueblos High School at 16. And when his father
moved out of town for a job, Williams, refused to go. He pulled
together money and bought a Volkswagen van, parked it at Pershing Park
— and lived in it.

He enrolled in political science classes at Santa Barbara City
College. He washed up in the bathrooms and couch-surfed at friends’
house. At SBCC, he was finally able to channel his energy and activist
spirit in a positive way; he was deeply affected by his political
science instructors, such as Dr. John Kay.

He took an interest in social and global issues. By the time he was
17, Williams had figured out how to transform his fearlessness and free-
spirit attitude into action. He was accepted to UC Berkeley.

He earned a political science degree from Cal, and volunteered in
Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress for a year.

With his confidence high, Williams returned home — to Santa Barbara,
where he enrolled and earned a master’s degree in Environmental
Studies at UCSB.

City Hall

Even though Williams has been gone from Santa Barbara City Hall for 10
months, his presence – or lack of it – can be found every day in De la
Guerra Plaza.

At 29, Williams stunned political insiders by announcing that he would
run for City Council. He had some name recognition in town because he
worked on former Assemblywoman Hannah Beth-Jackson’s campaign and had
been the No on Recall manager for the attempt to recall former Santa
Barbara County Supervisor Gail Marshall.

But he was an activist, and the idea that he would run without being
groomed by the liberal Democratic power elite seemed laughable;
certainly no one though he could win.

But this was the same scrappy kid who lived on the streets as a
teenager, who overcame his alcoholism and rebellious nature; Getting
elected was a far easier battle than what he had already experienced in
his life.

If he organized people to vote in South Africa, he certainly could
rally a new generation of liberal activists in Santa Barbara.
And that’s what he did. Pushing the then-radical idea of a living wage
ordinance, Williams swept into City Hall.

As a councilman, Williams successfully and simultaneously navigated
both worlds: he could wear hooped earrings with a shaved head while
appealing to young progressives, or slap on a perfectly fitting suit he bought at the
thrift store and mix it up with the business community. He could pull
both looks off convincingly.

When he ran for re-election four years later, he was the top vote-
getter, getting more votes then current Mayor Helene Schneider.
With a handsome face, a charismatic personality, and an unparalleled
work ethic, Williams quickly became bigger than Santa Barbara City
Hall.

And those same cynics were now jumping on his bandwagon.
The young man who critics, both liberal and conservative, dismissed as
too idealistic and reckless to get elected, now finds himself perhaps
the second most powerful elected official in the region, behind Rep.
Lois Capps.

He hears from constituents in Montecito, mostly about land use
matters. He works closely with his friend County Supervisor Salud Carbajal.
He has strong feelings about Montecito’s biggest
embarrassment — the once-mighty Miramar. He thinks owner Caruso should
figure out a way to demolish it.

Now, at just 37 years old, the college dropout who nobody took
seriously in 2001, seems destined to always shake up the world around him. Once
a divider of the liberal left, he’s now a unifier.

He’s come so far that when he ran for state Assembly last year,
liberals united behind him, rather than Susan Jordan, the wife of the
then-sitting Assemblyman Pedro Nava.

The Santa Barbara resident is already planning for a second term in
the Assembly.

“You can make a big difference, in even small ways,” Williams said. “I
take my job seriously. I love it. I feel useful. There’s a tremendous
amount that I can accomplish.”

And Montecito is in part of his plans, both politically and personally.
You won’t catch him in dreadlocks wandering around Montecito anymore.
But on any given Sunday, you might see Williams, a born-again
Christian, enjoying fellowship at Montecito Convenant Church.
Or near Butterfly Beach in the ocean.

The water is the only place that connects the old Das and the new Das;
It’s where he escapes and where he returns. It’s the one place on
earth where the boy rebel and the grown-up lawmaker have always
been welcome.

Das Williams/Photo by Gary Lambert/Daily Sound

KADY-TV Interview

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:07:00 +0000

Recently, Tracy and Ross interviewed Das on a wide range of issues affecting the 35th District.

To view and listen, please go to:

http://www.kadytv.com/Archives/Tracy&Ross/110915daswilliams.htm

First Year Legislation

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 21:45:00 +0000

Paul Wellman (file)

Das Williams

Das Doing Work

Assemblymember Williams Closes out Summer Session with Flurry of Legislation

Thursday, September 15, 2011

by ETHAN STEWART (CONTACT)

Article Tools

The legislation session wrapped up in Sacramento last week, and, for the 35th District’s Das Williams, a State Assembly greenhorn, the annual post-Labor Day whirlwind that marks the close of our capital’s legislation season proved to be a most productive one. The once-upon-a-time Santa Barbara city councilmember saw no less than a dozen pieces of legislation authored by his pen pass the Assembly floor — many of which have already been green-lighted by Governor Jerry Brown — along with a handful of coauthored affairs. Back home here in Santa Barbara this week, Williams summed up his maiden legislative adventure: “The session always has the good, the bad, and the ugly, but I like to think we got some real important work done, and I certainly felt very useful to our community.”

In that S.B.-centric vein, Williams accomplished two separate pieces of what he described as “nuts and bolts” district legislation. The first, AB 504, is an education unification bill that specifically paves the way for the newly unified Santa Barbara School District to continue receiving the various voter-approved parcel-tax revenues that the district got approved before its name change. The second,AB 412, is a Maddy Fund bill that looks to help cover emergency medical expenses here in the county. The legislation calls for a new $5 penalty assessment on all area DUI and DUI-related tickets, which will generate an estimated $540,000 annually for emergency rooms and various related services.

Interestingly enough, though the legislation will go into effect in 2012, Governor Brown opted not to sign the bill (he also opted not to veto the bill) when it came to his desk late last week. The reason, explained Brown, was that the bill, though providing much-needed cash for a more-than-worthy cause, was on a slippery slope of unfairly subjecting lawbreakers to ever-increasing costs. “Sooner or later we must find better ways to pay for the public goods we need,” said Brown in a memo.

On the broader legislative tip, Williams counts AB 438 and the very late-hour AB 1392 among his victories. The former is a mildly controversial bill that requires cities — starting in 2012 — to go through a series of financial audits and various other public transparency

-inspired hoops before they can privatize a previously public library system. The latter, 1392, which Williams coauthored with fellow Democrat Assemblymember Steve Bradford (Inglewood), works to capitalize on several million dollars’ worth of federal use-it-or-lose-it money targeting energy efficiency in state-owned buildings. As per the bill, some $50 million will be spent over the next two fiscal years on retrofitting state buildings with more energy-efficient technology.

Also on the victory front, Williams explained this week that he considers the bipartisan passing of a loophole-closing portion of Governor Brown’s Jobs First initiative (AB 40x 1) to be one of the session’s greatest successes. By applying a mandatory single sales factor to all California businesses, this bit of legislation — which was made possible, in part, thanks to the vote of support from two Republican members — closes a roughly $1.1-million loophole that was essentially rewarding multistate companies, via a tax exemption, for moving jobs out of California. Even better, says Williams, this bill, thanks to the influx of cash it will generate, works to increase the maximum standardized tax deduction that can be claimed by individuals or families on their income tax returns by approximately $1,000. “This gives the average Santa Barbara or Ventura County resident $1,000 more in their pockets by simply closing a loophole for out-of-state corporations. That is a no-brainer for me.”

It wasn’t all good news, though, in Das’s esteem. The first-year assemblymember lamented both the legislators’ inability to reauthorize a Public Goods Charge — something that directly helps fund research and development for energy efficiency and various other green jobs — as well as the overwhelming beat-down that state-funded higher education, child care, and welfare took during the session’s reconciling of California’s $20-billion structural deficit. “I expected this to be a year of carnage, and it was.” summed up Williams. Speaking specifically about the hit that higher education took, Williams was defiant. “Our greatest resource is our students, and our

higher-educational system is the greatest strength of economic development. We cannot afford to price them out of our own school system …. Next year, that will be one of my top priorities with new legislation.”

Save McGrath State Beach

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 16:53:00 +0000

The Privatization Beast

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:37:00 +0000

AP Photo / Rich Pedroncelli

Das prepares to battle the "Privatization Beast" to promote his measure that would place restrictions on the privatization of Public Libraries.

For the full story, go to: Library Bill Gains Support by Timm Herdt

Summit on Green Jobs

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 22:56:00 +0000

Das hosted the Summit on Green Jobs, Saturday, 8/13, at Ventura College:

Video streaming by Ustream

Regents Deliberate New Increases

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 22:41:00 +0000

Regents Deliberate New Increases

By Michael Dean

Published on July 13, 2011, DAILY NEXUS

The UC Board of Regents met yesterday in San Francisco to discuss potential increases in tuition for the 2011-2012 academic year following California Governor Jerry Brown’s state budget approval last week.

The Board of Regents will deliberate on several agenda items through Thursday at the UC San Francisco Mission Bay Community Center, including a vote on an additional 9.6 percent tuition raise to offset nearly $140 million of the approved budget’s $650 million state funding reduction. The newest fee hike proposal is in addition to an 8 percent increase the Regents approved last November for Fall 2011.

According to Steve Montiel, media specialist for UC Office of the President, the fee hikes are necessary in lieu of state financing to maintain the university system’s educational standards.

“We wish there was a level of funding from the state that would not make these increases necessary, but unfortunately there has been steady state disinvestment in higher education over the past twenty years,” Montiel said. “Our priorities are quality, and to preserve access to our UC-eligible Californians regardless of their income. It’s a tough situation and no one likes it.”

California 35th District Assemblyman Das Williams said the significant cut in state funding is partly attributable to bipartisan disagreements over Brown’s plan to extend expiring taxes through a statewide vote.

“I am so angry about the state being forced into this situation, I can hardly describe it to you,” Williams said. “The fact that the Republican Party continues to prevent a vote by the people to be able to maintain the existing tax rate; to think that one cent of sales tax is more important than the future of public education in the state makes me very angry and very disappointed.”

Williams said students must reach out to the public for support in increased state financial aid for the UC system.

“What usually happens is that the cuts come and [UC President Mark] Yudof tries to raise fees and then the unions and the student groups direct their energy toward fighting the administration,” Williams said. “What we should do instead is dedicate that energy to bringing the message of higher education to the public to approve a tax for higher education.”

In addition to voting on tuition increases, the Regents will review project reports on the Working Smarter initiative — a program improving the UC payroll system’s administrative efficiency within five years to save $500 million annually — and the annual accountability report of the UC’s use of taxpayer money.

Montiel said the UC system faces a total $1 billion budget shortfall due to unfunded cost increases from factors such as increased financial aid for low-income students and expanded employee retirement plans and health benefits.

“Cost-cutting and revenue-generating measures are a place to fill three quarters of the billion-dollar budget gap and President Yudof is recommending to the Board of Regents that roughly one quarter of the shortfall be offset with tuition and fee increases,” Montiel said.

The 2011-2012 academic year will mark the first time students provide more funding than the state towards the UC system, effectively privatizing the institution.

According to Ahmed Mostafa, Associated Students external vice president of statewide affairs, Regents’ decision to implement greater tuition costs reflects a lack of prioritization toward affordable higher education.

“The problem is that [the Regents] are treating the UC like a business,” Mostafa said. “They are sacrificing access and affordability in exchange for quality. They are treating the UC like it’s a business, not a service to the people of California. Education is no longer a right — they want to make education a privilege.”

For more information about the agenda for the Regent’s upcoming meeting, visit

www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/meetings.html.

A version of this article appeared on page 3 of July 13, 2011's print edition of the Nexus.

Independence Day 2011

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 05:00:00 +0000

Happy Independence Day!

(photo courtesy of Deana Rae McMillon)

Vibrant Downtowns

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:32:00 +0000

Das recently spoke at the Cabrillo Economic Housing Corporation's 30th Anniversary celebration, with the theme: "Building Strong Communities." Das spoke to the need for a vibrant downtown...

June 30th Fundraising Goal

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 19:47:00 +0000

Dear Friend,

I know it may be hard to believe, but another election season is just around the corner. We are gearing up to run yet another winning campaign and preparing to take on the many new challenges we will face next year.

The first fundraising deadline of the election season is Thursday, June 30th. This is a critical deadline, as this fundraising report will be widely used by both opponents and allies alike as a key measure of the strength of our re-election effort.

Your past contributions made it possible for us to win two competitive elections in 2010. With new district lines and an open primary system, this election will be another difficult one full of new challenges. That is why at this early stage of the campaign it is important to put together the financial resources it takes to run a winning campaign.

I have set the goal of raising $20,000 between now and midnight on June 30th. Here are three things you can do to help us reach that goal:

Make a contribution online of $25, $50, $100, $250 or more today.
Help grow our network of supporters by forwarding this email to 5 friends.

To also help in our fundraising efforts, I invite you to join me on July 9th to help celebrate my birthday at the same time as you support the campaign. Details are below.

This year has been filled with many great successes thus far. Since arriving in Sacramento, I have helped pass landmark clean energy legislation that will create jobs and protect the environment, made it easier for our local schools to raise funds and direct more dollars into the classroom and took steps to ensure our local communities are safe. We have made huge strides on many important issues, but there is much more to be done. Your support is critical to ensure that we continue to make progress in Sacramento and solve some of the state's toughest challenges.

Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,

Das

Save the Date - Das is turning 37

Join Das on an evening cruise of the Santa Barbara Harbor in celebration of his 37th birthday

Saturday, July 9th 2011, 4PM to 6PM, aboard the Condor Express

Sponsorship Levels:

$3,900 Admiral - $2,500 Captain - $1,000 First Mate - $500 Mate - $250 Sailor - $75 Passenger

RSVP by June 29th to das.williams2012@gmail.com or (805) 616-2594

Make checks payable to Das Williams for Assembly 2012

915 L Street, Suite C415 Sacramento, CA 95814 #ID 1333959

A Real Message From Das

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 21:12:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

Many of you may have received a spam email from me yesterday morning. Please disregard it as my campaign email account has been compromised. I have switched to a new campaign email account:

das.williams2012@gmail.com.

Please send any campaign related inquiries here and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Last week was quite a challenging and eventful week. Friday, June 3rd, was the final day to pass bills out of the Assembly and move them on to the Senate - the next step in the legislative process. I am happy to report that we had a total of 13 pieces of legislation make it out of the Assembly, three of which passed in the closing days. The final one to make it out was AB 438, a bill that will create guidelines for cities to follow before they can privatize local library services. This legislation will help ensure that during tough economic times, public libraries remain open and accessible to everyone while ensuring taxpayer dollars are used wisely. The other two bills are very close to my heart: AB 1302 and 1303, both dealing with renewable energy.

I also had the honor of authoring two guest opinion editorials for our local newspapers, Santa Barbara's Daily Sound and the Ventura County Star. In the Ventura Country Star article I go into more detail on AB 1302 and 1303 and why they, and renewable energy in general, is so crucial to our economy recovery. Click here to read the article.

In the Daily Sound article, which can be found by clicking here, I explain what my life in Sacramento is like. To sum it up, my days are a whirlwind of meetings and debates. Life in Sacramento is challenging and intense, but also rewarding. I am honored to serve you and am proud of the progress we have made together on so many important issues facing Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties and the state.

I am especially proud to be a part of establishing a mandate that will require 33 percent of the state's energy come from renewable sources by 2020. This marks a historic step forward in the effort to increase renewable energy use and build the green economy of the future.

We have also been hard at work here at home in the district. Over the past few months my office has held a series of town halls, mobile office hours and organized neighborhood councils in order to stay better connected and effectively address the needs of every community.

I'd also like to invite you all to two up coming special events. First, I will be having my 37th birthday celebration on July 9th from 4-6pm on board the Condor Express for a leisurely cruise around the Santa Barbara Harbor. Space is limited so please RSVP today (see contact info below). We have a lot to celebrate and I really hope to see you there. More information is available below.

Lastly, the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College is launching a fundraising drive for student scholarships. Every donation made in the month of June will be matched 50 cents on the dollar by The Bernard Osher Foundation so it's an important time to get as many donations as possible. Darcel Elliott, Emily Allen, Sherry Holland, and Marty Blum are organizing a phone bank on June 13th from 5:30-8:30pm at the Egenolf Associates Law Office, located at 130 E. Carrillo St. in Santa Barbara. It's incredibly important to support our local community college and I hope you will be able to join the phone bank and make some phone calls to SBCC donors.

That's all for now. I hope to hear from you all soon and thank you for your continued support.

Das

Save the Date:

Das is turning 37

Join Das on an evening cruise of the Santa Barbara Harbor in celebration of his 37th birthday

Saturday, July 9th, 2011

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Aboard the Condor Express

Sponsorship Levels

$3,900 Admiral - $2,500 Captain - $1,000 First mate

$500 Mate - $250 Sailor

$75 Passenger

More information to follow
RSVP to das.williams2012@gmail.com or 805-616-2594

Five Months in Sacramento

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:46:00 +0000

The following was printed in a DAILY SOUND Guest Column:

Assemblyman Das Williams spotlights achievements after 5 months in Sacramento

By DAS WILLIAMS -- MAY 31, 2011

Each morning begins with the sound of metal poles clanking, drums beating, protesters yelling, or speeches booming from Capitol Park. The most interesting was a few weeks ago when I woke up to a high pitched whine, which I dimly remembered was a signal of war and alarm, and slowly realized was an air raid siren.

I got out of bed and said to myself, “oh, that must be the teachers.” Thousands of classroom teachers, including a score from our area, were in town to highlight the state of emergency that public education is in and what could happen to our schools if we do not extend the current tax rate as the Governor has proposed. I roll into the shower, put on the suit – required attire on the floor e

very day, which is less than ideal for this central coaster -, and walk across the street to the Capitol to debate anywhere from twenty to one hundred bills a day.

Some of the bills do absolutely nothing, but express nice sentiments. Many are vital for the future of job creation, energy independence, and protection of the environment. To be a part of establishing one of the toughest energy efficiency standards in the nation; a mandate that would require 33 percent of the state’s energy to come from renewable sources is a rush for me. It is an extension of the work we started in the city of Santa Barbara by setting one of the most aggressive renewable energy programs in the state. Being a part of these efforts brings an added edge of pride to the work I do, knowing that it’s impact will benefit generations to come. It means middle-class jobs and guardianship of our environment.

But far more often, the impact I can make has to be far more subtle to be effective. My work includes suggesting amendments during committee hearings, asking the Governor or Speaker to appoint local people on important boards or delving into solutions for our budget deficit. Of course sometime it can be the wrong budget solution, like when I found out the first draft budget this year proposed eliminating 100 percent of our County's emergency room funding. So we went into overdrive that following week. Working behind the scenes and getting that overzealous cut out of the budget 2 hours before the vote.

When your life is measured in 15 minute increments of meetings and tasks, it can be a little bewildering. The hustle is intense. The tasks are often daunting, but we've balanced 64 percent of the deficit and we're not even late on the budget, yet. I guess things are getting better.

The bills we have are exciting: enabling Santa Barbara School Districts to unify and garner $6 million more each year, mapping the locations where new alternative energy is critically needed, doubling speeding fines in school zones when children are present, and promoting composting as an alternative to landfilling, which creates good jobs and helps the environment. But I don't always do it by making speeches. I observe. Listen. Ask questions and think critically. This is what it will take to get us to the way things should be, where people have good paying jobs that support a sustainable economy, where every child is afforded with the resources to reach his or her full potential, where our higher education system is our state’s economic engine.

I come back just about every week, usually Thursday nights. It's a district office day on Friday and community events on the weekend. I occasionally get a chance to surf and reflect. Above all I feel useful, and remain so honored to represent local people: our hopes, roots, and values.

Renewable Energy Is Crucial to Our Economic Recovery

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Sun, 29 May 2011 16:02:00 +0000

Californians are clearly struggling.

Over the past few months, I have spent a great deal of time traveling around the district, and I have heard the stories of many people who are unemployed. Some are new college graduates who can't find a good job. Others have had the same job for a decade or more, only to be let go due to the faltering economy.

This epidemic of unemployment has also played a big part (along with predatory lending, of course) in creating the stagnant housing market of the last few years, as paying your mortgage becomes difficult and in some cases impossible when the primary breadwinner loses his or her job.

Less home ownership further dries up the revenues collected by local governments, further depressing the economy — and the cycle continues.

Renewable and clean energy can be the way forward in getting our economy back on track. That is why I just voted for California's new and ambitious 33 percent renewable portfolio standard for utility companies. This means that by the year 2020, 33 percent of the state's energy will come from renewable resources. The jobs created by this effort will be in the thousands.

This effort makes sense financially and is the right thing to do to put the state back to work, move toward energy independence and conserve our limited natural resources. Further, I have introduced complementary legislation, Assembly Bill 1303 that would extend the sunset date for the public goods charge, which is a surcharge on energy bills based on electricity usage.

That money is set aside in a fund to be specifically used for energy efficiency programs, renewable energy programs and PIER (Public Interest Energy Research) Programs. Essentially, this is all our money and it funds research and development of energy efficiency both in the private sector and our university system.

The bill also takes a closer look at the programs funded by this charge to keep them honest, and continue a valuable investment in making our area part of a state that is leading the way in this technology.

Being a leader in energy efficiency is a pathway to job creation in the state. We should be investing in research and development of better ways to store wind and solar power. The state should be utilizing the California innovation that has made our state the home to so many creative and profitable industries; specifically we should do this to design more efficient transmission networks for the energy we produce. This technology will take a highly skilled, well-paid workforce, and California is its natural home.

Another innovative idea that will both help the environment and create jobs is found in my bill AB 1302. The bill deals with something called distributed generation, which is a common-sense idea of placing a power distribution plant near the community that is going to use the energy.

It can take the form of renewable energies such as solar or wind and fuel cells powered by natural gas or biogas. This cuts down on transit costs and energy lost over larger distances.

This means a city like Oxnard, which has the largest population between Los Angeles and San Jose, would be a good example of a place to locate a distribution plant being that it has a relatively high concentrated demand for electricity.

In the long run this could obviate the need for "peaker plants" and some of the dirty energy being produced in our community, replacing the jobs with better ones, cleaning up our air, and giving us a chance to use that beachfront land for open space.

We can use distributed generation to increase employment because it will require the creation and updating of existing infrastructure. AB 1302 would develop guidelines for investor-owned and publicly owned utilities to use when creating maps and identifying the best places to utilize distributed generation.

This bill would further make the distributed generation of electricity easier by ensuring that the technical information is accessible and up-to-date by requiring that maps illustrating possible locations be posted on the company's website and is updated as new information becomes available.

My two main goals since my election as your Assembly member have been putting people back to work and protecting the environment. With innovation and ingenuity, I hope that together we can make a difference on both fronts.

If you have questions or concerns please reach out to one of my district offices; in the Oxnard Transportation Center, 483-9808 or in Santa Barbara, 564-1649.

Santa Ynez VUHS Agricultural Program

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 19:30:00 +0000

ASSEMBLYMAN GETS TOUR OF SCHOOL'S AG PROGRAM

By Jeremy Foster, Santa Ynez Valley Journal, April 14, 2011

The Santa Ynez Valley Union High School FFA chapter received a special hour-long visit April 8 from Assemblyman Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara, who got an overview of the agricultural program and a tour of the school’s welding shop, horticulture garden, green house and livestock area.

Williams was greeted at the school’s flagpole by two ranking members in full-dress uniforms, the chapter’s President Emily Shimamura and Secretary Kylin Costa, who guided him to a classroom where he played student, while vice president Katie Enticknap, Costa and group historian Maryury Diaz showed a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the agricultural department program.

Chartered in 1932, the local FAA (Future Farmers of America) focuses on cultivating an interest in agriculture; above all, the aim is to create leaders, whether they end up in agriculture or ag-related fields, such as landscaping, the floral industry and veterinary medicine. This year, about 200 students are participating in the program, which is run through the school’s agriculture department under the tutelage of agriculture teacher, Kathy Bibby.

The visit came about a month after Shimimura attended the Sacramento Leadership Experience conference, where she met with Williams to discuss the school’s program and he promised to come see it first-hand.

Inside the classroom, Williams praised the chapter’s cadre of mostly girls, joking that it seemed the females were doing the heavy lifting. “I really appreciate you all being leaders,” he said. “But I wondered about some of the pictures. It’s always the guys in the goofing off photos and the ladies doing the leadership.” The assemblyman wheeled around toward Ryan Howard, the chapter’s reporter and farm co-manager at the school. “Thank you, Ryan, for being the exception,” he cracked.

Ryan, who expects to parlay the practical skills he’s learned from the program in whatever career he pursues, began the tour by showing Williams, who looked like a kid in a candy store, a large welding place filled with a plethora of tools to meld metal into shape. The team recently finished a blue sign that reads “Agricultural Education,” and depicts a man on horseback in the outback next to a steer and a dog.

“I want one of those,” Williams said with wonderment, grabbing a square metal dice and rolling it like a bowling ball until it thudded to a speedy stop. “That doesn’t roll very well, does it?” he said.

“Seriously, guys, this is an amazing facility,” he added. “There are so few schools that have this.” Ryan then showed him a freestanding PlasmaCAM, a large machine used for cutting artistic metal shapes and custom parts. “We call this Big Bertha, because we’re afraid some people might get sucked in there because it’s so strong,” he said with a nervous laugh. “But we’re really accomplished safety-wise.”

Next stop was a plot where a variety of apple trees were grafted onto semi-dwarf rootstocks, which manipulate the size of the mature trees. Williams and Bibby discussed the rootstocks and scion varieties, such as Fuji, Granny Smith, Orange Taymen and Red Fuji. “It creates some life-long interests for students to learn how to grow and propagate their own fruits and vegetables,” she told Williams, adding that over the years more than 1,200 trees from the plot have been dispersed throughout the Valley.

Farther west awaited the greenhouse serving as a student teaching lab for horticultural projects. “Make sure you get this for the papers,” Williams said, flashing a grin as he pointed at the bright green succulents.

Ryan guided him to the school’s 3-acres of land set aside for garden plots used by the school’s horticulture classes, and a pasture with two barns for 30 farm animals, some of which are breeding sheep owned by the school and managed by students. In fact, many students go the extra mile and raise their animals and sell them at the Santa Barbara County fair.

“Woooo! Salads,” Williams joked, looking over the plots. “We use all-organic fertilizer,” Ryan explained. “We got a generous donation from our friends at the miniature horse farm.”

“And that kind of donation never ends,” quipped Bibby.

Williams, who has visited more than a dozen schools since he took office, said interacting with students is his top priority. “It’s important to take down the barriers, perceived or otherwise, to our government,” he told the Journal. “Besides, I love interacting with youth. Their energy and curiosity is infectious and should be rewarded more.”

“The FFA students are smart, motivated and believe, like I do, that we could do a better job of bringing farmers and environmentalists together to pursue reasonable policies,” he added.

Enticknap, who hopes to attend the conference in Sacramento next year, said she was heartened to see an assembly person take a strong interest in the local agricultural program. “I think it’s really great that he’s coming to our school and looking at agriculture’s perspective on things,” she said, “because agriculturalists are the ones who are feeding the world and giving clothing, and people aren’t recognizing that.”

Hands Across California

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:23:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

As you may recall... last month we held our first town hall on the budget. Last Friday, we held our second community forum, this time in Santa Barbara, to hear your opinions on this important issue.

Last month our Ventura County constituents made it clear that they were willing to do whatever it took to balance the budget, including extending current revenue rates and making some painful cuts to vital services. This time, our Santa Barbara constituents made it clear that they were willing to do whatever it takes to save our public education system. They approved all the extensions to current revenue rates, actually increased the deficit to increase funding to K-12 education, and rejected the cuts to our public higher education system. Of course, this meant that they didn't end up balancing the budget but the message was clear: we value our public education system above all else.

It is because of this that I invite you all to join me in supporting our community colleges at Hands Across California this Sunday, April 17th. Hands Across California is an extraordinary event that will serve to raise awareness of the importance of our education system while also serving as a fundraising tool for the California Community Colleges Scholarship Endowment. It will consist of a long line of people holding hands for 10 minutes up and down the coast, and extending into the Central Valley, Sunday at 2pm. Our former community organizer extraordinaire, Sherry Holland, is organizing the event locally and I am happy to be supporting the effort.

As many of you know, I am an alumnus of Santa Barbara City College. I know, firsthand, the struggle that one must go through to put themself through school. I was forced to live out of my van at Ledbetter Beach so that I could pay my student fees and stay in school. I was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to attend UC Berkeley and was able to transfer. Unfortunately, nowadays, it is just as common for students to leave our UC and CSU systems to finish their education at less expensive community colleges. And many of our most valuable employees were trained at a community college. For example, 70% of nurses received their education at a community college. Community colleges are truly the foundation of our higher education system.

I will be speaking at the center of our Santa Barbara activity, on the corner of Santa Barbara and Sola Streets, at 1:30 pm on Sunday. However, there will be several meeting locations throughout the state. Please visit http://www.handsacrosscalifornia.org/ to find your place in line and to find out how else you can support this important cause.

The Hands Across California line will be running right alongside Santa Barbara's massive Earth Day Festival. The festival begins this Saturday, the 16th, from 11am-7pm and ends Sunday, the 17th, from 11am-6pm. There will be a lot of exhibitors and activities on both days. I'm particularly excited about the Green Car Show! We will have a table both days of the festival, located near the main stage on the Sola Street side of the park. Make sure to come by and say hi!

I look forward to seeing you all soon and thank you for your continued support.

Das

Black Bear Protection

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:01:00 +0000

Tuesday, April 05 2011

Williams Leads Legislators to Protect Black Bears ^Featured

SACRAMENTO — Nearly 20 state legislators have joined Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) in opposing a proposal before the California Fish and Game Commission to increase the annual quota of black bears allowed to be killed annually by nearly 20 percent.

Yesterday the legislators sent their letter to the Commission condemning the proposed increase to bear hunting.

“These new regulations are in no way justified or fiscally prudent” Williams said. “This annual cycle of unjustified expansions will chew up constituent and Department staff time.”

For the past three years expansion proposals have been shelved after vigorous opposition.

In February, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) unveiled a proposal that would raise the annual quota of black bears to be harvested from 1,700 to 2,000 bears. The majority of those bears killed are through the use of hound hunting, which involves using packs of dogs to chase bears to exhaustion so they can be shot when they are helpless of escape. The dogs’ collars are fitted with transmitters so that the hunter does not have to actively pursue the prey during the chase. California is among 17 states that allow hound hunting of the 30 states that allow bear hunting.

Joining Assemblyman Williams in a letter to the Commission rejecting the increase are Assembly Members Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), Jim Jim Jim Beall, Jr. (D-San Jose), Marty Block (D-San Diego), Bob Blumenfield (D-San Fernando Valley), Mike Eng (D-Monterey Park), Paul Fong (D-Cupertino), Isadore Hall (D-Los Angeles), Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco), Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge), Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana), Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), Mary Hayashi (D-Hayward), Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) and Senators Ron Calderon (D-Montebello), Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley), Ted Lieu (D-Long Beach), Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) and Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica).

The commission is expected to discuss this issue at its regular scheduled meeting Thursday, April 7.

Website for Assemblymember Das Williams: http://assembly.ca.gov/Williams

Contact: James Joyce III 805.483.9808

St. Paddy's Day 2011

daswilliams.com@gmail.com (daswilliams.com@gmail.com) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:48:00 +0000

Das is always looking for an educational opportunity in the work he does. A recent example was when he rode his body and electric powered Trikke in Ventura’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, 3/12/11, even while passing out "A Student’s Guide to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint" to parade watchers.