Jeff Gorell for Assembly 2012 is hosting a final precinct walk this Saturday to gather signatures for Jeff’s candidacy filing. Jeff will be completing his deployment and returning home in just a few short weeks.
Please show your support for Jeff’s re-election and join us!

Sincerely,

Laura Gorell

Date: Saturday, February 11th, 2012

Time: 10:30 am – 1:30 pm

Meeting Location:
Gorell for Assembly 2012 Headquarters
2219 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Suite 209
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362

Contact:
Amanda Broggie
(805) 651-9618
amanda@jeffgorell.org
info@jeffgorell.org

Lunch will be served.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                     CONTACT: JAKE PARSONS
DATE: January 25, 2012                                                                                                               

TOM DEL BECCARO ENDORSES TONY STRICKLAND
California Republican Party Chairman says Strickland is the best choice for fiscal conservatives

CAMARILLO, CA- California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro today announced his endorsement of State Senator Tony Strickland in the campaign for California’s newly drawn 26th Congressional District.

“I’ve known Tony for a long time and there is no one who can represent this community better than him,” said Del Beccaro. “He has a distinguished record of service to Ventura County families and will make a fantastic representative in Congress. We desperately need more people in Washington, D.C. willing to stand up for fiscal discipline and our shared values. I’m proud to endorse Tony Strickland for Congress.”

Chairman Del Beccaro’s endorsement of Tony Strickland is his first of the election cycle.

“I’m humbled and grateful to have the support of Chairman Del Beccaro in this race. He’s been a tremendous advocate for responsible fiscal policy and a fantastic Chairman,” said Strickland.

Immediately after announcing his campaign for Congress, the Strickland campaign raised $317,915 in the first day.

State Senator Tony Strickland was elected to the California State Senate representing parts of Ventura, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Counties in 2008. He previously served the area as a member of the State Assembly from 1998 to 2004. He is marred to his wife of 13 years, Audra. Together they have two small children: Ruby Ruth and Anthony Paul.

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  ]]> http://www.venturagop.org/2012/01/25/tom-del-beccaro-endorses-tony-strickland/feed/ 0 http://www.venturagop.org/2012/01/25/tom-del-beccaro-endorses-tony-strickland/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/venturagop/~3/MLK8qROm8bc/ http://www.venturagop.org/2012/01/18/villegas-action-needed-for-economic-recovery/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:00:55 +0000 admin http://www.venturagop.org/?p=769 Nationally, retail sales are up, unemployment numbers have fallen slightly, and people are feeling that we may be starting to recover from the recession.

Unfortunately, California has not felt the hopes of recovery as strongly as the rest of the nation. As states like Texas celebrate renewed economic growth, our own media are filled with stories of California companies deciding to close their doors and move to other states.

The recurring theme in these stories is that it has become too expensive to run their companies here in California, and other states have become far more responsive to their needs.

Recognizing this problem, Gov. Jerry Brown has stated that he wishes to “boost California’s economic competitiveness, bring greater fiscal stability to the state and reform the regulatory process to promote business growth.”

This is a noble goal, but the governor’s problem continues to be the unelected bureaucrats who don’t share this commitment to regulatory reform. Poorly written laws that create poorly conceived regulations cost California businesses and homeowners billions of dollars every year. As companies retool for an economic recovery, our regulatory environment will be the difference between these businesses expanding to provide local jobs or closing their doors and moving to another state.

One recent law, which threatens our economic recovery, is AB 32 passed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to curtail greenhouse gases. We now recognize that the language in the bill was far too vague, giving unelected regulators in the California Air Resources Board the power to adopt far-reaching rules without specific concerns about the negative impact on businesses and citizens.

Ventura County Assemblyman Jeff Gorell has encouraged the governor to use his authority to suspend the implementation of AB 32 until California’s unemployment rate drops dramatically.

A recent example of overregulation was a set of proposed rules by the state water board to regulate stormwater runoff. The initial proposals would have cost billions of dollars annually without clear results or clear reasons for the regulations in the first place.

It would mean that any parking lot, any sidewalk and any landscaping can be subject to sudden regulation based on how rainwater flows over and through the surface. Cities, schools and businesses in Ventura County would need to spend tens of millions of dollars to comply while no one has quantified the benefits.

The California Department of Transportation has estimated that these regulations could cost it nearly a billion dollars annually, and the California Building Industry Association estimates that the costs for businesses to comply will be between $5,000 and $60,000 per acre. Fortunately, federal courts have held up these overreaching regulations for the time being.

California shouldn’t have to rely on the federal government to save us from our bad decisions. Recently, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would force Congress to take an up-or-down vote on regulations costing more than $100 million or more in economic impact. While Congressmen Elton Gallegly and Buck McKeon supported the legislation, it is bogged down in the U.S. Senate by partisan gridlock.

When Assemblyman Gorell returns from Afghanistan, economic development and job growth will be his top priorities. He hopes to work closely with Gov. Brown to achieve the regulatory reform the governor touted his first year in office. One idea the Legislature and governor should consider is a simple version of the federal law, where anytime a state agency passes legislation with more than $10 million in annual economic impacts the regulation should be brought back to the Legislature for a simple up-or-down vote.

Only by making elected legislators responsible for these regulations will California begin to clean up the destructive bureaucracy that is preventing the Golden State from joining in on our national recovery. We can either take action now or we can continue to watch as more jobs leave California forever.

Ernie Villegas is district director for Assemblyman Jeff Gorell, R-Camarillo, who represents the 37th District, located in Ventura County.

From the Ventura County Star: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/jan/14/villegas-action-needed-for-economic-recovery/

State Senator Tony Strickland

to announce his candidacy for United States Congress

Tuesday, January 17, 2012
9:30 AM

Commemorative Air Force – Southern California Wing
Aviation Museum
455 Aviation Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010

Immediately following the event, attendees will be treated to a VIP tour of the museum with Wing Leader Steve Barber.

For information, please call 805-910-9393.

January 7, 2012

Contact: Tom Pfeifer 703-447-8319

Gallegly to retire at end of 112^th Congress

SIMI VALLEY, CA—With his wife, Janice, standing at his side, U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties), the longest serving U.S. representative in Ventura County history, told a small group of close friends Friday night that he will not seek re-election and will retire at the end of the current Congress.

“Janice and I want to thank everyone who has been with us through more than 30 years of public service,” Gallegly said. “Serving in Congress and representing my home for 25 years is the greatest experience I could have ever asked for. Working with our country’s leadership on a daily basis in striving to move toward a better, stronger and more vibrant America for more than two decades has been a dream come true. The decision to step aside at this time did not come lightly. But in the end, Janice and I decided now was the right time to begin the next chapter in our lives. We are truly blessed to have our health, our family, and so many, many friends that we look forward to spending more time with.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to have served our communities and our country for the past 25 years and I look forward to continue to do so for the next year.”

Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten said:

“I am saddened at the prospect of a Congress without Elton Gallegly. He has been a true friend to law enforcement who went to Washington to serve his community and our great nation. His legacy will be that of a principled and committed patriot who served his constituents, not special interests, and helped make our community, and indeed America, safer and stronger.”

Mike Sedell, Simi Valley’s City Manager and Gallegly’s first Chief of Staff from 1986-1990, said:

“Having known Elton for over 30 years, first when he was elected mayor, then as his first chief of staff, and finally for the past 21 years as a close friend, I can attest first-hand to the fact that few if any elected officials in this country are more dedicated to the concerns of their constituents on a 24/7 basis, 365 days per year.

“Elton has always been humbled by the trust that voters placed in him and has worked tirelessly to continue to deliver excellent constituent services, to be responsive to all of the communities that he represents, and to take very seriously each of the many thousands of votes that he has cast on behalf of those who elected him. While I am saddened that he is leaving Congress, as a friend I know that he will do well in the future and will continue to involve public service and family in all that he does.”

Arthur Finkelstein of Arthur J. Finkelstein and Associates said:

“I have done political analysis for Elton Gallegly since his first congressional campaign. I know that he remains very strong and, in my judgment, would be the favorite to win in either district. The base of his support is unusually solid.”

Gallegly is Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement and will continue in the next year to work with his colleagues to help businesses create jobs for Americans and to protect Americans from its enemies, foreign and domestic.

A native Southern Californian, Gallegly settled in the Ventura County community of Simi Valley in 1968.

He entered public life in 1979 with his election to the Simi Valley City Council and, in 1982, became the City’s first directly elected mayor. He held that post until he ran for Congress in 1986 when the incumbent ran for the Senate. Outspent 2-1, Gallegly’s local ties gave him a landslide victory in the 1986 primary over Tony Hope, son of comedian Bob Hope.

Elton and Janice have four children and 10 grandchildren.

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Statement of Subcommittee Chairman Elton Gallegly
Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement
Oversight Hearing on “STEM the Tide: Should America Try to Prevent an Exodus of Foreign Graduates of U.S. Universities with Advanced Science Degrees?”

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Good afternoon. America has many of the finest universities in the world. Talented students from around the globe seek to come here to pursue their studies. The State Department issued an all-time high of over 400,000 new student visas in 2010. Foreign students can enrich our universities and, after they graduate, many stay here as workers to help American businesses grow.

Among the cream of the crop are those foreign students who receive advanced degrees in what are known as STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and math. One of our witnesses today, Darla Whitaker of Texas Instruments, will testify as to how these foreign STEM graduates keep American companies on the cutting edge.

They can also give America a competitive advantage. A number of studies have found a remarkable level of entrepreneurship among immigrant scientists and engineers.

When foreign STEM students graduate, many want to stay in the U.S., at least temporarily. However, according to a survey by Vivek Wadhwa, who will be testifying today, most students who would like to stay are concerned about finding jobs in the U.S. and obtaining work visas.

Their anxiety is surely due to our depressed economy, the shortage of H-1B visas during boom times and the waiting lists for employment-based green cards, which seem to grow during good times and bad.

This issue raises some important questions, including: Should we desire that all these foreign graduates remain in the U.S.? Should we encourage them to stay by enacting visa reform? These are the subjects of today’s hearing.

Mr. Wadhwa worries that “the departure of these foreign [graduates] could represent a significant loss for the U.S. science and engineering workforce, in which such immigrants have played increasingly larger roles over the past three decades.”

However, one thing we have to keep in mind is how American students are impacted by our immigration policies. Another of our witnesses today, Lindsay Lowell, worries that “depressed wages and discouraged workers result if supply outstrips demand.” He writes that “highly qualified [American] students may be choosing a non-STEM job because it pays better [and] offers a more stable professional career . . . .”

And, another of today’s witnesses, Barmak Nassirian, worries that a “systemic threat to academic integrity has emerged in the form of questionable schools that have managed to establish eligibility for participation in federal student aid as collegiate institutions.”

Could such schools take advantage of any decision by Congress to increase the availability of visas to foreign students graduating with STEM degrees?

I look forward to hearing our witnesses’ diverse and valuable perspectives at today’s hearing.

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Statement of Subcommittee Chairman Elton Gallegly
Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement
Hearing on the Investor Visa Program: Key to Creating American Jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Good morning. Almost 10,000 green cards a year are available
through the investor visa program for foreign businessmen who invest in American
businesses and create jobs for American workers. If investors and their families
utilized all these visas, and each investor created the 10 jobs called for by the
program, tens of thousands of jobs a year would be created. That is something I’m
sure all of us could all rally around.

And yet, the investor visa program is presently underutilized. DHS issued only
749 investor visas in 2006, rising to 2,480 in 2010. The program has the
potential to be a far larger job creator.

The recent growth we have seen in the investor visa program has come from the
regional center pilot program. A regional center pools investments in defined
economic zones. The establishment of a regional center may be based on general
predictions concerning the kinds of commercial enterprises that will receive
capital, the jobs that will be created directly or indirectly as a result of such
capital investments, and the other positive economic effects such investments will
have. Numerous regional centers exist in my state of California.

The regional center program expires in a year. We will examine today its level of
success in generating jobs, the merits of a reauthorization and the appropriate
length of a reauthorization.

We will also examine another proposal that has been made to utilize unused
investor visas. What if we were to make green cards available not just to foreign
investors willing to invest in American businesses, but to foreign entrepreneurs
with visions of new ways of doing business and whole new industries? For those
new businesses that pay off, we could be talking not 10 jobs but thousands of
jobs.

This idea — called the “start-up” visa — has gained a lot of support in recent
years in venture capital circles. A number of Members have introduced legislation
proposing such a visa program, including my good friend Ranking Member Lofgren.

While I am not prepared at this time to declare my support, this innovative
proposal deserves Congress’ serious consideration. We will give it that
consideration today.
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Gallegly Hosts Informational Nights for Young Adults
Interested in Attending Military Academies

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Ventura & Santa Barbara Counties) will host two Academy Information Nights this month for young adults interested in attending one of America’s military academies.

The informational nights will be on Monday, September 26, at Thousand Oaks High School cafeteria, 2323 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks, and Tuesday, September 27, in the Adolfo Camarillo High School cafeteria, 4660 Mission Oaks Blvd., Camarillo. Both sessions begin at 7 p.m.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens; have reached their 17th birthday but not their 23rd; and be unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligation for support of a child or other dependents. High school students are welcome to preview what will be expected should they wish to apply. Parents and siblings are also welcome.

Representatives from each branch of the U.S. military will be on hand to discuss the application process. Information on the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy will be presented.

Nominees for appointment to the service academies are selected on a competitive basis, using criteria determined by the academies to be indicative of one’s potential for success as a Cadet, Midshipman or Airman. Each member of Congress can recommend a limited number of recruits for each academy. The nominees must reside in the member’s congressional district. Gallegly will make 10 nominations for each vacancy. The academies will select the most all-around qualified nominees for appointment.

During the nominations process, applicants will be evaluated on academic qualifications, leadership ability and physical aptitude, as well as an interview with members of Gallegly’s Academy Selection Board.

For more information on Academy Information Night, contact Deputy Director Tom Widroe at (805) 686-2525. Interested students may also wish to visit Gallegly’s academy nominations Web page at http://www.house.gov/gallegly/services/academies.htm, which includes links to the different academies.

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