In the News
The Press Enterprise: Takano to recognize educators who saved girl
Two Moreno Valley educators who saved a 5-year-old's life after she was crushed by a school bus will be honored at Rep. Mark Takano's first town hall meeting since his election.Box Springs Elementary School Principal Sam Stager and special education teacher Stephanie Brown performed CPR on the girl following the accident last month.Takano, D-Riverside, will give updates on legislative issues and answer questions from the public at the session scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, April 27, at … Continue Reading
April 25, 2013
The Press Enterprise: CONGRESS:Mark Takano hosting town hall; immigration among topics
Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, is hosting his first town hall meeting since winning election last November.The town hall will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 27 at Phillip M. Stokoe Elementary School, 4501 Ambs Drive in Riverside. The event is free and open to the public.The congressman will update residents on issues and take questions during the meeting. Takano's communications director tells me that immigration will a lead topic.Takano has been busy since he officially took office in … Continue Reading
April 25, 2013
The Bay Area Reporter: Takano fights efforts to 'turn back clock' on equality
In a wide ranging interview, California's first openly gay congressman, in office just over 100 days, addressed the challenging issues facing the LGBT community and pledged to fight efforts to "turn back the clock" on equality and opportunity.Before discussing LGBT issues, Congressman Mark Takano (D-Riverside), in a telephone interview from his Capitol Hill office, said the Boston Marathon bombings and the citywide lockdown, in effect at the time of the April 19 interview, had … Continue Reading
April 24, 2013
Imperial Valley News: Senator Boxer Testifies on Legislation to Designate Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial in Riverside
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) testified today at a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks on her Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial Act, which would designate the Distinguished Flying Cross Memorial at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California, as a national memorial to recognize members of our Armed Forces who have distinguished themselves by heroism in aerial flight.The legislation is cosponsored by Senators Dianne Feinstein … Continue Reading
April 10, 2013
Washington Post Op-Ed: Obama’s intransigent backbench
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, red in the face, took off his jacket and rolled up a shirt sleeve — but there was no relief from the discomfort of his affliction. The poor guy is suffering from triangulation. The man triangulating him, President Obama, has proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare as part of an attempt to find a middle ground in the budget debate. For Sanders (I), a liberal member of the Senate Democratic caucus, the betrayal stung so badly that he literally took to the … Continue Reading
April 08, 2013
The Press Enterprise: Airport control tower gets temporary reprieve
The closure of 149 airport control towers nationwide due to federal budget cuts has been delayed by two months, which means the tower at the Riverside Municipal Airport won't close Sunday, April 7, as expected.The Federal Aviation Administration announced the delay Friday. The towers that were to be closed are at smaller airports and are staffed through contracts funded by the FAA. The new closure date is June 15, according to an FAA news release.FAA officials chose to delay to give them time … Continue Reading
April 03, 2013
The Press Enterprise: Multiple visits to Inland members of Congress
Inland Reps. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert and Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Chino, all have publicly announced support for legislation that includes a path to citizenship. Calvert backs legalization - but not a path to citizenship - for some adult unauthorized immigrants, and potential citizenship for many unauthorized immigrants who came here as children. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, is a staunch opponent of a path to … Continue Reading
April 02, 2013
MSNBC: Watershed Moment for Same Sex Marriage?
Arguments have come to a close in the Supreme Court cases against DOMA and Proposition 8, but opinions about it have not. Richard Lui and Rep. Mark Takano, the first openly gay minority congress member, discussed the cases and what it could mean for the country going forward. This time around voters in his district cared less that he was gay and more that he was an educator. He believes the public is ready to accept an expansive ruling on same sex marriage. Asked if this is the best time for … Continue Reading
March 27, 2013
The Press Enterprise: Congressman tells students to set goals
Rep. Mark Takano is working in his dream job as a congressman, and Tuesday morning, he got to do his favorite part, talking to students at the Riverside schools he had attended.Takano addressed an assembly of the eighth-graders at Arizona Middle School and then went to talk to 12th-grade government students at La Sierra High School, both in Alvord Unified School District in southwest Riverside."My favorite part of my job is to do this, listen to the people in the district, especially young … Continue Reading
March 25, 2013
Bloomberg: Gay Marriage as Supreme Ruling Recalls Dred Scott, Selma
The Supreme Court will hear arguments in two cases. One, from California, is brought by two couples challenging the legality of Proposition 8, an initiative passed by voters in November 2008 that banned same-sex marriage. The other case seeks to overturn a 1996 federal law, the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a heterosexual union. Under the statute, legally married gay couples aren't entitled to the federal benefits other spouses receive.The case the court will hear Tuesday … Continue Reading
March 21, 2013
The Press Enterprise: Takano fighting to save our controller
Congressman Mark Takano of Riverside is fighting to keep Riverside Municipal Airport's lone air traffic controller from becoming a victim of the across-the-board federal spending cuts known as … Continue Reading
March 20, 2013
The Press Enterprise: Tying education to business
At least two new efforts are underway by California legislators to connect college studies with practical job training. Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, has introduced the Job Skills for America’s Students Act, which would provide employers who participate in a technical training and skills program with a $2,000 tax credit per student. Businesses would be able to earn a total credit of $10,000 per year with the program. Takano’s office said the law is designed to promote partnerships such as … Continue Reading
March 19, 2013
Yahoo! News: Chained CPI: A direct attack on middle class and working class people
Barack Obama " prefers " it. Nancy Pelosi is willing to consider it. The AARP, organised labour, and progressive Democrats in and out of elected office are entirely opposed. It is "Chained CPI", the new favourite bit of jargon being tossed around in very serious policy circles as a possible bargaining chip in a budget Grand Bargain. The consumer price index (CPI) is a measure of inflation that is used to calculate cost-of-living-increases for programmes like Social Security. The "chained … Continue Reading
March 15, 2013
The Press Enterprise: Mark Takano critical of proposed immigration change
One of the eight senators putting together a comprehensive immigration reform bill said he favors making it much more difficult for relatives of U.S. citizens to obtain green cards. “Green cards should be reserved for the nuclear family. Green cards are economic engines for the country,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican. “This is not a family court we’re dealing with here. We’re dealing about an economic need.” Immigrant-rights advocates quickly criticized the proposal, … Continue Reading
March 13, 2013
The Press Enterprise: Riverside rep seeks to stop airport cut
As Riverside officials prepare their 2013-14 budget, they’re bracing for six figures in federal funding cuts due to what’s known as sequestration. This week, their new representative in Washington went to bat for them, at least on one item. The so-called sequester is a plan to reduce the national debt by forcing across-the-board federal spending cuts. Among those cuts, the Federal Aviation Administration will stop paying to staff control towers at more than 100 smaller, less heavily used … Continue Reading
February 28, 2013
KPCC: Congressman Takano wrestles with sequestration on 2 fronts
You’d think with sequestration poised to kick in on Friday that voters would be giving their Congress members an earful. Surprisingly, not so much. But the budget battle is very much on the mind of one freshman from Southern California. It’s a fairly quiet Wednesday morning in Democrat Mark Takano’s office. A group from UC Riverside dropped by to speak with his staff, and the phone rings from time to time. But few of the calls are about sequestration. In the back office, Chay Halbert is … Continue Reading
February 27, 2013
CNET: Meet Rep. Mark Takano, the frosh congressman who Vines
California Democrat Mark Takano, a freshman congressman, today released a Vine and a YouTube video showcasing milestone achievements in his nascent legislative career. Takano used a Vine to show the process of submitting his first piece of legislation, and also released aYouTube video showing his first speech on the floor of the House of Representatives. Takano's use of Twitter's new video service is the latest in a string of people utilizing Vine for what might be considered emergent … Continue Reading
February 26, 2013
The Press Enterprise: Takano introduces first bill
Newly elected Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, has introduced his first piece of legislation, a bill designed to help veterans with service-related disabilities. The VetSuccess Enhancement Act seeks to extend the eligibility for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Rehabilitation & Education VetSuccess program from 12 years to 17 years. In a news release, Takano said too many veterans are having trouble finding work once they leave the military. “And many of those who fought in the name of … Continue Reading
February 25, 2013
The Press Enterprise: March officials say automatic funding cuts would hurt mission
In Congressional testimony this week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that automatic cuts - known as sequestration - could trigger furlough days for as many as 800,000 civilian employees. It's not yet known how that would play out at March ARB. Base spokesman Lt. Col. Donald Traud said he expects to receive more information next week.Department of Defense comptroller Robert F. Hale said in a news conference Wednesday, Feb. 20, that the readiness of most non-deployed Air Force units will be … Continue Reading
February 14, 2013
The Press Enterprise: Automatic budget cuts threaten March, Takano says
Training flight hours at March Air Reserve Base would be cut 18 percent and contractors could lose base-related business if across-the-board federal spending cuts go into effect March 1, Rep. Mark Takano said Thursday, Feb. 14. Takano, D-Riverside, outlined the consequences of the $1.2 billion worth of cuts, known as sequestration, in a news release. Lawmakers agreed to sequestration to provide an incentive to Republicans and Democrats to reach a budget deal. If sequestration takes effect, … Continue Reading