News Room: Miscellaneous
November 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today his selection of Kepler’s Books and Magazines as the 11th Senate District’s Small Business of the Year. This is the second time Simitian has given the award to Kepler’s.
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May 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
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Today, the State Senate unanimously passed a bill by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) which would make it easier for surplus, unopened medication to be donated to uninsured Californians. The vote was 38-0.
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Wednesday, May 16, 2012
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that he will hold his eighth annual Ice Cream Social and Open House on Thursday, May 24, from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM at his office in Santa Cruz. He invites residents of the 11th State Senate District to drop in for informal conversation and ice cream.
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Tuesday, May 15, 2012
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) will hold a community celebration May 22 at the Los Altos History Museum to honor Monique Kane as the 11th State Senate District’s Woman of the Year. Kane is Executive Director of the Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC), a nonprofit mental health services agency in Mountain View.
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April 2012
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today his selection of Monique Kane, Executive Director of the Community Health Awareness Council, a nonprofit mental health services agency in Mountain View, as the 11th State Senate District’s Woman of the Year.
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March 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) will speak to Palo Alto High School students on Friday about what it’s like to be a state Senator as part of the school’s annual Career Month Speaker Series.
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January 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) today announced the availability of applications for the 2012-2013 California Senate Fellows program. The program provides college graduates an opportunity to become full-time Senate staff at the state Capitol in Sacramento for 11 months beginning in October 2012.
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October 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that he will extend the deadline for his 11th and final "There Oughta Be A Law" contest, which each year invites Californians to submit ideas for new state legislation. The new deadline is November 15, 2011.
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Thursday, October 13, 2011
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Gov. Jerry Brown probably made more good than bad decisions on various bills this fall. But it was infuriating to see him veto Sen. Joe Simitian’s bill requiring full disclosure to women whose mammograms may be ineffective.
It was so simple, so certain to save lives that we could not imagine a veto. But the medical establishment pulled out all the stops to kill it.
Amy Colton persuaded Simitian to carry the bill after she was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer despite years of supposedly clear mammograms. She learned, too late, that her dense breast tissue obscured the cancer. This condition is noted in reports to doctors but not in reports sent to patients, who develop a false sense of security.
In his veto statement, Brown said women should have the information, but he objected to the notification suggesting women talk to their physicians about further screening. Good grief. If women learn mammograms aren’t effective for them, they’d be crazy not to ask about alternatives.
When the Legislature reconvenes, Simitian should resubmit the bill minus the offending suggestion to consult doctors. The original bill got broad bipartisan support. In the meantime, Colton and Simitian may have saved lives just by airing the issue: All women should ask their doctors about dense breast tissue. And—sorry, governor—about alternative screening.
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Tuesday, October 11, 2011
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Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed State Senator Joe Simitian’s (D-Palo Alto) bill to improve breast cancer detection, notwithstanding the bill’s broad bipartisan support (35-1 in the Senate, 66-6 in the Assembly). Senate Bill 791 required that following a mammogram, women with dense breast tissue be informed that: they have dense breast tissue; that dense breast tissue can obscure abnormalities (i.e., cancer) on a mammogram; and that they may wish to discuss the potential value of additional screening(s) with their doctors.
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Thursday, October 06, 2011
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Governor Jerry Brown has signed State Senator Joe Simitian’s (D-Palo Alto) bill to expand the California Capital Access Program (CalCAP) for small businesses. Through Senate Bill 225, small trucking companies will be able to access financing mechanisms for fleet upgrades necessary to improve air quality.
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Monday, October 03, 2011
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County governments will be better able to cover the growing number of California children who lack health insurance under legislation signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. Senate Bill 36, introduced by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), enables counties that provide children’s health insurance to tap additional federal funds at no cost to the state. The bill goes into effect January 1, 2012.
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September 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
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Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) to revise and update California’s bond laws. Senate Bill 506 changes existing law to clearly allow the recipient of a registered warrant to use the warrant to offset or pay an existing tax liability.
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Tuesday, September 20, 2011
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No, Sen. Joe Simitian isn't even thinking about trying to override Gov. Jerry Brown's veto of his bill that would have required doctors to inform women with high breast density that they have the condition -- which can mask tumors during mammograms.
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Monday, September 12, 2011
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State Senator Joe Simitian’s (D-Palo Alto) bill to improve breast cancer detection has passed the State Legislature and now goes to the Governor for consideration. Senate Bill 791 requires that following a mammogram, patients with dense breast tissue be informed that they have dense breast tissue, that dense breast tissue can obscure abnormalities (i.e., cancer) on a mammogram and that they may wish to discuss the potential value of additional screening(s) with their doctors.
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Wednesday, September 07, 2011
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For seven straight years since turning 40, Amy Colton religiously scheduled a mammogram. Every year, the test showed nothing.
Two years ago, however, the registered nurse was shocked to discover she was in the latter stages of breast cancer. Then she learned that her radiologist and primary-care physician knew she had a condition that blocks the detection of cancer cells in mammograms—but they never told her.
Now she’s even more shocked that California’s powerful medical lobby is trying to block legislation that would require physicians to tell women if they have the condition, known as “extremely dense breast tissue.”
“I’m the patient; it’s my body. But I was never informed,” said Colton, who lives in Soquel. “It just took my breath away.”
Colton took her complaint to Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, who introduced SB 173, which would require doctors to tell women if they have the condition.
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Thursday, September 01, 2011
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County governments will be better able to cover the growing number of California children who lack health insurance under legislation that passed the Assembly and the Senate today. Senate Bill 36, introduced by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), enables counties that provide children’s health insurance to tap additional federal funds at no cost to the state. The bill now goes to the Governor for his signature.
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August 2011
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
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Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law Senate Bill 514, by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto). The bill prohibits the sale of over the counter cold and cough medicines containing dextromethorphan (DXM) to minors. California becomes the first state in the nation to take such action.
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Monday, August 29, 2011
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) today said he welcomes the just- released statement from the California High Speed Rail Peer Review Group that supports “a blended system” for High Speed Rail on the San Francisco to San Jose corridor. The “blended” approach was proposed by U.S. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, State Senator Joe Simitian and State Assemblyman Rich Gordon earlier this year in order to minimize community impacts and reduce the project’s cost.
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July 2011
Friday, July 08, 2011
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that he will be adding additional dates to his “sidewalk office hours” calendar. The Senator has scheduled seven additional dates in July and August. Simitian invites community members to visit and voice their questions and concerns about state legislative issues.
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Tuesday, July 05, 2011
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Mammograms should be recommended to women based on several individual risk factors, such as age, family history and breast density, doctors said in a study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
But how many women know their breast density?
Under legislation proposed in California, every woman who has a mammogram would also receive information on her breast density. Studies have confirmed that having more high-density tissue, which has less fat, raises breast cancer risk while having more low-density tissue lowers it.
The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 173, is opposed by several medical groups, however. In a recent statement, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of District IX, the California Radiological Society, the California Medical Assn. and other groups say they oppose the bill.
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June 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
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There’s one thing worse than a medical report that says you have cancer. That’s a report that says everything’s peachy keen—even though the procedure couldn’t really tell.
Soquel resident Amy Colton got caught in this trap. Despite annual all-clear mammograms, she suddenly found she had advanced breast cancer. Only then did she learn that she is among millions of women whose tissue is too dense for a mammogram to detect a small tumor.
And she’s a registered nurse.
Colton won state Sen. Joe Simitian’s “There Oughta Be a Law” contest, and he introduced SB 173 to require that patients be told if they have dense tissue. Then, they and their doctors—who already get this information routinely—can decide whether to have further screening.
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Thursday, June 16, 2011
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) will be joined by breast cancer survivor and “ARE YOU DENSE?” founder, Nancy Cappello, PhD and radiologist Dr. Judy Dean at a press conference to discuss Senate Bill 173 and the importance of a patient’s right to knowledge about breast density.
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Friday, June 03, 2011
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County governments will be better able to cover the growing number of California children who lack health insurance under legislation that passed the Senate this week. Senate Bill 36, introduced by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), enables counties that provide children’s health insurance to tap additional federal funds at no cost to the state. The bill now moves to the Assembly.
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Thursday, June 02, 2011
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State Senator Joe Simitian’s (D-Palo Alto) bill aimed to increase breast cancer detection passed the State Senate yesterday on a vote of 34 to 5. Senate Bill 173 requires that following a mammogram individuals with dense breast tissue be informed that dense breast tissue may make cancer more difficult to discern and that they may wish to discuss additional screenings.
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April 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
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Saying that government funding for California’s High-Speed Rail program will be “severely limited ... for the foreseeable future,” local federal and state representatives are calling upon the California High-Speed Rail Authority to essentially link the high-speed rail route from Los Angeles with an improved and electrified Caltrain system running from San Jose to San Francisco.
U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto), state Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) and state Assemblyman Rich Gordon (D-Menlo Park) made their announcement Monday morning (April 18) at the Menlo Park Caltrain station. The three legislators described the “blended” system of high-speed rail and Caltrain as the best way to save money, protect Peninsula communities from unnecessary construction and ensure the continued viability of Caltrain, which is facing a financial crisis.
Palo Alto Online has posted a YouTube Video of the announcement.
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March 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
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As California’s lawmakers sit in a partisan-fueled stalemate over the state budget, and mudslinging becomes an ever-increasing art form in campaigning, the topic of civility in government might be one on which some politicians would have little to say.
But state Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) said it was exactly this subject that grabbed his attention and brought him out to Los Gatos to speak. “I was fascinated that they wanted to have this conversation,” Simitian said after his office received a call from the Southwest Santa Clara Valley chapter of the League of Women Voters asking him to talk about civility in government.
Simitian said he applies a three-part test to determine what constitutes incivility in conversation.“If there’s a charge or countercharge, we must ask is it true? Is it fair? And is it relevant?” he said.
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Monday, March 21, 2011
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today his selection of Melinda Cervantes, Executive Director and County Librarian of the Santa Clara County Library, as the 11th State Senate District’s Woman of the Year.
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Thursday, March 10, 2011
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For seven years, Amy Colton did everything right. The registered nurse carefully followed a yearly mammogram routine and conducted monthly self-examinations, all in the hope of screening for breast cancer.
But after seven years of precaution, Colton was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009. Only later did she learn that women like herself with dense breast tissue are four to six times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I was never informed that I had dense breast tissue,” Colton said. “Everyone should have this information about their own physiology.”
Using her own experience as motivation, Colton entered state Sen. Joe Simitian’s “There Oughta be a Law” contest in hopes of translating her idea of dense breast tissue disclosure into possible legislation. Her bill was one of four winners announced last week — two new bills and two previous winners that will be reintroduced after failing to make it into law in past years.
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February 2011
Friday, February 04, 2011
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) is reminding interested applicants that the deadline to apply for the 2011-2012 California State Senate Fellowship program is approaching. The Center for California Studies at California State University Sacramento is accepting applications for next year’s fellows until
February 23, 2011.
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October 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
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With a stroke of his line-veto pen, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Monday killed a budget provision that would have forced the California High-Speed Rail Authority to improve its business plan and strengthen its outreach efforts by Feb. 1 or have about a quarter of its annual budget withheld.
Schwarzenegger’s veto deals a blow to efforts by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, and other state legislators to hold the rail authority accountable after a sequence of audits revealed a myriad of flaws in the agency’s revenue and ridership plans.
“The High-Speed Rail Authority desperately needs to rebuild its credibility and public support,” Simitian said. “A failure to require accountability measures only makes that task more difficult.”
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010
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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed accountability measures in the 2010-2011 state budget that would have required the California High-Speed Rail Authority to meet several benchmarks by February 1, 2011, in order to continue to receive state funding. State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) characterized Schwarzenegger’s veto as “regrettable.” Simitian noted that “the High-Speed Rail Authority desperately needs to rebuild its credibility and public support. A failure to require accountability measures only makes that task more difficult.”
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August 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
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The California Legislature has passed a resolution expressing “deepest regret” for the wartime internment, curfews, confiscations and other indignities that thousands of Italian and Italian American families faced.
When Mike Maiorana was a boy during World War II, his family was like a lot of others in his Monterey neighborhood. In 1942, his mother was declared an “enemy alien,” along with 600,000 other Italians and half a million Germans and Japanese who weren’t U.S. citizens. And when the government seized fishing boats for the war effort, Maiorana’s dad, a naturalized U.S. citizen, saw his livelihood go down the drain.
Families like the Maioranas last week received a formal acknowledgement from California. A measure that swiftly made its way through the Legislature expresses the state’s “deepest regrets” over the mistreatment of Italians and Italian Americans during World War II.
The resolution was the brainchild of a 79-year-old San Jose man, Chet Campanella, who entered a legislator’s annual “There Oughta Be a Law” contest.
Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) sponsored a bill based on Campanella’s idea. “I was wholly unaware of the circumstances he described,” Simitian said. “Somehow this story had passed me by.” Simitian said he saw “contemporary importance” in the effort: “We’re at war on the other side of the world, and I think it’s important to remember that there are millions of Americans who are ethnic Arabs or Muslim by faith, and that they’re good Americans.
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Friday, August 20, 2010
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The California Legislature has acknowledged that the treatment of Italian Americans during World War II “represented a fundamental injustice” and has expressed its “deepest regrets.” Senate Concurrent Resolution 95, authored by State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), has been passed by the Assembly and the Senate “to help repair the damage to the Italian American community, and to discourage the occurrence of similar injustices” in the future. The measure is consistent with action taken in the U.S. Congress earlier in the decade.
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Friday, August 20, 2010
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The California Legislature has passed Senate Bill 1431, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), to help county governments cover the growing number of California children who lack health insurance. The bill, which unanimously passed the Assembly on Aug. 18, now moves to the Governor’s desk.
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July 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) will present Books Inc. with the 11th Senate District “Small Business of the Year Award” at its Palo Alto store on July 28 at 7 p.m.
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June 2010
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
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The California State Senate has passed legislation, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), to help county governments cover the growing number of California children who lack health insurance.
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May 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today his selection of Books Inc. as the 11th State Senate District Small Business of the Year.
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Friday, May 14, 2010
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If it weren’t for Judy Chirco and a dedicated group of people, the room where more than 100 well-wishers celebrated Chirco’s Woman of Year award may not have been there.
When Camden High School closed in 1980, Chirco participated on a committee that saved part of the school’s land to build the Camden Community Center’s meeting rooms, swimming pool, gymnasium and fields. Chirco, a Camden High graduate, was the toast of a May 6 party thrown there by state Sen. Joe Simitian to celebrate Simitian’s selection of Chirco as the 2010 Senate District 11 Woman of the Year.
“As a community leader, a school leader and one who is committed to social justice, she doesn’t just talk a good game, but she actually rolls up her sleeves and gets it done,” Simitian said.
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Wednesday, May 12, 2010
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that he will hold his sixth annual Ice Cream Social and Open House on Thursday, May 27, from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM at his office in Santa Cruz.
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Monday, May 03, 2010
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A state bill to give car pool patrons a free ride even after the lanes are tolled faces a fight from transportation officials across California. But the bill’s author said he’s willing to work with those concerned provided his bill meets its simple goal.
“If you are a car pooler in a car pool lane, you should not have to pay,” said Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto.
After watching Bay Area transportation officials and some agencies in Southern California proceed with plans to turn car pool lanes into toll roads, Simitian said he worried tolling agencies would soon start charging vehicles with only two people inside.
“If the goal is to get people out of their cars into a car pool, then why should we make that harder? ...,” Simitian said.
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April 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) will host a community celebration to honor San Jose Vice Mayor Judy Chirco, the 11th State Senate District’s Woman of the Year, in San Jose on May 6. Simitian selected Chirco for the award to recognize her decades of community service and leadership.
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March 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) has announced three winners of this year’s “There Oughta Be A Law” contest. Since 2001, Simitian has invited Californians to submit suggestions for new legislation. To date, fifteen winning ideas have been signed into law. This year, his office received 426 proposals from residents throughout his district and across the state.
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Thursday, March 11, 2010
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) has introduced Senate Bill 1425 which aims to curtail the problem of pension spiking in California. Pension spiking is a term used when an employee boosts their final salary before retirement by cashing out on vacation time or administrative leave, among other things, in order to get a higher payout.
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Monday, March 08, 2010
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today his selection of San Jose Vice Mayor Judy Chirco as the 11th State Senate District’s Woman of the Year.
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February 2010
Monday, February 01, 2010
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) was recognized today with a 2009 distinguished leadership award by the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA). The organization recognized Simitian for his work in the legislature dating back to 2001, when he became one of the first legislators to pass design-build laws for public agencies, focusing on K-12 school districts.
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January 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
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The debate played out at a state Senate informational hearing in Palo Alto on Thursday, as hundreds of people on both sides filled City Hall to lobby state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, and state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach. Each chairs a committee that plays a key role in funding the authority tasked with building the roughly $45 billion Los Angeles-to-San Francisco line.
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that he will hold a public informational hearing on California’s high-speed rail project on Thursday, January 21st at Palo Alto City Hall.
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December 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
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Six-and-a-half years after Rick Walker's release from prison, where he had served 12 years for a murder he didn't commit, two filmmakers are continuing to spread his story.
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November 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
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Although veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress in different degrees, Matthews said the system of veteran care has improved significantly in the past two to three years with the addition of new programs.
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October 2009
Monday, October 05, 2009
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that he will hold town hall meetings in Campbell on October 14th and in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood on October 15th to talk with community members about state government issues.
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September 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
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Sacramento – State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) will be participating in U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s Distracted Driving Summit this week in Washington, D.C. The Department of Transportation has invited 200 participants from around the country to determine the best ways to reduce the number of crashes and deaths due to distracted driving.
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Saturday, September 12, 2009
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Sacramento – Senate Bill 14, which requires all energy providers to buy 33 percent of their energy from clean renewable energy sources by 2020 has been approved by the legislature. The bill, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) now heads to the Governor who has until October 11th to either sign the legislation or veto it.
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August 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that he will hold “sidewalk office hours” in Willow Glen on August 29th and Campbell on August 30th.
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Thursday, August 06, 2009
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Sacramento- Today Governor Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 159, by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), making legislation that requires drivers to move over or slow down when approaching roadside emergency scenes along the highway, permanent.
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July 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
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When most people think of movie stars in Sacramento, it's Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who comes to mind. But Tuesday will see the Sacramento premier of a documentary featuring Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, and his effort to pass a bill on behalf of the wrongly convicted.
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Thursday, July 23, 2009
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that he will hold “sidewalk office hours” in Los Altos on July 30th and San Carlos on August 6th.
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June 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that he will hold “sidewalk office hours” in Redwood City on July 11th and Menlo Park on July 12th.
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Monday, June 08, 2009
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) today announced his selection of Campbell-based painter Sonya Paz as the Eleventh Senate District Artist of the Year. Born and raised in the South Bay, Paz designs and sells artwork from her newly-expanded studio and gallery in downtown Campbell.
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May 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
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State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that he will hold three “sidewalk office hours” on May 29-31 in Cupertino, Campbell, and San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood.
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
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State Sen. Joe Simitian is taking his town hall meetings to the World Wide Web with the Senate's first-ever live streaming town hall meeting from the state capitol. The senator from the 11th district, which includes Campbell, is inviting his constituents to participate in the online discussion on May 13 from 7 to 8 p.m
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Monday, May 11, 2009
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State Senator Joe Simitian announced today that he will hold his fifth annual Ice Cream Social and Open House on Thursday, May 21, from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM at his office in Santa Cruz. He invites residents of the 11th Senate District to drop in for informal conversation and ice cream.
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Friday, May 08, 2009
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Sacramento – The California State PTA honored State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) with an Honorary Service Award at its 110th annual convention held last week in San Jose.
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Monday, May 04, 2009
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Sacramento – State Senator Joe Simitian is inviting constituents in the 11th State Senate District to participate in the Senate’s first ever live streaming town hall from the State Capitol. “E-Upd@te With State Senator Joe Simitian” will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13th. All topics will be open for discussion during the one hour event.
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April 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
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This past Saturday I was lucky enough to attend the 30th anniversary celebration at Hicklebee’s in San Jose, Calif. [...] Not only were there authors signing books as well as raffles and music, but State Senator Joe Simitian presented Hicklebee’s with the accolade of Small Business of the Year.
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Thursday, April 09, 2009
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Palo Alto -- State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today his selection of Hicklebee’s as the 11th Senate District Small Business of the Year.
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Wednesday, April 08, 2009
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[F]or Los Altos doctor Jerome Blum, it's the wounds you don't see that concern him.... Simitian entered Dr. Blum's letter in his "There Oughta be a Law Contest" and out of over 400 entries, his won. By the end of 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger had signed Senate Bill No. 1401 into law.
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March 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
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State Sen. Joe Simitian today announced that a Soquel woman, San Carlos woman and San Jose fire captain are the winners of his annual "There Oughta Be A Law" contest.
The contest, run for the past eight years by Simitian, D-Palo Alto, offers residents an opportunity to submit suggestions for new legislation.
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Thursday, March 19, 2009
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Sacramento -- After reviewing 331 proposals from residents around the state, State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today the three winners of this year’s “There Oughta Be A Law” contest. Simitian’s annual contest invites Californians to submit suggestions for new legislation.
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September 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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Sacramento – Governor Schwarzenegger today signed legislation creating outreach programs for veterans to learn about and seek treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Senate Bill 1401, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), ensures that service men and women returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are aware of the causes, symptoms, impacts and treatment options for these injuries.
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May 2008
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
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Los Altos Hills resident Dr. Jerome Blum is on the brink of realizing a long-held dream as legislation he authored to benefit veterans awaits final approval in the state assembly.
Blum said he was thrilled that the California State Senate passed SB 1401, his “Helping California Veterans Get the Help They Need” bill, with a vote of 38-0 April 17.
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April 2008
Thursday, April 03, 2008
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Sacramento – State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), author of the bill that established the San Mateo County Child Care Subsidy Pilot Project, announced today that SB 1304, his bill to extend that program for another 5 years, has passed out of the Senate Education Committee on a 6-0 vote. The bill will next go to the Senate Floor for approval.
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March 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
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Sacramento – After reviewing 429 bill ideas from within and outside of his district, State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) today announced three winners in this year’s “There Oughta Be A Law” contest.
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April 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
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A broad coalition comprised of MAVIN Foundation, the Association of MultiEthnic Americans (AMEA), the Multiethnic Education Program, Swirl, Inc, iPride, Asian Americans for Civil Rights & Equality, the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), and the Chicano Consortium, will hold a press conference to discuss their support of SB 1615, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto).
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October 2003
Friday, October 10, 2003
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Sacramento – Assemblyman Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that the Governor signed Assembly Bill 1326, which establishes the San Mateo County Child Care Subsidy Pilot Project, a first of its kind program designed to give counties more flexibility in providing subsidized child care. “The problem with state-subsidized child care is that one size doesn’t fit all, especially when it comes to high cost areas like ours,” said Simitian.
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April 2003
Wednesday, April 09, 2003
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Sacramento - Assemblyman Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced that his bill to expand child care opportunities passed out of the Assembly Local Government Committee today.
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July 2002
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
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Sacramento – Assemblyman Joe Simitian (D - Palo Alto) announced today that the Governor signed into law Assembly Bill 886, Simitian's bill to protect the educational rights of "court-orphaned minors." AB 886 will help ensure that these youth aren’t trapped between the court system and school bureaucracies.
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Thursday, July 11, 2002
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Sacramento – Assemblyman Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that Assembly Bill 2831, which will provide women with electronic access to Pap smear results, has been signed into law by the Governor. Suggested by Dr. Paul Tang of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, AB 2831 adds e-mail and internet postings as patient-approved options for sharing Pap smear test results with patients.
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June 2002
Tuesday, June 25, 2002
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Sacramento – Assemblyman Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that Assembly Bill 2831 to improve women’s access to Pap smear results has passed out of the Legislature and is headed to the Governor for signature. Suggested by Dr. Paul Tang of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, AB 2831 adds e-mail and internet postings as patient approved options for sharing these test results with patients.
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May 2002
Wednesday, May 29, 2002
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Sacramento – Assemblyman Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that legislation to streamline state accounting and reporting requirements for mental health service providers has passed off the Assembly Floor and is headed to the Senate. Assembly Bill 2296, authored by Simitian, will reduce the time and money mental health providers spend on duplicative paperwork and administrative reporting, so that those resources may instead be devoted to providing mental health services to patients in need.
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April 2002
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
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Sacramento - Assemblyman Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced that his bill to expand child care opportunities is scheduled for a vote in the Assembly Local Government Committee today, April 24, 2002.
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October 2001
Tuesday, October 09, 2001
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Sacramento – Assemblyman Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that his bill to study the electronic transmission of prescriptions by physicians, surgeons and other health care providers has been signed into law.
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September 2001
Wednesday, September 12, 2001
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Sacramento – Assemblyman Joe Simitian’s bill to study the electronic transmission of prescriptions by physicians, surgeons and other health care providers has won approval both from the State Senate and Assembly, and now goes to the Governor for signature.
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April 2001
Wednesday, April 18, 2001
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Sacramento – Assemblymember Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that foster parents and relative caregivers are one step closer to receiving child care for their foster children. Assembly Bill 1105, introduced by Assemblymember Simitian, would enable counties to provide child care as a supportive service to foster parents and relative caregivers as well as provide high quality early childhood education opportunities to foster children. The bill successfully passed through the Assembly Human Services Committee yesterday on a 6-0 vote.
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