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WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) on Monday called for House leaders to bring forward for a vote legislation to stop discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
His statement came after the White House announced that President Obama issued an executive order banning discrimination by federal contractors on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Today, President Obama issued an executive order banning discrimination by federal contractors on the basis of sexual orientation. The president’s action is an important step towards true equality for everyone, regardless of whom they love. Now it’s time for the House Majority to bring the bipartisan Employment Non-Discrimination Act to the floor for a vote, and end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in all workplaces.”
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) passed the U.S. Senate in November 2013 and currently has 205 bipartisan cosponsors, including Thompson, in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The ENDA would establish basic protections in the workplace to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
ENDA would provide a basic level of protection against workplace discrimination and would apply to private employers as well as local, state and federal government employers.
On March 18 Thompson joined colleagues in the House and Senate in sending a letter to President Obama urging him to ban federal contractors from engaging in employment discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans.
The executive order issued Monday does what the letter requested.
The full text of the letter is below.
March 18, 2014
The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing to urge you to fulfill the promise in your State of the Union address to make this a “year of action” and build upon the momentum of 2013 by signing an executive order banning federal contractors from engaging in employment discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) Americans. As you have said before, “now is the time to end this kind of discrimination, not enable it.”
As we continue to work towards final passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) with strong bipartisan support, we urge you to take action now to protect millions of workers across the country from the threat of discrimination simply because of who they are or who they love. We are committed to doing all that we can in Congress to get ENDA to your desk this year; however, there is no reason you cannot immediately act by taking this important step. This executive order would provide LGBT people with another avenue in the federal government they could turn to if they were the victim of employment discrimination by a federal contractor. When it combined with ENDA, these non-discrimination protections would be parallel to those that have been in place for decades on the basis of race, sex and religion.
An executive order covering LGBT employees would be in line with a bipartisan, decades-long commitment to eradicating taxpayer-funded discrimination in the workplace. IN 1941, President Roosevelt prohibited discrimination in defense contracts on the bases of race, creed, color, or national origin. In subsequent executive orders, Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson expanded these protections to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to discriminate.
IN addition, most of the largest government contractors- companies like Boeing, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin- have LGBT non-discrimination policies in place. They adopted them because business leaders recognize that discrimination is bad for the bottom line.
Finally, time is of the essence. Even with an executive order in place, full implementation of these protections will require regulations to be developed and finalized, a process that will take many months, if not longer, to fully put in place.
Issuing an executive order prohibiting discrimination against LGBT workers in federal contracts would build on the significant progress for LGBT rights made during your time as President and would further your legacy as a champion for LGBT equality. We urge you to act now to prevent irrational, taxpayer-funded workplace discrimination against LGBT Americans.
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SACRAMENTO – With the economic recovery expanding, California’s highways, seaports and railroads are again teeming with freight being transported across the state and on to the rest of the nation.
Caltrans has invested billions of dollars in projects aimed at improving freight movement and reducing its environmental impacts, and this summer it will ask the public to weigh-in on the future of freight movement in California.
Caltrans will host eight public workshops between June 17 and July 24 to solicit input on the draft California Freight Mobility Plan (CFMP), which lays out a vision for all the ways freight is moved, including seaports, air cargo, railroads, and trucking.
While promoting economic competitiveness, the plan will also benefit the environment and promote public health by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.
“To maintain and improve California’s status as the eighth-largest economy in the world, we must create a multimodal freight plan that sustains freight jobs, improves transportation, protects the environment and our communities,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty.
The U.S. Department of Transportation will rely on the CFMP and other state freight plans as it shapes a national freight plan. Projects identified in California’s plan will be eligible to apply for a higher percentage of federal funding.
This plan is especially important because California is a national and global trade leader. Of the country’s internationally traded consumer products, about 40 percent is transported through California’s seaports. With 12 seaports, California has an unparalleled geographic trade position on the Pacific Rim.
California has set aggressive goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve a sustainable environment.
The freight plan’s goal is to transition the freight industry to zero or near zero emissions by 2050. California has already made progress in reducing freight’s effects through better engines, cleaner fuels, infrastructure changes, and improved operations.
To review the draft plan and comment, please attend any of these eight public workshops:
- Sacramento: June 17, 4-7 p.m., California State Railroad Museum, Stanford Gallery, 125 I St.
- Redding: June 19, 4-7 p.m., Caltrans District 2 office building, Lassen Training Room, 1031 Butte St.
- Marina (Monterey): June 23, 4-7 p.m., Marina Public Library, 190 Seaside Circle.
- Oakland: June 24, 4-7 p.m., Caltrans District 4 office building, cafeteria, 111 Grand Ave.
- Fresno: June 30, 4-7 p.m., Caltrans District 6 office building, Yosemite Room, 2015 E. Shields, Suite 100.
- Los Angeles: July 22, 4-7 p.m., Caltrans District 7 office building, Rooms 01.040 A, B, & C, 100 S. Main St.
- San Bernardino: July 23, 4-7 p.m., Caltrans District 8 office building, Basement Training Room, 464 W. Fourth St.
- San Diego: July 24, 4-7 p.m., Caltrans District 11 San Diego office building, Garcia Room, 4050 Taylor St.
Caltrans has accomplished much to improve freight in California over the last few years. Some of the more notable freight projects include:
- Otay Mesa East Port of Entry: This project is an innovative, tolled land port of entry designed to significantly reduce border wait times and expedite the flow of goods between California and Mexico. Caltrans broke ground on the project last year.
- Cordelia Truck Scales: In July 2013, a new $100 million truck complex opened along eastbound Interstate 80 near Fairfield in Solano County. The state-of-the-art facility fast-tracks inspections for more than two million trucks annually that travel from the Port of Oakland on I-80 through Northern California.
- Gerald Desmond Bridge: At 515 feet tall, the new Gerald Desmond Bridge when completed will be tall enough to allow the world’s largest ships to pass under and enter the Port of Long Beach’s inner harbor, increasing the Port’s capacity to handle more cargo. Currently, about 15 percent of the nation’s international containerized trade is moved by trucks across the existing bridge. The new bridge will have three lanes in each direction, allowing a more efficient flow of goods and people.
- Colton Crossing: This rail project was completed last year, $109 million under budget and eight months ahead of schedule. Most trains entering or leaving Southern California used the at-grade rail-to-rail crossing, which resulted in significant congestion on commuter and freight rail lines. A new elevated overpass has removed that chokepoint. The project will deliver an estimated $241 million in travel time savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions 34,000 tons annually.
Caltrans is developing the CFMP in partnership with the California State Transportation Agency, the freight industry, public agencies, Native American tribal governments, and advocacy groups. The plan will be finalized by the end of this year. To view the draft plan, informational materials, and to receive more details on the public workshops, please visit: www.cfmp.dot.ca.gov .
Those unable to attend a meeting in person, can comment by email (
Comments must be submitted by July 31, 2014.
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SACRAMENTO - State Controller John Chiang on Tuesday released his monthly report covering California's cash balance, receipts and disbursements in May 2014.
Revenues for the month totaled $6.7 billion, missing estimates in the governor's January proposed budget by $389.1 million, or 5.5 percent.
Year-to-date, revenues still exceed expectations by $1.8 billion, or 2.1 percent.
"While this is the first time in six months that revenues have fallen short, the overall budgetary health remains stable and there is no threat to the state's ability to pay its bills on time and in full." said Chiang. "As lawmakers finalize their spending decisions in the coming days, my office urges fiscal restraint with an eye toward slashing the billions of dollars in debt accrued during the Great Recession."
Because the state's cash position exceeded expectations by $5 billion as of the release of the governor's May revision, the Department of Finance – with the concurrence of the offices of the state treasurer and state controller – did not produce formal cash flow projections for the May revision.
As a result, actual May receipts and disbursements are compared against projections provided in the governor's January budget proposal.
Income tax collections for the month of May came in $254.2 million, or 7.4 percent, below estimates in the governor's January proposed budget.
Corporate taxes were below estimates by $177.6 million, or 99.8 percent. Sales taxes also came in short of estimates by $98.6 million, or 3.1 percent.
As of the end of May, the state's cash reserves exceed the governor’s January projection by $4.9 billion.
This positive reserve is comprised of $3.5 billion in greater than anticipated internal borrowable resources and a cash deficit that is lower than projections by $1.4 billion.
That cash deficit, now $8.5 billion, is being covered by both internal and external borrowing.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A hiring event will take place in Clearlake on Tuesday, June 10.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the Workforce Training and Career Center, located at 14092 Lakeshore Drive.
This event is being presented by MPIC Inc., A Working Connection! in partnership with the Lake County Office of Education (LCOE) through America's Job Center of California.
In response to a rising demand for Health Care Providers in Lake County, LCOE is now providing vocational training for Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA) and Certified Medical Assistants (CMA) at the Workforce Training and Career Center.
Recognizing the need of the local health care facilities, MPIC Inc., A Working Connection! and LCOE are now taking the next logical step in connecting these businesses s with qualified applicants.
Applicants interested in working the Health Career field are encouraged to participate.
Local employers will be looking to hire CNAs, CMAs, LVNs, RNs and other health care practitioners.
LCOE also will have information available for future training opportunities.
Participating employers include St. Helena Hospital, Meadowood Nursing Center, Lake County Tribal Health, Home Health Care, Evergreen Lakeport Healthcare, Senior Helpers, Rocky Point Care, Sequoya Senior Solutions and more.
For more information, call 707-994-9004.