Emmerson Visits Black Church on MLK Day

State Sen. Bill Emmerson (R-37th) met with a small group of predominantly African American pastors and community activists at Banning’s for a question and answer session on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.

Councilwoman had extended the invitation to Emmerson, who wasn’t sure he could visit until a day before the meeting.  In an open question and answer session extending for more than an hour, the senator answered questions about state funding, redevelopment, enterprise zones and education.  He showed up to the meeting alone, without aides or publicists.

Green Thumb Talks

Emmerson said he has been working with Banning officials in talks with Green Thumb Produce, a fruit and vegetable wholesaler with headquarters on West Ramsey Street in Banning.

“They have expressed an interest in leaving Banning for the former Norton Air Force Base, where there would be cost and tax advantages for them,” said Emmerson.  “We’re trying to get them to stay, because they have created a lot of jobs here.”

Banning is at a disadvantage in such talks, Franklin said, because it has no active enterprise zones—a zoning category that new Gov. Jerry Brown has expressed a strong interest in eliminating.

“Diminishing enterprise zones and redevelopment agencies is not the solution to the state’s budget crisis,” said Emmerson, who acknowledged that some enterprise zones and RDAs have had problems.  He expected enterprise zones to be a key part in solving congestion problems related to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

“The ports situation has led planners to the idea of moving distribution centers away from the ports,” Emmerson said.  “The two logical places for the distribution centers are the Pass Area for goods headed to the South and Southeast and the High Desert for goods destined for the Midwest and Northeast.  Of the two, the Pass Area is preferable, because the intermodal distribution center in Victorville [Southern California Logistics Airport, the former George Air Force Base] has no direct highway connection to Los Angeles.  I think we’re on target to see an intermodal transportation center out here.”

When Dr. Temitry Lindsey explained how redevelopment funds were not forthcoming for her planned health clinic on Banning’s East Side due to a state appropriation of them, Emmerson was blunt.

“The state stole that money,” he said.

Proposition 13

Emmerson echoed Franklin’s expressed concern that a repeal of Proposition 13 discussed by Democrats in Sacramento (Franklin is a Democrat) “could turn people out of their homes” due to higher property taxes.

“When it comes to people living in their homes, I think Prop 13 is essential,” he said.  “As for modifying it for commercial and industrial properties, I am willing to have that discussion.”

Calls for Reform

Emmerson also called for more workers' compensation reform and eliminating what he described as “the seven layers of education administration between Sacramento and the classroom.”

“There are four layers of educational administration in Sacramento,” he said, “plus the county office of education, the unified school district board and the school’s administration.  That is just too much.  We spent $58 billion on education in the last budget, which worked out to about $17,000 per student—but due to all the administration, only $6,000 per student actually reaches the classroom.”

Emmerson said that he is an opponent of CEQA, the 40 year-old California Environmental Quality Act, which requires environmental studies for many types of governmental decisions.

“If there is talk in Sacramento of limiting CEQA, I’ll be there,” he said.

Emmerson blamed labor unions for the state’s pension crisis, for the low number of local residents working on Inland Empire road projects and for the push in Sacramento to sell state buildings to raise cash, then lease them back.

“It makes no sense to lease back a building that’s already paid for,” Emmerson said.  He favored a Canadian-style system in which a private-public partnership builds government buildings, with the building reverting to state ownership after 50 years if the building is well maintained—“but labor unions are not in favor of that approach.”

Unions fear that the partnership would be a way around California’s “prevailing wage” law that mandates union-level wages for workers building government-funded projects.

Torlakson Will Visit

Emmerson also revealed that he has invited new State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson to visit Riverside County on Jan. 28 to discuss education issues at a meeting of educators at the county department of education’s auditorium in Riverside.  Though Torlakson is a Bay Area Democrat and Emmerson an Inland Empire Republican, Emmerson described him as “a good friend.”

After the question-and-answer session, Emmerson visited with constituents participating in the church’s blood drive, held in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.