Representing the 20th District

Assemblymember Wieckowski participated in the Annual Cesar Chavez Commemorative March in San Jose. More than 100 participants marched in the pouring rain, celebrating the legacy of Cesar Chavez and the Farm Workers Movement. Notable guests included members of the Chavez family and actor/activist Ed Begley, Jr (pictured above).

Sacramento – Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski’s (D-Fremont) bill to combat consumer deception in the floral industry passed the state Assembly today with strong bipartisan support on a 60-11 vote. The bill, AB 1581 requires floral retailers who use local phone numbers or local names to include their address and notice of their place of business in their advertisements.   Larger floral retailers often misrepresent their geographical location in their advertising to appeal to consumers who want to buy locally.

“If they have a choice, many people want to support their local small businesses by purchasing from their hometown stores,” Wieckowski said. “This bill makes sure that consumers will have access to the real geographic locations of floral shops and they won’t be fooled by a local phone number or local name.  It would be included in the advertising.”

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Wieckowski legislation would direct funds into Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research program administered by University of California

Sacramento – Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski’s (D-Fremont) bill to provide funding for a spinal cord injury research program named after a former Chabot College football player who was paralyzed during a game, passed the state Assembly’s Public Safety Committee 4-2 this morning.

AB 1657 would restore funding to the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research program created in 2000. The program is administered by the University of California out of the Reeve-Irvine Research Center, partially named after the late actor Christopher Reeve. It provides research grants to scientists at universities around the state working to improve the quality of life for the 650,000 Californians living with paralysis.

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Sacramento – Expressing its outrage over the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, the California State Assembly voted 48-22 this morning to approve Assembly Joint Resolution 22, jointly authored by Assemblymembers Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) and Michael Allen (D-Sonoma County). The Assembly now joins with the growing grassroots movement pushing Congress to overturn the decision.

Hawaii and New Mexico have already passed similar resolutions, and cities around the state and nation have also declared their support for a constitutional amendment overturning Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

“The Citizens United decision is judicial activism run amuck,” Wieckowski said. “For more than a century, Congress and the Supreme Court have recognized the need to differentiate between people and the vast amount of wealth at the disposal of large corporations. The floodgates were opened by this ruling and now a small number of very wealthy interests are having a greater influence on our national politics than ever before.”

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(Sacramento) – Flanked by leaders and employees of California’s solar industry, Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) said during a state capitol news conference solar net energy metering is helping Californians reduce energy demand, improve our environment and find new jobs in a growing sector of our state’s economy. “By implementing smart energy policies we can reduce consumption and reduce unemployment, while expanding our economy and the choices available for consumers,” Wieckowski said.  “Solar net metering is one example of how to do this.” Net energy metering works by allowing a customer’s electric meter to “spin backwards” much like cell-phone rollover minutes, enabling utility customers who lease or own solar power systems to send the excess electricity they generate back to the grid. Here’s more from Assembly member Wieckowski in this Assembly Access video.

On Sunday, February 26, 2012, Assemblymember Wieckowski honored four prominent African-American Leaders at the African-American Heritage Leadership Ceremony at the Centerville Presbyterian Church in Fremont.

Among the honorees was Arminta King who was also recognized as the 20th Assembly District Woman of the Year. She is the volunteer coordinator at the Centerville Free Dining Room and has been serving for more than twenty years.

Other honorees included Heidi Oatis, founder of Heidi's Image Enhancement Clinic; Gene Daniels, the chairman of the Newark Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; and Anthony "Tony" Alexander, an active member of the San Jose Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of the Colored People.

Sacramento - Hundreds of critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's controversial Citizens United ruling, rallied recently at the state Capitol to support an Assembly Joint Resolution urging a constitutional amendment to overturn the decision. The resolution, AJR 22, jointly authored by Assemblymembers Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) and Michael Allen (D-Santa Rosa) seeks to overturn the controversial ruling that allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money from their treasuries to influence elections. Assemblymember Wieckowski told the crowd of about 250 people, "From Nevada City to New York City, from Hawaii to Montana, American voters our speaking out against huge, anonymous donations." Here's more in this Assembly Web Report.

Assemblymember Wieckowski was proud to honor Newark Junior High School teacher Tom Collett as one of the California Department of Education's "Teachers of the Year" in 2012.

Mr. Collett taught Earth Science for 17 years at Newark Memorial High School. The 2010-11 school year was his first at Newark Junior High School, where he currently teaches eighth grade science.

An eclectic mix of magician and scientist, Mr. Collett keeps his students actively engaged through a treasure trove of strategies that include hands-on learning and the use of new educational technology, like a student response system where responses to questions are sent directly to his computer.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said of Collett, "Tom is a wonderfully effective teacher who employs a wide array of teaching techniques tailored to increase student motivation, achievement, and engagement. I appreciate his remarkable ability to prepare students for an increasingly competitive, scientific world."

Collett earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Performance with a minor in Biology from San Jose State University, and a Clear Single Subject Credential in Physical Education with Supplementary Authorization in Introductory Science.

Assemblymember Wieckowski would like to congratulate Mr. Collett and the other outstanding teachers recognized by the State of California. May they continue to enrich the lives of their students.

Introduces bill to boost California brick and mortar retail floral stores and eliminate consumer deception

Sacramento - Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) introduced legislation today, proposed by a Fremont florist through Wieckowski’s annual “There Ought to be a Law” contest, to crack down on out of state floral companies who misrepresent their geographic locations to lure customers to their websites.

AB 1581 will require floral retailers who choose to use local phone numbers or a local name to include their address and notice of their place of business in their advertisements.

Dirk Lorenz, the owner of Fremont Flowers, proposed the bill to combat companies that falsely portray themselves as a local floral shop.

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Sacramento – TechAmerica, a leading technology trade association, today named Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) as one of its California Technology Champions for 2011.

Wieckowski received the recognition along with Assemblymembers Nora Campos (D-San Jose) and Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), and Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres).

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