Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Member Only Board Meeting
Norton Regional Event Center
1601 E. Third St., Suite 138
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Minutes
Present: Deborah Barmack, Peter Barmack, Carole Beswick, Mike Burrows, Rachell Bussell, Ken Coate, Jennifer Cusack, Adam Eventov, Jay Jimenez, Mark Kaenel, John Mirau, Vikki Ostermann, Steve PonTell, Keven Porter, Michael Rivera, Dan Roberts, Kristine Scott, Steve von Rajcs, and Ray Wolfe.
Announcements: 1) The advocacy trip to Sacramento will be held on April 23, 2019 with the option of arriving on Monday, April 22 to participate in some afternoon meetings and the legislative reception that evening. The group will stay at the Residence Inn at Capitol Park. The reservation form was distributed and will be e-mailed to the membership. 2) Leaders from the Central Valley and the Inland Empire regions will hold their second summit in Riverside. Called Inland California Raising, the two groups will meet on Friday, May 10, 2019 at the Riverside Convention Center. Kristine Scott will be inviting key business representatives. 3) A joint meeting with the Monday Morning Group will take place on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at the Mission Inn. The meeting will focus on each group sharing their advocacy priorities and debriefing on their respective trips to Sacramento, CA and Washington, DC. All members are welcome, but Committee Chairs are strongly encouraged to attend.
Kristine Scott, Past Chair, presiding.
M/S/P: Minutes from March 5, 2019
In reviewing the Inland Action advocacy trip to Washington, DC, the various meetings were discussed and summarized.
The lobbyists’ briefings were very helpful. Leticia White and her colleagues at Innovative Federal Strategies were well versed on our issues and provided very helpful insights.
The meeting with the Deputy White House Counsel and several of her colleagues was productive and informative. Members in attendance believe the meeting led to better understanding of the importance of appointing a “local” federal judge rather than one “willing to work in Riverside”. Although the judgeships discussed are often considered non-political, the administration does not agree and explained that even the 1 in 600 cases that may be political is critical. Appreciation was expressed to Steve PonTell for facilitating the meeting.
Congressman Aguilar spoke of how critical an accurate census count is for the Inland Empire.
Federal funding for the next 10 years will be based on this count. Discussion ensued and included possible speakers and opportunities to partner with other groups.
A comprehensive transportation bill will likely be pushed to 2021, after the next presidential election.
The 35-day government shutdown led to delays for legislative action which impacted the group’s ability to set appointments for advocacy. Staff will pursue both the existing avenues to get appointments but will also work with Inland Action members that have existing work relationships with lobbyists.
Meeting Adjourned 8:15 a.m. with committees breaking out into their respective groups to discuss State advocacy issues.