Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Members Only Meeting
San Bernardino Community College District
114 S. Del Rosa Drive
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Minutes
Present: Dimitrios Alexiou, Deborah Barmack, Carole Beswick, Rachelle Bussell, Bill Easley, Ron Griffin, Scott Hofferber, Mark Kaenel, Ralph Kuncl, Temetry Lindsey, Sue McKee, John Mirau, Tom Nightingale, Susan Rice, Frank Schnetz, Larry Sharp, Paul Shimoff, Janet Weder, and Ray Wolfe.
Guests: Ed Lasak
Announcements: 1) Members of Inland Action are invited to a reception in celebration of the launch of the School of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside on Wednesday, October 22, 2014. The event will be held at the UCR Alumni & Visitors Center located at 3701 Canyon Crest Dr., Riverside from 6-7:30p.m. Please Rsvp to (951) 827-2310.
M/S/P: Minutes from September 16, 2014 and September 23, 2014.
Mark Kaenel, Chairman presiding.
Potential members of Inland Action were discussed. Bank of America is expected to re-engage with the group in January 2015. The group continues to identify and cultivate new members.
The Executive Committee approved an Emeritus policy on October 1, 2014. The Emeritus policy was discussed.
M/S/P: Adoption of Emeritus Policy
Dates for the annual Washington, D.C. advocacy trip were discussed. The month of March remains a good time for this trip. Inland Action will try to avoid times when advocacy trips by large groups, such as the League of Cities, will take place. The congressional calendar will not be available until after the November election. D.C. lobbyists have advised that our advocacy trip is best suited to the first three weeks in March or before the end of April. The group tentatively plans on Sunday travel with agency appointments on Monday and meetings with legislators on Tuesday & Wednesday.
Congressman Lowenthal asked to meet with Inland Action on September 23rd to discuss his new proposed legislation, Economy in Motion: The National Multimodal and Sustainable Freight Infrastructure Act. The Congressman welcomes and actively seeks input from Inland Action and others interested in freight transportation and funding issues. He has been working closely with the Dept. of Transportation on elements in the bill and is eager to start meaningful debate. The bill has been sent to the Legislative Committee for review and comment. Inland Action will provide feedback to the Congressman after further review.
Governor Brown signed a bill last week that will allow up to 15 community colleges to launch bachelor’s degree programs in vocational fields. Discussion ensued. Although there are many restrictions, this change opens the door of possibilities and may be a potential low cost educational alternative.
Inland Action plans to hold a recognition reception for California State University Trustee, Lou Monville, who serves as their Chairman, and University of California Regent Bruce Varner, who serves as their Chairman. The recognition reception may also include others from the Inland Empire that serve on State Boards and Commissions. The event will be scheduled for mid to late January and invitees will include State and local electeds. Paul Shimoff has offered to host the event at his home.
The meeting adjourned at 8:26 a.m.