San Diego gas prices among the highest in the U.S.

“San Diego gas prices are among the highest in the U.S.” That was the front-page headline in Monday’s U-T San Diego.

When gas prices are high, more people, particularly seniors, students, others on fixed incomes, and people who drive older cars, turn to public transportation for a reliable, affordable way to get to work, school and around town.  Yet earlier this month, House Republicans, with incumbent Congressman Brian Bilbray in lock step, proposed a highway bill that ends three decades of support for public transportation.

It guts funds for bike lanes and sidewalks, and ends the critically important “Safe Routes to School” program which helps neighborhoods pay for infrastructure improvements that keep kids from getting hurt or killed while walking and bicycling to and from school every day.

House Republicans are trying to de-fund the Safe Routes to School Program.

So less money for public transit and more money for freeways when gas prices are skyrocketing – this makes no sense. And it doesn’t get us any closer to a practical and sustainable national energy policy that reduces our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil.

As a member of Congress, I will make development of a sustainable energy policy a priority.

We must work toward a long-term energy policy that: 1) creates new American jobs; 2) emphasizes greater energy independence; 3) invests in the development of alternative fuels; 4) promotes clean energy technology like wind and solar; 5) ensures greater national security; and 6) provides automakers with incentives for producing fuel-efficient vehicles.

We also need to do a better job of building housing and employment centers nearer to one another to reduce commutes. And we need to invest in making all our communities more pedestrian- and bicycle- friendly.

There are also things we can and should be doing now.

For starters, Congress can act now to stop price-gouging at the pump by holding Wall Street commodities traders and speculators more accountable. Many experts agree that speculation in energy markets drives up the price of oil, which raises the price of gas for consumers. Last year, House Democrats tried to increase funding for the agency in charge of policing price manipulation in oil markets. But Republicans, Bilbray included, voted to slash these funds by almost half.

We’ve also got to stop subsidizing oil companies.

Last year, the five largest oil companies posted record profits of $137 billion. That’s a 75% increase over 2010. Yet, House Republicans, Bilbray included, continue to support enormous tax breaks, deregulation, and subsidies for them, while taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from them.

Brian Bilbray alone has taken almost $190,000 from the oil and gas industry. Are the votes and the contributions connected?  The voters are smart and they’ll decide for themselves.

Today as we honor the 70^th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, I am thinking of all of America’s veterans, including those who have served recently that I had the chance to meet last month at the Veterans Re-Boot Project.

Scott Addressing REBOOT Graduation

On Nov. 18, I had the honor of delivering the commencement address speech for REBOOT Class 25. REBOOT is a three-week course that helps members of the military who have completed their service make the transition back into civilian life. This time of change is critical for our veterans. They spend years training to be good soldiers, and once back home, they re-enter their lives as husbands and fathers, wives and mothers, and they re-enter their place in the workforce.

REBOOT helps them prepare for all of these. They provide a tremendous, valuable and critical service, especially here in San Diego where we have the largest concentration of veterans in the nation. Add to this the fact that veteran unemployment across the country is about twice the national average, and you can see there’s a lot of work needed to help veterans get ready to succeed in this next phase of their lives.

REBOOT has received national attention and praise for the skills and training it provides. And, we, as a community need to do our part by reaching out to our veterans and their families with job opportunities, and any other assistance we can provide. We owe them at least that, and much more for their service and sacrifice.

As San Diegans, we are extremely proud of our military; but pride doesn’t pay the bills! I ask that you take a few minutes to check out the REBOOT website, and see if there is a way you can support their cause, even if it’s just by spreading the word to your friends and family.

I am honored they allowed me to be a part of their special day. Here are my remarks to them.

REBOOT Commencement Speech, November 18, 2011

“A couple of years ago I was asked to deliver the commencement address at my daughter’s high school graduation.  It was nice to be asked, especially since I was selected by the students themselves. They knew I had been a City Councilman and the City Council President for a number of years and they wanted me to talk about the importance of public service.

It was a really fun experience, and I was honored to be able to address my daughter and her classmates as they completed this chapter in their lives.  They were very nice afterward and they thanked me for my talk.

Today, I’m the one that is thankful to you. Thank you for letting me a part of this important day.

And it is different because I don’t need to tell any of you about public service.

You have already ably and honorably given service to our nation. You and your families have made immense sacrifices on our behalf. For that I am enormously grateful – grateful to you and grateful to the men and women who came before you in service to our military.

I am sure that the transition from military life to civilian has been challenging.

But I hope it helps a little to know that millions of Americans and San Diegans are behind you, and are grateful to you for what you’ve given us.

We know that not only have you worked and fought to protect and defend the American people, but you also helped the people of faraway lands, including Iraq and Afghanistan, by setting them on a path towards greater freedoms — on a path towards greater opportunities. Now, they have the chance to pursue new dreams.

Today you turn your attention from abroad to home, and in particular, your place at home. Your graduation today from REBOOT is an essential first step.

Some of you are now headed to school, or headed straight into the work force. You are setting out on a path toward new successes. You now have a chance to pursue new dreams.

It is not an easy time for anyone. California is a state where the unemployment rate is about 12%, while the rest of the country is at 9%. We know that veteran unemployment is higher even than that, and as many of you probably know, San Diego County has the largest concentration of veterans in the nation – about 28,000. Number two is Los Angeles with 17,000.

We here in San Diego love our military bragging rights – and rightly so. We should be proud of our contribution to US military strength. And we also appreciate, and have come to count on, the economic contributions of our defense industry.

And we need to step up and do right by our veterans, whether it’s lobbying in DC for a better DOD training program, or for federal funds for job training or just working here on the ground to prepare you, as REBOOT is doing today.

I want to thank you again for your service. I wish you the very best of luck as you move into this new chapter in your lives.

And as you embark on this new mission, remember that you have lived some hard parts already. And while your transition won’t be easy, remember that your classmates are behind you. And San Diego is behind you and your country is behind you.

God bless you all and your families.”

This post was written by Whitney Benjamin, a native San Diegan and marketing professional.

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Recently the Equinox Center and EDC hosted an event called “The Young & Restless: Winning the Race for America’s Best Talent”, discussing how San Diego can attract 25-34 year old working professionals and keep them happy enough to stay. Sitting comfortably in this demographic and pondering whether San Diego truly is the best place for my husband and me to work and eventually raise a family, the topic genuinely piqued my interest.

During the luncheon, Joseph Cortright, a leading economist specializing in regional economic analysis, innovation and industry clusters, spoke on what cities are currently attracting young talent, why, and in general what we youngins base our decisions upon. In short, it boiled down to well-built urban centers close to major business districts with plenty of public transportation, walkability and entertainment at our finger tips. I definitely agree with these generalizations, hence I live in University Heights, a 10 minute drive from work and arguably one of the most walkable neighborhoods in San Diego. But what I felt was missing, at least from San Diego’s perspective, is the actual opportunity of work.

Joe Cortright speaking at the Luncheon

I grew up in San Diego, so initially the choice to reside here was natural and carefree, but in the past few years diving deeper into my career, thoughts and realities of moving to a larger city have come into play. San Diego is a beautiful, kind and wonderful place to live, but it is difficult to find a stimulating long lasting career in San Diego, especially if you possess a more creative creed.

What’s missing for my husband and me? The abundance of big jobs, big brands, big agencies and career longevity that exists in cities we’ve considered moving to such as LA, San Francisco and even Vancouver, British Columbia, eh. Luckily, we’ve both found jobs we are very happy with, but both have sacrificed some of our greater career wants and strong opportunities to stay in America’s Finest City. Whether that affects us in the long run, we don’t yet know.

Perhaps if I were not right-brain dominant, my perspective would be different and I would be wearing a lab coat somewhere in La Jolla. So I guess my question is, does San Diego simply focus on attracting my antithesis – the scientist and engineer — in order to keep its economy growing? Or should San Diego attempt to recruit bigger companies that creatives could find a home with? At the end of the day, I want a place that is walkable, clean, does not require me to drive much, can feed me delicious and healthy food, and can pay me well so I can enjoy all those things my city provides.  I know that’s a lot to ask, but it’s truth. Luckily, native San Diegans for the most part have a tough time cutting the apron strings and flying our beautiful nest, but if I were not from here and absent were Sunday night home cooked ritual meals with my family, I would have left years ago.

What do you think? What can San Diego do to attract young talent and keep them here for the long run?

Last week, the Port hosted a delegation from the Obama administration to discuss increasing trade through the President’s National Export Initiative. Suresh Kumar is the Assistant Secretary for Trade Promotion in the United States Department of Commerce. He also brought Matt Anderson and Julia Rauner Guerrero, who are Commerce Department trade specialists based here in San Diego.

The goal of the initiative is to double U.S. exports, from $1.57 trillion in 2009 to $3.14 trillion in 2015. That’s estimated to create 2 million new jobs. There has been some progress, as exports have risen from about 11% of our Gross Domestic Product to 12%. But there is a long way to go. In countries like India and China, exports represent well over 20% of GDP; in Germany, it’s near 40%.

In the past few years, the port has made good progress in recovering from the worldwide downturn in shipping that resulted from the economic slowdown. But we at the meeting all recognized some obstacles that extend beyond our region.

First, the nation has a backlog in infrastructure investment of more than a trillion dollars – the roads, rail and machinery that get our goods off of the roads into the port and into the vessels. Even more fundamentally, we have to start to think of ports in the same way we think of highways or airports, as a national network, rather than leaving decisions about contracts and investment to each individual port in isolation.

Taking advantage of the Export Initiative will be a big part of our outreach to Washington, and a big part of our internal planning at the Port over the next year. As we work to improve trade in San Diego, we will be a big advocate for a nationwide strategy for ports and trade.