The Maddy Report (TV Program)

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30th Assembly District Debate

Since reapportionment in 2001—in over 300 elections for state senate and assembly—not a single state legislative seat has changed political parties. That could change this November when one of the most competitive legislative races in the state takes place in the 30th Assembly District.

On Saturday, October 11 (from 4:30 to 5:30 pm) and again on Sunday, October 12 (from 10 to 11 am KSEE 24, NBC's Fresno affiliate (www.ksee24.com) will air a one-hour debate for the State's 30th Assembly District between Democrat Fran Florez (Shafter) and Republican Danny Gilmore (Hanford) on The Maddy Report.

The district stretches from Bakersfield and Kern County, into Kings County and parts of Tulare and Fresno Counties.

The race is critical to both parties. If the Democrats win, they could achieve the two-thirds majority need to pass the budget without any Republican support. If the Republicans win, they will keep maintain their ability to veto any state budget proposals. The race also includes the extraordinary situation in which the termed out Democrat incumbent, Assemblymember Nicole Parra, is supporting her former Republican challenger, Mr. Gilmore over the Democratic Party nominee, Ms. Florez..

The issues covered will include:

The State's Budget

The State's economy

Water Supply

Clean Air

Energy Costs

Transportation

Executive Director Mark Keppler will moderate the debate.

The panelists will be:

James Geluso of the Bakersfield Californian
Jackie Kaczmarek of the Hanford Sentinel and
Paul Hurley of the Visalia Times Delta

In 2006 The Maddy Institute debuted the The Maddy Report, a public affairs program on Fresno’s NBC affiliate, KSEE 24.

The program will bring together a diverse array of distinguished state and national guests to discuss topics of importance to our region, our state and our nation. Modeled after such programs as Meet the Press, Washington Week, This Week and Face the Nation, The Maddy Report is a public affairs program that includes interviews with national, state and regional leaders on the issues of the day, as well as a roundtable discussion with invited analysts.

The goal of The Maddy Report is to encourage critical questioning to foster a deeper understanding of the issues facing our nation, state and region by a thoughtful, objective, fair and civilized exchange of ideas. Each show will include a focus on how the particular issue under discussion impacts the San Joaquin Valley.

The program is moderated by the Maddy Institute’s Executive Director, Mark Keppler and produced at KSEE 24 in Fresno.

Recent Programs

Health Care Reform: "Health Care Reform: Down to the Wire
State Budget: "The State Budget: The Process and the Prospects"
Air Quality: "From Bad to Worse or From Worse to Bad? The State of Air Quality in the San Joaquin Valley"
Water: "California Water Wars"
California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley: "The California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley: Just Another Study or A Blueprint for Change?"
Legislative Year in Review: "2007: Post-Partisan Reform or Partisan Form?"
"The Looming Federal Budget Deficit: Are We Mortgaging Our Childrens’ Future?" (First aired: March 8, 2008)
"The State Budget: Will A Ballooning Deficit Lead to a Grand Compromise?" (First Aired: April 17, 2008)
Other Programs

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Health Care Reform: "Health Care Reform: Down to the Wire"

Summary: Roughly 6.7 million Californians were without health insurance last year. Not surprisingly, the Valley is home to more of the uninsured that other areas of the state…due to our higher poverty levels, higher unemployment rates, and large number of undocumented residents. In January, the Governor declared 2007 as the year of health care reform and in February, the Legislature introduced a number of bills aimed at covering the uninsured. Yet, despite health care reform being high on the political agenda in Sacramento– many wonder if the legislature and the Governor can overcome the fundamental disagreements that exist. What are the proposals being discussed in Sacramento? Who would be covered? How much would it cost–and who would pay?

We explain the key proposals and then talk to health care policy experts and political observers to get their thoughts on the prognosis for health care reform and what it could mean for the quality of life in the San Joaquin Valley.

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State Budget: "The State Budget: The Process and the Prospects"

Summary: Wondering if your taxes go up next year? Or if there will be enough money to hire police and firefighters to keep your community safe? Or if school programs will have to be cut? Each year these–and other important questions–are answered by the California State Budget–arguably the most influential document in state government. And despite the significant impact of this year’s $145.8 billion state budget in the lives of everyday Californian’s, there is little scrutiny given to how the budget is put together…and the choices currently being debated in Sacramento. How does the state’s budget process work? And what this year’s state budget mean for the residents of the San Joaquin Valley? We talk to the State’s legislative leaders to learn how the state $145.8 billion budget is put together and some of the policy choices being debated and hear what is being done to address the needs of the residents of the San Joaquin Valley.

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Air Quality: "From Bad to Worse or From Worse to Bad? The State of Air Quality in the San Joaquin Valley"

Summary: The San Joaquin Valley is home to some of the dirtiest air in the nation–ranking us in the top 5% in the United States for air pollution-related health risks. The human costs are real–higher incidents of asthma attacks, lung cancer, heart failure. The results are profound–460 deaths and 192,000 missed school and work days each year–costing our region $3.2 billion dollars annually or $1,000 per year for every man, woman and child. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is acknowledging that, despite its best efforts, it will be impossible for the Valley to meet federal clean air standards by the original deadline–2013–and that we will have to wait until at least 2023 for all Valley residents to breath clean air. Why can’t this problem be solved? Is it lack of political will? Or is it simply due to a combination of factors outside of our control? We talk with the Valley’s Air Pollution Control District about the challenges faced by the Valley in meeting federal clean air standards and State legislative leaders about what can , as well as those involved with the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley’s task force on air quality to discuss what can be done to solve this problem and get the thoughts of veteran political observers on politics of addressing air pollution in our region.

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Water: "California Water Wars"

Summary: Experts say a water crisis is looming. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that it could cost more than a half trillion (i.e., $550 billion) dollars to keep up with the nation’s demand for water through 2020. The Public Policy Institute of California projects that state water needs will jump 40% in the next 25 years. And the demand may be even greater in the Valley–where our economy, our climate and our population growth are combining to create an ever increasing demand for water. Yet as our demand for water continues to grow, it is increasingly likely that water supplies will fail to keep pace due to environmental restrictions, global warming–and the inevitable droughts caused by the cyclical nature of California's rainfall patterns. All this is setting the stage for a full scale water war….and the San Joaquin Valley will be ground zero for two key, early battles whether to build a new reservoir above Friant Dam at Temperance Flat and whether to release more water from the Friant Dam to restore the San Joaquin River. What impact will these projects have on our water supply? What does the future hold? We talk to water policy leaders on the front lines of this political battle to learn what is at stake and hear what is being done to ensure an adequate supply of water for the residents of the San Joaquin Valley.

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California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley: "The California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley: Just Another Study or A Blueprint for Change?"

Summary: A new legislative session begins in Sacramento and Governor Schwarzenegger promises an "era of post-partisan politics." Lots of issues are on the agenda---from expanding health care to the uninsured, to improving air quality and addressing global warming. However, members of his own party, including the Republican Leader of the Assembly, Mike Villines of Clovis, are worried about closing a budget deficit projected to be over $5 billion this year. A flashpoint may occur right here in the Valley–with the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan of the bi-partisan "California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley"–submitted to the Governor after the election–to address some of the critical issues plaguing our region. Will the Partnership’s Plan–and efforts to get the funding needed to implement its recommendations–fall victim to another budget breakdown in Sacramento? We’ll find out from those legislative leaders in the middle of the action and then talk to those responsible for implementing the recommendations of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley. Finally, the politics of the implementing the Partnership’s recommendations in our Roundtable.

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Legislative Year in Review: "2007: Post-Partisan Reform or Partisan Form?"

At the beginning of 2007, Governor Schwarzenegger asserted that partisan politics were a thing of the past and promised to usher in a "post-partisan" approach to the state's problems. As the year comes to a close, this summer’s protracted budget battle and this fall’s special session–that has yet to produce comprehensive health care reform or address the state’s fundamental water needs–has left many people wondering if partisanship is as big a factor in Sacramento politics as ever. And 2008–with a looming budget deficit–makes the thought of bi-partisanship even more remote. While there is still time for a last minute compromise on comprehensive health care reform and how to deal with our impending water crisis, time is running out. Will there be health care reform? And if so, what will it look like? Can the Republicans and the Democrats reach an agreement on how to assure an adequate supply of water in the future? Will it include a new dam above Millerton at Temperance Flat? And if the state’s budget deficit swells to a projected $10 billion in red ink next year, what programs will have to be cut and what taxes will have be raised? We discuss what happened in Sacramento over the last year–and why–with three key state legislative leaders from the Valley and then talk to political observers to get their thoughts on what happened at the State Capital in 2007 and the what the key political issues will be in 2008.

Listen to mp3 of program (30:23 minutes)

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"The Looming Federal Budget Deficit: Are We Mortgaging Our Childrens’ Future?" (First aired: March 8, 2008)

President Bush has proposed a $3 trillion budget for this year. It includes a $400 billion deficit-but does not include the recent $168 billion stimulus package. This is nothing new-the federal government has spent more than it has taken in 31 out of the last 35 years. The result? An accumulated federal government debt of over $9 trillion-and growing.That’s $30,000 bill for every man, woman and child-A bill that we are giving to future generations. How did this happen? What can we do about it? We will talk to four of the nation’s leading experts:

David Walker is the Comptroller General of the United States
Alice Rivlin is a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Greater Washington Research Program at The Brookings Institute-and former OMB Director under in the Clinton Administration
Alison Fraser is the Director of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation
Harry Zeeve is the National Field Director of the non-partisan Concord Coalition

on how this gargantuan federal debt will affect the overall quality of life for you, your children and your grandchildren. We discuss what the federal deficit means for specific programs such as Social Security, Medicare and defense spending, as well as what it could mean for your tax bill. We also discuss some common-sense-but politically difficult-solutions to get the federal budget balanced and put our nation’s fiscal house in order.

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"The State Budget: Will A Ballooning Deficit Lead to a Grand Compromise?" (First Aired: April 17, 2008)

California’s declining economic outlook has wreaked havoc on the State Budget-and could throw the State in debt over $16 billion or more in the coming years. As a result, the Governor recently declared a "fiscal emergency" and called the Legislature into special session to address the growing sea of red ink. He also unveiled a new budget that calls for more deficit financing (selling billions of dollars of bonds that will have to be repaid-with interest) and 10% across the board spending cuts that would shrink money for schools, close state parks, slash payments for the poor and release over 20,000 non-violent prisoners-and experts say that even that may not be enough.

How did the State go from a $4.1 billion reserve to a $1.9 billion deficit in less than a year? And what about next year-when experts project $8 billion in red ink? What other programs will have to be cut? Will the state have to raise taxes? These are the choices currently being debated in Sacramento. We talk to the State’s top legislative leaders, Speaker Fabian Nunez and Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines, as well as Elizabeth Hill, the State’s chief legislative analyst, to learn what programs are on the chopping block, what new taxes are being considered and whether we will be able to find our way out of this fiscal crisis.