Legacy of Progress

Over time, we've seen so much change in this state. And over time, the Nevada Legislature has had to evolve with the citizens it's supposed to represent. Former Assembly Member Al Wittenberg (D-Reno) certainly was part of that change in the 1970s. He was only 31 when elected to the Nevada Assembly. He was part of then Governor Mike O'Callaghan's young troop of reformers. And he was a part of early efforts to modernize what we now call the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

This morning, Al Wittenberg passed away. He had turned 70 just two weeks ago. He's survived by his children, Kenneth and Kelly... And by his current spouse, State Senator Joyce Woodhouse (D-Henderson).

When Senator Woodhouse had to rush home to be with her husband, rumors began flying of a changing balance of power in the State Senate. But thankfully, no last minute hijinks were pulled there. Instead, lawmakers in Carson City created their own last minute drama before quickly resolving it.

Just before the 77th session of the Nevada Legislature adjourned, it looked like much progress had been made. Matters like marriage equality, gun safety reform, immigrant rights, medical marijuana, mining tax reform, Lake Tahoe preservation, renewable energy, and homeowner's rights were tackled. And to many's surprise, progress prevailed. This session will be remembered for these achievements, and Senator Woodhouse will be remembered for playing a major role in many of them.

Yet this session, there were still some disappointments. Just as Senator Woodhouse had to rush home to be with her dying husband, the rest of the Legislature succumbed to another status quo budget as Governor Brian Sandoval (R) continues threatening to veto SB 221 gun safety reform. There's clearly still more work to do.

But without a doubt, both Al Wittenberg and Joyce Woodhouse have played major roles in moving Nevada forward. Mr. Wittenberg will be missed by many, but we all still have his legacy here in Nevada.

Health Care: It's Complicated?

As mentioned earlier today, the Nevada Legislature talked health care when the Joint Finance Committee took on a key part in implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Silver State Health Insurance Exchange was created in 2011 to comply with the ACA's requirement to set up exchanges to provide patients with more affordable health insurance plans. So why was tjere a hearing today? Well, it's complicated.

Senator & Joint Finance Chair Joyce Woodhouse (D-Henderson) and Assembly Member Paul Aizley (D-Paradise) asked Exchange Director Jon Hager about progress on developing the Exchange. Here's some of what Hager said.



But wait, there's more. And yes, this is where Congress' latest & greatest manufactured crisis kicks in. As Steve Benen and others have noted, we're even seeing Republicans starting to decry the many harmful effects of this manufactured crisis. And as we're finding out the hard way, it may even affect our health care.





While President Obama and (federal) Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius insist they are doing everything they can to maximize the ACA even with minimal funds, it's hard to see how the Affordable Care Act will be completely unscathed in the wake of federal budget cuts. And what may make this situation even worse is how notoriously cheap Nevada's state government most often is. Can a convergence of state & federal austerity threaten health care reform?

That's what we'll have to watch for in the coming weeks and months. Rollout of the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange is slated for October. And perhaps as long as the state properly funds its end of the equation while Congress gets its act together on the federal budget, things will work out just fine.

But if American austerity continues, health care reform may have a bumpy road ahead. Again, the Obama Administration is working to find ways to deliver health care to patients even with current tight budgets. That delivery may just be made more complicated than it needs to be.

#NVLeg #nvbudget #healthcare Liveblog

Right now, the Joint Senate Finance/Assembly Ways & Means Committee is discussing the budget. Various items are being discussed, such as a proposed update to state agencies' telecommunication infrastructure. (And that isn't looking pretty right now.) We're waiting for discussion of the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, which is part of the state's plan to implement the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) here.

Stay tuned as we await discussion on health care reform.

9:25 AM: Still waiting...



The committee is now dealing with the request from the Department of Taxation. Surprise, surprise, the Department of Taxation has a hard time implementing the state's tax laws! With a Legislature that presently only meets for 120 days every 2 years, no present Deputy Chief in Southern Nevada (where over 80% of the state's tax revenue is collected), and a tax system chock full of loopholes and other oddities, I guess this was bound to happen.

9:45 AM: Ah, now it's getting interesting. The Department of Taxation just concluded with interesting talk on the Marketplace Fairness Act, which will allow for nationwide collection of online sales tax if passed by Congress, and The Education Initiative. We'll have more on that later.



Now, Jon Hager, the director of the Exchange, is explaining the challenges of implementing a program that's still in flux in Washington. Hager is asking for additional staff, ability to charge fees for supplementary vision & dental care, and enough flexibility to keep adapting to whatever new guidelines come from the Obama Administration and/or Congress.

AD 29: Meeting Lesley Cohen

As 2013 begins, all eyes turn to the Legislature as the new session begins. And during this session, #NVLeg will be tackling everything from immigrant rights to LGBTQ equality to health care to environmental stewardship... And, of course, the budget.

That's why a decent crowd showed up at the Henderson Democratic Club last night. Late last month, attorney Lesley Cohen was appointed by the Clark County Commission to fill the 29th District (Henderson-Green Valley) Assembly seat that was vacated by April Mastroluca shortly after the election. So last night, Cohen came to the Henderson Democratic Club to meet some of her new constituents and answer some questions.

Here's Cohen introducing herself.



Shortly after, she did a Q&A session. And of course, folks had questions about the budget. Cohen handled the questions by saying she needs more time to listen to constituents.



State Senator Joyce Woodhouse (D-Henderson), whose district overlaps AD 29, was also there. And she spoke up to mention her plan to co-host local town halls with Cohen and Assembly Member Andy Eisen (D-Paradise), whose 21st Assembly District overlaps with the other half of SD 5.



Cohen has certainly jumped into a difficult position here. She now must fill a full term that someone else just recently won. Still, she will be the one filling that full term representing AD 29. And she will have some major decisions to make.

This probably won't be the last time we hear from Lesley Cohen. It's now just a matter of how long of a sojourn to Carson City she can handle.

Why Is AFP Playing in #NVLeg?

Last time we checked in on AFP Nevada, they were leaving bizarre looking doorhangers in neighborhoods across Southern Nevada and planning some "Freedom Day" get out the vote rally for Republicans "concert" on the first day of early voting. And so far, it looks like the Kochs' pet "charity" won't be letting up any time soon. In fact, they may be flooding your mailbox right now.

A mailer sent to voters in southwestern Las Vegas’ Senate District 9 implies candidate Justin Jones would side with “Carson City politicians” who raise taxes and “spend your money.”

And in a particularly inciting mailer attacking former state Sen. Sheila Leslie in Reno’s Senate District 15, Americans for Prosperity superimposed Leslie’s head on the bodies of scantily clad fire dancers to criticize her for supporting a bill to regulate the artists.

Neither of the mailers explicitly says to vote against the candidate — or for their opponents —a technicality that would allow such political advertising in federal races without disclosure of who funded the group creating the ad.

But Nevada’s campaign finance laws require political organizations to register and disclose their donors if they produce advertising that can reasonably be interpreted as seeking to influence a specific campaign, according to Secretary of State Ross Miller.

Americans for Prosperity sent similar mailers attacking Democratic Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson in his primary campaign for Senate District 4. Those mailers prompted a complaint from the Nevada Democratic Party.

Earlier this month, Miller notified the nonprofit that he believes the mailers violated Nevada’s campaign finance laws and referred the case to the Attorney General’s Office for prosecution.

Back in July, we noted the incredibly bizarre case of AFP wading into the SD 4 DEMOCRATIC Primary in hopes of defeating Kelvin Atkinson. We still don't know exactly why AFP decided to play there, but it is increasingly clear that AFP has been sending out "informational literature" with the intent of influencing elections. And that may not be legal here in Nevada, at least when it comes to our State Legislature races.

Perhaps the SD 4 incident was just a "test run" meant to prepare AFP for what they're doing now. The doorhanger we found earlier this month attacked President Obama and Shelley Berkley on one side, then attacked John Oceguera and Joyce Woodhouse (the Democratic nominee for SD 5) on the other side. And now, AFP mailers are being caught attacking Justin Jones (the Democratic nominee in SD 9) and Sheila Leslie (the Democratic nominee in SD 15). It just looks too funny that, all of a.sudden, AFP is playing in the very State Senate seats that Republicans must win in order to take control of the Nevada Senate. And we're still supposed to believe that AFP is some sort of "nonpartisan, educational, charitable foundation"? Yeah, right.

It's now looking quite clear as to what AFP Nevada is aiming to do. And no, it doesn't involve "charity" or "education". Rather, AFP is trying to tip several competitive federal and state level races into Republican hands. Yet in failing to file the appropriate paperwork as a political action committee (PAC) and disclose its donors, AFP may actually be violating state election law while trying to elect lawmakers! Surely, we can't be the only ones seeing the irony here?

Are Nevada Republicans' Woes Now Spreading to #NVLeg?

I guess Dean Heller isn't the only Nevada Republican who's panicking. State Senate Republican leader Michael Roberson (R-Henderson) is scrambling to form new PACs (so late this cycle??!!) to funnel money into attack ads on TV and in mailboxes "efforts to inform voters". And especially with recent voter registration updates showing big gains for Democrats in the key swing districts that will determine control of the Nevada Legislature this tear, a group of G-O-TEA State Senate candidates are starting to panic as well. And funny enough, this is being televised statewide.

Monday night on Jon Ralston's show, SD 9 Republican candidate Mari St. Martin conjured up some nonexistent "SCANDAL!!!" in hopes of deflecting attention from her lack of knowledge on how this state's government works.

On other topics, St. Martin said she would look at sponsoring legislation to require each agency to “justify its existence” in front of the Legislature every six or seven years, on a rotating basis.

An incredulous Ralston asked if that included agencies like the Gaming Control Board. St. Martin said, yes.

[SD 9 Democratic candidate Justin] Jones didn’t like that idea.

“It would cost more money to have the Gaming Control Board, the Gaming Commission come and justify their existence,” he said. “It doesn’t make a lot more sense.”

The state formed a Sunset Commission to look at doing away with unnecessary boards and commissions in 2011.

So not only does Mari St. Martin want to do something that the Legislature actually already did last year, but she wants to waste the state's time and money to "justify" the existence of things like the agency that oversees the largest and most powerful component of Nevada's economy. WHAT??!! No wonder why she has to conjure up fictitious "SCANDAL!!!"

And in case that wasn't embarrassing enough for Nevada Republicans, outgoing Assembly Member and current SD 18 candidate Scott Hammond (R-Las Vegas) caused even more trouble for them.

[Kelli] Ross, a Democrat who owned an electrical contracting business, said on “Face to Face with Jon Ralston” that the state needs to stop redistributing Clark County money to other areas of the state.

“So much money gets sent to Northern Nevada and rural Nevada,” she said. “The money needs to stay in Clark County. We’d be able to have smaller class sizes. Kids will be able to have desks. That’s reprehensible.”

Hammond, the Republican candidate, dodged the question about whether Clark County was losing out to other areas of the state, and said he favored giving parents a choice in schools.

Perhaps Ross was being a little too harsh on the north, but the fact of the matter is that Clark County provides for over 80% of the state's revenue and over 70% of the state's population, yet we're lucky if we even see 50% of the state's investment and expenditures return here. The median of public infrastructure investment is already woefully low in Nevada, yet it's even lower here in Clark County because the south has historically been shortchanged in Carson City.

Even though Scott Hammond has already served a term in the Legislature and now wants a promotion to the upper chamber, he can't give an answer on the discrepancy in state funding? Seriously, is this dude for real?

But wait, it gets worse! Hammond himself is a teacher, yet he's now positioning himself to the right of Governor and fellow Republican Brian Sandoval on education funding.

Hammond, a Clark County School District teacher, said he would not be beholden to unions. But he also wouldn’t commit to extend about $600 million in taxes, which he voted to extend for two years at the end of the 2011 Legislative session. Gov. Brian Sandoval has said he will support extending them again, but will need a two-thirds vote of the Legislature.

“I’ve never officially said anything to anybody,” Hammond said in the interview. He wants to see what type of tax projections the state’s Economic Forum, which forecasts tax revenues, makes over the next couple of months.

This is especially a huge blow to Governor Sandoval because Hammond was backed by Sandoval in the SD 18 Republican primary because he was considered more "cooperative" than professional "tea party" flame thrower Richard MacArthur. But apparently now, Hammond is drinking the "TEA"... And he's doing so just as Sandoval's preferred budget is starting to fall apart. Even though both he and Roberson decided to let the sun rise again on the 2009/2011 "sunset taxes" in order to diffuse this specific issue of public education funding, Hammond is signaling that the G-O-TEA Caucus may not go along with their leaders' preferred plan, especially now that Sandoval's plan may not be enough to prevent further cuts to schools next year.

Perhaps this gets us to the biggest problem that Nevada Republicans face in their quest to expand their ranks in the Legislature next year: Who is their real leader? And what do they stand for? No, really. Mitt Romney may end up being a political millstone around their necks, Brian Sandoval's master plan is showing major cracks, and now their caucus can't keep with a unified message on what they seek to do next year. This is a major problem for them.

And perhaps this explains why there may be no SD 5 debate on TV this week. Perhaps considering what's already been going down on Ralston's show, Steve Kirk just doesn't want to risk going "Face to Face" with Joyce Woodhouse? Wow, what a mess.

#NVLeg: Lay of the Land in SD 5

We've talked plenty before about the fiercely competitive race to control the upper house of the Nevada Legislature. And perhaps of all the hot #NVLeg races not in Washoe County, the race in Senate District 5 will very much come down to what happens in the field.

Last Saturday, Joyce Woodhouse (the Democratic nominee in SD 5) did another precinct walk. However, this was not just any precinct walk. Twenty-five Henderson firefighters joined Woodhouse to walk about a dozen precincts in SD 5 in Henderson.







Between recent "tea party" fueled attacks on firefighters (along with many other public servants) and State Senate G-O-TEA Leader Michael Roberson (R-Henderson; he himself narrowly defeated Woodhouse 51-48 in the old and slightly more GOP friendly SD 5 in 2010) announcing plans to attack workers' rights next year if he becomes Majority Leader, it looked like these Henderson firefighters were stirred into action. And they were ready to fight back. Although Roberson himself won't be up for reelection until 2014 (in the new SD 20 formed from the southern portion of the old, "super sized" SD 5), (the compacted Silverado Ranch to Green Valley north of I-215 to Old Henderson) SD 5 presents a key opportunity. Not only can they avenge Roberson's narrow of defeat of Woodhouse, but they may very well prevent Roberson from becoming Majority Leader by propelling Woodhouse back to Carson City.



Obviously, Nevada workers see a whole lot at stake in SD 5. That's why they took to the streets. And really, there's no better way for them to score a win here than to work the field.

After all, field matters. Democrats have already been working the field at the top of the ticket, but they haven't been alone. In fact, Joyce Woodhouse walks herself almost every day. And as she's been talking to voters throughout the district, she's been engaging in the kind of valuable face to face voter contact that just can't be replicated or imitated by any billboard, mail piece, or TV commercial.

So far, voters have been expressing their concern with the state of our schools, as well as what's happening with the overall economy. A few voters have even mentioned their frustration with the state's unfair tax code. And again, these conversations are so valuable because they allow for the kind of dialogue and interaction that one can not reach with TV ads or roadside signs. And believe it or not, many voters actually appreciate this dialogue (and prefer this to generic TV and mail ads).

Occasionally, I've seen flyers for Steve Kirk, Woodhouse's Republican opponent. They look quite generic, basically proclaiming him as "Generic Conservative Republican". While he clearly has some people out canvassing, it's unclear as to what kind of impression he's making on voters. While he's spent plenty of money on those flyers, as well as roadside signs and mail pieces, he hasn't really spent time engaging in any dialogue with local voters. If this continues, both he and Michael Roberson won't like the results in November.

NV-03, SD 5: Why I Can't Sit on the Sidelines

(Also at DKos)



On Saturday, I enjoyed a full day of activism. I started out walking with my favorite State Senator, Joyce Woodhouse, and finished calling for her and for Dina Titus. I can't help it. I want to keep Nevada blue and keep good people representing me and my neighbors. :-)





We've all been frustrated over what's happening and what's not happening in Congress. And yes, it's important to defeat those "friends of Wall Street" Republicans (and ConservaDems) who have been forgetting all of our woes on Main Street while they agree to more and more corporate welfare. However, it's also important for us to reward those who have stood with us in supporting real help for real working class families. Dina Titus has been there for us, so now I'm here for her.

When her opponent beamed with pride in recalling his support for enshrining discrimination in our state constitution, Dina stood with us LGBTQ constituents and reaffirmed her support for our full equality. While her opponent remained quiet about a proposed gravel pit that would spew out all sorts of dangerous pollution near my neighborhood in Henderson, Dina stood up to fight for us. While her opponent proudly voted to deny young women protection against cervical cancer, Dina delivered on health care reform that expands access to better, affordable health care here in Southern Nevada. And while her opponent embraces the same extreme Tea Party, Inc., agenda as Sharron Angle that it's not his job to care about our jobs and our homes, Dina has been working tirelessly to help people save their homes from foreclosure and find or keep their jobs.







And the same really goes for our state legislature. Our state is at a crossroads, and we can't afford any more of the same failed policies of the "No New Taxes on Our Big Bid'ness Buddies" Republicans. We need better schools so our kids will have better job opportunities. We need to invest in clean energy so we can reap the rewards of a healthier planet and better green collar jobs. We need to move Nevada forward into the 21st century, and Joyce Woodhouse has been working on this. And really, it's imperative that she be reelected and more good Democrats get elected so that we have enough good folks in the legislature to move Nevada forward.

So this is why I went out to walk in the morning, and then call in the afternoon on Saturday. And believe it or not, what you see the pundits discuss on TV isn't entirely true. When I walked what's thought to be a conservative part of Henderson off the 95 near Boulder City, I was surprised to find a number of REPUBLICANS talk with me about their concerns regarding their kids' education. And when I was on the phone later in the day with local voters closer to my neighborhood, we shared stories on people we knew were close to foreclosure and/or losing their jobs. I know this isn't an easy time for any of us, but at least it's good to know we have elected officials who actually care about us and are working on real solutions. We can't afford to lose them.

So this is why I just can't sit on the sidelines. There is just too much at stake for Nevada, and for our entire country. It's bad enough that we have Sharron Angle already as a total disgrace to our state, and who would be even WORSE for Nevada and America if elected. We just can't let that happen. However, we also can't let Sharron Angle help any of her radical right buddies, like Joe Heck and the many "Angle clones" running for state and local office, get elected either. We need to hold the line for smart, sensible, compassionate, and courageous leaders.

So if you're here in Nevada, please join me in making sure we continue to have real leaders working for us in Carson City and Washington. And if you're not, I hope this inspires you to get off the sidelines and get active in your community.

SD 5: Walking With Joyce Woodhouse & Thinking About the State of Nevada Democrats in 2010

So yesterday was quite the busy day! I started the day walking with my State Senator, Joyce Woodhouse, and ended it with some wild times at the Stonewall Lt. Gov. Debate. Now I'll get to the debate tomorrow, but for now I want to talk about what happened yesterday morning and afternoon.





So early yesterday morning, before the Southern Nevada heat became totally unbearable, a group of us local volunteers showed up at Joyce Woodhouse's house in Henderson (actually, just down the street from my house!). We talked with our Senator for a few minutes, received our walk packets, and we assigned an area of Southeast Las Vegas (actually unincorporated Clark County, but the mailing address is "Las Vegas").

So what happened? I spoke with some of the neighbors concerned about the state of our economy and jobs. Others I spoke with wanted to hear about what Joyce has been doing about schools, since she is a local educator. And then, I had a chance to let them know about what our Senator has been doing in Carson City to deliver on her promises. And most of the people I spoke with really appreciated this.

Ever since we spoke last month on renewable energy, I've really come to appreciate this as well. Oh, and by the way, Joyce herself also took to the streets and walked to talk with folks in the neighborhood. Some of them even remembered her teaching their kids!

So after we finished walking, it was off to the big Democratic BBQ in Henderson. And guess who I ran into there? Oh, Dina Titus, of course!

Here's some of what she said yesterday:



And Joyce also had a chance to speak:



As you can tell from my photos and videos, we had a full house then. And this is supposed to be the year of "depressed Democratic turnout"? And "progressive ennui"? And "Democratic disillusionment"? Tell that to all of us at the BBQ yesterday!

As I've mentioned before, I think the "teabagger phenomenon" has been quite overblown. At the end of the day, people still want real solutions. And as long as good, hard-working Democrats like Dina and Joyce keep providing those real solutions, I think we'll be just fine this year. :-)

Scenes from Stonewall's Henderson Mixer on Monday!

Yes, yes, yes! Finally, Stonewall was here in my 'hood this week! We had a chance to speak with Assembly Member Ellen Spiegel, State Senator Joyce Woodhouse, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, and more!

It was great to actually speak to her directly about the recent issue of the Nevada DMV denying accurate driver's licenses for transgender persons, and she said she'd be on the case. Ellen Spiegel said she was proud to testify in support of SB 283 and be the 28th vote to override "Luv-Guv" Gibbons' veto of domestic partnerships. Joyce Woodhouse spoke about what she's doing in the Senate on education, renewable energy, the budget, and more.

All in all, it was very informative and very fun. And yes, I was so glad that we were able to do it so close to home! :-)

A Discussion With State Senator Joyce Woodhouse on "Green Collar Jobs"

On Saturday my State Senator, Joyce Woodhouse (D-Henderson), took some time out of her busy weekend to head over to Silver Springs Recreation Center in Henderson (and just a short walk from my house!) to chat with us neighbors about clean energy, green collar jobs, and other Nevada issues we're concerned about.

And since you already know how hard it is for me to keep my mouth shut, you know I had some questions ready.

So I asked about renewable energy, and specifically what Nevada can do to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, similar to California's AB 32, while Congress still isn't yet working on federal climate change legislation. By curbing our greenhouse gas emissions and setting real, concrete standards for renewable energy production, we can actually encourage more growth in the renewable energy sector needed to diversify and jumpstart Nevada's economy. Senator Woodhouse responded by saying her colleagues in Carson City are considering stronger climate legislation, as California's model looks promising.

Already, we've been taking steps in this direction here in Nevada. Woodhouse discussed SB 152, the "Green Jobs Initiative" that allowed Nevada to invest federal Recovery Act (stimulus) funds in "green job" training centers, retrofitting, and actual renewable energy projects.

She also mentioned SB 358, which was also passed last year. SB 358 provides tax incentives for solar companies to hire Nevadans for the jobs, along with enabling more residential solar panels, planning more energy efficiency measures, and more.

All in all, it seems we're on the right track here in Nevada... I just think we can go further in developing our "green economy" while also diversifying our economy AND actually doing something about the climate crisis. I was glad to see Senator Woodhouse so open to doing more as well, and I hope the legislature will be serious about passing comprehensive legislation like California's AB 32 to set a real framework to tackle climate change and remake Nevada into a renewable energy powerhouse.

And speaking of our economy, we also briefly discussed the budget. Unfortunately, as of now our state is still heavily overdependent on gaming to balance the budget. That's why it was feared just a couple months ago that we'll be facing a $3.5 billion + deficit (or over half of the state's total budget!) in the 2011-2012 biennium. And while recovering Strip numbers have helped to reduce the projected deficit to about $2.5 billion, it is still a major problem our state will be facing next year.

Now Joyce Woodhouse didn't want to address "the t word", and I can understand why. We always mumble and groan and complain about taxes, even if we have no state income tax. And we always ask about supposed "government waste" that can magically be waved away, even though Nevada already has the cheapest state government per capita.

I was glad to hear the Senator talk about how our schools and health care programs can't afford any more cuts. They were already cut to the bone, and now the marrow is being sucked out of them... Especially with the schools, now that class size reduction is being cancelled and teachers are being laid off. If we really are serious about diversifying the economy, we need to better educate our kids to prepare them to be more than just cocktail servers and valet attendees.

So what can we do? Senator Woodhouse mentioned efficiency studies and stronger efficiency standards for state agencies. Maybe they will find some savings this way, but again I don't know how much more "efficient" the state can be when our government is already down to bare bones with even the marrow being sucked out from those bones.

Now one thing I was so glad to hear the Senator mention was the economic diversification issue. Again, our state is too reliant upon gaming. We can no longer afford to be a "one trick pony", and we need to find a way to survive on more than just casinos if we want Nevada to succeed. This goes back to green collar jobs and expanding our renewable energy sector. This goes back to building a stronger education system that provides the kind of workforce here that high-tech and biotech are looking for. Any long-term plan for a stable Nevada economy must include real efforts to diversify our economy, and I'm glad my State Senator is already thinking about this and working on this.

All in all, it was nice to see my State Senator drop by the 'hood and let us know what's being discussed in Carson City. And perhaps more importantly, it's nice to see she's listening to us. I know it's hard in an election year to talk about the reality of our state and what we need to do to fix our problems (hence why hardly any candidates want to talk taxes), but this is at least a real start.

My Henderson Adventures Last Weekend

Here's a glimpse of what I was doing in the 'hood last weekend... And major props to State Senator Joyce Woodhouse for letting me march with her crew in the Henderson Heritage Parade on Saturday! :-D

Scenes from the Henderson St. Patrick's Day Parade!

(Also at Stonewall)

In case you missed yesterday's lovely parade and festival in Downtown Henderson, here are some pics for you to peruse. I was with Congresswoman Dina Titus' famous pickup truck crew, and all of us at "Team Titus" had a great time (and got a great reception from the crowd!) marching down Water Street. Other great progressive Democrats marching were State Senator Joyce Woodhouse, judicial candidates Nancy Allf and Phil Dabney, our brothers and sisters at Transport Workers Local 721 (also showing their support for Dina Titus!), and more.

Democrats were out and proud yesterday in Henderson, and I think we and our supporters in the crowd showed that we'll be working to keep Henderson blue this year... After we finish with all our St. Patty's Day green. ;-)