Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Created: 04/12/2012 08:41:05 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – From the viability of L.A./Ontario International Airport to ongoing progress at San Bernardino International Airport, legislators from the Inland Empire held a hearing on Thursday evening to discuss the importance of air transportation in the region.

The Select Committee on Inland Empire Transportation, led by Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter, D-Rialto, met Thursday evening at the main auditorium at the Norton Regional Events Center.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY JULIET WILLIAMS
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: 13 March 2012 07:56 PM

SACRAMENTO — Lawmakers in the Assembly will hit the campaign trail this year, touting their votes on all manner of bills. Can we believe them? What they say may not be a true reflection of the stand they took when the bill was being debated.

California is one of at least 10 states in which some lawmakers can cast or change their votes after a bill has passed or failed.

Read the rest of this entry »

Carter

Point of View

Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter
Created: 02/29/2012 06:15:10 PM PST

California’s public universities and colleges used to be a bargain for middle-class families. But thanks to the national recession and chronic state budget shortfalls, college fees have skyrocketed. Since the 2003-04 school year, Cal State University fees have increased 191 percent, University of California fees have increased by 145 percent, and community college fees have also jumped sharply.

Read the rest of this entry »

Carter

By Jim Sanders and Phillip Reese
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Feb. 6, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Monday, Feb. 6, 2012 – 7:10 am

With California billions behind on its budget and public services shrinking, the Assembly collectively tightened its belt last year – but not all of its members did.

Records released under court order show that Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez boosted the budgets of six members by tens of thousands of dollars apiece despite the fiscal emergency.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

Published: 27 November 2011 09:57 PM

SACRAMENTO – Instead of voting yes or no, members of Inland Southern California’s legislative delegation abstained on hundreds of bills that came before the full Assembly and Senate this year.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Monday, August 29, 2011

BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

SACRAMENTO – Does Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries’ office payroll rank among the highest in the Assembly, as shown in the Assembly expenditure data for the first seven months of 2011?

Read the rest of this entry »

Wilmer Amina Carter, D-Rialto, is vacating her Assembly seat. Joe Baca Jr., a Rialto councilman and former assemblyman, and Cheryl Brown, president of the local NAACP chapter and are vying for the redrawn and renumbered 47th Assembly District, comprised of Fontana, Rialto, Colton and a western portion of San Bernardino. (File photos)

Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 08/29/2011 01:53:44 PM PDT

The seat held by Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter, D-Rialto, is being eyed by two well-known figures in San Bernardino County political circles.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, August 2, 2011

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Being at the center of Capitol budget negotiations earlier this year seems to have been good for the bottom line of state Sen. Bill Emmerson’s campaign committee.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
July 15, 2011 11:15 AM

Lawmakers headed off on their summer recess this week, after sending several bills by Inland Southern California lawmakers to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
May 31, 2011 2:17 PM

Legislative appropriations panels claimed dozens of Inland Southern California lawmakers’ bills late last week.

Read the rest of this entry »

11:39 PM PDT on Thursday, March 31, 2011

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Legislators from Inland Southern California have introduced more than 200 bills this year, weighing in on subjects ranging from red-light cameras and the workplace to two-year budgets and aid for veterans.

Read the rest of this entry »

By James Rufus Koren Staff Writer
Posted: 03/25/2011 10:59:52 PM PDT

The past week saw lawmakers come to a standstill over the state budget, with little or no progress being made since March 16 and 17, when legislators approved several bills calling for cuts in state spending.

Read the rest of this entry »

Carter

Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter
Created: 02/21/2011 08:38:16 PM PST

We are at a pivotal point in legislative discussions regarding the budget. The governor has outlined a plan that severely cuts programs and extends some temporary tax measures. No one is happy with the steps needed to balance the state’s budget.

Read the rest of this entry »

11:52 PM PST on Monday, January 31, 2011

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Paul Cook knows the foundations of California government as well as any of his colleagues.

Cook, though, wasn’t buying it Monday when Gov. Jerry Brown invoked the California Constitution to pressure the Yucca Valley Republican and other GOP lawmakers to allow a public vote on a five-year extension of higher taxes.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PST on Sunday, January 30, 2011

The Press-Enterprise

The next election is never far off and two Inland Southern California lawmakers already are taking steps toward a possible future candidacy.

Last week, Assembly members Wilmer Amina Carter and Paul Cook opened campaign committees to run for state Senate.

Read the rest of this entry »

Carter

By PE News
on January 24, 2011 8:37 AM

Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter has filed paperwork to raise money for a possible state Senate candidacy in 2014.

Read the rest of this entry »

Plan caters to GOP, but many still aren’t onboard
James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Created: 01/16/2011 07:02:08 AM PST

Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal includes many kinds of cuts and reforms Republicans have long requested, but local Republican lawmakers have given the proposal a lukewarm reception.

Read the rest of this entry »

Legislators face many tough decisions on state’s deficit
James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/09/2011 07:02:16 AM PST

Gov. Jerry Brown has made it clear that the state budget he will propose today will include “painful” spending cuts.

But as local lawmakers wait to see Brown’s proposal, they seem to have few ideas – and fewer new ideas – for what those cuts should be. While some lawmakers have proposed novel ways of saving money or said they would support previously suggested cuts and money-saving reforms, others say they have a hard time identifying any cuts they’d like to make.

Read the rest of this entry »

Baca

10:00 PM PST on Sunday, December 19, 2010

The Press-Enterprise

Four of the five members of Inland Southern California’s congressional delegation are poised to return to the majority party when Republicans take back control of the House of Representatives next month.

And then there is Joe Baca. The Rialto Democrat has enjoyed majority status for the past four years, but will be relegated to the House minority, at least for the next two years.

Read the rest of this entry »

James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Created: 12/17/2010 05:19:35 PM PST

At least three local officials are already contemplating running for a state Assembly seat that will open up in 2012.

Former Assemblyman Joe Baca Jr., a Rialto City Council member and son of Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino, says he is definitely running for the Assembly again.

Read the rest of this entry »

By PE Politics
on December 15, 2010 12:56 PM

Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, released committee assignments Wednesday for the 2011-2012 session.

A few notables among the Inland Southern California delegation:

* Democrats picked up two seats in the last election, but Assemblyman Paul Cook remains chairman of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee. Cook, R-Yucca Valley, is one of just two Republican committee chairs in the Assembly.

Read the rest of this entry »

James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Created: 11/08/2010 03:11:09 PM PST

Every year, Democrats and at least a handful of Republicans in the state Legislature have had to come together to approve a state budget.

In the coming year, thanks to last week’s approval of Proposition 25, Democrats will be able to pass a budget with no Republican votes. While Democrats are optimistic about the change, they aren’t celebrating.

Read the rest of this entry »

Staff Report
Created: 10/27/2010 06:20:38 PM PDT

The so-called Tea Party Patriots have popped up in political races across the nation, including the 62nd Assembly District campaign, which pits one of the group’s candidates against an incumbent who is seeking what would be her third and final term in office because of term limits.

Jeane Ensley, a Republican who preaches less government as the solution to the state’s multiple woes, is taking on Wilmer Amina Carter, the Democratic assemblywoman who says she has the experience needed to represent a district that includes Colton, Rialto, Muscoy, Bloomington and much of San Bernardino and Fontana.

Read the rest of this entry »

Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/22/2010 07:09:18 PM PDT

The so-called Tea Party Patriots have popped up in political races across the nation, including the 62nd Assembly campaign, which pits one of the group’s candidates against an incumbent who is seeking what would be her third and final term in office because of term limits.

Jeane Ensley, a Republican who preaches less government as the solution to the state’s sundry woes, is taking on Wilmer Amina Carter, the Democratic assemblywoman who says she has the experience needed to represent a district that includes Colton, Rialto, Muscoy, Bloomington and much of San Bernardino and Fontana.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dutton

10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, October 10, 2010

The Press-Enterprise

At long last, Inland state Sen. Bob Dutton will become leader of the upper house’s GOP caucus today.

Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, had been the Senate Republican leader-in-waiting since earlier this year. He will replace state Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta, who has to leave the Senate next month because of term limits.

Read the rest of this entry »

11:43 PM PDT on Wednesday, September 29, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

Legislation to preserve millions in property tax revenue for the agency in charge of redeveloping the former Norton Air Force Base has been signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Inland Valley Development Agency, the Norton redevelopment agency, otherwise stood to lose as much as $4.5 million.

Read the rest of this entry »

James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Created: 09/09/2010 06:34:15 PM PDT

The California State Assembly this week posted the salaries of Assembly members online, even though a bill requiring that action failed to get the Legislature’s approval last month.

But perhaps more interesting than the members’ salaries – Assembly members representing San Bernardino County all make $95,291 – are the salaries paid to Assembly staff members. Democratic lawmakers spend much more on staffers than do Republicans.

Read the rest of this entry »

Carter

By PE Politics
on September 1, 2010 7:09 AM

For much of Monday evening, Inland Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter was a “yes” vote for legislation that would give a chance of parole to prison inmates who were younger than 18 when they committed crimes for which they were later sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:54 PM PDT on Sunday, August 29, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – A bill that would set new rules for the foreclosure process is the focus of a fierce end-of-session fight between the lending industry and consumer groups.

Loan delinquency and foreclosure rates are down from the worst of the housing downturn but Riverside and San Bernardino counties remain among the hardest-hit parts of the state.

Read the rest of this entry »

***Editor’s Note: Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter (D-Rialto) doesn’t come off well in this story as the #2 offender. Carter was absent 23 sessions for medical reasons and never once waived accepting her per diem.

Carter

By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

California legislators collected tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded per diem payments for floor sessions they did not attend this year, records show.

Failing to show up for work typically did not hurt lawmakers’ pocketbooks: Only about one of every four absences included the loss of the tax-free $142 per day in living expenses.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Monday, July 26, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Several Inland governments, businesses and other groups have rallied behind a recently introduced state bill meant to preserve millions in revenue for the agency in charge of redeveloping the former Norton Air Force Base.

The support comes even though some of the agencies would stand to get more money if current law was left alone.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, May 27, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO – Primary losses for legislative incumbents are about as common as meteor strikes in California, but two Inland members find themselves with challenges next month in this most sour of campaign seasons.

Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter, D-Rialto, and Assemblyman Brian Nestande, R-Palm Desert, are among five legislators statewide who face primary opponents in the June 8 election.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Monday, March 15, 2010

By DUANE W. GANG, IMRAN GHORI and JIM MILLER
The Press-Enterprise

Inland voters now know who their choices will be for the upcoming June 8 primary election after Friday’s filing deadline for candidates.

For Inland legislative seats, these candidates returned filing papers.

In the 62nd Assembly District incumbent Wilmer Amina Carter, of Rialto, will face Gil Navarro, of San Bernardino, in the Democratic primary. Republican Jean Ensley, of Rialto, also is in the race.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/12/2010 07:21:04 PM PST

Friday was the last day for most hopeful candidates to file their nominations to run for state office.

One of the most popular races in San Bernardino County is for Assemblyman Bill Emmerson’s seat representing the 63rd District.

Emmerson, a Republican, is being termed out and is vying for a spot in the state Senate.

Read the rest of this entry »

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/23/2010 09:37:01 PM PST

The California Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating five Inland Empire lawmakers for allegedly failing to report hundreds of dollars worth of gifts in 2008.

The five are among 38 state lawmakers who are being investigated for allegedly failing to report gifts and other perks including meals, beverages, parking tabs and tickets to sporting venues and theme parks valued at more than $8,000.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Capitol Weekly Staff | 12/17/09 12:00 AM PST

It’s that time of year again, when the editorial team and mathematicians here at Capitol Weekly go about the exercise of reducing our 118 legislators to simple numerical statistics. Yes, boys and girls. We are proud to present the Third Annual Legislative Scorecard.

Now for the usual round of disclaimers and preemptive apologies. Every political scorecard has its problems, and this one is no exception. The selection of bills is subjective, chosen after conversations with Capitol staff and experts, and our own observations of big debates over the last year under the dome. We also took our cues from other organizations who do this kind of thing on a regular basis. In fact, the Capitol Weekly scorecard is, in many ways, a compilation or synthesis of other scorecards that have been floating around insider circles in recent weeks.

Read the rest of this entry »