Marti Emerald

COUNCIL DECLARES 2016 “YEAR OF INCLUSION”

 

By Miriam Raftery

January 14, 2016 (San Diego) – The San Diego City Council has proclaimed 2016 as the Year of Inclusion.  The proclamation notes that immigrants comprise 23 percent of the population in our region, with over 100 languages spoken by San Diego residents from around the world.

The proclamation recognizes organizations in San Diego dedicated to helping s build a “culture of civic participation among new generations” that empower leadership and activism. The city's welcoming gesture toward immigrants comes at a time when anti-immigrant has been on the rise nationally and among some prominent political figures, most notably Republican presidential frontrunner candidate Donald Trump.


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EMERALD CALLS FOR BALLOT INITIATIVE TO ADD FIRE STATIONS

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: 2011 City of San Diego

July 10, 2015 (San Diego) – In an interview with KPBS, retiring San Diego Councilmember Marti Emerald said she plans one final major action.


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WHEN ALL THE ODDS SAY THERE IS NO CHANCE, HOPE REIGNS TRUE!

 

The Healing Shower, by Eloise Laws (Knowledge Power Books, Valencia, California, 2012, 131 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

 

When all the odds say there’s no chance,

Amidst the final dance,

I’ll be your comfort through your pain

I’ll be your shelter in the rain.

  • Stevie Wonder

Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter, musician, political           activist and philanthropist.

November 13, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - Eloise Laws, an award-winning vocalist, Tony-nominated actress, author, and breast cancer survivor – in her debut book The Healing Shower, shares her personal journey, surviving the “ups and downs’ of breast cancer. Inspired by the outpouring of love and support she received from family and friends, prompted her to write this thought provoking and deeply moving book. In this thoughtful and well-written book are all the tools one who is suffering from a life-threatening illness will need as a guide when considering a “Healing Shower” before or possibly returning home from surgery. As East County’s Jamie Reno attested to in his book Hope Begins in the Dark, which this writer also had the honor of writing a review of in the East County Magazine, cancer can be a never ending battle. San Diego City Councilwoman Marti Emerald is also fighting this debilitating disease of cancer.


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WORLD REFUGEE DAY HEALTHCARE FAIR DRAWS HUNDREDS

 

 

Event is part of massive roll-out to educate local refugees on new healthcare laws and more

By Miriam Raftery

June 24, 2013 (City Heights) – “This is the largest refugee resettlement community in California and one of the largest in the United States,” Councilmember Marti Emerald said at Somali Family Service Community Healthcare Fair held on World Refugee Day event Saturday in City Heights Community Park, in collaboration with East African Collaborative.


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SD COUNCIL VOTES TO IMPROVE EMERGENCY DISPATCH COMMUNICATIONS

March 17, 2013 (San Diego) -- On March 11,  San Diego’s City Council unanimously approved funding for a new Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. The CAD system is used for dispatching emergency 9-1-1 calls and is of critical importance to emergency response times. In an emergency, seconds can make every difference, including that of a life or death situation. The current software was originally written in the mid-1970s and the existing CAD system was installed in 1991.  The council’s action approved $6.9 million in one- time revenue toward the long overdue CAD system replacement.

The new CAD system will improve response times and modernize the tools available for the efficient dispatching of 9-1-1 calls. By committing the necessary funding to upgrade the CAD system, we increase public safety for all San Diegans and give our first responders the tools necessary to serve our residents. It is estimated that the CAD system replacement will take three to five years, depending on the scope of work.


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SAN DIEGO COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY BACKS AMENDMENT TO OVERTURN “CITIZENS UNITED” DECISION

December 7, 2012 (San Diego)--In a stunning unanimous vote Tuesday, the San Diego City Council supported a Constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which allowed virtually unlimited corporate donations to political campaigns. The vote was 8-0 to limit the power of money in politics, with one absent councilmember not voting.

The resolution asks Congress to begin the process to amend the U.S. Constitution to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission “so that the expenditure of corporate money to influence the electoral process is no longer a form of constitutionally protected speech.”


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PASSAGE OF PROPS A AND B DEAL BLOWS TO LOCAL WORKERS

 
Unions head to court over Prop B Pension cuts
 
By Nadin Abbott
Photographs Tom Abbott and Nadin Abbott
 
June 15, 2012 (San Diego)—Approval by voters of Proposition B, which eliminates guaranteed pensions for many city employees, has drawn praise from conservatives and sharp criticism from labor. So has Prop A, which eliminates Project Labor Agreements for construction projects on city property. 

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SANTEE POWER PLANT REZONING DECISION DELAYED UNTIL JUNE 28

By Miriam Raftery

April 27, 2012 (Santee)—The San Diego Planning Commission voted 4-2 to grant a 60-day continuance to Quail Brush Genco (Cogentrix), delaying a decision on whether to rezone property near Mission Trails Regional Park as industrial space in order to allow construction of a gas-fired power plant. 


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EMERALD OUTLINES STEPS TO SUSTAINABILITY; PARTNER "TWEETS" THE NEWS


Part II of the Forging a Sustainable Future Conference will be held March 3 and 4 at San Diego State University.  For tickets and details click here. If you missed Part I of this important event, ECM is publishing a series of articles highlighting presentations by key speakers last November, starting with these colorful opening statements.

February 9, 2012 (San Diego) – Councilwoman Marti Emerald, a former TV consumer affairs journalist called on San Diegans to join with her in calling for sustainable practices here in our community, and around the world during Part I of United Green's Forging a Sustainable Future conference in November 2011. “This is survival, folks,” she said. 

She brought a surprise guest: Cassis, a green-winged macaw who joined her onstage during opening remarks to drive homeher message. "You won't find these in the wild," Emerald said. "Their habitat has been destroyed." 


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SAFE LIGHT PROJECT PUTS SOLAR LIGHTING ON HOMES TO IMPROVE SAFETY

 

November 25, 2011 (San Diego) -- Councilmember Marti Emerald, Council President Tony Young, the San Diego Police Department and Rebuilding Together teamed to launch the “Safe Light Project”  on November 22, beginning with the neighborhoods of Mt. Hope and Mountain View. The organizations are teaming with community volunteers to install solar lighting on homes in neighborhoods that lack adequate lighting.

 


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PLANTING THE SEEDS OF TOMORROW - ARBOR DAY DEC. 3 AT MISSION TRAILS REGIONAL PARK

 

November 9, 2011 (San Diego)-- Mission Trails Regional Park will celebrate Arbor Day at the picnic area near the Visitor and Interpretive Center on Saturday, December 3  at 9 a.m. The public is invited to assist in planting trees including Engleman Oak trees and other native plants.


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NEED A HELICOPTER RESCUE? YOU MAY BE PAYING THE BILL

November 5, 2011(San Diego) – Councilmember Marti Emerald says San Diego needs to recover its costs for use of the City’s medical/rescue helicopters. So she is asking Congress for federal permission to allow the city to charge patients for costs of treatment and rescue services. Emerald says the move is needed to assure rescue helicopters are available when needed.


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LOCAL LEADERS RECEIVE MUCH DESERVED RECOGNITION FOR PHILANTHROPIC WORK

Six honorees were recognized for their work with the Somali and East African Refugee Community

November 2, 2011 (San Diego) — Somali Family Service of San Diego (SFS) held its First Annual OceanLeaf Awards Celebration to honor and recognize six community members who have made significant contributions in advancing the nation’s second largest Somali and East African refugee population on Wednesday, October 19.

 

 


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CONGRESSWOMAN SUSAN DAVIS AND CITY OF SAN DIEGO PROCLAIM THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER AS OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH IN SAN DIEGO.

 
 
September 22, 2011 (San Diego)--To recognize the efforts of the Ovarian Cancer Advocacy Alliance of San Diego (OCAA) to effect change in the way medical doctors consider diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer by educating the medical community, patient organizations and the community at large, Congresswoman Susan Davis and the City of San Diego issued Proclamations declaring September 2011 as Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. 
 

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COUNCILMEMBER EMERALD TO RUN IN DISTRICT 9


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COUNCILWOMAN MARTI EMERALD ISSUES STATEMENT ON SELLING HER HOME IN DISTRICT

July 22, 2011 (Tierrasanta) – San Diego City Councilwoman Marti Emerald has issued the following statement in response to inquiries regarding her decision to sell her home Tierrasanta.
The move follows the death of her husband, Mike Klarfeld, in February, and has raised questions as to whether she intends to continue representing the district.

Emerald offered assurances to constituents in her explanation:


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SAVE A NEIGHBOR WITH NEIGHBORHOOD BEAT: PROGRAM LAUNCHES AUG. 13 AT SDSU WITH FREE CPR TRAINING

 

July 20, 2011 (San Diego)-- Council Member Marti Emerald is partnering with Rural/Metro Ambulance, the city of San Diego’s ambulance provider, to launch Neighborhood Beat, a city-wide community CPR training program. 

 


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FIRE STATION BROWNOUTS TO END JULY 1, COUNCIL APPROVES BUDGET AMENDMENT BY EMERALD

 

June 6, 2011 (San Diego) –  San Diego City Council has voted 7-1 to approve a budget that will eliminate brown-outs at city fire stations starting July 1, also restoring funds for libraries and city parks.

 

After staff projected that reserve accounts will have more money than estimated earlier, several proposals were made to utilize the new-found surplus. Council adopted an amendment proposed by Councilmember Marti Emerald to restore eight fire engines that have been shut down for over a year. Brownouts have been blamed for at least one death, a toddler who choked to death waiting on a fire engine with paramedics to arrive from a distant location while a station a block away was closed.


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S.D. CITY COUNCIL APPROVES COST SAVINGS IN RETIREE BENEFITS

 

By Miriam Raftery

May 24, 2011 (San Diego) –San Diego City Council has approved the biggest cost cutting move in San Diego’s history: reforming retiree health benefits, which is estimated to save the City $714,000,000 in coming years.

 

“With this agreement the City is keeping faith with retirees and taxpayers by creating a sustainable benefit and freeing up hundreds of millions of dollars needed for City services like public safety, libraries and parks,” said Councilmember Marti Emerald, who announced the pending agreement during her recent State of the District address.


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PASSAGES: ALZHEIMER'S CLAIMS LIFE OF ATTORNEY S. MYRON “MIKE” KLARFELD, HUSBAND OF COUNCILWOMAN MARTI EMERALD

 

February 27, 2011 (San Diego)--S. Myron “Mike” Klarfeld, 83, died February 23 in the arms of his wife, Councilmember Marti Emerald, after a long struggle with Alhzeimer’s disease. An attorney for 54 years, first in Massachusetts and later California, he is remembered as a champion of justice.

 

His longtime colleague in the law, famed attorney F. Lee Bailey, once wrote that Mike Klarfeld was a “barrister extraordinaire, who is damned near as nuts as I am.”


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EMERALD CALLS ON MAYOR TO RESTORE FIRE ENGINES, LIFEGUARDS

 

Mayor mum on whether he will take action

 

By: Jeremy Los

 

February 3, 2011 – Councilmember Marti Emerald has made an official plea to Mayor Jerry Sanders to reinvest reserve funds in restoring fire engines and lifeguard services.

 

“The primary function of government is keeping its citizens safe,” said Councilmember Emerald. “I will not stand down until adequate public safety resources are restored to our neighborhoods.”


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FEDERAL HELP FOR LOCAL FLOOD VICTIMS STILL PENDING

 

County Office of Emergency Services accepting applications from those who suffered storm damage while awaiting aid from FEMA

 

January 14, 2011 (San Diego) –San Diego Councilmember Marti Emerald said her office has been in daily contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA), pushing the agency to extend federal assistance to San Diego property owners swamped by recent rains and flooding.

 

“It appears the city qualifies for federal aid because of the amount of damage to public and private properties, but San Diegans are still asking when repair dollars will be available,” Emerald said in a statement issued today.


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“STUFF THE BUS” FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER SAT. DEC. 11

 

December 7, 2010 (San Diego) – Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) aims to load up ten buses with 8,000 pounds of food for hungry families this Saturday, December 11, at ten Vons stores across San Diego County.

 


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COUNCIL RESTRICTS WAL-MART SUPERCENTERS IN SAN DIEGO

UPDATE DEC. 2:  The council has voted 5-3 to override a veto by the mayor to enact this law.  The same members who initially supported the ban voted for the override.


Requires impact study before a Supercenter could be built; mayor may veto measure
 

November 29, 2010 (San Diego) – Negative TV advertising by Wal-Mart didn’t dissuade members of the San Diego City Council from voting against Wal-Mart. By a 5-3 vote last week, Councilmembers voted to require a neighborhood impact study be conducted before a building permit may be issued for big-box vendors such as Wal-Mart that want to open stores over 90,000 square feet that sell groceries.


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SAN DIEGO APPROVES WINTER HOMELESS SHELTER—RIGHT NEXT TO CITY HALL

 

East County News Service

October 22, 2010 (San Diego) -- After three public hearings and hours of testimony from scores of people, including the homeless, the San Diego City Council has chosen a site in its own backyard to serve as a winter shelter: Golden Hall, the convention complex attached to City Hall.

 

“This is the best compromise available for this year’s winter shelter,” said Councilmember Emerald, a former TV newscaster who once went spent a week living on the streets for an undercover story on homelessness. 


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GRAFFITI TRACKER PROGRAM LAUNCHES

 

East County News Service

 

October 22, 2010 (San Diego) -- A proposal to implement a high-tech Graffiti Tracker Program was recently approved by The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. The Grafitti Tracker Program is a comprehensive, web-based system designed to identify, track, prosecute, and seek restitution from graffiti vandals.


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SAN DIEGO VOTERS TO DECIDE ON SALES TAX INCREASE

 

 

August 5, 2010 (San Diego) – The San Diego City Council voted 6-2 in a special session Wednesday to let voters decide whether the City should have a temporary (five year) half-cent increase in sales tax. The “Reform before Revenue” measure, proposed by Councilmembers Donna Frye and Todd Gloria, will require that key pension and financial reforms be met before the tax increase would take effect. 


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BROWN-OUTS MAY BE TO BLAME FOR TOT'S DEATH

 

By Miriam Raftery

July 22, 2010 (San Diego) – Two-year-old Bentley Do’s family lives just one block from a San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Station. But the station’s crew was filling in for another Mira Mesa station’s personnel as part of city-ordered “brown-outs” to save money.


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EMERALD PUSHES NEW FIRE SAFETY POLICY

 

 

June 29, 2010 (San Diego) -- Concerned about potentially deeper cuts to fire safety, San Diego City Councilmember Marti Emerald is pushing for a new Council policy. She will introduce the new safety plan at the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee on Wednesday, June 30th, at 2 p.m.
 

“Fire engines are already browned out affecting response times. The last thing we want to do is water down our Fire and Rescue Services even more,” says Emerald.


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COURT RULES SAN DIEGO CURFEW ORDINANCE UNCONSTITUTIONAL; CITY MOVES TO ENACT EMERGENCY ORDINANCE

 

 

February 14, 2010 (San Diego) –The California Fourth District Court of Appeals this week found the City of San Diego’s curfew ordinance unconstitutional on grounds that the language is too broad.

 

“The City of San Diego is proceeding to enact an emergency ordinance so curfew laws can continue to be enforced, protecting San Diego’s children,” Councilwoman Marti Emerald has informed East County Magazine.“I want to be able to enforce the curfew law to keep our kids safe," she added.  "I also want to protect their Constitutional Rights.”


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