[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 98 (Tuesday, June 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H3720-H3723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          IN RECOGNITION OF THE PLACER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the

[[Page H3721]]

gentleman from California (Mr. Kiley) for 30 minutes.
  Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to name the following members of the 
Placer County Sheriff's Office to the 2024 Third Congressional District 
Police Honor Roll: Sergeant Isaiah Tchobanoff, Deputy Richard Porter, 
Deputy John Tannarome, Deputy Brandon Winschell, Deputy Paul Solbos, 
Deputy Kevin Hills, Deputy Joseph Durant.
  On the night of May 2, 2024, deputies in the Placer County Sheriff's 
Office were on patrol in the city of Colfax in Placer County. The 
deputies observed a suspicious vehicle parked at the rear of a local 
restaurant that matched the vehicle description of one used while in 
the commission of a residential burglary earlier in the week of a 
Placer County citizen.
  Deputies Solbos, Porter, and Tannarome attempted to contact the van 
occupant, who was verbally uncooperative and refused lawful orders to 
exit the vehicle.
  Deputy Solbos called for his supervisor, Sergeant Tchobanoff, and 
Deputy Durant to respond and assist them. Deputies Winschell and Hills 
arrived a short time later.
  While instituting a plan to deescalate the situation and remove the 
occupant from the vehicle safely, the driver of the van fired a gun 
from inside the vehicle, striking Deputy Porter in the upper torso.
  Deputies at the scene returned fire, and Deputy Porter was 
immediately provided medical aid by deputies on the scene and was 
transported to the nearest helicopter landing zone by his fellow 
deputies awaiting an air ambulance.
  Additional deputies and officers from outside agencies began arriving 
as Deputy Porter was flown to the nearest trauma center, Sutter 
Roseville Medical Center.
  Deputy Porter spent four nights in the hospital surrounded by his 
loved ones and his colleagues from the sheriff's office. In tremendous 
news, he was released to go home on Monday, May 6, 2024, and was 
escorted home by the sheriff, undersheriff, and assistant sheriff, 
along with the command staff and patrol staff.
  These law enforcement officers acted with the utmost professionalism 
and bravery on May 2, 2024. They trusted the advanced officer training 
the sheriff's office had provided and were calm, committed, and 
focused.
  That night was a true testament to their unwavering commitment to the 
community they serve. Their actions embody the core values of the 
Placer County Sheriff's Office, and all Placer County residents can 
take enormous pride in these outstanding officers.
  For their bravery and dedication to public safety, I am honored to 
include these fine law enforcement officers in the 2024 Third 
Congressional District Police Honor Roll.


                    In Remembrance of Aldo Pineschi

  Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, it is with a very heavy heart that I wish to 
take a moment to honor the memory of Aldo Pineschi, a Roseville 
resident and community leader who passed away a few weeks ago on May 
28, 2024.
  Aldo was born and raised in Roseville, California, which is also 
where he decided to raise his family. Aldo attended the local high 
school and community college until he transferred to UC Davis, where he 
graduated with a degree in political science.
  After his education, he worked in government relations and public 
affairs for 40 years and owned and operated Aldo Pineschi Consulting. 
Beyond his thriving career, Aldo placed his heart at the center of 
Placer County and served the communities within numerous leadership and 
volunteer positions.
  His contributions to the region include his work with the Placer 
Business Alliance, with many of the area chambers of commerce, and 
several local nonprofits, such as Lighthouse Counseling, Visit Placer, 
The Placer Breast Cancer Foundation, and many, many more.
  He raised scholarship funds for local students and was a driving 
force behind organizations that would help struggling families afford 
everyday necessities. He had a strong commitment to and understanding 
of the pulse of the local business community and was an invaluable 
contributor to the economic vitality and success of the region.
  Aldo's wide diversity of accomplishments improved the quality of life 
and experiences for residents, businesses, and visitors in the area. It 
is because of the exceptional leadership and passion of people like 
Aldo Pineschi that Placer County and the communities that comprise it 
are such great places to live, work, raise a family, and retire.
  Aldo will be remembered for many, many things: by his countless 
friends in our county, for his wise counsel, his innate kindness, and 
his care and consideration for those around him. As a pillar in our 
community, I am confident that the remarkable legacy he left behind in 
Placer County will be felt for generations to come.
  Therefore, on behalf of California's Third Congressional District and 
the United States House of Representatives, I want to offer a heartfelt 
condolence to Aldo's wife, Lesli, children, Evangeline and Anthony, and 
the countless other lives that he touched throughout Placer County and 
the surrounding region.
  Mr. Aldo Pineschi will be greatly missed, but his legacy will be felt 
for a very, very long time to come.


                   In Recognition of Johanna Tackitt

  Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I wish to take a moment to recognize an 
outstanding and prominent educator from California's Third 
Congressional District.
  I would like to highlight a teacher from the Eastern Sierra Unified 
School District, Johanna Tackitt, who has dedicated 22 years toward a 
career in education.
  Mrs. Tackitt earned her bachelor of science degree in elementary 
education from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a master's in 
advanced teaching leadership from Sierra Nevada College.
  She proudly teaches at Antelope Elementary School in Coleville, 
California, where she has instructed classes of students in the third 
grade and transitional kindergarten and kindergarten.
  As a young girl, Mrs. Tackitt became passionate about horses and 
barrel racing. Through this passion, she was inspired to become a 
teacher by her friend and mentor, Lauretta, who taught her dressage. 
She strove to emulate Lauretta's qualities of patience, positivity, and 
care, and later became a coach herself.
  This ultimately led Mrs. Tackitt to the teaching profession, where 
she used these skills and values to become beloved by students, 
parents, and staff.

                              {time}  2100

  Her unique abilities as a former coach help her build trusting 
relationships with students in which she guides them toward reaching 
their goals, and thereby creates confident young students who believe 
in themselves and know they can achieve anything.
  For these reasons and many more, Mrs. Tackitt was recently recognized 
as the 2022-2023 Mono County Teacher of the Year. She is known by 
others for her strong work ethic, patience, and knowledge, as well as 
for treating her students with respect, kindness, and empathy.
  Students leave Mrs. Tackitt's classroom excited about school and 
learning, which is commendable. I applaud Mrs. Tackitt for her 
dedication to education, to the development of her students, and to 
promoting overall student success in academic achievement.
  Therefore, on behalf of the United States House of Representatives, I 
am pleased to recognize Mrs. Johanna Tackitt for her significant 
contributions to the Eastern Sierra Unified School District and to the 
students of Antelope Elementary School.


                 Recognizing Tahoe Forest Health System

  Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize 
the Tahoe Forest Health System for 75 years of providing exceptional 
healthcare services to the Tahoe region.
  In 1949, Richard Joseph and his family donated the land necessary for 
the construction of the new hospital in Truckee. The donation was made 
with the desire to care for their local community members and in memory 
of their son, Levon Joseph, who was tragically killed during his 
military service in World War II.
  The community rallied behind the idea of a new hospital, and under 
the legacy of generosity, the Tahoe Forest Hospital District was 
formed. In 1952, the hospital facility named the Tahoe

[[Page H3722]]

Forest Hospital officially opened its doors.
  The original hospital consisted of 15 beds and 2 physicians. Since 
its inception, the Tahoe Forest Health System has grown along with the 
community it serves. The Tahoe Forest Hospital expanded to 25 acute 
care beds and 36 long-term care beds while also providing a wide array 
of critical rural healthcare services, including community health 
outreach programs.
  The hospital service area now covers six rural counties, two States, 
and approximately 3,500 square miles. The hospital was further 
developed by building the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Cancer Center and 
the Incline Village Community Hospital, a four-bed critical access 
hospital offering 24-hour emergency care, as well as a variety of other 
clinical health services.
  The Tahoe Forest Health System has contributed to the health and 
well-being of Tahoe residents and visitors for more than seven decades 
and is a vital resource for our local mountain communities.
  Tahoe Forest Health has earned multiple awards, partnerships, and 
recognitions and sets a high standard for excellence in rural 
healthcare. Therefore, on behalf of the United States House of 
Representatives, I am honored to recognize the Tahoe Forest Health 
System in celebration of their 75-year anniversary, and I applaud them 
for their ongoing commitment to providing quality and compassionate 
healthcare services.


                        Overturn Proposition 47

  Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment this evening to 
bring the country's attention to one of the most shocking and twisted 
things I have ever seen in the world of politics, which is happening 
right now in my State of California.
  There is a scheme playing out right now on the part of the State's 
ruling politicians to undermine a democratic election and make nearly 
40 million Californians less safe. This relates to the crime problem in 
our State, which, of course, is not just a California issue.
  As a member of the Judiciary Committee, I have been part of several 
field hearings in some of America's worst cities when it comes to high 
crime rates, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Manhattan, and right here 
in Washington, D.C.
  It is perhaps in my State, in California, especially in cities like 
Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, where the problem is most 
pronounced, thanks in large part to a series of criminal laws that have 
been passed that are uniquely permissive and that are uniquely 
restrictive of the ability of law enforcement to keep our communities 
safe.
  Yet, there is one law in particular that is at the root of many of 
the problems that we see in California when it comes to homelessness, 
open-air drug markets, retail theft, and smash-and-grabs. That is an 
initiative known as Proposition 47, which was passed in 2014 under the 
false name of the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, and since that 
time has caused an epidemic of retail theft by eliminating virtually 
any consequence for stealing.
  It has also had the tragic consequence of making it so we cannot get 
drug addicts who are living on our streets, in many cases dying 
tragically on our streets, in many cases for fentanyl and other drugs, 
where we can't get them the help they need now because it has decimated 
our drug court system. Prosecutors no longer have the ability to use a 
possible felony conviction as leverage to get offenders to sign up for 
treatment.
  For the last decade, this very misguided initiative, Proposition 47, 
has caused these problems to build and build in California and has made 
our communities less and less safe, has made our quality of life in 
California lower and lower, has been a major reason why people have 
been leaving our State in record numbers when, for much of its history, 
California has been the State that everyone wanted to come to.
  After a decade, over the course of the last several months, there has 
been a citizen-led effort in California to overturn the worst 
provisions of Proposition 47, to restore consequences for retail theft, 
to revive drug treatment for those who need it, and to take on the 
scourge of fentanyl that is ravaging far too many of our communities.
  The people of California responded overwhelmingly, with over 900,000 
people signing the petition to get this measure on the ballot. Just 
about an hour ago this evening, it was officially announced by the 
California secretary of state that the initiative has qualified and 
that it will appear on the November ballot. All indications are that 
the people of California will vote for it and end this radical failed 
experiment in our State and set our State on a new course.

  Unfortunately, there are some who hold power right now in California 
who do not want that to happen.
  I want to be very clear that this is not a partisan statement because 
the initiative has broad bipartisan support. For example, it is 
endorsed by the Democratic mayor of San Francisco, the Democratic mayor 
of San Jose, and the Democratic mayor of San Diego because it is just 
common sense that we need to restore public safety in California.
  Yet, at the State level, the supermajority in the legislature, along 
with Governor Gavin Newsom, have decided that they should take matters 
into their own hands and deny voters the opportunity to bypass this 
bipartisan initiative.
  How might they do this, you ask? It has already qualified for the 
ballot. The people have made their voices heard. It is official. What 
is their plan? This is the scheme that they have come up with that 
surpasses anything I have seen, perhaps, and I have seen a lot when it 
comes to the machinations of California politics.
  Here is what they have done. The Governor and leaders in the 
legislature came up with their own package of bills that are ostensibly 
designed to promote public safety. In fact, most if not all of those 
bills are unobjectionable. Some of them are even positive, but they are 
really just tweaking at the edges of the problem.
  None of them does anything to deal with the actual problems of 
Proposition 47. In fact, the bills by definition couldn't do that 
because Proposition 47 was a voter initiative, and it could only be 
corrected by voter initiative. The legislature doesn't have the power 
to do that.
  Nevertheless, for whatever reason, maybe to look like they were doing 
something about the problem, maybe they genuinely wanted to help make 
communities safer, you had these bills that were introduced that would 
take some fairly modest steps in the direction of public safety.
  We actually learned just a few days ago that there was a much more 
sinister purpose behind these bills. The leaders of the legislature 
will be introducing an amendment to these bills, which has what they 
are calling an inoperability clause.
  What does that mean? They are stipulating in the language of the 
bills that if voters pass the initiative that is now going to be on the 
ballot in November, then those bills will automatically be repealed. 
They are putting in a provision that says that their own bills will be 
repealed automatically if voters make a decision that they don't like 
in November.

                              {time}  2110

  This is truly extraordinary. It is a threat to the people of 
California. Don't pass this initiative or we will weaken other criminal 
laws. It is a loaded weapon because the effect is automatic. The threat 
doesn't even need to be carried out; it is just there the moment the 
initiative passes, at least, this is the way they have designed it. 
Then those bills will be repealed, but the true purpose of this is even 
worse.
  The true purpose is to mislead voters and give them an upside-down 
description of what this initiative will actually do. Because in 
California, the language that appears on the ballot when you go to vote 
that says, here is what this initiative will do, that language is 
written by the attorney general who is, himself, a Statewide-elected 
official.
  The point of including what some are calling a poison pill, which 
says that if you pass the initiative, then these public safety bills 
are going to be repealed, is to influence the way that the initiative 
is written, an initiative that is supposed to be about helping to limit 
crime, reduce crime, and restore consequences. They will describe it in 
precisely the opposite way.

[[Page H3723]]

  On the ballot, it will now say, oh, no, this initiative is going to 
repeal these public safety measures.
  It is a deeply cynical scheme designed to undermine a popular voter 
initiative that is desperately needed to get our State back on track. I 
think that when people ask whatever happened to California, how did our 
beautiful State come to have all of these problems, where you walk 
through the streets of San Francisco or Los Angeles and you can't even 
believe that you are in the United States of America, how did this 
happen? This is how it has happened.
  Unfortunately, we have political leaders who are willing to go so far 
as to undermine a democratic election and to make our State less safe 
in order to advance their own particular political goals.
  Mr. Speaker, I think it is absolutely shameful; however, I have faith 
that at the end of the day, the will of the people will win out, and I 
think that people are frustrated with what has happened to our State.
  I hear it every day. They are frustrated with machinations like this, 
and the people of California will find a way to make sure that this 
change that is desperately needed happens and that our State gets back 
on the right track.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________