[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 15209]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING DR. PETER MEHAS

  (Mr. COSTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, we're here today to honor a true public 
servant and a longtime friend of mine, Superintendent Pete Mehas. My 
Republican colleagues, Congressmen Nunes and Congressman Valadao, and I 
certainly have our disagreements, but among those things we all agree 
on is how important and meaningful the work of Pete's life was to so 
many in our valley and those that he touched throughout the State of 
California because he was a true public servant.
  He committed his life to the furtherance of education for the young 
people throughout California. He and I worked together on so many 
issues, from special education, to bringing the Keeping Score program 
to the kids of Fresno County, to dealing with challenged school 
districts like West Elementary, the implementation of charter schools, 
and, yes, one of the last tasks that Pete did, even though he was in 
retirement, was to head the selection committee for the new president 
of Cal State University of Fresno, Dr. Joe Castro. A good selection 
that was.
  It's time that we set our differences apart and find the solutions to 
the impasses that are affecting this Congress and this country today. 
It's what Pete would have done. It's what we should do.

                          ____________________