Supporting Innovation at Mission Bay Summit
Americans, and especially Californians, share a heritage and tradition of innovation.  In fact, our nation owes its very existence to entrepreneurial ideas. On Monday, I was honored to deliver the keynote address at the 2009 Mission Bay Innovation summit – an event that brought  together leaders in the government, the private sector, and academia to share ideas and best practices for fostering innovation in science and technology. On the Mission Bay campus, scientists are currently leading breakthroughs in stem cell research and developing new treatments for everything from the flu to cancer. In Congress, I am committed to continuing the House Democrats’ Innovation Agenda - funding scientific research in groundbreaking technology, improving the quality and affordability of learning, investing in clean energy to create jobs, and continuing our efforts to lower costs and improve quality as we preserve choice and expand coverage through health insurance reform.

Visiting SingleStop USA

Following my speech in Mission Bay, I was privileged to visit SingleStop USA, a non-profit which is now working with the non-profit Homeless Prenatal Program in the Potrero Hill neighborhood, to announce the expansion of poverty-fighting services in San Francisco. A model for the nation on how to better invest our resources, SingleStop USA  works with the government, private funders and community-based organizations to remove barriers that separate low-income families from receiving public benefits, tax credits, and other essential services that remain untapped and inaccessible. With billions in unclaimed benefits a year in California alone, organizations like SingleStop USA are improving the lives of those in need by connecting citizens in poverty with the benefits they are entitled. While there, I was able to meet Consuelo, a single mother of three who was able to buy a car through SingleStop USA’s help identifying a tax credit to make the purchase. Now Consuelo works at SingleStop USA, serving the community around her. There is no work more important than what is being done here, especially as we focus on our children and the future of our country.

Harvey Milk receives Presidential Medal of Freedom
On Wednesday, President Obama posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the highest civilian award in the United States – to San Francisco’s legendary former Supervisor Harvey Milk. It brought me, and all of San Francisco great pride to watch as Stuart Milk, Harvey’s nephew, accepted the award in his name, and to hear the President repeat Harvey’s immortal standard: “You gotta give 'em hope.” Harvey lived his entire life creating opportunity for others, and we continue the work he began - the work that was so tragically cut short - by ensuring equal rights for all members of the LGBT community.

Celebrating our new Supreme Court Justice
Our country celebrated a proud and historic moment last Saturday when Sonia Sotomayor took the oath of office as our newest Supreme Court Justice. Justice Sotomayor’s life story, including her many years of distinguished public service, is a testament to the American values of opportunity and justice.  The confirmation of our nation’s first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice underscores our nation’s commitment to equality, which is our heritage and our hope. I congratulate Justice Sotomayor, and I am proud that our nation’s highest court will benefit from her service.  She will make an outstanding Justice and will serve with great distinction for many years to come, preserving our civil liberties, maintaining the independence of the judiciary, and protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States.

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Sincerely, Member of Congress