December 31, 2005 — Plans to import water challenged — Conservationists are attacking two water importation projects for the North Valleys in Washoe County, saying one will devastate wetlands in Honey Lake Valley and the other would destroy Dry Valley. . . . In a statement with other conservation groups, Bob Fulkerson said the water importation projects create a dangerous precedent for Southern Nevada Water Authority's project to import water from Lincoln County.

— By Susan Voyles RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL

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December 15, 2005 — Reach of initiative examined — City, county officials raise concerns about Beers' TASC plan —When Bob Beers previously talked about reining in government spending, it was the state's budget he had in mind. But his proposed constitutional amendment could end up tightening local government belts the most. . . . Paul Brown of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, which has pledged to oppose the initiative, said some areas of government grow more rapidly than inflation plus population growth. "What would this do to health care?" Brown asked. "What if there was an outbreak of avian flu with budget demands that we couldn't meet?" Brown and Vilardo both expressed concerns about a provision in the initiative that would require any fee increase to go to a vote of the people.

— By ERIN NEFF LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

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December 13, 2005 — Beers files tax-control petition — Lawmaker's initiative needs more than 83,000 signatures to appear on ballot — State Sen. Bob Beers filed an initiative petition Monday that would enact one of the nation's strictest spending limits and eliminate the government's ability to raise taxes without voter approval. . . . "He's modeling this on a failed plan from Colorado," said Paul Brown of Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, which is organizing opposition to the petition. "Here's a guy who is saying, 'I want to run for governor, but I'm really not smart enough to do the budget, so let's just put it on automatic pilot.'"
— Las Vegas Review Journal

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December 05, 2005 — JANE ANN MORRISON: Brown's departure means local political scene loses strong voice of civility — Articulate liberals are not in abundance in Las Vegas. Their numbers are about to be reduced by one of the most effective -- Paul Brown

.

Conservatives will not mourn Brown's departure from his job as Southern Nevada coordinator for the Progressive Alliance of Nevada. They won't miss his strategy and communication skills on behalf of PLAN, a coalition of liberal advocacy groups.

But at a recent farewell roast for Brown, it was obvious that the people he's worked with for the past 11 years recognize what they are losing. "The progressive movement is going to have a hole, so we're going to have to work to fill it up," said Liz Carrasco of Planned Parenthood of Southern Nevada. — Las Vegas Review-Journal

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November. 18, 2005 — SOUTHERN NEVADA WATER AUTHORITY: Faced with a looming hole in the region's water supply, the Southern Nevada Water Authority board adopted a list of recommended actions Thursday, including a pipeline network stretching across hundreds of miles of rural Nevada.  The 22 recommendations cover the next 30 years and include a mix of conservation, management of existing supply and the development of new water resources. . . . Bob Fulkerson, state director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said the community can and should do more. "We live in one of the driest places in the world," he said. "We shouldn't get a big pat on the back for doing the right thing.

— Las Vegas Review Journal

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November 18, 2005 —

The man, the legend

— By D. Brian Burghart R&R NEWSREVIEW.COM

Bob Fulkerson, 45, has been head of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada for some 11 years. He co-founded the group with Jan Gilbert in 1994. His name is associated with just about any cause that can be thought of as “liberal” in Northern Nevada. Among too many interests to list, he’s on the Washoe County Growth Management Task Force, and he’s a part-time teacher of yoga. He’s the son of a favorite local artist, Mary Lee Fulkerson, attended Reno High School, and has a daughter who’s a sophomore at Whitman College. Recently, he won the 2005 Leadership for a Changing World award. PLAN can be reached at 348-7557.

How did the award come about?

Tim Hay, the former consumer advocate [for the State of Nevada] nominated me. We had worked together when he was in [Richard] Bryan's governor's office. I was at Citizen Alert back then working on ... [musical interlude]. Sorry, that was my cell phone.

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November 15, 2005 —Think of water in terms of growth — Editorial - Printed in the Reno Gazette

By Stephen Tchudi, professor emeritus at the University of Nevada

Susan Voyles' recent RGJ articles on water importation projects must sound an alarm for those concerned about the quality of life in Northern Nevada, the Great Basin, and literally, the whole world. Anticipating growth in Reno/Sparks and outlying communities, developers will invest almost $1 billion to tap rural aquifers around Pyramid Lake and to pipe in enough water to supply a population growth of some 400,000 people.

Is that really such a good idea?
Northern Nevada is not alone in worrying about growth and water supplies.

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November 15, 2005 — Guinn legacy tied to tax hike
Anjeanette Damon

RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL

As Gov. Kenny Guinn nears his final year in office, the Republican is finding his legacy can't shake the momentous tax increase he pushed through in 2003, despite his steps to force a $300 million tax rebate this year.

Guinn garnered national attention this week when Time magazine named him one of the country's top five governors. The magazine focused on Guinn's mettle in ushering the state's largest tax increase through a hostile Legislature and Supreme Court battle, calling the $833 million tax hike Guinn's "signature achievement."

"Gov. Guinn will go down as one of the most courageous governors in Nevada's history," said Bob Fulkerson, director of Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, which backed the tax increase. "He fought against his own party -- and some recalcitrant Democrats as well -- and he prevailed."

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November 13, 2005 — Group warns against casino in south Reno — Report charges Station Casinos' project would cut revenues at downtown sites

A new report by the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada claims that allowing a hotel-casino at the base of Mount Rose would cost downtown casinos millions of dollars and jeopardize Reno's efforts to redevelop its urban core.

If Station Casinos Inc. builds the project at South Virginia Street and Mount Rose Highway, it could draw up to $30 million in gaming revenue away from downtown casinos in its first year, according to the report.

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A progressive's last words

Note to Reader:

This article was published in CITYLIVE LASVEGASLIFE.COM
November 10, 2005

BY PAUL BROWN - Progressive Leadership Alliance

An editor from CityLife called and said, "Hey, I hear you're moving to Washington, D.C. Why don't you write a column telling all of the state and local government officials who've pissed you off over the years to go screw themselves?"

Actually, the editor used a more earthy term than "screw," but I've never been comfortable with that word. Besides, I rather not write about elected officials; they get enough ink as it is. I'd rather talk about some of the lesser-known people I've worked with over the last 11 years as an organizer with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN).

PLAN's first president was Lee Madsen. . . .

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November 09, 2005 — Court candidates' spending up — Report: Winners raised 73 percent more money in 2004 than 2002

By BRENDAN RILEY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CARSON CITY -- A new report says the average amount raised to win a Nevada Supreme Court seat in 2004 was up 73 percent -- to nearly $544,000 per candidate -- compared with the 2002 elections, and most of the money came from lawyers, the casino industry and other special interests.

The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada report says the nine candidates for high court seats raised a total of more than $3 million, and the three winning candidates, Justices Jim Hardesty, Michael Douglas and Ron Parraguirre, took in more than half of those contributions. — Published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal

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Novembr 03, 2005 — Failed Colorado bid to cap state spending may hamper similar efforts in Silver State — Colorado's vote to temporarily free the state from the nation's strictest spending limits dealt a bruising blow to Nevada efforts to enact similar restrictions, political analysts and opponents of the initiative said Wednesday.

"We are in a period of unprecedented government expansion at the expense of working Nevadans and their families," said state Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, who is running for governor and leading a ballot initiative drive to mimic Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights, called TABOR.

But Nevada opponents of the plan said the vote proves TABOR is a failure.

"No matter how they spin it, it is a defeat to them," said Paul Brown, of Progressive Leadership of Nevada, a liberal organization opposed to TASC. "The vote shows TABOR is not working. If it was working they would not have to go back to the people to say, we don't have enough money for schools, we don't have enough money for roads, we don't have enough money for higher education."It is a fundamentally flawed system," Brown said.

— RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL

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Grant applauds social action

Editorial — RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 10/19/2005

   The state can be proud of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada and its director, Bob Fulkerson, who were named among 17 recipients of the Ford Foundation's Leadership for a Changing World Award. It is an honor to be chosen from among 1,000 nominees by an organization known worldwide for its promotion of social justice and for helping to resolve some of the world's most resistant social problems.

   PLAN's member organizations and their leaders comprise some of the state's glitterati of engaged ethical social action. As advocates, lobbyists and traditional grassroots workers, they raise funds, conduct research, write proposals and do hands-on work that affects practices related to labor, health care, immigration and human rights, hunger, energy and the environment. Their work also supports the lawmaking and policy functions of local and state leaders. Other efforts include aiding communication to bridge class, racial and regional differences. Some of their recent work promotes citizen participation and campaign finance reform. They are people who act on their beliefs regarding human tolerance for right and wrong. That is the essence of active personal and social ethics.

   It is impossible not to recognize ethical value in the Ford Foundation's work to eradicate poverty, promote justice and protect rights in the United States and elsewhere. Its grant says that PLAN's work is equally as laudable.

   The lump-sum grant to be awarded this year and the smaller payments during the next two years will increase opportunities to continue PLAN's work and to enhance its effectiveness. Nevadans should celebrate such work from their neighbors and feel proud that others applaud it as well.

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Oct. 15, 2005 — LIKE PROPOSITION 13: Petition signing begins — Angle proceeds with plans for Nevada tax initiative — State Assemblywoman Sharron Angle began circulating her ballot initiative Friday, hoping to enact a Proposition 13-style property tax in Nevada.   Angle, R-Reno, who is running for Congress in the 2nd District, said her initiative is needed despite the Legislature's action this year to cap residential property taxes at 3 percent and commercial property taxes at 8 percent. . . . . Opponents of the property tax initiative said Friday they believed a large coalition will form to challenge the measure, arguing it has inhibited California's ability to fund construction of schools and infrastructure.

"Do we really want a fire department shrunk down to the size of a bathtub?" asked Paul Brown, Southern Nevada director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. "Anyone who's looked at it will see it's shortsighted. People on the far right just want to starve government without funding essential services."

— ASSOCIATED PRESS

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October 06, 2005 — Reno activist Fulkerson wins $100,000 grant — Reno activist Fulkerson wins $100,000 grant RENO, Nev. (AP) - Bob Fulkerson, who co-founded the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada in 1994, was named Thursday a winner of the Ford Foundation's award for Leadership of a Changing World. Fulkerson is one of 17 winners out of a pool of 1,000 nominees. He will receive $100,000 to advance the alliance's work and another $15,000 over two years for educational opportunities to increase individual or organizational effectiveness.

The award goes to individuals and leadership teams that are tackling some of the nation's most entrenched social, economic and environmental challenges, the Ford Foundation said. Among the accomplishments of the alliance and Fulkerson cited by the foundation were:

• A 2003 tax analysis and education campaign that helped result in a $834 million tax increase paid byNevada businesses that critics said were not paying their fair share.
• Successful efforts to protect gays and lesbians in Nevada from job discrimination and passage of a lawrequiring that safety training in hazardous industries be provided in workers' native languages.
• A law change to restore voting privileges to 40,000 former inmates and advocacy for renewable energyand campaign-finance reform.

"These leaders are a welcome reminder that people can make a difference," said Susan V. Berresford, president of the Ford Foundation. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

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October 04, 2005 — Letter: Ensign callous for opposing Katrina bill

After reading the recent Sun article, "Lawmakers spar over Medicaid bill for storm victims," I've concluded that there are compassionate conservatives and there are callous conservatives. Unfortunately, Sen. John Ensign falls in the latter category.

Ensign, R-Nev., is one of a handful of senators holding up the bipartisan Baucus-Grassley bill that would provide full federal funding of Medicaid coverage to low-income victims of Hurricane Katrina. This bill is supported by the National Governors Association, the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association and the Red Cross.

Here in Nevada it is supported by Democratic Sen. Harry Reid and Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn. We have 2,500 Hurricane Katrina victims in Nevada and more than 700 have signed up for Medicaid with at least 50 more a day signing up. If Baucus-Grassley does not pass, Nevada and other states that are helping the survivors will not be reimbursed from the federal government for their expenses.

After the 9/11 tragedy, the federal government extended full Medicaid coverage to survivors. Are the Katrina victims less worthy?

Who opposes the Baucus-Grassley bill besides Ensign? The Bush administration, whose track record for helping those in need is less than stellar. Ensign claims he is against the bill because its $8 billion price tag is too high. Ensign is, however, in favor of showering the wealthiest of Americans with a tax break of $70 billion -- nearly nine times more than would go to the low-income hurricane victims. Ensign truly is a callous conservative.

Paul R. Brown — Las Vegas

Editor's note: Paul R. Brown is the Southern Nevada director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. This letter was published in the Las Vegas Sun on October 04, 2005

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Buck the poor

BY PAUL BROWN — Published in CITYLIFE - LasVegasCityLife.com
September 15, 2005

I slept too much over the Labor Day weekend, so perhaps I dreamed this. But I swear I read a report by a think tank called Citizens Representing American Policy, which calls for lawmakers in Nevada and across the nation to lower the minimum wage to $1 an hour.

The CRAP report, "Bucking the Poor," states that payroll is one of the major expenses of any business, and "if it can be significantly cut, then all business owners will be millionaires in two or three months at the most."

Restaurant owners are salivating over lowering the minimum wage. They say that minimum wage earners almost never eat out. "These minimum wage earners, many of whom we employ, are just bad for business," said restaurant owner Wendy Wilson. She added, "Lowering their wages will create more wealthy business owners, and rich people, God bless their souls, eat out a lot. This will be good for the restaurant industry."

Ed Brown of the Windfall Manufacturers Association said that lowering the minimum wage will stimulate business and eventually the benefits will trickle down to workers. "In a couple of years, they could be earning $1.15 to $1.25 an hour. That's at least a 15 percent increase."

Dr. Timothy Hudson, from Focus on Wealthy Families, said that lowering the minimum wage is the moral thing to do. "The Bible says, 'The poor will always be with us.' By lowering the minimum wage to a buck, we're implementing the word of God."

The Chamber of Industry said lowering the minimum wage will not affect poor working families. "They're already poor for God's sake," said Sam Stinton. "And if cutting their wages means a new Hummer for me, then I say, let's do it."

The CRAP report noted that the minimum wage used to be $1 an hour in the U.S. back in 1969. "And wasn't the country better off back then?" asked Stinton. "That was the year the Mets won the World Series and Nixon was president. What more could you want?"

Stinton added that with the proliferation of dollar stores, minimum-wage earners will always be able to buy something. "Cheese and cracker snacks are sold for a buck. No one's going to starve if we lower the minimum wage."

It is rumored that the members of the Nevada Legislature who voted against raising the minimum wage this year are jumping on the bandwagon to lower it. A state senator who requested anonymity said, "This will teach the poor a valuable lesson. They'll learn how to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, even though they can't afford to buy boots. The ones that survive, they'll thank us."

Note: In 2004, voters in Nevada overwhelmingly passed Question 6, which will change the Nevada Constitution to raise the minimum wage by $1 an hour, if approved by voters again in 2006. Despite strong public support for increasing the minimum wage, Nevada legislators voted against it in the 2005 session. The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada supports raising the minimum wage.

PAUL BROWN IS THE SOUTHERN NEVADA DIRECTOR OF PROGRESSIVE LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE OF NEVADA.

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September 29, 2005 — The new feminists —These Northern Nevada women don't just complain about the state of the nation--they're doing something about it — RN&R newsreview.com

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August 10, 2005 — Oil firms hoping to tap Nevada — White Pine County already reaping economic benefits — The confluence of $64-a-barrel oil, a discovery of huge amounts of oil in Utah and claims of untapped potential in the Silver State is getting Nevada pumped over petroleum . . . .Bob Fulkerson, director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada and a board member of Great Basin Mine Watch, noted the laws protecting the environment in Nevada -- and companies are aware of that when they decide to invest here. "U.S. oil companies are making record profits," Fulkerson said. "We cannot allow them to walk away with public resources and leave it for us to clean up." He said ranchers in Nye County's Railroad Valley already see negative impacts from oil production, and Fulkerson is concerned that the rest of the state could feel similar effects. —

Las Vegas Sun

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August 03, 2005 — Study: Many uninsured kids don't get health care — 43 percent of 130,000 Nevadans without insurance affected . . . . The numbers of Nevada children going without health care are alarming to Paul Brown, director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, a nonprofit advocacy group. "Having sick kids who go without care hurts us all in many ways," he said. "They can't concentrate on their studies if they're not feeling well or if they have a toothache. And we see a faster spread of disease if they aren't being treated when they're sick. It's short-sighted for us not to have better coverage for these kids." — Las Vegas Review-Journal

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August 05, 2005 — Raggio, Perkins say they paid for Cox-sponsored cruise — CARSON CITY -- Two leaders of the Nevada Legislature enjoyed a cruise in the Baltic Sea sponsored by Cox Communications of Las Vegas but both lawmakers said they paid their own way. . . . Erik Herzik, a professor for the political science department of the University of Nevada-Reno, said "That's the dilemna politicians face." Although the two legislators paid for their own tickets, he said "their motives are still questioned." . . . He said he doubted there would be any question if lawmakers took a bus tour of rural Nevada with the Progressive Leadership Alliance

Group of Nevada that paid for the gas. The alliance is a group that helps minorities, poor and laborers - Las Vegas Sun

.

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July 30, 2005 — POOR AND ELDERLY: Medicaid recipients oppose cuts — State faces $74 million loss in spending — Southern Nevadans who receive Medicaid benefits made a public appeal Friday, urging Nevada's congressional delegation to oppose the $10 billion in proposed budget cuts for the program. Reducing program funding at the federal level could translate to more than $74 million in cuts to the state's Medicaid program. . . . "Congress can take money-saving actions that do not harm Medicaid recipients," said Paul Brown, an organizer of Nevadans Against Cuts and Caps. "They can negotiate better prices on prescription drugs and reduce duplication of services. That way, we can ensure that Medicaid will be strong and effective for another 40 years."

Las Vegas Review-Journal

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July 28, 2005 — Six years ago, I missed a golden opportunity (By PAUL BROWN PROGRESSIVE LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE OF NEVADA)

— Back then, a Clark County official called me to a private one-on-one meeting in his office. He had in his hand a copy of our Jackpot report, which tracked campaign contributions to state legislators.  He asked if the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada could do a Jackpot-style report on the Clark County Commission. He suspected special interests were giving campaign donations to commissioners right before crucial votes (for example, before votes for controversial zoning variances). City Life - Lasvegaslife.com

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June 17, 2005 — Nevada lawmakers move to protect immigrants — CARSON CITY, Nev.- Immigrants won a handful of protections from the 2005 Nevada Legislature, including measures that preserve their access to college scholarships, aim to improve their health and target human traffickers. . . . . "These are children who've gone through the public school system and their parents are paying taxes," said Jan Gilbert of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. "We believe they deserve (the scholarship) like other students."

— AP

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June 06, 2005 — JANE ANN MORRISON: Good examples abound for helping homeless as summer crisis nears — In San Francisco, the homeless are allowed to sleep on the back pews of St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. The idea originated with the church's pastor, the Rev. Louie Catale, once an activist for the homeless here in Las Vegas. . . . . Las Vegas ... well, no one cites Las Vegas as a bastion of progressive action to help the homeless. Here, the prevailing philosophy can be summarized in three words: Roust the bums. Move them from one site and then move them again to another. And another. — Las Vegas Review-Journal

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May 29, 2005 — Anti-immigration summit draws protesters — As forum speakers urge people to fight against illegal immigration, demonstrators denounce them as racist — It was a noisy Saturday morning at the Cashman Center, where more than 100 mostly Hispanic demonstrators chanted, marched and waved American, Mexican and Nevadan flags to protest an anti-illegal immigration summit. . . . Paul Brown of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada stood with protesters most of the morning and said the tensions between the two groups is the result of conflicting U.S. policy."The problem is that this country doesn't have an immigration policy that matches our economic policy," he said. "We've basically said to these illegal immigrants, 'We want to take from you whatever you can give us in labor but not let you enjoy the spoils of what you've created.' "

— Las Vegas Review Journal

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May 27, 2005 — Critics upset about process for proposed Nevada coal plant — RENO, Nev.- Critics of a proposed coal-fired power plant 90 miles north of Reno are upset they didn't get to speak out at a series of public meetings this week on the project next to a national conservation area in the Black Rock Desert . . . "This thing is a joke all the way around," said Bob Fulkerson, director of the Nevada Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada and a member of the Nevada Clean Energy Coaltion opposing the project.  "I think it is a way to diminish the public voice. It's a way to thin out the public anger on this, a way to hamper any meaningful participation by the public," he said at Thursday night's meeting.   "People should have a chance to hear what others have to say so they can formulate their own opinions."

— By SCOTT SONNER ASSOCIATED PRESS

May 22, 2005 — Environmentalists fight Gerlach plant — Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council will join the fight to stop a coal-fired power plant from being built near Gerlach. . . . Local environmentalist Bob Fulkerson is most concerned about 30 pounds of mercury he believes will come from the plant each year. When the winds are right, “the mercury and the other toxic pollutants that come out of the plant will end up in the Truckee River, Lake Tahoe and on our playgrounds. What are the long-term costs to public health to that?” And he’s also worried about tying up so much water with one project. “Can they prove in a cost-benefit analysis that Nevada is going to be better off from this?”

– Reno Gazette Journal

May 22, 2005 — Groups push renewable energy for power line project — Coalition says current plans inadequate — Nevada environmentalists are creating a coalition across the Great Basin to ensure a proposed 1,300-mile electric transmission line reserves space for renewable energy. “The coal companies and the coal-fired plants have such a huge political clout,” said Bob Fulkerson, executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, which includes Citizen Alert and other environmental and liberal-minded groups among its membership. “They will grease the skids to make sure they are first to tie into these lines and there may not be room for anything else.”

. . . . – Reno Gazette Journal

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May 17, 2005 — LETTERS: Cutting Medicaid add-ons would be costly — Performing liposuction on a skeleton is a foolish waste of time. But that's what state Sen. Bob Beers is proposing to do when it comes to cutting out the so-called fat in our state's Medicaid program — By Jon Sasser (This Letter was published in the Las Vegas Review Journal)

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May 06, 2005 — Opponents unite against water plan — Rural Republicans, urban Democrats, ranchers and environmentalists have found something they agree on in Northern Nevada: They don’t want to give their water to Las Vegas . . . We need to create a rural-urban alliance to beat this pipeline and show that money and power don’t always win out,” said Bob Fulkerson, director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, a public interest group

. Two ranchers in the Nevada Legislature — Republican Assemblymen John Carpenter of Elko and Pete Goicoechea of Eureka — said the “water grab” could turn parts of rural Nevada into a dust bowl — AP

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May 05, 2005 — Water pipeline plan draws united front in opposition — Southern Nevada must control growth and look for other sources of water before it spends almost $2 billion to pipe groundwater here from as far north as Ely.  That was the consensus Wednesday during a public meeting in Las Vegas that will shape a federal study of the pipeline project proposed by the Southern Nevada Water Authority — . . . "This pipeline should not be put on the fast track," said Paul Brown of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, who called for several years of environmental studies to establish a clear picture of what rural Nevada looks like now.

— Las Vegas Review Journal

  (More Coverage - Las Vegas Sun)

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May 02, 2005 — County criticized for meeting with developers, builders — Official says in future everyone will be invited as Washoe seeks input for bill to sell land

Washoe County Manager Katy Singlaub said inviting 300 builders and developers — and no one else — to discuss a public lands legislation will not be repeated.  In the future, Singlaub said, ample notice will be given to all stakeholders, such as the Sierra Club, when county staff gathers input on a proposed public lands bill. . . At a town hall meeting in March, environmentalists Bob Fulkerson, Rose Strickland and others urged the county to have an open process in gathering input on a bill, specifying no backroom meetings with developers.

— Reno Gazette Journal

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April 29, 2005 — Law keeps identity of landowners a secret Investigators probing questionable Clark County airport land deals are running into problems identifying all the businessmen involved because of a veil of secrecy written into state law.Most of the former federal Bureau of Land Management acreage in the McCarran International Airport overlay district that was sold through a 1998 federal act was purchased by limited liability companies, or LLCs . . . That revelation troubled Paul Brown, Southern Nevada director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, a coalition of groups representing organized labor, environmentalists and minorities that has advocated campaign finance reform

— Las Vegas Sun

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April 25, 2005 — Legislators pushing for taxpayer bill of rights — Smarting from a sound defeat in the 2003 tax battle, the state’s staunchest fiscal conservatives are laying the groundwork for the next round in Nevada’s eternal tug-of-war on government spending.  And it is exactly that tax defeat from which they will fire their next salvo – a constitutional amendment to forever curb how much the government can spend . . . “The caliber of people moving here have demands on service that are greater than population growth and inflation,” said Jan Gilbert, lobbyist for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. “We are seeing a huge influx of seniors and children. Their needs are enormous.”

April 14, 2005 — Gibbons: Anti-war equals anti-soldier — U.S. Rep. James Gibbons of Nevada has equated opposition to the U.S. government's war in Iraq with "deriding" the servicepeople who have had to fight that war.  Gibbons made the charge in a letter to the Lahontan Valley News last month to explain his remarks at a Republican fundraising dinner.   . . . "I am gravely disappointed, but not surprised by his comments," said Jan Gilbert of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada.
— RN&R - By Dennis Myers

April 07, 2005 — Bills would extend felons' voting rights — CARSON CITY -- Several legislators are sponsoring bills that would make it easier for felons to regain their eligibility to vote after they serve their sentences.  The Legislature loosened rules in the 2003 session for ex-felons to petition to be able to vote and to serve on juries.  Since then, the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada has helped about 400 people reclaim their voting and jury service eligibility, said Paul Brown, the group's Southern Nevada director.

But the process is too time-consuming and cumbersome, Brown said.  Assembly Bill 452 aims to simplify the process — Las Vegas Sun

April 04, 2005 — Your Turn: Water flowing toward money —It has been 130 years since John Wesley Powell, the first person to explore the Colorado River, argued that in the arid West, water should not be transferred from one geographical basin to another. He proposed organizing communities around existing watersheds so that people with a stake in the water would control its use — Editorial published in the Reno Gazette Journal by Stephen Tchudi - community volunteer with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada.

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March 18, 2005 — 'Train wreck' seen for elderly — Lawmakers skeptical of effects of Medicaid Modernization Act — CARSON CITY -- Nevada lawmakers and welfare advocates are concerned that a new federal act shifting some prescription-drug responsibilities from Medicaid to Medicare will leave seniors waiting in long lines to apply for the benefits.  The Medicaid Modernization Act, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2006, mandates that Medicare provide prescription drugs for "dual eligibles," people who qualify for both assistance programs . . . "They have to find a way to make ends meet on $273.20 a month," said Jan Gilbert, Northern Nevada coordinator of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. "We feel an increase is long overdue. If we're going to have a safety net, then let's be at least compassionate."
— AP

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March 15, 2005 — The big squeeze - BY PAUL BROWN — Kids and grandmas love hugs. But the big squeeze low-income kids and seniors will get from the proposed federal budget cuts -- that total nearly $500 million over five years in Nevada -- is anything but lovable.

This Article was published in CITYLIFE - Las VegasLife.com on Tuesday March 15, 2005

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March 10, 2005 — Letter: Bush budget cuts hurting the poor — Your newspaper, the Las Vegas Sun, is absolutely right in its assessment of President Bush's proposed budget cuts. In your March 4 editorial, you stated: "While Bush is focused on making the rich richer, his proposed Medicaid cut is forcing states to focus on ways of making the poor poorer." You noted that the president wants "... to cut $60 billion from Medicaid over the next decade." Medicaid is an essential program that assists the elderly, the disabled and the poorest of the poor. It is not the cause of the massive federal deficit.

Huge tax breaks that mainly benefit the wealthy caused the federal budget deficit. Now, the Bush administration wants to make those tax breaks permanent and pay for them by cutting needed programs to the poor.

Bush's budget significantly cuts key programs that assist low-income families. Food stamps, housing assistance and child-care assistance are all on the cutting block, even though the number of Americans living in poverty went up for the third straight year in 2003.

The Sun's editorial said it best: "Bush's priorities are dead wrong."

PAUL R. BROWN Editor's note: The writer is the Southern Nevada director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada.

This letter was published in the Las Vegas Sun on March 10, 2005

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March 03, 2005 — Washoe residents question possible sale of federal land — If there was a single question about a proposed federal bill to sell off public lands in Washoe County, local residents wanted to know where the water would come from to support private development . . . Bob Fulkerson, another conservationist, said northern valleys already are overappropriated for water — meaning more ground water is being consumed each year than can be replenished. We don’t have enough water now, let alone privatizing more land,” he said. “This is very scary to me.”

— Reno Gazette Journal

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March 02, 2005 — Numbers on minimum wage earners doubted — CORRECTION -- 3/3/05 A story in Wednesday's Review-Journal misstated an estimate of the size of Nevada's work force earning $6.95 or less an hour. State Economist Jim Shabi said the bottom 10 percent of the state's work force of about 1 million people earn that wage — Las Vegas Review Journal

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February 24, 2005 — To the editor:

On Feb. 14, a Review-Journal editorial, "'Protecting' tax increases," focused on the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada's legislative agenda.The editorial quoted PLAN as stating that returning any of the state budget surplus to taxpayers "would be detrimental " Whenever I see a short quote followed by an ellipsis I always wonder what was left out. Here's the full quote: "This would be detrimental to all of Nevada's underfunded budgets, particularly education, where Nevada is still near the bottom in the nation for per-pupil expenditures."

The Review-Journal also faulted PLAN for wanting to increase the human resources budget. It is no secret that Nevada consistently ranks poorly when compared with other states' social safety net programs. In state public welfare expenditures per capita, we rank 49th. We're ranked 51st in per capita Medicaid spending. And, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families for a single parent with two children has been stuck at $348 per month for more than a dozen years.

Cheered on by the editors of the Review-Journal, Nevada is well on its way to winning the race to the bottom in providing essential services to its residents.

As for PLAN's legislative agenda, we will spend every ounce of our energy advocating for adequate funding of education and social safety net programs.

Paul R. Brown - Progressive Leadership Alliance

This editorail was published in the Las Vegas Review Journal on February 24, 2004.

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February 22, 2005 — Report: Bush budget will cost Nevada $432.1 million — Report: Bush budget will cost Nevada $432.1 million

— CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Spending restraints in President Bush's budget proposal will cost Nevada state and local governments $432.1 million by 2010, a Washington, D.C.-based liberal think tank said Tuesday. . . . Jan Gilbert of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada said the cuts "simply pass the buck to the states and do real damage to children, seniors and low-income families."

— AP

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February 18, 2005 — Law and Labor —Immigration debate felt in Las Vegas — Local business and immigration leaders say they support the effect of a push by President Bush to allow undocumented workers a chance to work under temporary work permits. . . . A study by PLAN released in September, based on statistics from the 2000 U.S. Census, shows that Hispanic immigrants hold 152,635 jobs in Nevada. According to that study, the largest number of those workers, 59,056 jobs are in the services industry, 53,654 are in the construction/mining industry, 23,967 are in the retail trade industry and 10,195 are in the agriculture industry. Paul Brown, Southern Nevada director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said there's a need for legal reform on behalf of immigrant workers

. . . By – By Alana Roberts - In Business Las Vegas

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February 17, 2005 — Slash and burn —Nevada politicos, social service advocates enraged by Bush budget plan —President Bush's proposed 2006 budget, which includes deep cuts in social programs, has leading Nevada Democrats on the attack. "Bush proposes cuts to programs that make a difference for Nevada families, from very young children to the elderly," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said in a written statement. "It is a budget of wrong choices and wrong priorities." Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., agreed. "It's a fiscally irresponsible budget that cuts programs that ought not be cut," she said. . . . Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada state director Bob Fulkerson said his organization supports reducing the deficit and balancing the budget, but not by abandoning the weakest members of society through budget cuts. "This federal budget is seeking to dump all these problems on the state of Nevada," Fulkerson said. "There's got to be a more responsible way to get this done."
— By Emmily Bristol Las Vegas Mercury

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Jan Gilbert, Northern Nevada coordinator for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, center, speaks Monday during a Carson City news conference about the impact of proposed federal budget cuts on the state.

Looking on, from the left, are Assemby Majority Leader Barbara Buckley,D-Las Vegas; state AFL-CIO chief Danny Thompson; and Jon Sasser of Washoe County Legal Services.

February 14, 2005 — Groups protest proposed budget cuts — Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn: Everybody's going to get hurt — Nevada branches of organizations from AARP to the AFL-CIO and Washoe Legal Services joined forces Monday to protest President George W. Bush's proposed federal budget cuts.   Jan Gilbert of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada said the proposals will cost Nevada $166 million over the next 10 years and that many of those cuts will hit the state's seniors, disabled and low-income children
— Nevada Appeal
  

More Press Coverage -- AP

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February 02, 2005 — Some minority activists upset about Gammick's remark — Community activists are complaining about a comment Washoe County District Attorney Richard Gammick made concerning minorities who use their ethnicity as an identifier.    During a Nevada News Makers television show Jan. 19 on KRNV-TV, Channel 4, Gammick commented on a discussion between Jesse Gutierrez, director of Nevada Hispanic Services, and Roberto Nerey, founder of the Mexican American Democrats. . . . Bob Fulkerson, state director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance, said white Americans need to respect and understand how ethnic minorities want to be identified.   "Northern Nevada is full of examples of public officials stepping on their toes and unfortunately stomping on the feelings of people of color," he said. "What it points out is we have a lot of work to do in owning up to our own racism."

by Geralda Miller, RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL

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January 27, 2005 — Governor’s budget plan is reversal from 2003 —When the Legislature convenes next month, Gov. Kenny Guinn will submit a $5.7 billion budget that increases funding for education, health care and economic diversification, includes money to build a new prison and national guard center and gives $300 million back to Nevada’s vehicle owners. . . . Community activists who have long fought to improve Nevada’s health care funding called the proposals “a start.” . . . “It’s not very ambitious, but it is a start,” said Bob Fulkerson, of the Progressive Leadership Alliance. John Sasser, advocacy coordinator for the state’s three legal services organizations, praised the increase, saying other states are cutting benefits.

— Reno Gazette Journal

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January 17, 2005 –County studies support for environmental group –Task force examines growth issues: Worry rapid development could hurt ‘small-town’ mentality inregion

– A longtime environmental lobbyist says putting a stop to urban sprawl now will make the Truckee Meadows a place he’d want to live 20 years from now.  “I was just way up in the mountains, up in the trees,” said Bob Fulkerson, a Reno native. “Every time I looked down, I’d see the town enveloped in a "soylent green haze" and sprawling in all directions. It’s heartbreaking.” -- Reno Gazette Journal

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January 05, 2005 – Carson's blue blood – Maybe the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada should change its name. –In its pitch to raise money for the left-leaning group's legislative lobbying efforts, PLAN decries: "Nevada is a hostile place to be a progressive."    But the powers that be in the state capital apparently aren't the ones stifling the progressives. PLAN notes: "Our state remains one of the most anti-government, anti-immigrant, anti-working people, anti-environment, anti-gay states in the country. Yet thanks to support in the governor's office and the Legislature, (PLAN) and our allies had significant victories in Carson City in 2003."

 In other words, Nevada is a red state, but there's plenty of blue blood coursing through Carson – Las Vegas Review Journal