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JOB FAIR A SUCCESS—Hundreds of job seekers attended my last community job fair at the Poway Community Center.  Some sixty-plus companies and colleges also participated, making this one of the most successful job fairs so far.  I want to extend my thanks and appreciation to the East and North County Career Centers, and the San Diego North and Poway Chambers of Commerce, for their partnership and support.  Read more: Hundreds attend job fair in Poway.

SLOW BUT NOT SO STEADY—The Department of Labor reported no change in national unemployment for the month of February, citing an 8.3 percent jobless rate.  The economy is showing some positive signs, but job growth overall remains flat while millions of Americans stand ready to get back to work. 

What I keep hearing from San Diego businesses is that red tape and the threat of higher taxes are standing in the way of real growth.  The employers, as well as entrepreneurs, who take the risks, hire workers and start new businesses are the key to sustainable improvement, and should be the focus of our recovery efforts. 

NOT CLEARLY ARTICULATED IN THE FEBRUARY JOBS REPORT is the fact that real unemployment is much higher than 8.3 percent.  When taking into account people who stop looking for work—otherwise considered too discouraged—the February unemployment rate jumps to 9.8 percent.  To require that these individuals are counted in the official monthly unemployment statistic, I introduced H.R. 4128, the Real Unemployment Calculation Act.  Click here to watch an interview regarding H.R. 4128.

ANOTHER BILL FROM THE HOUSE JOBS AGENDA received bipartisan support last week.  The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act passed the House by a vote of 390-23 and now awaits consideration by the Senate.  Worth noting: President Obama announced his intent to sign the legislation into law, in light of House passage.  

RISE IN SPENDING DRAWS NEW FOCUS—According to the latest projections released by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), government payments for Social Security and Medicare will outpace all discretionary spending in fiscal year 2013.  The OMB forecast underscores the substantial growth in entitlements as other programs are constrained.

GAS PRICES ON THE RISE—It’s not just motorists feeling the pinch with gas prices in San Diego above $4 dollars a gallon.  High gas prices also hurt families in many other ways, from the grocery store to job creation.  Read more here.  The solution: an all of the above energy policy that focuses as much on traditional fuels, including construction of the Keystone Pipeline, as it does on alternative resources.

LOOKING BACK… In September 2008, Dr. Steven Chu, now Secretary of Energy, called for gradually increasing taxes on gasoline as a way to force consumers to buy more efficient vehicles.  In his words: “Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels of Europe.”

SWITCHING GEARS TO NATIONAL DEFENSE—Testifying before Congress this month, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned that the federal budget cannot be “balanced on the back” of the military.  Panetta went on to say that additional cuts—beyond the $450 billion already required before sequestration—constitute a “threat to national security.”  This is a warning that Congress must take seriously as we enter the budget debate for fiscal year 2013.

NEW EVIDENCE UNCOVERED IN SGT. PERALTA CASE.  Soon after the Navy announced its intent to name a destroyer after Marine Corps Sergeant Rafael Peralta, following a provision I included in federal law, I led a bipartisan group of lawmakers in sending a letter to the Secretary of the Navy, asking that Sgt. Peralta be reconsidered for the Medal of Honor.  That same day, I called on the Navy to review information previously unavailable to investigators, which my office acquired, proving Sgt. Peralta saved the lives of his fellow Marines at the cost of his own life.  Read more here.  

THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY HAS THE NEW INFORMATION and is proceeding with the review.  I’ve confirmed that Sgt. Peralta’s case is now before the Navy’s awards board.  Read my follow-up letter to the Secretary of the Navy here.