One of the events this week is a blogger luncheon hosted by H.O.M.E. (Housing Opportunities Made Equal) and featuring a panel of some well known area bloggers (and me). The panel will discuss how housing is connected to jobs, transportation, education and entrepreneurship. The event is open to the public but RSVPs are required to attend. If you’re in the area, please join us Tuesday at noon in downtown Richmond.

If you can’t attend, you can still help. While the panel will address many issues and angles that impact housing, you can offer your thoughts on a couple questions and I’ll work to incorporate them into the discussion. All thoughts are welcome as this is a topic relevant not just to Richmond or only one side of the political spectrum. The more voices we can include in the conversation, the more we’ll have to work with to help find solutions.

1) How can we help the market be more responsive to housing needs?

2) Housing, jobs and transportation are very inter-related. What do we need to look at in terms of aligning these three?

Virginia’s unemployment rate peaked at 7.3% in January 2010, the same month Gov. Bob McDonnell took office. While the state’s low unemployment rate is a good sign, it’s not all rosy:

The decrease in unemployment was partially boosted by a shrinking labor market, as nearly 5,400 people chose to no longer look for work — more than the 4,500 people who actually found jobs in January. The number of individuals receiving unemployment benefits in Virginia also jumped from 54,434 in December 2011 to 63,508 in January.

Still, that’s down from 81,851 in January 2011. Nonfarm payroll employment jumped 47,900 in that time.

February revenue collections for Virginia were up 17.2% to the same period last year, though this is partially due to the leap year adding a day to the calendar. Still, the growth is the best for the state since last May when revenues jumped 17.9% to previous year. One sour bit in the report:

Insurance premium tax collections fell from $53.8 million a year ago to $25.5 million — likely a result of a slow commercial real estate market and lower business and housing valuations, the report says.

Whether this is a long term indicator or just a hesitation in the market will be seen in the coming months.

And an impact study to Senate Bill 79 backs this up. SB79 would grant local companies a second look, allowing them to price match an out of state bid if their initial bid fell within 5% or $10,000 of the lower offer. An impact study hits the downside nail right on its head:

Establishment of procurement procedures allowing state agencies and institutions to match prices from an out-of-state bidder would create an in-state preference. In-state preferences could limit competition and result in the increased costs of goods and services. In addition, preference procurements can increase administrative processing time and delay procurement awards, resulting in increased resource costs for all public bodies falling under the Virginia Public Procurement Act.

What incentive would there be for an out of state company to make a bid on any work in the Commonwealth if they know that their bid is going to get viewed and responded to by in-state agencies? How is offering protectionism making Virginia “open for business”?

And how does this help the taxpayers by allowing for a competitive bidding process that allows companies to offer best bang for buck offers to fulfill Virginia’s needs?

Nevermind the Constitutional questions this creates…

Dollars should not determine an award. Overall quality of past work, proposed work, and cost of investment for return should be the factors that matter most. But we limit Virginia’s ability to get the best of the best nationally when we offer competitive advantages locally.

1/31/12 UPDATE: – SB79 was “passed by indefinitely” by a unanimous vote in the Senate committee on General Laws and Technology on Monday the 30th, shelving the bill for this legislative session.

1) Ken Cuccinelli – This has been covered all over the place, but for a guy that wasn’t there he certainly was the elephant in the room (well, THE ELEPHANT in a room full of other elephants…). While he was absent his supporters were not, and sure the crowd was definitely more Bolling than Cuccinelli, but private conversations showed a lot of folks just being polite. Even within “The Establishment” who typically attends the Advance there is a split that will show itself more as time goes on.

2) Jamie Radtke – While Cuccinelli’s absence was somewhat excused (some folks thought he was being polite, other’s just figured it was the Presidential debate in New York), Radtke’s absence was noted and very telling. Yes, she sent off an email apologizing for being unable to make it and then listing a bunch of endorsements. And, yes, she had an engagement down at at Tea Party forum at Natural Bridge. But EW Jackson also went to Natural Bridge. And was STILL a presence at the Advance Friday and Saturday night. More so than Tim Donner and David McCormick, who both also were there to greet the party faithful. This was a golden opportunity for Radtke to get face time with the very people she has got to gain traction with to not only win the primary but, should she do that, work with in the general. Choosing not to go says a lot about her campaign, its organization, its finances, and how it possibly views itself within the Republican Party. If Natural Bridge was about trying to find a single person for everyone to get behind in challenging George Allen for the nomination, that single person will have to show some traction with the Republican Party “establishment”. You don’t get that by blowing them off.

3) The Media – No one was there. No one. Well, OK, David Sherfinski from the Washington Times made it out. But that’s it. So no two. Republicans take control of the State Senate, build a super majority in the House of Delegates, have a (last minute for the Advance) Governor’s race on their hands, a Senate primary coming up, and so much more, and the media figured it wasn’t worth showing up. Ah well.

So make your choice known in the first 2013 BD gubernatorial poll!

Poll open through Sunday, December 4th.

And while we’re doing some work here, won’t you consider making a small contribution to Bearing Drift? Your help will go a long way to making sure we’re able to provide a solid backend to support the great content you enjoy day to day. Even a contribution as small as $7, you know, a dollar for each year Bearing Drift has been delivering, will help in so many ways.

Thanks for being a loyal reader to Bearing Drift. And thanks for your patience while we strive to make things work as smoothly and beautifully as possible.

The Occupy Wall Street movement is not wearing well with voters across the country. Only 33% now say that they are supportive of its goals, compared to 45% who say they oppose them. That represents an 11 point shift in the wrong direction for the movement’s support compared to a month ago when 35% of voters said they supported it and 36% were opposed. Most notably independents have gone from supporting Occupy Wall Street’s goals 39/34, to opposing them 34/42.

Voters don’t care for the Tea Party either, with 42% saying they support its goals to 45% opposed. But asked whether they have a higher opinion of the Tea Party or Occupy Wall Street movement the Tea Party wins out 43-37, representing a flip from last month when Occupy Wall Street won out 40-37 on that question. Again the movement with independents is notable- from preferring Occupy Wall Street 43-34, to siding with the Tea Party 44-40.

And before anyone says these results reflect the demographic polled, PPP respondents were 27% somewhat or very liberal, 31% moderate and 43% somewhat or very conservative this time around compared to 29/30/41 a month ago. So the same demographic pool has shifted significantly.

So Occupy Wall Street has a net approval of -12 points (-1 a month ago) compared to the Tea Party’s -3 (-6 a month ago).

As PPP notes, the public perception of the Occupy Wall Street movement is that it’s become more about “Occupy” and less about “Wall Street”. In many cities the movement has become most vocal about it’s opposition to the police than wealth inequality. Many otherwise sympathetic individuals find the lack of message off-putting while some individuals within the Occupy movement dismiss those concerns as a failure to understand what the movement really means. Whatever it means, it’s not exactly resonating with the rest of the 99% it claims to represent.

As Virginia has no automatic recount, Houck has the right to request one with the difference being under 1%. If the votes hold the difference falls just at 0.5%, putting the cost of the recount on the localities. More than 0.5% and any recount would have to be paid for by Houck.

A recount can be requested once the results have been certified by the State Board of Elections on November 28th.

See the SBE provisions here (.DOC).

This time it’s about unsolicited emails that are going out to Northern Virginia voters:

SUBJ:Taxes
MSG:OBAMA & his VA DEMOCRAT allies want to RAISE YOUR TAXES. Send a message. DO NOT vote for VA Democrats on 11/08/11

FRM:Concerned Parents
SUBJ:Busted
MSG:Dave Marsden voted to allow Ffx County Schools to HIDE FROM PARENTS when they discipline kids. Ask Dave why.

Now, the DPVA and those getting these texts are understandably upset. I know I hate it when I get spammed, especially in a medium that could cost me money. To help stir the riled up pot and get people to care about Democrats this election cycle, the DPVA said that options available to those receiving these texts “include filing a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission or in small claims court, where those receiving the messages could be awarded between $500 to $1,500.”

CASH MONIES!

Though maybe not. Political communications are exempt from an awful lot of rules and laws overseeing things like junk mail, robocalls, national Do Not Call registry and on. Are text messages covered as well? Possibly. Do they need a political disclaimer? Probably. Is this worth up to $1,500? I wish.

That said, not knowing who is sending these texts doesn’t help anyone in this situation. Using comments from assorted sources it appears that the texts are coming from 1(410)000-001, a number associated with assorted free text programs one can get for their iPhone. The email address for some is concernedparents@2011voters.com which, of course, is a Domain By Proxy. Anyone could have done this, sanctioned by a campaign or just on their own.

Nailing down just exactly who is behind it is going to be a bit more difficult than the DPVA may know. Or one can bet they do know, but, hey, free publicity!

Dave Mills and DPVA are jumping all over this (but conveniently don’t include the actual texts), trying to turn it into a little bit of an October surprise that’ll maybe possibly help them perhaps not lose as nearly as bad as it’s looking like it may be in just under two weeks. But probably not.

UPDATE: Digging into the Marsden text’s accusation, HB1548 jumps out which changed that a principal “may” to “shall” “notify the parents of any student who violates a school board policy or the compulsory school attendance requirements when such violation [ could is likely to ] result in the student’s suspension or the filing of a court petition, whether or not the school administration has imposed such disciplinary action or filed a petition.” The bill died in the Senate 12-28 with quite a few Republicans also voting against it.

Today’s fundraising email had an interesting subject:

Bob McDonnell Perry wants you to delete this email

Oh really? Now, I don’t know who Bob McDonnell Perry is, but he sure has MoveOn scared. And he sounds like my kind of candidate! Sign me up!

You see, it’s cut and paste. From the same email that was blasted to all those concerned citizens of Texas.

What Bob McDonnell Perry doesn’t want you to read:

With Bob McDonnell in office and Republicans in charge of the Virginia House of Delegates, we knew things could get ugly. But “ugly” is a polite word for what we’ve seen.

Virginia Republicans have gone on a right-wing binge, with new restrictions on abortion, attacks on the rights of gay families to adopt, and deep budget cuts that are pushing us toward a double-dip recession. And Republicans are pushing the same far-right agenda in state capitols across the country.

The scariest part is, these right-wing extremists are pushing for even more. In states across the country, Republicans are calling “special sessions” to ram through even deeper budget cuts and partisan redistricting maps that will lock in GOP dominance for years to come.

With so much at stake, we’ve launched a major effort to bring MoveOn’s grassroots muscle and Internet organizing to state capitols all across the country.

What Rick Perry doesn’t want you to read:

Last fall, when Republicans took complete control of the government in a whopping 20 states, we knew things could get ugly. But “ugly” is a polite word for what we’ve seen.

Far-right governors like Scott Walker and Rick Perry—backed by GOP-controlled legislatures—have gone on a right-wing binge, with more than 60 new anti-choice laws, unprecedented attacks on workers’ rights, and deep budget cuts that are pushing the whole country into a double-dip recession.

The scariest part is, these right-wing extremists are pushing for even more. In states across the country, Republicans are calling “special sessions” to ram through even deeper budget cuts and partisan redistricting maps that will lock in GOP dominance for years to come.

With so much at stake, we’ve launched a major effort to bring MoveOn’s grassroots muscle and Internet organizing to state capitols all across the country.

Fascinating! Even better is this bit where they just changed the names but kept the rest of the info the same:

Bob McDonnell and the wave of Republican governors and state legislators elected in 2010 have passed a radical right-wing agenda and devastating budget cuts that have put the whole country on the verge of a double-dip recession. Now they’re pushing for more.

Silly, MoveOn. Our wave of Republican governors and state legislators were elected in 2009 and have done alright despite your berating the people who elected them to give you $15 because you think you know better.

Tell you what. If you can come up with this Bob McDonnell Perry that’s so afraid of what you have to say, I’ll send ya $15.

Hell, I may send you $15 anyway. Just to hire a proofreader.

On second thought, I may need to hire one myself. I’m just gonna keep my $15.

But, please, tell me more about this Bob McDonnell Perry…

Governor Bob McDonnell today issued the following statement regarding Speaker of the House John Boehner’s debt limit legislation:

“It it critical that the United States Congress immediately pass the best possible bill that will resolve the ongoing debt limit impasse. It would be catastrophic for the United States, and for Virginia, if we defaulted on our obligations. For far too long, Congress has overspent and now the bills are due. Washington must start doing what governors are doing around the country – making serious cuts to get their fiscal houses in order. Speaker Boehner’s bill cuts spending, doesn’t raise taxes and ensures that we do not default on our debt. I urge the members of Congress, including Virginia’s delegation, to vote in support of this measure.”

In a news release, StarTek, the largest remaining private employer in Henry County, said the decision is “the result of a client’s changing business requirements.”

Part of that “changing business requirements” may have been their own after they reported in April a first quarter loss of $0.17 per share.

Yet despite anticipating these losses, StarTek was able to announce the opening of a call center in Costa Rica last November:

The company, a leader in the Services Industry, began operations during the first quarter of 2010 in a 440 seat facility which when fully occupied could employ 500 people. The new facility in Costa Rica is the eighteenth StarTek location worldwide and is located in the Free Zone America and occupies 37,000 square feet.

The Henry County call center was opened in 2004 to much fanfare and at a ceremony with then Governor Mark Warner and Representative Virgil Goode:

“We’re putting down roots, and we are here to stay,” said Grant Lomas, StarTek’s vice president of facilities, real estate and procurement. Lomas’ promise of jobs, a $5 million investment and stability elicited applause from a press conference crowd that included Gov. Mark Warner, Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Rocky Mount, and officials from Henry County and Martinsville – communities beset by manufacturing jobs lost to foreign competition and double-digit unemployment.

At the time of the call center’s opening, Henry County’s unemployment stood at 13.9% and Martinsville’s was at 16.1%.

In 2004, StarTec anticipated a long term relationship with the call center:

He said that although StarTek, which has 19 centers company-wide, will have “an offshore presence” in 2005 the public company remains committed to its North American call centers.

“We anticipate a long-standing relationship with Henry County,” Thorpe said.

He also said that although the Collinsville call center serves but one client – which he identified only as a Fortune 500 wireless provider – he described the related contract as “extended and long.”

Henry County and the Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund pledged investments upwards of $650,000 to bring StarTek to the region. These were part of an overall incentive program used to entice StarTek’s relocation:

The company will take advantage of a Virginia Department of Business Assistance’s Workforce Services Training Grant, as well as a Workforce Investment Board Displaced Worker On-The-Job Training Grant. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership teamed up with Henry County and Martinsville economic development officials to assist StarTek with its decision.

This is not the first call center StarTek has closed in Virginia in recent years. In December, 2008 a Petersburg call center was finally closed after an on again, off again operation schedule, eliminating 454 jobs. The Petersburg call center was announced by Gov. Warner in 2005:

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Petersburg and Virginia’s Gateway Region to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Warner approved a $225,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist the City of Petersburg with the project.

In August, 2008 StarTek announced the opening of a call center in the Philippines, creating up to 1,100 jobs. In January, StarTek also announced that it’d be shedding 69 jobs from it’s Lynchburg facility.

View the map here.

VPAP has the following analysis:

In Tidewater, Virginia Beach is keeping its two senators, but Senators Blevins and Quayle were drawn into the same district. Senator Quayle’s District will now be located in Loudoun County to account for population shifts.

In western Virginia, Sens. Newman and Smith remain in the same district. A new district will stretch from Lynchburg to the Goochland County/Henrico County border. Plans for a new Richmond-area senate district were scrapped during the negotiations.

The House may vote on the plan as early as tonight.

UPDATE: PDFs attached from Silverlight. Not the best in the world but you work with what you’ve got…

SWVA

NOVA

SEVA

Central VA

[Update]

Governor McDonnell announced late tonight that he would sign the bill, releasing the following:

“I thank the General Assembly for passing this new redistricting plan. I will sign this legislation as soon as it reaches my desk. The plan as passed does address most of the criteria I outlined in my veto letter, and ensures that the elected members of the legislative branch fulfill their constitutional obligation to draw our electoral lines every ten years.

In my veto letter, I asked the Senate to send me a plan that was bipartisan and addressed potential legal issues. The plan approved today is in line with those goals. This plan retains more geographic and municipal boundaries, contains districts that are somewhat more compact, and passed the Senate on a strong bipartisan vote. In these aspects it is similar to the House plan. It is a great improvement over the previous plan that I vetoed, and which failed to gain a single vote from the minority party. I applaud the Republican and Democratic members of the Senate who worked well together to craft this compromise plan.

At my request, the Attorney General’s office has reviewed the preliminary data regarding the plan. Based on this review, they concluded that the plan meets the relevant legal requirements of the U.S. Constitution, the Virginia Constitution, and the Voting Rights Act. I have asked the Attorney General to ensure that the legislation will be precleared in a timely fashion so that the 2011 election process can get underway.

UPDATE 2:
* HB 5005 will be enrolled early this morning, Friday April 29, 2011.
* Speaker Howell (as presiding officer of the House) and Lt. Governor Bolling (as presiding officer of the Senate) will sign the bill.
* After both of these constitutionally required signatures, HB 5005 will be delivered to Governor McDonnell for his review.
* Assuming that the bill is presented to the governor today (April 29), the Governor will have 7 days (since the General Assembly is still in Special Session) to either sign, amend or veto it.
* The deadline for the governor’s actions to be returned to the General Assembly is 11:59 PM on Friday, May 6. Given the governor’s statement above, it appears he will not be making any amendments and will sign it quickly.

HB 5005 passed the House 63-7 and in the Senate 32-5.

Interesting in the Senate that Senators Martin, Obenshain, Smith, Stanley, and Stuart voted against the bill (Senators Quayle and Newman did not vote). Senator Obenshain wrote on his Facebook page:

“After much gnashing of teeth, we are going to pass a redistricting bill. Ralph Smith and [Fred Quayle] will lose their seats. I voted no. We’ll wait or the Governor to decide whether to sign, amend or veto. If it is signed, we’ll be ready for the fight in the fall,” he wrote. “VERY disappointed with the treatment of Ralph Smith. There was an easy fix — it did not fly today. It would not have affected any Democrat OR sitting Republican. Governor . . . a little help?”