One year in, Speier is busier than ever

A budget group meeting at 8 a.m., working breakfast at 9 a.m., committee hearing at 9:30 a.m., television interview at 11:30 a.m., lunch with an Oracle executive, delegation lunch at noon, meeting with a university chancellor at 1 p.m., meeting with the Stanford University chancellor at 2 p.m., followed by a meeting with the chair of the Democratic Congress, followed by a meeting to pitch a new oversight idea, a financial services committee vote at 4:30 p.m., an American Bar Association of the Bay Area meeting at 4:30 p.m., followed by a meeting with hospice and palliative care professionals, a dinner for the Armenian Genocide Observance at 6 p.m., followed by a second dinner and a fundraiser.

Home at 10:45 p.m. and another three hours of studying to do.

So goes the average Wednesday for U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo. By Friday she’s on a plane back to the district for local appearances and some overdue family time.

"But, I think that’s what everyone’s days are like,” Speier said in a recent interview with the Daily Journal marking her one-year anniversary in Congress.

In one year, Speier has learned the ropes at the Capitol, managed to hold her own against heavyweights testifying to the Committee on Financial Services and introduced bills to protect consumers. She and her staff have also helped close over 430 cases of individuals in Congressional District 12 seeking help to solve federal issues. More than 200 were related to immigration and Homeland Security and more than 100 were related to social services like Medicare.

Speier meets with some of her constituents in person, but her district staff helps most. It’s a delicate balance of time between national issues and the cases that more directly affect her constituents — like being dropped from Medicare, not being able to afford psychiatric drugs or being told to leave the country.

"The district function has to be your first priority as a member of Congress,” Speier said.

To keep in touch with constituents, Speier held three local and five telephone town hall meetings last year. Each telephone town hall attracted between 3,000 and 6,000 participants. The number was surprising to Speier. She is planning more telephone town halls this year so people can talk to her from the comfort of their couch, she said.

She plans to mark her one-year anniversary with two town hall meetings next weekend.

Speier also spends her days in the district meeting with unique or cutting-edge companies to get a better understanding of the innovation happening at home. She also started a "day-in-the-life” program in which she does a job of someone in the district. Did you see her picking up garbage at 4 a.m. in Redwood City or packing items at the food bank? Look for her soon working as a skycap or similar low-security job at San Francisco International Airport.

Speier has also formed a few advisory committees, including one made up of local financial leaders, to guide her on major issues facing the nation.

Speier said she’s hopeful the country is coming out of its economic slump.

"I see glimmers of hope. We’re on the right track. We have a long way to go but the stimulus money isn’t getting out as fast as it can,” Speier said.

Speier has attended more than 40 financial services committee meetings since the beginning of the year, she said.

Looking forward, Speier expects health care to take center stage for domestic issues. While the 12th Congressional District has the lowest number of uninsured residents in the state, according to a report issued last week by the UCLA Center for Health Policy, there are still people who cannot afford health care.

"The cost is so prohibitive to people who really need it. People in their 50s and 60s,” Speier said.

As far as foreign policy, Speier is happy with the current administration but worries about the state of Pakistan and the length of time troops will be required to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan. She supports an investigation into who knew and sanctioned torture against terrorism suspects. President Barack Obama released last week "top secret” memos in which Bush administration lawyers sanctioned the torture techniques.

"What would the people of this nation say in 20 or 30 years when all this is vetted? I’m not sure if saying a lawyer said it was OK is acceptable,” Speier said.

Speier will hold two town hall meetings May 2 to report on her first year in Congress: San Francisco, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Ulloa Elementary School, 2650 42nd Ave.; San Mateo, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., San Mateo City Hall, 330 W. 20th Ave.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.