We're off and running!!!

For Day 1 in D.C., we had an eventful gathering in the lobby of the hotel. One of our fellow classmates announced the birth of his son! Yes, after dinner yesterday evening Erik Jertberg’s wife, Kate, went into labor. Erik purchased a plane ticket home; however, after Skyping to witness the quick 2-hour in-labor birth, both Erik and Kate decided he would stay for the trip. Kate gets extra points!! Their new son, George Jertberg, joins his older brother into the family.

Alison Jones, wife of fellow Matt Jones, also gets credit for birthing their new daughter, Johanna, just a few days before we left on the trip. Thank goodness for the support of family during these times. Congratulations to both Matt and Erik!


After the exciting news, we took the Metro to the National Mall where we went on a monument tour to get acquainted with the area and gained a deeper appreciation for the history surrounding the development of the Mall. Did you know the Washington Monument took over 100 years to create? Yes, it sat unfinished and only half built through the Civil War.



It was an adventure going into the Capitol building. We brought gifts for our speakers of wine and wine openers. Not sure if we could get them past security, it was our fearless leader Jim Shattuck who went through multiple buildings to gain approval for exception of their “no food/beverage or sharp objects” rule. Thanks to Jim we were able to properly thank our speakers with California products!

In the Capitol, we participated in a joint session with the Farm Bureau discussing the important California topic of water with Congressman Jim Costa, Congressman Dennis Cardoza, and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Conner. We quickly headed through the underground tunnels (such a treat!) to the Hart Senate building where we met with Senator Diane Feinstein’s counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Immigration and Agriculture, Carole Angel. It was surprising how young the woman was, yet so knowledgeable. We discussed the Ag Jobs bill and immigration issues.

We headed back to the hotel for a presentation from Paul Shapiro from the Humane Society of the United States. There we discussed Prop. 2 and the controversial topic of farm animal cruelty. It could have gotten heated, but, don’t worry, we kept our cool.

Dinner was on our own with many of us gorging on Southern-inspired ribs. We’ll see what tomorrow has to bring! In the meanwhile, Erik will be Skyping again tonight with Kate.