We all know, public safety was front and center last year, and will continue to be a big issue this year. This includes things like officer records, officer training, and oversight, to name a few. The Covid outbreak within our prison system was not handled well, with well-reported outbreaks and deaths amongst prison staff, including correctional officers, and those incarcerated.

SACRAMENTO – Yesterday Assemblymember Marie Waldron, R-Escondido, honored Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce CEO Lila MacDonald as the 2021 Woman of the Year for the 75th Assembly District. “Lila MacDonald lives and breathes the Fallbrook community,” said Waldron. “From Honorary Mayor to CEO of the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce, Lila MacDonald embodies the spirit of Fallbrook.”

As co-chair of the Assembly Rare Disease caucus, we recognize the struggle of patients and their families living with rare diseases. Among these are almost 7,000 diseases and conditions considered rare, with 80 percent of those considered ultra-rare.

Wildfires are an ever-present threat in California. Last year was the worst on record with over 4.2 million acres burned. As we can all remember, local fires such as the Cedar, Witch, Cocos, Guejito, and Lilac fires have devastated this region as well. We’ve been spending billions trying to prevent and fight wildfires, but the situation has worsened. What we’ve been doing simply hasn’t worked.

Last week I supported bi-partisan legislation signed by the Governor to mitigate the economic and social damage done by the long, state-imposed COVID shutdowns.

Lake Wohlford Dam is an important water storage, flood control and recreational facility that has served Escondido for generations. Restoring storage capacity and making it earthquake-safe is critically important, which is why I introduced AB 692.

The economic fallout from the pandemic has made it difficult for thousands of Californians to keep a roof over their heads. Early on, federal funding provided some assistance to renters and landlords alike, but many were unable to access that aid. More needed to be done.

The Governor has recently announced a partial reopening for many California businesses. The general stay-at-home order is rescinded, and most California counties are back in the “purple” tier, allowing personal services like barbershops and hair salons to reopen, while allowing restaurants to provide outdoor dining for their customers.

California’s high cost of living, crumbling infrastructure, rising crime and constant threat of natural disasters always present challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has made matters worse by stressing ICU capacity, causing tragic loss of life, damaging our economy and robbing many students of a year’s education.

COVID-19 has claimed the lives of about 1.8 million people worldwide, approximately 27,000 of which are right here in California. The virus captures our attention, while many other long-standing issues are ignored.