For over 10,000 years, the Luiseño people have lived in the San Luis Rey Valley. Historically, their villages extended along the coastline, and inland along the San Luis Rey River. The largest recorded village was known as Topomai, located in what is now Camp Pendleton. Other historic villages to the east included Páume (Pauma) and Palé (Pala).
Last week, the Legislature passed the Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 -2025. The Governor will have until June 30 to sign the budget, which goes into effect July 1st. Over the coming weeks/months, a series of trailer bills to fund specific programs must be passed, and since the Governor has line-item veto powers, additional programs may still be cut.
As with so many issues involving medical research and healthcare, San Diego County is ground zero in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease.
This year, the “House of Origin Deadline” was May 24th, the final day for bills to pass the house in which they were first introduced - either the Assembly or the Senate. Any bills that failed to pass by the 24th have died.
California’s gas taxes are the highest in the nation, and they are set to go even higher. Most of you probably know that we have yearly, built in gas tax increases, and they are scheduled to go up by another two cents per gallon on July 1st.
Last week, the Governor released his “May Revise,” which is based on revenues received since January when the preliminary $291.5 billion budget proposal ($208.7 General Fund) was released. The Revise now estimates a $27 billion budget deficit, even though a report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office forecasts a much higher deficit of $55 billion.
Encouraging young women to fulfill their life’s potential by taking full advantage of available educational opportunities is one of my passions. As a member of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, I am happy to spread the word about the Minerva Scholarship program, established by the Women in California Leadership Foundation to educate, support and empower young women and girls.
As many of you know I have served on the Assembly Health Committee for most of my term in the State Legislature, and I am now the Committee’s Vice Chair. The Committee’s jurisdiction includes healthcare, behavioral and mental health, medical insurance, Medi-Cal and other public healthcare programs, and long-term care licensing. The lives of millions of Californians are impacted by legislation that comes before this committee.
As you know, the placement of Sexually Violent Predators (SVPs) in rural areas of California, including San Diego County, has been an ongoing problem. SVPs have been placed in Jacumba Hot Springs, Campo, Boulevard, Borrego Springs and other locations, often near homes, parks and schools.
In 2011, the legislature worked in an effort to abolish California’s Redevelopment Districts (RDAs). Although some RDAs were poorly managed, their abolition deprived cities of an important tool that had often been successfully used to stimulate business, create new housing and revitalize blighted areas, especially for older cities