Millions of children and young adults throughout the nation are active social media users. Last week two bills dealing with social media’s impact on child and adolescent mental health passed the Assembly Health Committee.

Last week Assembly Bill 1965 (AB 1965), introduced by Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio (D – Baldwin Park), passed the Assembly Health Committee, where I serve as Vice Chair. Once implemented, AB 1965 will take aim at the public healthcare crisis impacting tribal communities throughout California.

There are 99 legislative chambers throughout the 50 states.  Of these, 16 states have enacted term limits, including California. Other term limited states include Ohio, Florida, Missouri, Michigan, Arizona, Kansas and Nevada.

California is the country’s leading agricultural state. In recognition of the importance of agriculture to our economy, ceremonies recognizing Ag Day were held at the State Capitol March 19th.

Summer is fast approaching, for many a time to take out the boat and head for the ocean, the nearest lake, or over to The River. But there’s more to boating than just recreation. The industry supports thousands of jobs, and has a major impact on our state’s overall economy.  

March is Women’s History Month, and it serves as an important reminder of the progress we’ve made in the past 100 years. In 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified granting women the right to vote nationally. California had granted women the right to vote in 1911, but it wasn’t until 1918 that the first four women were elected to the Legislature.

I am a strong advocate for expanded access to healthcare, including mental health and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatments.  These issues frequently come before the Assembly Health Committee, where I serve as Vice Chair.

The placement of Sexually Violent Predators (SVPs) in rural areas of California, including San Diego County, is an ongoing problem. Since the 75th Assembly District covers most of rural northern and eastern San Diego County, I am very pleased to join Senator Brian Jones (R – San Diego) as co-author of Senate Bill 1074.

San Diego County’s tribal communities are all located within the 75th Assembly District – we have more sovereign tribal governments than any county in the nation. Their safety, security and prosperity are very important to me, and for our region. That’s why the second annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) summit, which took place in Sacramento February 12th and 13th, was so important.

Surveys indicate that 70% of Californians see homelessness as a big problem. That’s understandable since almost one half of all unsheltered homeless persons live in California, though we have only about 12% of the nation’s total population. Over the past three years, our homeless population increased by over 22,000 persons, to almost 174,000. In San Diego County, the homeless population increased by 10% in the last year alone.