Last week I gave the keynote speech at the State of Reform Health Policy Conference in San Diego, one of the largest, most diverse gatherings of health care executives and policy makers in California. Health care is one of my passions, and as a member of the Assembly Health Committee, I was thrilled to be invited.   Mental health is a major topic. One in six California adults experience some form of mental illness, and two-thirds of children and adolescents suffering from depressive episodes go untreated. More empowerment for locals on the front lines of mental health treatment is a must.… read more

We’re entering the holiday season, and many people could use a little extra cash. You might be interested to know that California is sitting on unclaimed properties valued at over $9 billion. Please visit claimit.ca.gov to see if any of that money belongs to you.  Why does California have so much unclaimed property? Under our Unclaimed Property Law, businesses like banks and insurance companies are required to transfer property to the Controller’s office if it goes unclaimed for a specified period of time, usually three years. Common types of unclaimed property are bank accounts, stocks,… read more

California has many powerful state agencies that impact the lives of millions. One of the most powerful, but perhaps less known or understood, is the California Public Utilities Commission.   The CPUC was created in 1911 after a constitutional amendment was approved by voters to reorganize the Railroad Commission, which was established decades earlier to regulate the state’s powerful railroad industry. In 1912, the Legislature passed the Public Utilities Act, expanding Railroad Commission authority to regulate utilities such as gas, electric and telephone companies. In 1946, voters approved… read more

My husband and I have owned our small retail business for over 25 years. The problems we encountered running that business were some of the primary reasons I first ran for public office. Since joining the Legislature, I have supported a wide range of legislation that would stimulate business formation and provide greater employment opportunities, more work-force training and greater job growth. Reducing burdensome regulations and needless bureaucracy also remains one of my highest priorities in Sacramento.   Earlier this year, I was honored that the National Federation of Independent… read more

Last November, 60% of California voters passed Proposition 7, aimed at eliminating the bi-annual tradition of moving clocks back in the fall and forward in the spring.   Daylight saving time was first imposed as a temporary energy saving measure during World War I, and was re-instated during World War II.  After World War II ended, states were allowed to decide the issue, and in 1949, voters approved Proposition 12, permanently establishing daylight saving time in our state.  Since the voters authorized daylight saving time, only the voters could approve any changes. Under the terms of… read more

Access to a quality education is the best way to ensure our students a bright, successful future. But one size does not fit all, and not every student wants to go to a traditional college. Even so, California schools often focus on sending kids to colleges and universities, with less emphasis on trades. We have a skilled worker shortage in California, and we need to make sure that high school students have the opportunity to learn technical skills that can lead to well-paying jobs after they graduate. That’s why Career Technical Education is so important. To help meet this need, last… read more

As a member of the Select Committee on Biotechnology and Co-Chair of the Rare Disease Caucus, I’m always looking for innovative treatments that provide the greatest benefit for patients at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers. That’s why I’m enthusiastic about Project Baby Bear, a $2 million Medi-Cal funded pilot program at several hospitals, including San Diego’s Rady Children’s Hospital, to provide rapid whole-genome sequencing (rWGS) to seriously ill newborns. To learn more about this trial program, I recently attended a hearing of the Select Committee on Biotechnology with Committee… read more

In 2004, 67% of San Diego County voters approved a 40-year extension of TransNet, a half-cent sales tax for highway, road, and transit projects. Recently, SANDAG proposed making changes to the 2004 ordinance by re-directing funds from several highway projects into mass transit. Since 2004, only 6% of the funds generated by TransNet have been used to build highways, which are used by over 95% of the people, while 66% has been used to construct public transit projects, used by less than 5% of the people. The public transit projects identified for the voters in the 2004 ordinance were front-… read more

The Senate Bill 1 gas tax increase promised to fix our crumbling highways and roads.  That promise was short-lived. Last month, Governor Newsom issued an Executive Order redirecting the state’s $5 billion annual transportation funds from highway/road repairs toward reducing congestion via "strategies designed to encourage people to shift from cars to other modes of transportation” including mass transit, walking and biking, the governor’s executive order said. The order also calls for $61 million to be “held in reserve for priority rail projects.”  Read more here: https://bit.ly/2MCu0QM… read more

Synchronizing traffic lights will not only reduce the time we sit at traffic lights, but will also reduce tons of emissions with benefits to business and our economy.  In response to a study conducted in Salinas, CA, 5 intersections on their main street had installed traffic signal synchronization and saved 15.8 TONS of GHG emissions in ONE year!  Not to mention the cost benefit ratio of 50:1. Studies show that synchronization projects can reduce traffic delays by up to 30% and in 41 California cities, synchronization resulted in travel time reductions of 6.5% and fuel consumption declined… read more