As Vice Chair of the Assembly Health Committee, I do all I can to ensure that California remains at the forefront in combating serious threats to public health. Raising awareness about diseases, preventing their spread and providing information about treatments can be critical. That’s why I strongly support World AIDS Day 35, which took place on December 1st. Over the past few decades, there have been significant medical advances in treating HIV/AIDS. But the disease is still a major threat to public health at home and around the world. According to the California Department of Public Health… read more

California has almost one-third of the nation’s homeless population despite having only 12% of the U.S. population.  In recent years, we have thrown $20 billion at the problem, yet homelessness is growing. In fact, it’s gotten so much worse that we have become a national embarrassment. Nationwide, this is not the case. For example, over the past 10 years, while our homeless population has increased by 43%, it has decreased 25% in Texas. And California spends 13 times more per homeless person than Texas. Polls show that Californians view homelessness as the state’s most serious problem so… read more

Constituent input is very important to me as I serve as your representative in Sacramento. Your opinions and suggestions help guide my decision making process on legislation and policy priorities that come before me on the Assembly floor. With over 39 million people, California is the nation’s most populous state. Just one county, Los Angeles, has more people than 40 states. That creates lopsided urban majorities that dominate the Legislature. The resulting laws, policies and regulations are often out of sync with large numbers of voters living in more rural and suburban areas, like the 75th… read more

In 2018, 60% of California’s voters supported Proposition 7, which was aimed at eliminating the bi-annual ritual 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, which permanently established daylight saving time in California. Since voters authorized daylight saving time in the first place, any changes must again be approved by the… read more

California department stores have been raided by people walking out with thousands of dollars in stolen goods. Los Angeles County, the Central Valley and the Bay Area have been the most impacted, though it’s affecting the entire state. Why is this happening, what can be done? One of the major contributing causes appears to be passage of Proposition 47 in 2014. Called the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act by its supporters (and who wouldn’t vote for that?), the proposition had the opposite effect. Prop. 47 downgraded shoplifting and grand theft from felonies to misdemeanors when the stolen… read more

The Legislature adjourned September 14th, and the Governor had until October 14th to sign or veto all legislation. Of the 2,668 bills introduced, 1,046 made it to his desk. He signed 890 and vetoed 156. Many of the bills he signed will have significant impacts, though they received little public attention. Among these is a bill aimed at reducing the epidemic of catalytic converter thefts. AB 641 will allow prosecution of thieves found in possession of multiple stolen converters. Another bill, SB 55, requires automobile dealerships to offer customers the option of having the vehicle’s VIN… read more

The bipartisan California Legislative Women’s Caucus (LWC) was formed in 1985 by nine Democrats and six Republicans. Today, 50 of the Legislature’s 120 members are women -- the Caucus now includes 18 Senators (15 Democrats and three Republicans) and 32 Assemblymembers (27 Democrats and five Republicans). Reducing barriers that prevent wealth creation for women is a concern for me and for the Women’s Caucus. Unfortunately, female entrepreneurs have trouble raising investment funds for new ventures. Despite controlling about $20 trillion in annual consumer spending worldwide, women-run… read more

Red Ribbon Week -- October 23rd to 31st -- delivers a strong anti-drug message to school children nationwide. I strongly support this annual program, and again this year my office is distributing thousands of Red Ribbon certificates to schools throughout the 75th Assembly District. In 2021, there were almost 6,000 overdose deaths in California – most of them fentanyl-related. That’s an increase of 121% in three years. Fentanyl has become the number one killer of persons aged 18 to 45 in San Diego County. The drug is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It comes… read more

As almost any resident of San Diego County knows, toxic wastes have been pouring into the ocean along the border south of San Diego for generations. Over the decades, there have been reports, studies and protests, but little action. A recent study by the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission indicated that 100 billion gallons of toxic wastes entered the U.S. through the Tijuana River since 2018, with 35 billion gallons more since last December. Some beaches were closed for more than 635 consecutive days, with local businesses and tourism taking major hits. National security is… read more

If you own a home, you must have homeowner’s insurance. You can’t even get a mortgage without it. Yet many insurers have abandoned California, or simply canceled policies as they came up for renewal. This situation has recently worsened, and many homeowners have been forced into the costly and inadequate FAIR Plan. Without a solution, our economy will crash, taking the national economy with it. In 1988, voters approved Proposition 103, which granted extraordinary powers to the state’s Insurance Commissioner, including authority over rate increases. Other guidelines were adopted that… read more