As we arrived at the summer break‚ there was a mix of encouraging victories and deeply troubling developments. I’m proud to report that bipartisan efforts helped advance important legislation to protect vulnerable children and cut red tape for wildfire victims trying to rebuild their lives. But not all news was good. Sacramento Democrats once again put ideology before common sense‚ hiking the gas tax‚ undermining Title IX protections‚ and pushing forward a bill that would make it harder for sexual assault survivors to seek justice.
The Good
- AB 379‚ a bill to crack down on the purchasing of minors for sex finally cleared a crucial hurdle when a bipartisan coalition of Republicans and moderate Democrats passed the bill and sent it to the Governor’s desk for his consideration. The bill first gained national attention when Assembly Democrats refused to hear the bill in committee without amendments that would remove the major provisions of the bill. Thanks to attention from the press‚ public‚ and actions from Assembly Republicans‚ the major provisions of the bill were restored.
- The Assembly Judiciary Committee recently passed a bill that would streamline the reconstruction of buildings damaged or destroyed by wildfires by eliminating red tape. This bipartisan bill gained widespread support and is now headed to the Appropriations Committee.
The Bad and the Very Ugly
- On July 1st California’s gas tax increased to 61.2 cents a gallon‚ driving prices for every consumer even higher. The California Legislature refused to consider proposals by Legislative Republicans to lower and freeze the gas tax multiple times over the past few years‚ and higher gas prices is unfortunately the result.
- Governor Newsom and his administration are jeopardizing billions in education funding by doubling down on letting biological males compete in high school girls’ sports and ignoring Title IX. The federal government is now suing the Newsom administration to ensure California’s adherence to Title IX requirements.
- Recently Assembly Democrats pushed SB 577 out of committee. This bill would make it harder for survivors of sexual assault to seek justice if their abuser worked at a public entity. This is not just bad policy‚ it’s absolutely reprehensible. I was the only legislator to oppose this bill in committee
As your voice in Sacramento‚ I will always champion legislation that protects our children‚ supports disaster recovery‚ and upholds the values that matter to our community. And I won’t stay silent when bad bills threaten public safety‚ fairness in education‚ or justice for survivors. While we’ve seen some encouraging progress‚ the fight is far from over. I’ll keep holding the line‚ speaking out‚ and standing firm for you‚ for our families‚ and for the future of the 71st District.
