Happy New Year! With a new Legislative Session underway, and a lot of new constituents following redistricting, I thought it would be a good time to start a regular column in LGBTQ San Diego County News. Moving forward, I’ll provide regular updates on new legislation I’m introducing, the legislative process works and how you can get involved, and what services are available in Assembly District 78 and how my district staff may be able to assist you.
I want to start with outlining what I do as an Assemblymember representing San Diego and parts of El Cajon. Being an Assemblymember is a full-time job with two-year terms. With current term limits, they can be elected up to six terms – so that’s 12 years total. I was just re-elected to start my second term. We operate around a fixed legislative calendar that starts at the new year and goes until about Labor Day; up at the Capitol nearly every week; returning to the district on weekends and full-time in the fall months.
Assemblymembers work with Capitol staff to introduce bills that could become law and approve the state budget, while district staff assist my constituents with accessing state resources and keep connected with community organizations when I’m physically in Sacramento. We can introduce up to 50 bills every two years across all the subject areas we cover, but that’s a lot of workload to manage – members typically introduce about 15-20 bills per year, and we have to set them in motion by late February otherwise a deadline is missed for the calendar year because committees need to start their work.
In addition to introducing legislation, each Assemblymember also plays an important role in securing state funds for local projects in their district. After all, if we don’t, your dollars flow to other cities in the state. For example, last year I secured money from the state budget to build a bike path at San Diego State University and improve facilities at the Maritime Museum of San Diego and the San Diego Natural History Museum, and more.
This year, my office is already off to a great start after introducing new legislation that is both impactful and necessary. I introduced AB 223, the Transgender Youth Privacy Act in early January. This bill will require any petition for a change of gender or sex identifier filed by a minor to be sealed to protect their privacy. The Transgender Youth Privacy Act gives transgender youth the confidence to navigate their gender identity without fear of retaliation from someone who discovers that information in the public record. Allowing minors to decide when and how they wish to share their personal information is vital in protecting their mental health and overall well-being.
Last month, I introduced AB 2 which will establish a solar panel recycling program in California to help our growing stock of aged solar panels successfully receive a second life; I am working on a second bill to manage toxic material aspects of solar panels as well to be introduced soon.
To help California’s water supply issues under a changing climate, I introduced AB 30. Now, “atmospheric rivers” is a term you may have seen or heard recently with all of our wet weather. Basically, they are narrow currents in the air that can carry high amounts of water vapor thousands of miles from the tropics to mid-and-northern latitudes. AB 30 would broaden the atmospheric river research program administered through the Department of Water Resources to optimize water supply at dam operations and flood control systems, creating reliability and mitigating flood risk.
I look forward to providing you more updates in the future and I want to thank you for your support. I am humbled to be your representative and to work on these issues and more at the State Capitol. If you need assistance, please know that my district office staff is available and ready to serve or answer any questions you may have. Feel free to reach out during regular business hours and a staff member will return your call as soon as possible. I wish you, your family and your neighbors all the best.
