Hello, and a very happy June to you all!
Welcome to the summer season. I hope all our students and teachers have a chance to catch their breath and rest their minds this summer.
It is my pleasure to represent the 48th Assembly District in the California State Legislature. This term serves as my 9th year as a Legislator in the California State Assembly. It is an honor to serve over 498,000 residents in our district and collaborate with nine cities in the San Gabriel Valley. I am excited to share our May 2025 Newsletter and ensure our communities stay up-to-date with state-related matters.
District Updates
Charter Oak Retirement Celebration
Congratulations to this year’s Charter Oak Unified School District retirees! We thank them for nurturing our students’ academic growth and making a lasting difference in the lives of our future generation of leaders. Please join me in congratulating them on this remarkable accomplishment. HAGS! (Have a Great Summer)
Senior Wellness Fair
This month, I had the honor of partnering with VSP Vision Eyes of Hope and the California Department of Insurance to host our first Senior Scam Stopper seminar and Senior Resource Fair.
Thank you to VSP Eyes of Hope for providing free eye exams and prescription eyeglasses to nearly 50 constituents. I also appreciate our partners who offered free dental and blood pressure screenings, as well as representatives from the Department of Insurance, and the over 20 vendors who provided essential resources to ensure our seniors have the vital information they need.
With May being Older Americans Month, I am thrilled to work with state and local partners to host this event and recognize the contributions of older Americans throughout the community. Ensuring that our seniors have the resources to stay healthy and to protect themselves from various scams is a top priority.
Check out the highlights in case you missed us.
Young Legislators Program
Hydrogen Tour
Our Young Legislators have officially completed event five of our six-month program!
This month, our students learned about the importance of utilities, especially when it comes to hydrogen and clean energy. To kick it off, the students took an all-hydrogen bus ride with Foothill Transit to SoCal Gas’s all-hydrogen house! This event gave an inside scoop of how SoCal Gas and Foothill Transit navigates California’s legislative system. A special thanks to these partners for their support in exposing our students to the work you do.
Capitol Updates
Nonprofit of the Year
This year, I was so excited to nominate Maryvale as our nonprofit of the year. Maryvale is Los Angeles’ oldest children’s charity, beginning as an orphanage in 1856. They provide early education and after-school programming, mental health and wrap-around services, community education, short-term transitional housing for various populations in need, and will begin offering outpatient substance abuse treatment for children and teens.
Maryvale serves as a footprint for what is possible when we give people opportunities, the skills, and confidence to thrive in their lives. Congratulations again on your well-deserved and hard-earned nomination, Maryvale.
Thank you for serving the San Gabriel Valley with compassion, vision, and integrity. We cannot sing your praises enough!
Meeting with a Delegation of Mexican Officials
This month, elected officials, business leaders, philanthropists, and stakeholders from California and Mexico came together to discuss important opportunities for collaboration between California and Mexico.
Legislative Process Updates
May includes the Governor’s May Revise, where the Governor shares updates to the budget proposed in January. It includes new estimates for California’s economy and revenues, updates proposed spending based on new information, and potentially revises, adds to, or removes policy proposals from the budget.
The legislature wraps up the month of May with an appropriations hearing, where the Assembly Appropriations Committee makes final decisions on what bills have been deemed eligible to move forward, accounting for the current state of the budget. This year, appropriations had over 600 measures and passed 435; “do pass” or “do pass as amended”.
In our office, all of our bills have made it out of their respective appropriations hearings and are on their way to the Senate or to third reading, before heading to the Senate to repeat the process for a second time.
We are ramping up for an even busier time in the legislative cycle, where the Assembly and the Senate will be hearing the remainder of bills for their third reading in their respective houses. All bills from the Assembly and Senate will have had to be heard by Friday, June 6, for what is known as the “House of Origin”.
Resources
CalSavers
“CalSavers is helping to ensure all Californians have a path to financial security for their future via a simple, portable, and low-cost savings program.”
CalKIDS
As a recent California public school student, you may be eligible to receive a CalKIDS Scholarship of $500 to $1,500 for higher education expenses. Funded by the State of California, a CalKIDS Scholarship can be used for qualified college and career training expenses such as tuition and fees, books and supplies, and computer equipment.
Checking your eligibility and claiming a CalKIDS Scholarship is quick and easy; it only takes a minute. All you need is your 10-digit Statewide Student Identifier (SSID), which can be found by contacting your high school. For more information, to check your eligibility, and claim your scholarship, visit: CalKIDS.org.
While we are proud to showcase our efforts, which bring needed services to our communities, the work does not stop here! Each month, we will be sharing additional information regarding upcoming legislation, community events, and highlighting local leaders in the 48th Assembly District. Be sure to look out for our June 2025 newsletter. Want real-time updates? Follow our social media platforms to get timely updates and all things about the #Fighting48th. See you then!