The Lifeblood of Our Democracy There is something special about my editorial today. Last week’s edition of the Crescenta Valley Weekly marked its 10th anniversary of being our community’s local newspaper. This is a significant achievement, not just for this paper, but for something even greater, something that is at the core of our […]
Are We Prepared? Last Friday, July 12, I had the honor of delivering a keynote address to leaders from over 30 cities from throughout Southern California. I took the opportunity to discuss a topic that I consider among the most pressing for many communities throughout our state – what to do in the face […]
Can California Be Ambitious and Responsible? At the start of this year, with a new governor and several new faces in the Capitol, observers were unsure what to expect as we developed this year’s budget. Governor Newsom’s first budget, as it was announced in January, was without a doubt ambitious. It put forward sweeping goals […]
Creativity in Solving the Housing Crisis There are few issues in our state as challenging as the housing crisis. Recently, we have seen hundreds of bills on housing introduced in the legislature. Some of the most talked about measures have included broad, sweeping proposals such as increased funding for subsidized housing and adjustments to local […]
California’s Golden Opportunity In California, we possess an economy that rivals most nations. Last year our state rose in the rankings from being the sixth largest economy in the world to the fifth. This is largely due to the many sectors that our state leads the nation and world including agriculture, technology and entertainment. But […]
Our Year in Review December 2018 We did it! After a whirlwind year for our district and state, we find ourselves at the close of 2018. While there have definitely been some downs, we also have so much to be grateful for. And as I prepare to represent you for another term, I would like […]
What More Could We Do For Them? It never ceases to amaze me just how caring and dedicated our community is towards honoring those who deserve our praise. That dedication was on display this Veterans Day. When many others across the country simply took it as a day off work, our community joined to show […]
My Budget Priority – May 2018 It’s spring; and in Sacramento there’s plenty to be happy about – we have a robust economy boosting the state’s coffers, new proposals to boost funding for critical services, and significant savings to put into our rainy day fund. These are undoubtedly all good things, and they lay […]
Addressing Our Rising Crime When polled, there is one single issue that the public, across demographic, economic and geographic lines, consistently ranks as its top concern – and that is public safety. For this reason, community safety is a top priority for me as an elected official. When it comes to crime, traffic and matters […]
The Importance of Being Prudent It’s January, which means the legislature has reconvened for a new year of Session, new laws have come into effect, and a brand new budget proposal has arrived on all of our desks from the governor’s office. The arrival of the initial draft of the year’s budget sets the stage […]