As we ring in 2022, the Golden State will take significant steps toward reducing plastic pollution, thanks to legislation I authored that will go into effect on Jan. 1. Assembly Bill (AB) 793 will make your sodas, bottled water and other drinks come in more environmentally friendly packaging.
San Francisco has a long and proud history of community-serving nonprofits playing an integral role in our City. For more than 50 years, the Community Youth Center of San Francisco (CYC) has been part of that tradition, empowering our City’s youth through services that lead them on the path to success.
Earlier this summer, I highlighted what we accomplished in this year’s historic state budget that I helped craft as chair of the Assembly Budget Committee. Now that the year’s legislative session is over, I’m happy to report that all of my bills, save one, were signed into law.
As we watch communities destroyed by record-breaking wildfires, wake up to orange skies, and see photo after photo of empty reservoirs, we know that California is at the forefront of the climate crisis. Fortunately, our historic state budget surplus allows us the opportunity to take action.
It is our civic duty to serve on a jury, but many Americans are unable to participate because they cannot afford to take unpaid time off from work. This means a smaller pool of potential jurors that often results in juries that are wealthier and less diverse – not at all reflective of the communities they serve.
You and I both see it throughout our city: far too many people are living on the street or in tents.
As we move on from the pandemic, it is clear that back-to-normalcy won’t happen quickly, especially with our kids. Not only did they lose more than a year of in-person learning, but they also lost emotional and social development that comes with human interaction. Isolation, anxiety, stress and depression are among the impacts of distance learning, and they will last long after schools reopen.
I’ve done it. You probably have, too. You’re walking on Clement or Irving streets, and a store on the other side of the street catches your eye. Giving in to temptation, you look both ways and cross in the middle of the block once it’s safe to do so.
When will it stop? Since the start of the pandemic, hate incidents against Asian Americans have dramatically spiked, as people wrongly blame them for COVID-19 and the hardships that came with it. In all instances, the racist attacks were unprovoked.
California parents are eager to get their children back into the classroom – and thanks to Assembly Bill (AB) 86, more students will return for in-person learning this month.
The Bay Area had a housing affordability crisis before the onset of COVID-19, and income and job losses have pushed many to the brink of homelessness.
As chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, in December I released the “Preserve, Respond, Protect, Recover” budget blueprint.
As a parent of two children in public schools, I worry students are falling behind in their studies as we continue relying solely on remote learning. Additionally, the longer they don’t see their friends and teachers in person, the more social isolation will impact development and emotional intelligence.
Like you, I am ready to put 2020 behind me. With President-elect Joe Biden and the Bay Area’s own Vice President-elect Kamala Harris set to move into the White House, our country can finally get moving in the right direction, starting with getting COVID-19 under control.
As soon as I’m sworn in next month, I’ll prioritize the state’s economic recovery, our children’s education, housing/homelessness, the environment and other pressing needs.
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 