Updates

May 2018 Newsletter

Hello, friends.

We’ve covered a lot of ground since the beginning of 2018 – hosting five more bipartisan town hall meetings, participating in an education forum, and introducing a new legislative package. I chaired a third hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Student Success, exploring the critical issue of community college transfers. I also helped create a new Higher Education Caucus, whose top priority is to fully fund the California State University and University of California and avoid tuition increases. And, as the newly appointed Chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee, I will be looking out for consumers’ rights as well as opportunities to ensure the availability and affordability of homeowners insurance.

As always, I look forward to meeting you in the district or at the Capitol.

Here’s a look at what I have been up to recently.

Highlights of this issue:

 

Seeking Full Funding for Higher Education

Sens. Ben Allen, Anthony Portantino and I created the Senate Higher Education Caucus this spring to support key higher education issues. One is to fully fund California State University and the University of California in order to block tuition increases while improving access to the growing number of qualified students.

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At a news conference in mid-March, our bipartisan 14-member caucus – 12 Democrats and two Republicans – made it clear that we would do everything we could to ensure that the CSU and UC would be a top priority in budget talks.

We were joined at the news conference by a roomful of students, faculty and administration officials from both CSU and UC, a show of force that gave me great confidence in our mission.

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CSU has since announced it would not increase tuition for 2018-19 and the UC has postponed action on its planned tuition increase. But the importance of seeking full funding remains. If we don’t fully fund CSU, eligible students will be denied entry. Cuts could also be made to student success programs such as the California Promise, which guarantees classroom availability to students who maintain minimum achievement standards, and possibly the CSU’s 2025 graduation initiative, whose focus is to increase four-year graduation rates to 40 percent by 2025 (four-year graduation rates are now at 23 percent), among other goals.

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The Governor’s budget proposed a 3 percent increase for both CSU and UC, or a $92 million boost from last year. But, both institutions say that leaves them in a position of having to make up for shortfalls. CSU is seeking $263 million more than last year; UC says it needs $197 million more than last year

Full funding would allow CSU to cover expanding access to qualified California students (3,641 additional FTE students); its Graduation Initiative 2025; agreed-upon compensation increases for faculty and other employees; and some infrastructure needs, including critical deferred maintenance.

For the UC, full funding would cover the expansion of access (500 California undergraduates, 500 California graduate students); catch-up funding for recent enrollment growth (1,500 students); and faculty hiring, academic counseling, student mental health services, graduate students support and classroom facilities.

Investing state resources in preserving college affordability must be a priority, for the sake of today’s young people and for the future of our state.

Examining Progress of Community College Transfer System at Student Success Hearing

In March, I chaired my third hearing of the Select Committee on Student Success, this one examining the system intended to streamline the transfer pipeline between the California Community Colleges, California State University and University of California. Specifically, we looked at the role Community Colleges play in transferring students, how well the CSU and UC are set up to take transfers, and whether the Associate Degree for Transfer is working as intended.

California’s community college transfer students play a critical role in driving the state’s economy, and will become even more vital in coming years. Under California’s Associate Degree for Transfer program, more students are continuing their education with the aim of attaining four-year degrees. Yet, barriers remain for students of the systems.

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We heard from experts in the field, including Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley from the California Community Colleges, Hans Johnson, Center Director and Senior Fellow of Public Policy Institute of California and Jessie Ryan, the Vice President of Campaign for College Opportunity.

Established in 2010, the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (STAR) requires community colleges to create two-year, 60-unit degrees that are fully transferrable to CSU. These degrees require completion of a minimum of 18 units in a major or area of emphasis, as determined by each community college, and an approved set of general-education requirements.

Students who earn such a degree are automatically eligible to transfer to the CSU system as an upper-division student in a bachelor’s degree program.

The Select Committee on Student Success is a place to gather experts for discussion – not to push a specific agenda, but rather to learn best practices and innovations to improve student success.

Other members of the committee are: Sens. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, Tony Atkins, D-San Diego, Patricia Bates, R-Laguna Niguel, Bill Dodd, D-Napa, Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, Janet Nguyen, R-Garden Grove, Anthony Portantino, D-La Canada, and Scott Wilk, R-Lancaster.

You can watch the most recent hearing here.

Bipartisan Cooperation

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Assemblywoman Catharine Baker (San Ramon), and I appeared jointly five more times this spring for a total of 16 over the last two-plus years, including one focused on education. What better way to memorialize our long-running bipartisan tour than to make a t-shirt akin to a rock concert tour?

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We are dedicated to finding common ground to produce legislative solutions.

At these forums, Catharine and I both present our legislative goals. But the most enjoyable part of our town halls is when we get to engage with our constituents. We hope we showed that we can answer tough questions from our constituents – from either party. We have our disagreements but are willing to listen to one another and find ways we can bridge divides – especially during these particularly divided partisan times.

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Assemblyman Tim Grayson, D-Concord, and I also held a joint Town Hall, our first of what we hope to be many, at the Ambrose Community Center in Bay Point. Thank you for your interest in our legislative priorities and for your thoughtful questions. We look forward to continuing to work together on your behalf.

Alissa Friedman Honored as Woman of the Year

I was proud to recognize Alissa Friedman as the 2018 Senate District 7 Woman of the Year, first honored at the Capitol with other honorees from throughout California, and then at an open house reception in Antioch.

Friedman is Executive Director of Opportunity Junction and has overseen its growth from a pilot workforce development program into a local hub for training, education, and job placement. Located in Antioch, in East Contra Costa County, Opportunity Junction's mission is to fight poverty by helping low-income Contra Costa residents gain the skills and confidence to get and keep jobs that support themselves and their families.

 

Harvard trained, Alissa has the education and talent to lead at the highest levels of our state. She has chosen to use her extraordinary skills to lead an organization that provides critical tools to help people climb out of poverty. Based on her selfless leadership and passionate advocacy for those in need, I am proud to honor Alissa as my Senate District’s Woman of the Year.

"I get the deepest possible satisfaction from hearing 'I love my job' from an alum who pops in for a visit. I smile and reply, 'so do I,' ” Friedman said. “My favorite times are when we're tackling a challenge, and each of us contributes ideas from our own perspective. There's the sense of shared purpose and camaraderie. From childhood, I've believed that this work represents the highest form of charity: helping others do for themselves."

Survivor Sisters Recognized at Capitol

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L to R: Senators Richard Pan, Henry Stern, Heather McCullough, Deborah Bordeau, Senator Hannah Beth Jackson, Chere Rush, Heather Goff-Solari, Senator Nancy Skinner, Carla Kimball, Senator Bob Wieckowski, Former Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, Senator Glazer and Senator Connie Leyva.

 

It was my privilege to recognize on the floor of the Senate the Survivor Sisters, a group of dedicated breast cancer survivors, and former Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan for their efforts in championing the specialized California Pink Ribbon license plate. Assembly Bill 49 revenue from the sale of these plates provides education and promote awareness to ensure access to regular breast exams and mammograms, potentially saving the lives of countless women. It was a long road to make the license plates a reality and these extraordinary women deserve our admiration and thanks. To order a Pink Ribbon license plate, click here and follow prompts.

 

Honored by Rubicon Programs

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The Rubicon Programs East Bay honored me for my support of AB 1008, the state’s first “Ban the Box” fair chance hiring law. I was one of several East Bay legislators and community groups that earned the group’s first annual Values Award during their “State of Mind Gala” in Oakland.

The mission of Rubicon Programs, founded in 1973, is to end poverty in the East Bay by providing essential re-entry programs, and building income, assets, wellness and community connections for low-income Contra Costa and Alameda residents.

Helping the Homeless

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It was a sobering morning as I joined the team of Contra Costa County staff to get an official tally of the homeless in our area. Workers and volunteers visited transients on the streets, encampments and at shelters to get an accurate tally of how many people may be in need of resources.

The stories were heartbreaking.

Above, I am pictured at an underpass in Walnut Creek with a person (left) who grew up in Moraga (Campolindo High) and tumbled into poverty from a divorce, health problems and bad luck. He slept at this spot with only a blanket on a night that dipped into the 30s. The County team gave him a sleeping bag and some other help.

Earlier in the morning, I met a couple in Martinez, who lost their apartment when the new landlord raised the rent from $875 to $1,500. They have been living in their car since October.

Joining Women’s March in Walnut Creek

 

What a great turnout at the Women’s March in Walnut Creek. I was there to support the women who are going to lead us through these difficult times.

 

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Legislative Update

For the 2017-18 legislative session, I have introduced 45 bills, constitutional amendments and resolutions – 23 bills alone this year. In my bill package, I attempt to tackle some of the important issues of the day including public pension reform, tax fairness for renters, improving higher education infrastructure and providing a level playing field for businesses, as these bills below show:

SB 1149 (Pension Reform (Defined Contributions) – Offers a portable, self-directed defined contribution pension plan to eligible state employees who choose to opt out of the traditional CalPERS pension plan.

SB 1182 (Renters Tax Credit Increase) – Provides financial relief to low and middle income families by increasing the renter’s tax credit to $120 for single filers who have an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $40,078 or less and $240 for joint filers with an AGI of $80,056 or less.

SB 1225 (Higher Education Facilities Bond Act of 2018) – Authorizes $4 billion for facilities at the UC and CSU. The bond money could be used for the construction, reconstruction, and remodeling of existing or new facilities.

SB 1235 (Small Business Borrowing Disclosure) – Requires standardized disclosure of the terms of financing offered to small businesses in order to help borrowers better understand the financial implications of their decisions.

SB 1305 (Emergency Services for Pets) – Allows first responders to treat dogs and cats in emergencies and ensures that  first responders are not held liable and are not subject to criminal prosecution or professional disciplinary action for administering pre-veterinary emergency care.

Click here for the rest of my legislative package.