Photo Gallery

Good discussion with Torrance Airport Commission Chair Anne O'Brien and members of the Torrance Airport Association about their efforts to abate noise from airplanes taking off and landing at Torrance Municipal Airport.

Lunch with Gardena homeboys Councilman Rodney Tanaka and Cherrystones Hawaiian Restaurant owner Leonard Kim. Tanaka is a former Gardena Police Lieutenant as well as a former chaplain at Union Rescue Mission in downtown LA Skid Row. Cherrystones is one of my favorite Hawaiian restaurants in the South Bay!

I'm working with school superintendents throughout the state to increase K-12 funding, especially the base grant of the Local Control Funding Formula.

Increasing the LCFF base grant has been one of my top priorities. I hear from all my local superintendents: raising the base grant portion of the Local Control Funding Formula will give all school districts greater flexibility with their local spending priorities as well as help school districts meet the needs to properly educate all their students. Rising fixed cost, inflation, declining enrollment/student absences, teacher retention, staffing shortages all are reasons that an increase in base funding is needed.

This year I introduced AB 1614: This bill adds $4.2 billion into the current base grant funding, using the existing Local Control Funding Formula, for the 2022-2023 budget year, with intent language that the Legislature strive to reach the top ten states in the country in K-12 per pupil spending.

Had a great visit in Sacramento with fourth graders from Redondo Beach's Riviera Hall Lutheran School in Sacramento this week. We talked about the legislative process and what it was like to be an Assemblymember here in Sacramento.

I was honored to receive the "Special Public Policy" award from the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter on Sunday. It's a privilege to represent a district with community partners who care as deeply as I do about protecting our environment for future generations. While I’m proud of my work on the environment so far, I know that we still have a lot of work to do. I look forward to collaborating with the Sierra Club to make sure California continues to lead the transition to a green economy that works for everyone.

I would like to especially thank Al Satler, Donna Sprecht, David Haake, Sharon Koch, and Silvia Darie for bringing the environmental community together for this special event.

Working with Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand on Assembly Bill 2140 to shut down the AES fossil fuel power plant while procuring clean renewable energy to ensure electricity reliability.  Our bill passed two committees this week. Thank you Mayor Brand for fighting this fight for over a decade.

Discussed housing issues with the South Bay Association of Realtors visiting the State Capitol.

Great beach clean-up event today in celebration of Earth Day at Torrance Beach. Great turnout, with lots of students and families participating.

Special thanks to sponsors Heal the Bay, Palos Verdes South Bay Group Of the Sierra Club and Grades of Green.

Torrance Mayor Pat Furey, El Camino College Board's Cliff Numark, Torrance School Board member Jeremy L Gerson, Sierra Club's Al Sattler, Heal the Bay's Nancy Shrodes and the very impressive Redondo Union High School student Rylee Goldfarb of Shades of Green all were in attendance.

Assembly Bill 2220, which passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee this week, will create a statewide Homeless Court program based on Redondo Beach's successful program. Homeless Courts bring in low-level criminal offenders who are homeless for rehabilitation, providing wrap around services like mental health and addiction treatment as well as temporary housing. Redondo Beach City Attorney Mike Webb drove from the South Bay to Sacramento to testify in support of the bill. Thanks Mike for your dedication!

Met with the Los Angeles County Medical Association today in Sacramento. We discussed concerns about public health issues, including #COVID19.