From left to right in the photo, we have Assemblymember Ting with Matt Cohen (owner and founder) and Alex Welch (market director) at Off the Grid

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Off the Grid was honored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) as Small Business of the Year during a gathering of entrepreneurs and elected state leaders observing California Small Business Day.

“San Franciscans changed how the nation eats but Off the Grid has revolutionized how the City eats,” said Ting.  “Food trucks brought food to locations where options were limited.  By bringing food trucks together, Off the Grid has brought people together and created hot spots in our community.  The company’s growth has helped launch a new generation of talented chefs and fueled even more food diversity in our state’s culinary capitol.”

(SACRAMENTO, CA) - Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, issued the following statement about the legislature’s passage of a budget for California.

“This is an exciting budget because it makes large investments in education and infrastructure to ensure that our economy and our people have the tools for long term prosperity.  After going through the toughest recession in generations, it is rewarding to start lifting up more Californians who have been waiting to see the benefits of our recovery.  This budget improves care for our seniors, citizens living with disabilities and veterans.  It also makes a long term commitment to the development of sustainable housing, affordable housing and high speed rail.  Equally important is the adoption of a real rainy day fund.  If approved by the voters in November, California can stop marching into the future without the stability that comes with a savings account.  No one should go through life without one, living hand to mouth.  The state cannot continue to do so or we invite suffering to return when tough times inevitably return.”

Contact: Anthony Matthews, tel. (916) 319-2019, anthony.matthews@asm.ca.gov

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – The California State Assembly passed legislation authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, to expand access to financial aid for thousands of students by helping them complete their applications.

Assembly Bill (AB) 2160 passed with a 73-0 vote and heads to the State Senate for further review.

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – The California State Assembly passed legislation authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, that would include computer science education into the curriculum for every California student in grades 1-6.

Assembly Bill (AB) 2110 passed with a 75-0 vote.  It now moves to the State Senate for further review.

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – The California State Assembly passed legislation authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, that will help Californians with limited English proficiency (LEP) access critical services through strengthening how they report language barrier problems.

Assembly Bill (AB) 2253 passed with a 68-8 vote.  It now moves to the State Senate for further review.

SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Phil Ting, Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, and Senator Mark Leno have introduced companion resolutions in the Legislature urging the Accreditation Commission on Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) to acknowledge City College of San Francisco’s progress in making improvements toward retaining its accreditation and give the school more time to continue making progress.

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – The California State Assembly passed legislation authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, that will help increase the supply of affordable housing in California by making new land available for affordable housing construction.

Assembly Bill (AB) 2135 passed with a 53-22 vote.  It now moves to the State Senate for further review.

(SACRAMENTO, CA) - Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, issued the following statement about Governor Jerry Brown's May budget proposal.

"This will be a rewarding budget to conclude. There will inevitably be some disagreements. We want to combat child poverty, expand access to higher education, invest more in transportation, and expand affordable housing. But good, big changes are coming. We are rolling out the first year of K-12 school reforms to focus on low-income and English language learning students and the Middle Class Scholarship to help make college more affordable. We are also making significant progress in providing health insurance to our people through the Affordable Care Act. Equally important is the adoption of a real rainy day fund to strengthen the state's finances and to help preserve vital investments in opportunities for California families when difficult times return. We must start calling the budget reserve what it really is – a savings account. No one should go through life without savings to fall back on, living hand to mouth. The state cannot continue to do so, lest we invite suffering to return."

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, reports that the Asian Pacific Islander (API) Caucus of the California State Assembly celebrated the accomplishments of six Asian Pacific Islanders at the State Capitol today.

"Our distinguished honorees have defined the landscape of California and this nation," said Ting.  "As high as their success has taken them in life, they never forgot their roots in the API community.  This makes their achievements as individuals equally inspiring as their advocacy for the well-being of API people across generations."

The 2014 honorees were recognized for excellence in various professional fields, activism, and athletics.  This year's honorees include the following.

• Professor Bill Ong Hing, of the University of San Francisco School of Law, was honored for excellence in education.  He is the founder of, and continues to serve as General Counsel for the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San Francisco.  Hing also chairs the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission.
• Dale Minami, partner at Minami Tamaki LLP of San Francisco, was honored for excellence in law.  He operates a consumer-oriented legal practice and co-founded the Asian Law Caucus, the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, and the Asian Pacific Bar of California.
• Courtni Pugh, Executive Director of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 99, was honored for excellence in labor.  She oversees the largest SEIU education workers' union in California.
• Diane Ujiye, former Executive Director of Asian Pacific Islanders California Action Network, was honored for excellence in public service.  APIsCAN is the only statewide network of health, human service, education, community development, and immigrant rights organizations.
• Jose Antonio Vargas, journalist, filmmaker and immigration activist, was honored for excellence in civil rights.  While at The Washington Post, he was part of the team that won a Pulitzer Prize for covering the Virginia Tech massacre.
• Nathan Adrian, Olympic Gold Medalist, was honored for excellence in sports.  He is a four-time Olympic medalist, including three gold medals, in swimming.  He also won 11 national titles while a student at the University of California at Berkeley.

Assembly Member Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) carried Assembly Concurrent Resolution 133 to recognize May 2014 as API Heritage Month in California.  It passed the State Assembly today with 74 co-authors.

Contact: Anthony Matthews, tel. (916) 319-2019, anthony.matthews@asm.ca.gov