Many rely on buses, trains and/or ferries to get to school, work and other destinations. But the crucial services they provide are in jeopardy because the agencies running them are facing a “fiscal cliff,” – a situation in which declining fare revenue and the end of pandemic funding from the federal government could result in significant operational cuts. In addition, our Bay Area operators rely on fare box revenue to fund operations more than transit agencies in other regions such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles.
eAlerts
California’s child care industry is in trouble. We must act by providing a lifeline. Our economy is impacted when parents cannot go to work due to child care issues. As a father, I, myself, would not have not been able to earn a living without it. So, I know how important this service is. It allows us to go to our jobs and enables our kids to learn more when they experience different environments.
I hope you’ve been enjoying Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Of the 18 million AAPIs living in the United States, six million live in California. For more than a century, they’ve contributed to our country’s success and influenced our culture.
Millions of Californians could soon lose their Medi-Cal health coverage, if they don’t act over the next few months. That’s because the federal COVID Public Health Emergency is ending, which means eligibility rules are reverting back to the way they were before the pandemic.
Please join me next week at my Budget Town Hall where I will provide an update to constituents about the state’s finances and investment priorities.
Under my leadership as Assembly Budget Chair for the past seven years, one of my goals has been to build our reserves. Thanks to this foresight and the voters for supporting Proposition 2, the Rainy Day Fund and other reserves have been built to weather a downturn in the economy. This helps prevent severe budget cuts and allows us to protect the progress we’ve made on things like education, housing, safety net programs and more.
The law of supply and demand in economics helps explain one of the reasons why California’s housing costs are high. When demand is strong and supply is low, prices go up. We simply need to add more housing.
The state Legislature has approved a number of laws to make it easier to build more homes and multi-unit residences. We have also allocated funds for affordable housing developments. We know we have to do more.
There’s still room for more volunteers to join me and the Golden Gate Audubon Society this Saturday for Earth Day. From 10 a.m. to noon, we will work to restore the habitat at Golden Gate Park’s North Lake, removing invasive plants and maintaining the gardens for migrating birds.
With Earth Day approaching, it's time to once again reflect on the changes we can make to reduce our impact on the environment. Perhaps we no longer buy single-use plastic beverage containers, or we take public transit, walk or bike to places to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions.
This legislative session, I am championing three bills to move us toward sustainability:
Ting presents Dr. Alicia Boccellari (middle right) with a resolution on the
Assembly Floor during the annual Woman of the Year celebration
Spring is here. That means there will be some upcoming opportunities for us to connect over the next few months. Click on any one or all of the events to RSVP. If you have symptoms of COVID or any other illness, please refrain from attending.
In 2019, due to concerns about the use of facial recognition technology (FRT), I passed legislation that banned FRT’s use in body cameras. At the time the technology could be used to misidentify innocent people as wanted suspects, including me and several lawmakers.
You’ve probably gotten some of those ridiculously long receipts while shopping – even when we don’t need them. Adding to the annoyance, the receipt often includes coupons, special promotions and/or surveys, making them longer than necessary. It’s time to move this practice into the digital age.
It’s CalEITC Awareness Week, a time we highlight the California Earned Income Tax Credit program, which provides tax refunds to millions of lower-wage workers and their families.
If you are at least 18 years old and earned a maximum of $30,000 last year, you could be eligible for a tax refund of up to $3,417, depending on the size of your household. Plus, if you have young children, the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) adds another $1,083 on top of that.
The Year of the Rabbit is here. I wanted to wish you and your family good health and prosperity. Even after the tragic events of the last few days in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay, our community must continue its resiliency through these difficult times and unite with one another in the spirit of the New Year.