Happy Holidays AD 39! Holiday Toy Drive Information and an End of the Year Legislative Update
Dear Neighbor,
As we approach the end of the year holiday season, I want to provide you with an update on my annual book and toy drive, as well as some of the legislative successes I had in Sacramento this year.
Holiday Book & Toy Drive
This holiday season has been very challenging for working families in our community. This is why I am happy to partner with the Child Care Resource Center to help collect books and toys for children and families in need.
You can help families in the San Fernando Valley by donating new, unwrapped books and toys for children ages 0-13. You can drop off books and toys at my office through Wednesday, December 14.
My office is located at 9300 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Arleta, CA 91331. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact (818) 504-3911.
2021 Legislative Accomplishments
I am proud to say that I sent 11 bills to the Governor’s desk, and all of them were signed and will be implemented into law! My bill package dealt with issues such as homelessness, equestrian rider safety, youth empowerment, alleviating our school nurse shortage, and more. Below, you will find additional details on key legislation that is of interest to AD 39.
Assembly Bill (AB) 27: The first step in helping homeless students is to identify them. AB 27 creates a standardized process to identify homeless children throughout the state’s school system. California has enough homeless students to fill Dodgers stadium five times over, and this bill will enable schools across the state to identify homeless students and connect them and their families to the services they critically need. By identifying homeless students in our community, we can help get unhoused children and families into homes and provide them with essential services.
AB 46: Establishes the California Youth Empowerment Commission, which is designed to empower underrepresented youth with civic engagement opportunities within California’s legislative process. The Commission will be made up of young Californians ages 14-25 who will be tasked with policy research, hosting roundtable discussions, and developing grants.
AB 815: Expands an existing nurse-credentialing program to Local Education Agencies to help alleviate California’s school nurse shortage. This will help reduce barriers to recruiting and retaining qualified school nurses so that our students are able to get the medical care they may need while at school. For many of our students, the only medical care they receive is from the nurses at school, which is why we need to increase nurse recruitment and retention at our schools, especially during the ongoing pandemic.
AB 974: The idea for this bill originated from Lake View Terrace community members who sought to increase traffic safety for equestrians and their horses following a tragic, local car accident in 2019. AB 974 increases the safety and visibility of our young riders and horses by requiring minors to wear a helmet and reflective gear at all times when riding on a paved highway. Additionally, all adult riders or their equines must wear reflective gear or light fixtures by sundown. I want to offer my thanks to everyone in the community who took the time to meet with me and who wrote letters of support to the Governor urging him to sign the bill. My special thanks to local equestrian leaders Gina Cruz, Chair of the Foothill Trails District Land Use Committee, and Cheri Blose, Equestrian Chair of the Sylmar Neighborhood Council, for their efforts to make this bill become law!
AB 1096: Restores dignity to immigrants by replacing the derogatory and outdated term, “alien,” in California law and replaces it with terms that are more reflective of today’s legal terminology. California is home to the largest population of undocumented immigrants in the nation and I felt that our state laws should no longer use racist terms like “alien.” Our district is comprised of a majority of Latino residents and has a large immigrant population that deserves to be treated with the respect that others are given. AB 1096 has made California a national leader on this issue, with Colorado taking similar action and many other states looking to remove the offensive term from their state laws as well.
AB 1220: Establishes the California Interagency Council on Homelessness to restructure and coordinate the state’s approach to homelessness. With this change, we can ensure proper authority exists to hold the state accountable in its response to addressing homelessness.
AB 1363: Creates a first-in-the-nation process to identify dual language learners in California. Over 60% of California’s students come from a home where English is not a primary language. Our district is comprised of a majority of Latino residents, and with AB 1363, we will help our students in the San Fernando Valley to preserve their native language while developing their multilingual capabilities so that they can speak more than one language to remain competitive in an increasingly global workforce.
AB 1550: This bill protects bargaining rights by allowing faculty who are currently in a bargaining unit to remain eligible for union representation, even if the University of California reclassifies its employee’s positions into the Academic Senate. I will always stand with organized labor’s right to bargain in the workplace.
2021 Budget Victories
This year, I was able to secure critical budget funds that will be used throughout the San Fernando Valley and the rest of the state.
$54 million for School Meals for All K-12 students: I firmly believe that children have a hard time learning when they are hungry, which is why I have a long history as a vocal advocate on the issue of free school meals. I am proud to say that I have secured millions in funding to create the country’s first universal school meals program for K-12 students. These funds will cover the costs of breakfast and lunch for all of California’s students, regardless of their parents’ financial situation.
$100 million to create the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program (EHCRP): The San Fernando Valley is no stranger to extreme heat. The Valley is an urban heat island, which means that its high concentrations of structures and pavement, combined with a lack of green space, absorb and re-emit heat. That is why I secured funds to create the EHCRP, which establishes guidelines for a competitive grant process to help local entities mitigate extreme heat in their communities. Local governments and other entities can apply to use these funds to implement measures that reduce extreme heat, such as community resilience centers in rural and urban areas, urban forestry, cool roofs and streets, along with planning, education and communications programs.
$2 billion to combat the state’s homelessness crisis: For several years, I have worked in Sacramento to find solutions for our escalating homelessness crisis. I am proud to say that along with successfully passing my two bills combatting homelessness, I was able to secure $2 billion in funding to address our growing homeless population. Local governments and organizations can use this money to fund existing or new programs that help people stay in their homes and lift unhoused communities out of homelessness, while also creating strict accountability measures for how the funds are spent.
$2.6 million for Discovery Cube Los Angeles: Discovery Cube is a science museum in Sylmar that inspires and educates young minds. This organization strives to build early STEM opportunities for youth and families in the San Fernando Valley through education programs. Over 30,000 students visited the center just in the past year. These funds will aid in the reopening of the center in a safe manner.
$2.9 million for Free-Standing Pediatric Subacute Facilities: The Sun Valley pediatric subacute facility helps improve the quality of life of children who have special medical and therapy needs. These funds will go to facilities across the state, including the Sun Valley facility. This funding will unfreeze rates for pediatric subacute facilities that care for children who are dependent on medical technology for their survival.
$4.4 million to Southeast San Fernando Valley Roller and Skateboard Rink in Sun Valley: Sheldon Skate Park is a popular recreational park in Sun Valley, and I’m happy to say that I secured funding for improvements to the park. These funds will be used to increase access to open space recreation, as well as provide public safety improvements so that the park can continue to be a fun and safe place for families to enjoy.
$25 million for the CSUN Global Hispanic Serving Institution Equity Innovation Hub: This hub will serve the Latino community and other communities of color in the region. The cultural hub will encourage traditionally underserved students of color to encourage them to explore an education or career in science, engineering, and technology studies. CSU Northridge is a key economic and intellectual driver of the San Fernando Valley, and this new center gives the campus an opportunity to serve as a worldwide destination for equity-driven learning. This investment will build and sustain a future career pipeline for Latino students throughout the San Fernando Valley and beyond.
I wish you happy holidays and, as always, it is my pleasure to serve you.
Respectfully,
LUZ M. RIVAS
Assemblywoman, 39th District
