Berg said, “I’m honored to have been asked to address this fine group of professionals. It is so important to me to be out in my district as much as possible in light of what we’re facing with regard to the budget and how it will impact vital programs in our communities.”

The Assemblymember also spoke of the bipartisan committee – six Republicans and eight Democrats – she has been working with. “Our group is attempting to find “common ground” and build consensus around a dialogue for dealing with our structural deficit,” Berg said. As a result of recommendations from this committee Speaker, Herb Wesson, placed a hold on moving any bills forward for a period of two weeks so that policy and budget subcommittees could meet jointly to give the legislature a chance to get a proper handle on the impact of budget reductions.

The Assemblymember returns to Sacramento next week to continue to work with her colleagues while they grapple with the huge budget deficit.