From Sacramento and Your Neighborhood

Greetings Neighbors!

We have exciting news from Sacramento to share with you this month. Upon the adjournment of session, 21 bills I had authored were on the Governor’s Desk for his signature. Of these, a whopping 15 were signed. This very successful legislative year included bills to bring healthy foods to low-income neighborhoods, offer much needed financial assistance to foster youth, encourage the generation of solar power in San Francisco, protect LGBT elders, and provide $1.3 million to the Trauma Recovery Center at San Francisco General Hospital, among others. Here are just a few highlights I would like to share with you.

Assembly Bill (AB) 2384, the Healthy Food Purchase Pilot Program, will require the Department of Health Services to offer corner store owners in low-income areas assistance with providing fresh fruits and vegetables to their customers and additional support for food stamp recipients who purchase the produce. Families in low-income areas are often faced with few options when trying to feed their families on a fixed budget. While we know that everyone should eat more fruits and vegetables, these healthy foods are simply not an option for many low-income families because they are more expensive and often not stocked on the shelves of their local grocery store. This bill tackles the obesity epidemic head-on by getting fruits and vegetables in the stores, pantries and refrigerators of people who would otherwise never have the option to eat healthier.

A second new law, AB 2573, will enable San Francisco to install large-scale solar projects at locations best suited for solar generation. By permitting larger and more cost-effective solar projects, this will allow the City to utilize $100 million in renewable energy revenue bonds I worked to secure as a Supervisor in 2001. This new law will give San Franciscans a greater level of energy independence by allowing solar facilities to be built at City locations such as roof-topped reservoirs, schools, hospitals, and libraries, where they can most efficiently produce electricity. By building large scale sources of renewable energy to power our municipal load, we protect the environment and decrease our dependence on other sources of energy.

Additionally, my Democratic colleagues and I were able to secure more than $14 million for college readiness and assistance for foster youth in the 2006-2007 state budget. The money will provide foster youth with the academic preparation, financial assistance and the campus-based support they need to complete their college education. We have a moral, ethical and financial obligation to prepare foster youth for a successful adulthood, and this funding will go a long way toward achieving that goal. This bill, along with other reforms enacted this year, is meant to help foster youth achieve their higher education goals. There are 2,400 kids in foster care in San Francisco – one of the highest per capita rates in the state. This money could make the difference between success and failure in college for foster kids who have nobody to turn to for the support they need.

All of these bills started out with a simple idea—from a community group or from a constituent just like you. If you think you have an idea that would make a good law, please call our office at (415) 557-3013 or e-mail me directly at Assemblymember.Leno@asm.ca.gov. Before every good law, there was a good idea!

As I reflect on this session’s accomplishments, I am already looking forward to next session, and am honored that Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez chose me to serve as the new Chair of the State Assembly Appropriations Committee. The Appropriations Committee oversees all legislation that has a fiscal impact on the state. As Appropriations Chair, I will serve as a member of Speaker Núñez’ executive leadership team and will play a pivotal role in the development of policy for California’s economy, which is the sixth largest in the world. I look forward to working with my colleagues to craft sound fiscal policy that protects the heath, safety and well being of every Californian.