Arambula Focus - July 2007

Just a reminder, you are important to us and we don't want to lose contact with you. Please take a few moments and provide me with your current contact information by visiting my website at http://www.assembly.ca.gov/a31, and selecting E-mail Assemblymember Arambula. If you have already provided this information, I appreciate your help.

Take a look at a list of the most common chronic childhood diseases, and you'll see some familiar names: asthma, allergies, cancer, diabetes, sleep disorders, and more.

But the single most common chronic childhood disease is one you may not expect: tooth decay. Besides the leading illness, tooth decay in our youngsters is a frequent cause of missed school days - yet some 90% of tooth decay is preventable. Early dental care can prevent the need for expensive treatment later, after problems have become more serious.

California schools are increasingly important partners in the effort to safeguard the oral health of our young children. Last year the Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1433, which recognizes the benefits of detecting dental problems in school children as early as possible.

Beginning this year, AB 1433 requires that all children who enroll in public school for the first time, in either Kindergarten or the first grade, must receive an oral health assessment. Schools are required to explain to parents the importance of good oral health, and to notify families about health insurance programs available to them.

Upon completion of the oral health assessment, children with dental disease may be referred to local dentists for appropriate dental care. Parents may also be excused from complying with the requirement if they sign a waiver form.

There is no question of the need for better dental care in the San Joaquin Valley. A 2006 survey by the Fresno County Department of Community Health found that 65% of Kindergarten students had experienced some form of dental disease. Forty percent of the children had untreated dental disease, and 18% of the students had never even seen a dentist. There is simply no excuse for letting our children's untreated dental problems develop later into serious, costly medical conditions.

In addition to student dental exams, AB 1433 also requires county offices of education to send oral health assessment reports to the state. With these reports, we will soon have the data we need to deliver preventive oral health care where it is needed most.

Tooth decay already tops the list of chronic childhood diseases. Now, through AB 1433, the Legislature has made students' oral health a top priority for treatment. Together, parents, schools, and our state are helping more of California's children say "ahh."

AB 1403 - School Accountability - This bill establishes the San Joaquin Valley School District Improvement Pilot Program, a five-year pilot for the 2 San Joaquin Valley counties of Fresno, and Tulare. This bill allows county superintendents and school districts more flexibility to dramatically improve their academic standing, and hopefully avoid more significant state intervention and sanctions. County superintendents, who decide to participate, would assume additional responsibility for ensuring the success of those struggling school districts within their jurisdiction that are identified for program improvement or corrective action and have 50 percent or more of their schools ranked in deciles 1 and 2 of the state Academic Performance Index.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Pending consideration in the Senate.

AB 263 - Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District ERAF: This bill corrects an accounting error made by the district in 1989-90, which currently costs more than $600,000 annually in over-payment to the state Education Revenue Augmentation Fund (ERAF). This additional funding will allow the Flood District to pursue more projects to improve flood protection in Fresno.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Pending consideration in the Senate.

AB 452 - Voter Registration Fraud: This bill requires a notice be given to voters when their party registration has been changed, and requires the Secretary of State to develop procedures to promptly fix a voter's registration when an error or fraud has occurred. By improving this notification process, the bill improves voters' confidence in their registration status and encourages essential participation in local and state elections.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Senate Appropriations Committee

AB 783 - Safe Drinking Water Projects: This bill gives direction to the Department of Public Health (DPH) on spending funds to improve and protect drinking water systems in small communities. The bill also updates and raises the limit on oral contracts made in cases of emergency. The bill puts disadvantaged communities in a better position to receive state assistance for projects that improve drinking water for some of California's most vulnerable citizens.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Pending consideration in the Senate.

AB 905 - CalWORKs Child Care Services:This bill addresses the childcare concerns of seasonal agricultural workers in the San Joaquin Valley by authorizing the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to extend the eligibility period for childcare by an additional 60 days if he or she determines that granting the extension is in the public's best interest.
Sponsor: California Latino Child Development Association
Status: Senate Appropriations Committee

AB 1455 - Air Quality Zones: This bill authorizes the creation of an Air Quality Zone in areas of the state that suffer from both poor air quality and high unemployment. Businesses within an Air Quality Zone are eligible for a variety of incentives to assist in the purchase of pollution control equipment.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Pending consideration in the Senate.

AB 1606 (Arambula) - State Economic Development Strategy: This bill implements a set of measures and guidelines to improve state economic development planning by addressing issues related to the attraction of private investment, microenterprise development, and support for significant and emerging regional industry clusters.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Pending consideration in the Senate.

AB 1620 - Clean Tech Incubator: This bill establishes the California Clean Technology Services Unit within the Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency to assist inventors, entrepreneurs, and investors in understanding the state's evolving regulatory framework on clean technologies.
Sponsor: Author

For more information on any of these events, please contact my district office in Fresno.

Residents of the Thirty First Assembly District who are 62 years old or older, blind, or disabled with a total household income of $42,770 or less can receive help in preparing their homeowner assistance, renter assistance, or property tax postponement claim forms. Those interested in receiving this assistance should call the district office at (559)445-5532 to schedule an appointment. Help will be available during the filing period of July 2 - October 15, 2007 at the following times: Mondays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Tuesdays from 1p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For 18 months beginning June 1, 2007, the California Regional Health Information Organization (CalRHIO) is offering a total of 15 hours per month of technical consulting, free of charge, to Safety Net Provider organizations. For more information contact CalRHIO's Chief Technology Officer Melanie Allison at malison@cairhio.org

The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) will offer $585,000 in grants to reduce pesticide risks under a program revived by Governor Schwarzenegger and nearing approval by the Legislature. Upon legislative approval of DPR's budget for 2007-08, the Department will resume awards for pest management grants. Meanwhile, DPR has prepared a fact sheet describing the process we will use to invite proposals for projects. Projects must focus on implementing integrated pest management (IPM) programs that reduce the use of pesticides of environmental or human health concern in the urban environment and in production agriculture. Link to the fact sheet and other information at www.cdpr.ca.gov/dprgrants.htm.

The informational handout on our proposed Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) regulations is now available in Spanish at www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/legbills/rulepkgs.htm
Other information on that page includes the Notice of Proposed Action and the Initial Statement of Reasons, available in both English and Spanish.

Public hearings will be July 10 in Ontario and July 12 in Parlier (Fresno County). Spanish-language interpreters will be available at both hearings, and written and oral comments may be submitted in Spanish. More information is available in the handouts and at www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/legbills/rulepkgs.htm

Department of Pesticide Regulation(DPR) oversees the work of the County Agricultural Commissioners (CACs),who enforce pesticide laws locally. Staff in DPR's three regional offices help CACs develop annual work plans that detail each county's priorities in improving enforcement, compliance, and permitting. The work plans have clearly stated goals and performance measures, balancing DPR's statewide enforcement priorities with local conditions unique to each county. County work plans have been posted at www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/county/workplan.htm