Dear Friends,

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.

Sincerely,

Juan Arambula
31st Assembly District

Press conference in front of Memorial auditorium in Fresno, California urging passage of water bond to help drought ridden central valley

Local valley elected officials, water officials, farmers, business, labor leaders and I came together to urge passage of the statewide water bond that would include $4.5 billion for above ground water storage. During a drought year like this one it is imperative that Californians recognize the need to store water during wet years in order to get through these very dry years. Construction of the Temperance Flat Dam that would provide above ground water storage was a significant topic of discussion. The statewide water bond being talked about would include funding for statewide projects that deal with above ground storage, reinvesting in underground water storage, river restoration and other important water projects throughout the state.

This summer I will be making the rounds throughout the 31st Assembly District. I am scheduled to visit every city in this district, spending time meeting with city, school, and local leaders, as well as visiting with local media outlets.

I hope to get more information on the needs of all the local communities so I can better serve them in the State Legislature. My schedule will take me to the cities of Firebaugh, Mendota, Kerman, Sanger, Fowler, Selma, Parlier, Reedley, Cutler/Orosi, and Dinuba. During the meetings I will be asking local officials to come up with ideas to better help the Central Valley get their fare share of state funds available to schools and local municipalities.

I will also be providing an update to locals about the actions I have taken in Sacramento during the first part of the year. Additionally, I will be bringing everyone up-to-date on my own personal legislation, much of which deals with economic development targeted to rural communities in the Central Valley.

Join me in the sixth annual Hispanic Family Day at the Zoo on Sunday, August 26, 2007, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m at Chaffee Zoo at Fresno's Roeding Park 894 W. Belmont Ave Fresno. This event is expected to draw up to 10,000 attendees. Get a free asthma check-up for children, and other important health assistance. A limited amount of free Zoo passes will be available for children who participate.

Come by and receive free sign-ups of California's Healthy Families Program for families who qualify. To apply for the Healthy Families Program, parents must bring the following:

• Pay stubs for one month, or a copy of last year's 1040 tax form, to verify income.
  
  
• Any form of identification with name and address, such as a driver’s license or utility bill.
  
  
• Original or copies of the child's birth certificate.
  
  
• If pregnant, proof of pregnancy.
  
  
• If receiving child support, alimony, disability or social security payments, any documents verifying this income.

For more information on this event, click here.

On Tuesday, July 31, 2007 I hosted several round table discussions with local elected officials to discuss the economic development challenges facing their communities.

Participants in these discussions included members of the Fresno and Tulare County Boards of Supervisors, Mayors from the 31st Assembly District, and, their senior administrative officers and economic development staff. The staff of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy, which I chair, also attended these discussions to document the findings and contribute to the dialogue.

The roundtables were held to help focus the content of an economic development workshop I will be hosting in the district later in the year.

On July 20, the Assembly approved a $103 billion state budget for the 2007-08 fiscal year. The budget includes a $3.4 billion reserve, larger than any reserve in history, and the budget is $1.4 billion closer to balanced than the version proposed by the Governor. As of this writing, the budget is pending in the Senate, where it needs a two-thirds vote for approval.

Some key items in the budget for the San Joaquin Valley include:

• $47.3 million in Proposition 84 bond funds for safe drinking water programs. Small, disadvantaged communities in the Valley should be able to access a significant share of these funds.
  
  
• $13.9 million from Proposition 84 to support San Joaquin River restoration.
  
  
• $75.7 million from Proposition 84 for the State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund Program, to help fund water quality protection projects such as municipal wastewater treatment facilities and non-point source pollution reduction measures.
  
  
• $6.2 million from Proposition 84 for the Agricultural Water Quality Grant Program, which will fund research and construction of agricultural drainage improvements.
  
  
• $14 million in one-time funds for UC Merced, for expenses such as faculty salaries, instructional technology, library materials, student services and operational support.
  
  
• A $1.5 million increase, for a total of $77.5 million, for agricultural research through the University of California.
  
  
• $193 million in Proposition 1B bond funds to retrofit and replace old, high-polluting school buses.
  
  
• $250 million from Proposition 1B to improve air quality in trade corridors. In the Valley, much of the money will likely support the retrofit and replacement of aging diesel trucks.
  
  
• $15.5 million in leftover bond funds from Proposition 116 to support critical environmental and other work for the High-Speed Rail Project.
  
  
• $14 million in Proposition 1B bond funds for environmental and preliminary engineering studies on improvements to Highway 99. Proposition 1B provided a total of $1 billion for Highway 99, most of which will be allocated in future years.
  
  
• $300 million in Proposition 1C bond funds for infrastructure related to infill housing development. Guidelines for the grant program to expend these funds will be subject to other legislation now pending.
  
  
• $39.1 million restored for Williamson Act subventions to counties. The Governor had proposed eliminating the payments for this vital farmland preservation program.
  
  
• $27.7 million for 50 new judgeships, including several in the Valley.

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: Signed into Law, Chapter 110 of the Statutes of 2007

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: Senate Appropriations Committee

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: Senate Appropriations Committee

AB 377 - FLC Pay Stubs: This bill addresses a serious loophole in state law relating to wage statements provided to agricultural workers. Existing law provides that all wage statements shall include information such as the hours worked, pieces produced (for those paid on a piece rate), the dates of employment, and the legal name of the employer, which is often the farm labor contractor. AB 377 would add one additional item to pay stubs for workers employed by farm labor contractors: the name and address of the legal entity that secured the contractor's services.
Sponsor: California Rural Legal Assistance
Status: Senate Floor

AB 448 - Liquidated Damages: This bill adds clarifying language to ensure that workers receive the same relief for minimum wage violations, regardless of whether they pursue their claims administratively or through the courts. By establishing this measure of equity, the bill reduces the incentive to file lawsuits in a burdened court system and improves protections to hard-working Californians.
Sponsor: California Rural Legal Assistance
Status: Senate Floor

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 Floor

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 encourages DPH to give priority to disadvantaged communities and, when beneficial, to water system consolidation in such communities. The bill also updates and raises the limit on oral contracts made in cases of emergency.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Senate Floor

AB 1107 - Small Business Goods Movement: This bill requires the Secretary of Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency to form a Small Business Goods Movement Advisory Committee to make recommendations for inclusion in the Goods Movement Action Plan to address the needs of small business in California.
Sponsor: Author
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: Senate Appropriations Committee

AB 1491 - Small and Emerging Contractor Technical Assistance Program: This bill establishes a training and technical assistance program for small and emerging contractors for the purpose of assisting them in participating in state public works construction contracts.
Sponsor: Author
Status: Senate Appropriations Committee

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: Senate Appropriations Committee

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

August 1st - August 20th

• Recess continues

August 1st

• Meet with Jim Simonian, Mayor of Fowler and City Manager David Elias at Simonian Packing;
  
  
• Meet with Dennis Parnegian to discuss Ag and Economic Development;
  
  
• Visit Fowler Senior Center and visit with Sandy Monis Center Director;
  
  
• Meet with Selman Mayor Don Tow, Fire Chief Jeff Kestly and Police Chief Tome Whiteside;
  
  
• Meet with Selma Superintendent Mark Sutton; Meet with Michael Miyamoto, Editor of the Selman Enterprise.

August 20th

• Legislature reconvenes

August 26th

• Hispanic Family Day at the Fresno Chaffey Zoo
  
  

  For more information on this event, click here.

August 28th

• Career Fair
  
  

  For more information on this event, click here.

The Franchise Tax Boards Home Owner and Renter Assistance Program filing period began July 2, 2007 and ends October 15, 2007. You can contact my District Office at (559) 445-5532 to receive forms or contact the Franchise Tax Board directly at (800) 868-4171. For more information please visit the Franchise Tax Board's Web site at: http://www.ftb.ca.gov/individuals/hra/index.htm.

Register online at www.TheFTC.org or call 866.382.7822 toll-free.

August 15 - 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Federal Contract Negotiation
San Joaquin Delta College Small Business
Development Center (SBDC)
56 South Lincoln
Stockton, CA 95203

August 21 - 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Getting Started with Government Contracting
Alliance Small Business Development Center
1020 Tenth Street, Suite 102
Modesto, CA 95354

August 23 - 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Doing Business with General Services Administration (GSA)
Central California Small Business Development
Center (SBDC) - Manchester Center
3302 North Blackstone Avenue, Suite 225
Fresno, CA 93726

August 28 - 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Responding to RFPs (Request for Proposal)
Butte College Small Business
Development Center(SBDC)
19 Williamsburg Lane
Chico, CA 95926

September 4 - 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Introduction to Federal Contracting
Central California Small Business Development
Center (SBDC) - Manchester Center
3302 North Blackstone Avenue, Suite 225
Fresno, CA 93726

September 6 - 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Introduction to Federal Contracting
Merced Tri College Center Small
Business Development Center (SBDC)
TC-4, Room C, G Street and Community College Drive
Merced, CA 95341

September 19 - 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for DoD Suppliers
San Joaquin Delta College Small Business
Development Center (SBDC)
56 South Lincoln
Stockton, CA 95203

The County of Fresno and the Cities of Firebaugh, Fowler, Kerman Mendota, Orange Cove, Parlier, Reedley, San Joaquin, Sanger, Selma, the Economic Development Corporation serving Fresno County and the Fresno County Workforce Investment Board, invite you to attend two informational workshops that will provide businesses with information on how to participate in Enterprise Zone Programs. The workshops are scheduled for: Thursday August 30th, from 8:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. in Selma at the Cultural Arts Center, 1045 Rose Avenue; phone (59)891-2200 and from 2:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. in Kerman at the Community Teen Center 15100 W. Kearney Blvd; phone (559)846-4809. For more information contact Jose Leon-Barraza, Economic Development Coordinator jbarraza@fresno.ca.us or (559)262-4168.

Assemblymember Arambula recognized by Dinuba High School Students
Dinuba High School cheerleaders, welcoming Assemblymember Juan Arambula.	Assemblymember Juan Arambula is receiving an award (Dinuba High School)"To our Champions in Sacramento from your friends in Dinuba" (award for: Dinuba swimming pool, funded with Prop 84 bond funds through SB 732)
Assemblymember Juan Arambula is showing his award to a constituent who attended the ceremony	Assemblymember Juan Arambula takes a picture with Dinuba leaders Left to Right: Mark Wallace (Dinuba Vice Mayor) Terry McKittrick (Dinuba Mayor) Assemblymember JA Ed Todd (Dinuba City Manager) Jerry L Sessions (Dinuba Superintendent)
LAssemblymember takes picture with Dinuba High School Cheerleaders.	Assemblymember JA and Yolanda Valdez (Dinuba High School Principal)
California Small Business Day - May 2007)

Email: assemblymember.arambula@assembly.ca.gov
Web Site: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/arambula