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Assemblymember Capitol Office: District Office: |
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I have been touched and humbled by the outpouring of support recently from so many friends throughout the San Joaquin Valley. My abstention on the four bond issues earlier this month has hopefully served to highlight the legitimate needs of the Valley. All too often people from other parts of California view the Valley as just a place to drive through, on their way to somewhere else. What they don’t see are all the proud and hard-working people who live and work and raise their families in the Valley. We are an important and growing part of California, we make significant contributions to the economy and social fabric of the state, and it is only fair that we ask state government to help us address the problems facing our Valley.
After recent discussions with the Speaker of the Assembly, Fabian Núñez, I am convinced he understands who we are as a people, and what it is we need in order to survive and prosper. Our task now is to educate and convince legislators from outside the Valley to support our cause.
While difficult, I hope we will continue a bipartisan effort to get bond funds for additional water storage. Such storage is essential to help us attract jobs and diversify our economy, deal with population growth, and provide clean drinking water for current and future residents. In addition, a decision or settlement of a pending federal lawsuit regarding restoration of the San Joaquin River will mean the loss of a significant amount of water that our cities, farmers, and businesses depend on just to meet current needs. We must explore all available options, including groundwater banking and conservation, but at the end of the day I believe we must develop new surface water storage capacity.
Although I abstained from voting for the bonds, because surface water storage was left out, there are many items in the bonds that will help the Valley. The education bond, for example, will provide hundreds of millions of dollars for new construction and modernization of public schools and community colleges, including funds for vocational education. Housing, as we all know, is getting out of reach for most families, and the housing bond will provide incentives to build thousands of homes for families of modest means. The Flood Control and Levee bond will be available for storm water flood control projects, including ground water recharge, and levee repairs will ensure the ability to deliver water for agricultural activities on the west side of the Valley. Finally, the transportation bond will improve Highway 99 (although not as much as initially expected), provide funds for public transit, repair city and county streets and roads, and replace older high-polluting school busses. In short, the bonds contain many items that will benefit the San Joaquin Valley.
In summary, I believe our message that we need additional surface water storage for the Valley has been heard in Sacramento. In the meantime, much work still remains to be done. We still need more good-paying jobs, we need to clean our air, and we need to improve our public schools.
With your help, and with the support of my colleagues in the legislature, we can and will solve the problems facing our Valley. I am proud to represent the Valley in the Assembly and ask for your patience, prayers, and continued support.
Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles) reappointed me Friday as the chair of the Assembly Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy Committee.
“Assemblymember Arambula and I have mutually agreed that he is the best qualified person to chair the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy,” said Speaker Núñez. “There is important work to be done in California on a host of economic development issues, particularly for the Central Valley.”
The Assembly Jobs Committee oversees a broad array of policy affecting the creation and support of businesses, jobs and economic opportunity in California. This includes import and exports, technology and the creation of independent foreign trade offices. The committee also oversees California’s many economic development zones.
I look forward to continuing the important work of the Jobs Committee, and I appreciate Speaker Núñez's trust and support. We will work together to strengthen California’s economy and create good jobs for the residents of the San Joaquin Valley.
Here’s a look at my event calendar for the month of June. For more information on any of these events, please contact my district office in Fresno.
June 2nd - Gov. Ulises Ruiz from the Mexican state of Oaxaca will attend a black-tie reception in downtown Fresno. Legislative duties permitting, I look forward to being part of this historic visit. This comes shortly after President Vicente Fox of Mexico addressed the California Legislature in Sacramento on May 25th.
June 3rd - I'll be “getting a lift” from friends who have arranged for a hot air balloon ride at dawn.
June 6th – Don’t forget to vote! And please don’t let anyone you know miss this civic opportunity. See the article below for more information.
June 6th – After voting, members of my staff will head to Cutler-Orosi to help recognize the successful completion of a reading program by 240 fifth-graders at Golden Valley Elementary School. The students will receive commemorative certificates and a special barbecue lunch.
June 8th - I'll give the keynote speech at the Springboard Schools 2006 Awards Gala in San Francisco. The awards honor the work of schools, districts, educators, and students from throughout California.
June 9th – Fresno’s Chamber of Commerce has invited me to an “Eggs and Issues” breakfast to discuss legislation of concern to the Valley. You can register to attend online or by sending in a printable form.
June 14th – I’ll be speaking on the Valley’s infrastructure needs at a meeting of the League of California Cities held at Harris Ranch. The meeting is for League members in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
June 15th – The California Economic Strategy Panel, of which I am a member, will meet to discuss ways to build the strength of the state’s design, engineering, construction, and related industries.
June 17th – Legislative duties permitting, I look forward to attending Dinuba’s first Western Heritage Parade.
June 24th – I will be helping One By One Leadership facilitate a brainstorming session with residents of the “Old Downtown Divisadero” area (near Fresno’s Lowell and Jefferson schools). Residents will be able to voice their concerns and ideas for the revitalization of their neighborhood.
June 28th – I have asked my staff to attend the kickoff summit of the San Joaquin Valley Regional Planning Process on my behalf in Fresno.
In the past week, a number of my bills were heard and approved by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. This approval is a key step before heading to the Assembly Floor for a vote. A floor vote should occur for most of these bills this week. In number order, the bills approved by Appropriations include:
AB 2313: Establishes a student loan assumption program, to be administered by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), for those meeting program eligibility requirements who agree to work as nurses in underserved rural areas for at least three years.
AB 2330: Requires the Office of Small Business Advocate (OSBA), within the Office of Planning and Research (OPR), to oversee a study of the costs of state regulations on small businesses and to report to the Legislature by October 1, 2007.
AB 2553: Requires the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank to establish a program to provide low- and zero-interest loans to finance the purchase of pollution control equipment by mobile and stationary sources of air pollution in designated air quality zones.
AB 2570: Requires the Secretary of Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency (BTH) to establish a statewide partnership with business and industry to develop a strategy for attracting new private investment to the state. Requires the Economic Strategy Panel (ESP), by October 1, 2007, to prepare a list identifying emerging domestic markets by ZIP code.
AB 2601: Requires a study on the need for establishing foreign trade offices and establishes parameters for such offices. Requires the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to maintain and update monthly a complete list of all state agreements made with foreign governments.
AB 2788: Modifies the conditions under which the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJV District) administers the Air Resources Board's (ARB's) Voluntary Accelerated Vehicle Retirement (VAVR) program for vehicles within the SJV District's jurisdiction. The bill would provide higher payments for retired vehicles in the San Joaquin Valley.
AB 3057: Extends sunset for administrative transfers to the California Small Business Expansion Fund.
You can also click here to find complete information about all the bills I have introduced.
Do you know a bright high school or college student who is interested in working in the office of an elected official? My office has openings for interns available all summer long. While all internships are on a volunteer basis, the benefits of an internship can be significant. I am proud of the extraordinary young people (including Chris and Ian, left) who have already made tremendous contributions to the work of my district and Capitol offices. For more information, or to apply to be an intern, please see the internship program description on my website.
A host of other opportunities for students are also listed on my website’s “Student Resources and Opportunities” page. If you know of other opportunities that students in my district should know about, please email my office so that we can add them to my website.
On Tuesday, May 30th, I recognized Harry Gill as the 31st Assembly District Small Business Owner of the Year. Many nominations were received from around the district for this award, which was presented at a ceremony in Sacramento hosted by the leadership of the State Legislature and the California Small Business Association. Small businesses are the backbone of our Valley’s economy, and I wish I could have honored all of the outstanding business owners who were nominated.
In addition to running a farm and an insurance and real estate properties business, Harry and his wife Jyotan are true pillars of the Caruthers community, and of our Valley’s Sikh community. They have more than earned this award. To learn about this amazing couple, please see last week’s award announcement on my website. And please join me in congratulating Harry Gill!
Mark your calendar: Election Day is next Tuesday, June 6th. All too often, voters “tune out” the ballot when a presidential race is not at stake, and during primary elections. Voters may feel particularly fatigued this month, being summoned to polls statewide for the seventh time since 2001.
As understandable as this fatigue may be, please don’t let your friends, neighbors, and family forget to vote in this important election. Elections for a slate of statewide offices, including the governor, will help determine the direction our state takes in the next four years. Your vote is also needed on two statewide ballot propositions and a number of local races and issues.
For information about all the candidates and ballot measures, please refer to the Secretary of State’s Voter Guide. For more personalized information, such as assistance in finding your polling place or local ballot measures, consult your County Clerk’s office:
Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, phone (559) 488-3246
Tulare County Elections Office, phone (559) 733-6275
Missed the May 30th deadline to register to vote absentee? You can vote anytime in person at the office of your County Clerk. Otherwise, you must vote at your polling place on Election Day.
Several San Joaquin Valley cultural organizations received some good news from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment last month, when grant awards from the $43 million fund were announced. Last December I had encouraged Valley non-profit organizations to take advantage of the money — and they did in a big way!
- Fresno Metropolitan Museum will use a $2.5 million grant to help fund its current renovation project.
- Arte Américas museum in Fresno will use a $500,000 grant to complete their plaza project, which includes a new kitchen and outdoor bathrooms.
- One By One Leadership will use a $90,000 planning grant to restore the Herwaldt Urban Leadership Conference Center in downtown Fresno.
- The Tulare County Historical Society will use a $1.45 million grant to expand the Tulare County Museum in Visalia with new exhibits on agriculture and farm labor.
As you can see, the Fresno grants alone total over $3 million. That means that out of 80 Assembly districts, about one-fourteenth of the funds came to our area. I am very proud that Endowment found so many cultural and historical projects worth supporting here in the Valley. Good job, all!
Email: assemblymember.arambula@assembly.ca.gov
Web Site: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/arambula
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