| Dear Constituents,
I am honored to serve you in Sacramento as the Assembly Member for the 62nd Assembly District. Our newsletter will keep you informed about events we sponsor and community resources available to you. You will also learn more about the legislative issues that will impact our communities. My district staff and I look forward to visiting with you at upcoming events. Please feel free to contact me at (909) 820-5008 with comments, questions and information about your events.
Health Care Reform: Who Should Pay?
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Rod Hoover of California Steel Industries in Fontana at the Town Hall meeting |
Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter, District 62, (D-Rialto) moderated a frank discussion on solutions to fix the ailing health care system during a town hall meeting at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center on July 26, 2007. In 2006, there were 6.6 million Californians who were uninsured - over one million were children.
Democratic leaders consider health care a top priority. This year, state lawmakers will decide on policies to make health care available, affordable and accessible for all Californians. Representatives from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's office, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez's office, and Senator Sheila Kuehl's office made presentations on proposals put forth to make basic health care coverage a reality for all Californians.
"We heard good information from our constituents and legislative representatives about the need for basic health care coverage and proposals on how to pay for it," Assembly Member Carter said. "I'll use that information to make informed decisions in 2007-08 legislative session."
Route 210 opens amid fanfare
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Marta Brown at unveiling of a sign |
With drivers waving, cheering and honking their horns, the first vehicles rolled onto State Route 210 at about 11 a.m. on July 24. That day, the final 7.25 mile leg opened connecting the freeway with Interstate 210 and Route 30.
Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter was among the local officials present to praise the historic moment and its positive impact on the local economy. Assembly Member Carter was a local business owner, who has lived in the San Bernardino area most of her life. She thanked everyone for making it all possible, especially the taxpayers.
On Saturday, June 23, Caltrans and the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) celebrated the near-completion of Route 210 the "Come Play on the Freeway:The finale." The event featured many community activities, as well as the memorial dedication of the freeway for Congressman George Brown, Jr. Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter, who worked for Congressman Brown for over 20 years, spoke at a ceremony attended by government, transportation and elected officials. "Congressman Brown was a distinguished public servant and a tireless advocate for the Inland Empire," she said. "We celebrate his life, vision, and many accomplishments by dedicating this new stretch of the 210 Freeway in his honor."
State Route 210 is accessible through new on-ramps at Alder Avenue, Ayala Drive, Riverside Avenue, and State Street in addition to existing on-ramps for State Route 30, which will be renamed as State Route 210. An on-ramp at Pepper Avenue is expected to open at a later date.
For more updates on the highway, please call SANBAG at 1-866-HELP-210.
30 under 30 to be honored
Thirty Latinos under 30 years of age will be honored at a breakfast during Hispanic Heritage Month at California State University, San Bernardino. The September 15 event, sponsored by many area businesses and organizations, will be hosted by Assembly Member Carter and feature KTTV Reporter Rick Lozano. The breakfast is a way to highlight the honorees' contributions, accomplishments, leadership and their influence on the area's youth.
The 30 recipients are being chosen by committee. "These individuals are achievers in academic and professional fields," Assembly Member Carter says. They will be presented with awards. In our next newsletter you will learn more about the event and our guest speaker.
Town Hall Focused on Challenges in Improving Quality of Life for Blacks
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State Assembly Majority Leader Karen Bass and Ernest Levister, MD |
Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter (D-Rialto) and the California Legislative Black Caucus hosted the State of Black California Inland Empire Town Hall Meeting on May 19, 2007 in Rialto.
The forum, attended by over 100 public health professionals, advocates and clergy, featured an in-depth discussion on the medical, social, economic and political conditions of Blacks in the Inland Empire, and ways of improving the quality of life for all Californians. In addition, members of the Legislative Black Caucus discussed a strong legislative agenda designed to address the challenges of the Black community based on data from the State of Black California report which was released earlier this year.
The report was the result of a one-year research project that included qualitative and quantitative data collection measuring the status of the state's Black population relative to whites and other ethnic and racial groups. "The Legislative Black Caucus has come up with legislation that would alleviate some of those concerns addressed in the report," said Assembly Member Carter, one of nine members of the Legislative Black Caucus. "We've identified the problems. We have to come together to collectively work on the solutions."
AIDS/HIV forum explored how state can help address local needs
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Co-sponsors Assembly Member Carter and State Senator Mcleod |
When Jacqueline Sheffield was diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, in 1993, she dealt with the heartbreak by attending support groups in the Bay Area that promoted openness and awareness of HIV. "Back then, it was like a death sentence. There was a lot of hurt and pain. These groups helped."
Now she is a person living with HIV, not dying from AIDS, she told a panel of HIV/AIDS experts at an April forum sponsored by Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter, State Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod, 32nd Senate District, and the City of Rialto. Because of the ignorance and stigma associated with AIDS in San Bernardino, Sheffield said it has worsened her condition at times. She said she started coming out of her shell to take a stand for people with HIV in the Inland Empire.
Sheffield and close to 100 community leaders, elected officials and public health professionals attended the forum to bring attention to the rising number of HIV/AIDS cases among Blacks and Latinos in the Inland Empire. The legislators heard thoughts and ideas on the needs that must be met and how the state can help.
Q&A with Assembly Member Carter
Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter receives many calls and letters from constituents asking what she is doing to help address some of the challenges facing the 62nd District. Here are three of those questions and her answers.
What are you doing to encourage lifelong learning?
I have introduced three major pieces of legislation to help improve education: AB 428 to ensure that school districts notify parents of high school students of the A-G curriculum requirements to gain admission to a university in the California State or University of California system; AB 491 to lower the pupil-to-counselor ratio to 250 students to one counselor; and AB 1320 will allow schools and districts to offer high school credit to students who engage in meaningful, civic-related activities.
Each bill addresses a different aspect of education-college, career/vocational school and practical experience. For those who want to go to college, certain courses in high school are required beginning in the freshman year. I believe that parents and students must be fully aware of these requirements. AB 428 would help them greatly.
Students for whom career/vocational school is a viable alternative need special guidance. Many students aren't aware of these alternatives because overburdened high school counselors are each responsible for nearly 1,000 students. If counselors have more manageable workloads, students will get more individualized attention and make wise decisions about their future. AB 491 would help us overcome this challenge.
High school students are reading about the wider world, but they don't get school credit for applying those lessons in the real world. If a student, for example, works in an Assembly or Congressional office as an intern serving the public, shouldn't that student get school credit? AB 1320 says they should. This bill would encourage more civic participation and, in turn, help students succeed in the classroom.
How are you helping to alleviate traffic in the 62nd District?
One of the most important issues facing our district is transportation. The 210 Freeway will open soon, but we still face challenges with freight and truck transportation and traffic congestion. That is why I authored AB 945, which will require the California Transportation Commission to assess transportation funding needs throughout the state every five years. Also, as Chair of the Select Committee on Inland Empire Transportation, I will be holding hearings to examine what is needed to alleviate traffic and clean the air in the 62nd District and the Inland Empire.
How are you helping improve air and water quality in the 62nd District?
I have directed my staff to work closely with the South Coast Air Quality Management District to find ways – both legislative and administrative – to help us overcome our smog challenges.
On the water quality front, I authored AB 1127, which would allow the State Department of Public Health to contract with the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority to assess and treat drinking water for perchlorate contamination in and around Rialto. I have made solving our perchlorate problem one of my highest priorities.
Assemblymember Carter's legislative bills
AB428 Requires high schools to notify parents and pupils of curriculum requirements for US and CSU system
AB 945 Transportation needs assessment bill
AB 576 Protects the historic integrity of Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park
AB368 Requires health plans to offer insurance coverage for hearing aids for children
AB 816 Funds microenterprise development
Other Carter bills
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