What's Inside...
Good Deeds and Accomplishments Should Not Go Unnoticed
District Office:
2400 E. Katella Avenue, Suite 640
Anaheim, CA 92806
Tel: (714) 939-8469
Fax: (714) 939-8986
Capitol Office:
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0069
Tel: (916) 319-2069
Fax: (916) 319-2169
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| Assemblyman Solorio and Orange County Michoacan Federation leaders share the stage with Michoacan Governor Lazaro Cardenas Batel. From left to right: Humberto Sanchez; Assemblyman Jose Solorio; Michoacan Controller Rosa Hilda Abascal; Michoacan Governor Lazaro Cardenas Batel; Mexican Consul Luis Miguel Ortiz Haro. |
As a freshman legislator, my goal was to hit the ground running with a full legislative package that prioritized education, public safety and transportation. I am pleased to report that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed five bills that I authored. For more information on these bills click here.
I also hosted a dinner last month with the Orange County Michoacan Federation to honor Michoacan Governor Lazaro Cardenas Batel's visit to Santa Ana. We met with local leaders, law enforcement officials and Michoacan residents to discuss the importance of working together to address important issues such as public safety, immigration, trade and commerce. Michoacan is one of Mexico's largest states.
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| Assemblyman Solorio awarded "Legislator of Year" by California Association of Code Enforcement Officers. Garry Harris, president of CACEO is on Assemblyman Solorio's right and John Lovell, a legislative advocate for CACEO in on the left. |
I also was honored to be selected as "Legislator of the Year" by the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers (CACEO) for my work as Chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee and advocacy of three important association priorities.
Code Enforcement officers investigate and prosecute violations dealing with municipal codes that govern signage, nuisances such as junk vehicles and over grown weeds on lots, housing standards, and residential and commercial zoning. For more information click here.
I always welcome any input you may have on how I can better serve the community. Please do not hesitate to contact me at Assemblymember.Solorio@assembly.ca.gov if I can ever assist you with any state matters.
Sincerely,
Jose Solorio
State Assemblyman
The Governor has signed five measures authored by Assemblyman Solorio this legislative year. Below are summaries of each bill:
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| Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger congratulates Assembly Public Safety Committee Chairman Jose Solorio at the signing ceremony for AB 900. |
Historic Prison Construction and Reform Legislation: AB 900 (Solorio) responds to a federal court order that the state reduce prison overcrowding or risk being mandated to release criminals early. The bill was the product of many months of meetings and negotiations by the Assembly and Senate leadership. As the chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, Assemblyman Solorio was heavily involved in meetings in the Assembly and was privileged to be the official author of the bill. This historic legislation won't just give inmates a "bed" it will provide inmates using those beds with an array of rehabilitation services to help them become contributing members of society and deter them from committing future crimes. The legislation aims to stop the revolving door that the status quo represents. The state's recidivism rate is 70%, which means that only 3 in 10 prisoners stay out of jail in the future upon being released into society.
Stopping Gangs: AB 104 (Solorio) makes a simple change to existing law that will consequently make a major difference in the fight against gang activity and drug trafficking. AB 104 clarifies that city attorneys pursuing civil gang injunctions and drug abatement orders may access state and local criminal arrest databases to support their court petitions. Current law is ambiguous as to whether such data can be used. This will make it quicker and more cost effective for cities to investigate, draft and enforce gang injunctions and drug abatement orders.
Protecting Foster Youth: AB 369 (Solorio) improves the protection of foster care children against abuse by allowing the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs to more thoroughly screen the background of potential staff and volunteers who supervise foster care children. CASA programs already allow access to applicants' FBI and Department of Justice records when screening potential staff and volunteers, but California law does not currently allow CASA programs to take the additional precaution of checking the Child Abuse Central Index (CACI) for allegations of abuse and neglect. This bill allows such access and brings California in line with most other states which have allowed access to such information.
Educating Children With Special Needs: AB 485 (Solorio) would close a loophole in the state's certification process of nonpublic, nonsectarian schools and agencies (NPS/As) to ensure children with special needs receive a high quality education. AB 485 would prohibit a NPS/A, whose certification has been revoked, from being eligible to apply for recertification for two years from the date of revocation.
Mandating College Textbook Transparency: AB 1548 (Solorio) would require publishers, college bookstores, public postsecondary institutions, and faculty to comply with specific disclosure requirements that will ultimately result in decreasing the price of textbooks, while protecting the academic freedom of colleges and universities. According to a 2005 report by the General Accounting Office (GAO), college textbook prices increased by 186% between 1986 and 2004 - nearly triple the rate of inflation over the same period. Assemblyman Solorio would like to slow down the year-to-year-increases in the price of books. It is part of his commitment to keep college affordable.
Good Deeds And Accomplishments Should Not Go Unnoticed
Congratulations to the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) on the Grand Re-Opening of Valley High School. Over the past year, Valley underwent $26.9 million in recent upgrades and improvements to modernize the historic buildings and create a positive environment conducive to academic learning. Valley had been waiting 30 years for this modernization.
Congratulations also to the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce and the SAUSD on their collaboration and launch of High School Inc. Academies. This innovative career technical educational program at Valley High School combines state graduation requirements with academic and technical classes that will provide students with the training necessary to meet current and future market demands, a unique partnership between our local business and education communities.
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Julio Saenz |
Congratulations Julio Saenz for taking on the new position of General Manager at Excelsior, the OC Register's Spanish-language weekly newspaper. Saenz has a strong background in journalism and business, having managed many newspapers in Florida and New York. Welcome to Orange County! Your expertise will surely benefit Excelsior.
Communicating with Your Child's Teacher
Helping your children succeed in school starts with communicating well with your child's teacher. Basically, good communication involves meeting with the teacher, being a positive and courteous partner in your child's learning, and keeping the lines of communication open in various ways throughout the year.
- Meet the teacher. Go to your child's school open house and show your interest and support by introducing yourself and your child, collecting any information the teacher provides, and offering to help by signing up to donate items to the class or volunteer for other jobs.
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Go to parent-teacher conferences. Often schools schedule these during the academic year. Make sure that you schedule a conference if:
- Your child has special needs, and your teacher needs to know this early in the year.
- Your child's grades drop suddenly.
- You think that your child is having difficulty understanding her or his schoolwork.
- Your child is upset about something that happened in school.
- Your child does not seem to have any homework.
- Something changes at home that may affect the student's learning (e.g., new baby, parental illness, divorce, or upcoming move).
- Write short notes and follow up. If you want a quick response to a question, send a brief written note to the teacher and include your phone number and/or email address. If you don't hear back in a few days, follow up with a phone message to the school.
- Be positive and courteous. Many teachers are overworked and underappreciated. Speaking in positive ways opens up the lines of communication so you can work together to help your child succeed in school.
- Accept differences. Sometimes you may really "click" with a teacher and other times it may seem a struggle to keep the lines of communication open. Listen to what the teacher has to say about his or her expectations, classroom, and your student. If you have conflicts with the teacher, remain calm - listen, be positive, and talk things out. Don't argue with or criticize the teacher in front of your child, and try to work things out with the teacher before going to the principal.
- Be a partner with the teacher to support your child's learning. Children do better in school when their parents are involved. Some of the most important things you can do:
- Help with homework as needed and appropriate.
- Help your child learn the skills needed to manage time and stay on task.
- Ask teachers for clarification on instructions and assignments as needed.
- Talk about school matters with your student at home.
- Ask teachers what you can do to help your child at home.
- Ask what you can do to help. If there is something you can do to help your child's teacher, offer to volunteer. Hand the teacher your business card or a note with brief information about what you can do (for example, speaking to a science class about chemistry or tutoring) and how to reach you.
- Keep the lines of communication open all year. Send a note of appreciation to the teacher when something goes well in her/his class, and mention this to the principal, and make sure to give the teacher your phone number and email. If you have language barriers that make communication difficult, call the school/district to identify oral/written translation services.
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Assemblyman Solorio's wife Linn and two sons Michael and Diego visit him at his Capitol Office. |
Assemblyman Solorio greets United Farm Workers at his Capitol Office. |
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| Assemblyman Solorio at the Fiestas Patrias Parade in Orange County. | Assemblyman Solorio and Santa Ana City Councilmember Vince Sarmiento present certificates of recognition to the Delhi Center Board of Directors for their outstanding Gala Dinner which raised money for their programs. |
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| Assemblyman Solorio and Rhonda Welch-Scalco, chairwoman of the Barona Band of Mission Indians, discuss how Barona Education Grants will help students in his district. |
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Mini-Biography of Assemblyman Jose Solorio
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Prior to joining the Assembly, Solorio served on the Santa Ana City Council and worked for the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA). Solorio has an inspirational personal story to tell. He is the son and grandson of farm workers and grew up working in the fields and orchards of the Central Valley. His parents are humble people who taught him simple lessons: "Study hard. Work hard. Treat everyone equally. Take care of your family." Assemblyman Solorio plans to stay true to those values as he writes laws and engages in the political debate in Sacramento.
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