Two hours ago I joined my colleagues on the Capitol steps for a vigil for the victims of the shooting in Monterey Park. Before we’ve even had a chance to mourn them, there is yet another mass shooting - this time in Half Moon Bay. In my district.
#BREAKING
4 people shot and killed in Half Moon Bay. Law enforcement officials tell
@nbcbayarea
3 victims were found dead inside a home located on a farm off highway 92. Another victim found dead nearby. Suspect on the loose.
Thank you
@GavinNewsom
for singing my bill to ban the sale of gas powered leaf blowers & other small engine equipment beginning in 2024! This equipment is dangerous to the workers who use it, disruptive to communities, & terribly damaging to our climate 🌎
Some residents from the wealthiest parts of AD24 suggest we don’t have enough water to build more housing. Those same communities use up to 6.5x as much water per capita as the poorer communities in AD24. We need better priorities: Housing > lawns
Republican consultant Tony Quinn: “So why are Republicans so afraid of voting by mail? The real reason is not voter fraud, there is none, but because Republicans have lost the ability to turn out their own voters and to expand their electoral base."
Our Silicon Valley ecosystem is broken. People often cite “quality of life” as reasons to oppose new housing projects. Well quality of life is going to plummet when the quality of schools goes down because they can’t hire and retain quality teachers.
Governor
@GavinNewsom
just signed my AB 390 to make it easier to cancel subscriptions online! The days of having to speak with a customer representative are over. You'll also be reminded before some free trials/promotions end & annual subscriptions renew!
Today I had the honor of recognizing Dr. Christine Blasey Ford as the 24th Assembly District Woman of the Year. In a testament to her personality, Dr. Ford took the opportunity to thank some of the friends & neighbors who helped her in the aftermath of her courageous testimony.
7 years ago 26 innocent souls, including 20 young children, were murdered at
#SandyHook
Elementary.
Tonight, I joined
@RepAnnaEshoo
,
@MomsDemand
& community leaders to honor the victims of
#GunViolence
, and to pledge to continue working for common sense gun safety legislation.
Thank you
@MomsDemand
for the life-saving work you’re doing to reduce the scourge of gun violence in our communities! It was great to chat with just a few of my local Moms Demand Action activists today about their multi-faceted approach to reducing gun violence.
Thank you
@Lawrence
for having me on
@TheLastWord
tonight to talk about my bill to make California a permanent vote-by-mail state. While other states are putting up barriers to voting, California is making it easy, safe, and secure. 🗳
This is the problem with
#CaLeg
-
@billessayli
- whose wildly inflated sense of self leads him to believe he’s better than the masses who don’t have the elitist background & “accomplishments” he thinks he does, & who has zero respect for those who work tirelessly for our state.
This is the problem with
#CaLeg
, it’s filled with staffers and activists. We truly have a political class ruling over the People. Surely there are real people, with real jobs, and real accomplishments who are better qualified for elected office??
We are not prepared for a pandemic. Trump has rolled back progress President Obama and I made to strengthen global health security. We need leadership that builds public trust, focuses on real threats, and mobilizes the world to stop outbreaks before they reach our shores.
It was great to meet with
@shannonrwatts
, founder of
@MomsDemand
, an inspiring leader and vital organization that has been our guiding conscience when it comes to gun violence prevention legislation.
@MomsDemand
membership is now twice the size of the NRA!
#MomsAreEverywhere
This morning I joined colleagues and local students to say Enough is Enough! Too many of our family, friends, and neighbors are being gunned down in our schools, at our malls, and on our streets.
@MomsDemand
@GIFFORDS_org
@bradybuzz
@Everytown
I hate when political candidates spray their yard signs all along public right-of-ways…which is illegal. It’s bad the weekend before Election Day. It’s indefensible 3 months out from Election Day. Run a real campaign. And you better pick them all up after you lose.
It was an honor to have
@POTUS
at the beautiful Baylands Nature Preserve in Palo Alto to announce historic climate action funding to proactively address the impacts of climate change in our communities while creating good paying jobs.
Trump, in a lengthy statement, decries the removal of Richmond's Robert E. Lee statue, calling it "magnificent."
"If only we had Robert E. Lee to command our troops in Afghanistan... What an embarrassment we are suffering because we don’t have the genius of a Robert E. Lee!"
It is my honor to recognize Dr. Christine Blasey Ford as the
#AD24
#WomanOfTheYear
. In a remarkable act of courage, Dr. Ford put the country ahead of her own well-being, speaking out in the most public way imaginable about her sexual assault. (1/2)
Last year I wrote the law to make California a permanent vote-by-mail state. Today, Gov Newsom signed
#AB2608
to further strengthen this critical voting reform.
This is an absolutely tragic and totally predictable outcome of our failure to build enough housing in California over the last few decades. If we’re serious about addressing our homelessness crisis, we have to get serious about building more housing.
ICYMI: Today UCSF released the largest study since the mid-90s looking at homelessness in California.
- 90% of people homeless in CA are from CA
- 75% were living in the CA county they became homeless in
- 89% said they can't afford housing
@KQEDnews
Thank you to all the incredible
@MomsDemand
advocates who came up to Sacramento today to discuss their gun violence prevention priorities. I am proud to coauthor the priority bills and to be working on two bills of my own to reduce gun violence.
This morning the Assembly passed
#AB860
, which guarantees that all California voters will have the opportunity to vote from the safety of their own home, with overwhelming bipartisan support! No voter should have to risk their health, or life, to vote. On to
@GavinNewsom
’s desk!
Hey
@PGE4Me
- I know you can’t control the wind, but when the power goes out you do control your communication with your customers. My constituents. And this week you have failed miserably. Which is nothing new. Do better. I look forward to discussing this further very soon.
I’m gonna miss calling this guy a colleague.
@kevinmullin
is one of the most respected members in the legislature and a helluva loyal friend. His wise counsel - rooted in his rock solid moral compass - has been invaluable to me over the last six years. Thank you Kevin!
Thanks
@GavinNewsom
for stopping by Barron Park Elementary in AD24 to discuss the agreement to send $6.6 billion to our schools to reopen safely and quickly and to address the learning loss and mental health struggles our students have faced over the last eleven months.
It’s the end of an era. I’m so grateful to Congresswoman Anna Eshoo not just for what she’s done for her community throughout 40 years in elected office, but what she’s done for me personally. 🧵
I voted for it before, and I'll vote for it again. I am proud to support
#SB822
because all
#Californians
benefit from fair and open access to the internet.
#NetNeutrality
Today
@GavinNewsom
signed my AB 37, ensuring every CA voter is mailed a ballot in future elections! As other states actively look for ways to make it harder for people to vote, CA is expanding access to an already safe & secure ballot. 🗳️
Press release:
Strange that
@shamannwalton
, who is literally on the board that oversees
@Caltrain
, which has 3 members from each of SF, San Mateo, & Santa Clara counties, thinks one county has “100% decision making” over Caltrain. Does he go to the meetings? That’s not how any of this works.
It’s unfortunate that SM County leaders think they can continue to extort SF and Santa Clara Counties and maintain 100% decision making, when it’s a fact that SF and Santa Clara County would make up 80% of the 100 million dollars in revenue from the proposed Caltrain tax.
20% of college students in CA are also parents, juggling their studies with raising a family. My AB 2881, which Gov
@GavinNewsom
just signed, will give these students priority registration & additional critical support to pursue their education & their dreams!
We MUST do more to address the epidemic of gun violence in our communities and across America. How many more lives will be senselessly cut short today? Tomorrow? This year?
President Biden is right – Californians are tired of being duped by last minute hotel and resort fees. That’s why I am authoring
#AB537
with
@consumercal
to ensure that the advertised cost of your hotel stay is the real price you pay. 🧵
🚨 Huge news 🚨
@CAgovernor
@GavinNewsom
signed my two smart, bipartisan gun safety bills, AB 1420 & 1598. These bills ensure prospective gun buyers know the real risks of gun ownership before they buy a gun & strengthen enforcement of gun shops that are breaking the law.
Oftentimes the flashy news of lawsuits isn’t actually more important than the substantive work of legislation. I was proud to author
#AB860
to guarantee Californians can vote safely this November, & not surprised all the lawsuits were dropped / thrown out.
Can everyone settle down on the whole “Tesla moving their HQ is the end of the California economy” shtick? Tesla is expanding and hiring more workers in California right now. At their soon-to-be former HQ in Palo Alto. At their plant in Fremont.
Great decision by the Supreme Court. Many are reporting this as a win for Democrats, which is wrong. It’s a win for voters. When districts are gerrymandered, it undermines the true will of voters. Fascinating majority too (RBG, Thomas, Sotomayor, Kagan, & Gorsuch). 🤔
I’m joining with
@Steve_Glazer
to lead California’s effort to reform our undemocratic recall system. An elected official should not be able to be recalled and replaced by someone who got fewer votes. I look forward to working with colleagues on reforms. 🗳
Beautiful day for a powerful, youth led
#StopAsianHate
rally in Mountain View today! It’s uplifting to see the diversity of communities that came out today to say that hate has no place here. When they bring hate, we bring love!
Leaders representing SF, San Mateo, & Santa Clara Counties agree: at a time when the viability of
@Caltrain
is at risk, now is not the time for gamesmanship & fighting over political power. Now is the time to put riders first and
#SaveCaltrain
. Let the people vote.
Happy anniversary to my strong, smart, passionate, brave, loving wife, Aimee Gildea. I’m so lucky I get to dance through the ups and downs of life with you ❤️
I was proud to lead this effort through the legislature - first for the 2020 election and then, after that was wildly successful, this past year to make it permanent. When we mail folks a ballot, they vote! California’s elections are safe, secure, accurate, and accessible 🗳
It's now official. California is a universal vote by mail state.
Voters in all statewide elections will receive a ballot in the mail. Those who still want to vote in person can do so.
While other states roll back access to voting -- we're EXPANDING IT.
Before you drink green beer, give red blood!
All blood types are needed to help address the blood shortage & save lives. Thanks
@RedCross
for making giving blood so easy! 💉🩸⛑
Rather than address real problems, bullies across the country are targeting and scapegoating the trans community and, in particular, trans youth, who already suffer high suicide rates. I stand with the trans community to stop hate.
#TransPeopleBelong
#TransgenderDayofVisibility
I am grateful to Speaker Rendon for the opportunity to chair the Assembly Business and Professions Committee. It has been an honor to serve on the committee, and I look forward to taking on this new role in the upcoming session.
I’m proud to have 3 bills listed on
@latimes
43 most noteworthy new laws of 2022: AB 37 to make CA a permanent vote-by-mail state 👇, AB 390 to make it easier to cancel online subscriptions, and AB 775 to hire a basic needs coordinator on every community college campus in CA!
Among the new laws:
Voters in all statewide elections, regardless of whether they signed up for absentee voting, will receive a ballot in the mail.
Those who still want to vote in person can do so by surrendering the mailed ballot at a voting location.
That’s a wrap on the 2021 legislative session! This was our biggest year yet and I’m incredibly proud of everything we accomplished to help millions of Californians. More good work to come next year.
#AD24
I am pleased to announce that six weeks ago, after the debacle in Wisconsin, I amended
#AB860
to mail a ballot to every active voter in California. If it’s good enough for Trump, it’s good enough for everyone else. I’m glad all these other folks are wasting their 💸💸💸
I am pleased to announce that the RNC,
@NRCC
&
@CAGOP
just sued Gavin Newsom over his illegal election power grab.
His radical plan is a recipe for disaster that would create more opportunities for fraud & destroy the confidence Californians deserve to have in their elections.
I’m proud of my legislative director, Ellen Green, for making this impressive list! Ellen’s been with me since day 1, and I’m very lucky she’s on my team!
Announcing the National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs 2021 40 Under 40 List! The top young AAPI political badasses in the nation. See who is on the list at
#apahm
#aapihm
Mayor
@adrianfine
has been a strong and - in
@cityofpaloalto
- brave advocate for those who struggle the most with the sky high cost of living in Silicon Valley and the need to build more housing for all. His voice will be missed, and future CMs should heed his outgoing message.
As he enters his final weeks in office,
#PaloAlto
Mayor Adrian Fine discusses his frustrations with local leadership, hobbled quests to build more housing and hopes for future council members to move the city forward.
My
#AB860
, which would require every registered
#voter
in
#California
to be mailed a ballot before the General Election, passed out of Senate
#Elections
, 4-1! No one should have to risk their health – & possibly their life – to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
#AD24
Well that was a massive waste of $300 million. I had a chance to join
@abc7newsbayarea
tonight to talk about what a waste this was, how potentially undemocratic our recall system is, and some of the possible reforms to our recall process in California.
I’m honored and privileged to get another two years representing the people of California. We’ve accomplished a lot since I was first sworn in six years ago, but too many of our friends and neighbors still struggle every day. We have important and urgent work to do.
For the first time ever
@SenJoshBecker
and I have jointly chosen one woman - Dr. Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga - as both AD 23 and SD 13 Woman of the Year. Belinda is the founder and executive director of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS), a social service nonprofit in Half Moon Bay.
California has fallen behind 27 other states when it comes to prioritizing access to computer science education, exacerbating educational inequities and the diversity gaps in tech. Today I introduced
#AB1054
to ensure every high school student has access to computer science 🧵
Such a great time at last nights annual bipartisan Capitol Cup soccer match! We raised $50k for
@StanfordSierra1
, brought the trophy back to its rightful place in NorCal, & I dusted off the goalie gloves & ended up MVP of the match. Most importantly, no serious injuries 😂⚽️
Great editorial from the
@latimes
about the environmental & health benefits of my bill (w/
@LorenaAD80
) to ban the sale of new gas powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers, & other small off road engines. It’ll be an uphill climb but it’s worth it!
#AB1346
A big moment for our
@Assemblyfellows
, Allie Umemoto, who officially introduced her first bill!
#AB2815
will increase voting accessibility for student voters by requiring a vote by mail ballot drop box location on
@calstate
and
@UofCalifornia
campuses.
AB 1346 passed out of the Senate today, moving CA one step closer to phasing out gas powered small engines like those in leaf blowers & lawn mowers! Thrilled to share we secured $30M in the state budget to help gardeners transition to cleaner, greener equipment!🍃
#AD24
This morning as I drove from Sacramento to the district the sun was coming up on my left and the light was reflecting off of the hills on my right. It was beautiful. Almost spiritual. And all I could think is that 7 Half Moon Bay residents would never see the sun rise again. 😢
20% of college students in California are also parents.
#AB2881
, which just passed through the legislature with bipartisan support, will give student parents priority registration and other critical supports so they can achieve their educational dreams while raising a family.
If our investments are a reflection of our values, then California - the world's 5th largest economy - is
#StandingWithUkraine
. I'm proud to co-author
@ilike_mike
's bill to require that state agencies like
@CalPERS
&
@CalSTRS
divest from Russian assets and financial institutions.
Ten days ago, thousands of hardworking students learned their dream of attending
@UCBerkeley
would have to wait. Today I was proud to vote yes on SB 118 to ensure that every admitted student can achieve their dream. We need more higher education opportunities, not fewer.
My dad immigrated from another country - South Africa - whose apartheid government was atrocious when he left after college. So did my mom’s parents - from Poland & Germany to escape the Nazis. Should I leave too, you xenophobic, racist, spoiled brat?
When
@realDonaldTrump
tells four American Congresswomen to go back to their countries, he reaffirms his plan to “Make America Great Again” has always been about making America white again.
Our diversity is our strength and our unity is our power.
Community college students say the transfer process is too complex, confusing, & difficult to navigate. We're changing that with
#AB928
, which is now headed to the
@CAgovernor
for his signature.🎓
Press release:
#TransformingTransfer
#AD24
Thanks to an incredible public-private partnership, 120 Californians now live in interim housing that didn't exist 6 months ago. It takes longer than that to get a park bench installed! Every city should take a page out of
@LifeMovesOrg
's playbook:
#AD24
LIVE NOW: Governor
@GavinNewsom
visits a Homekey site to highlight the nation-leading program – the largest expansion of housing for people experiencing homelessness in recent history.
#CAcomeback
Nazis marching outside a major Republican Party event waving swastika flags alongside a flag for the favored Republican candidate for President in 2024. Let that sink in. Why do nazis support
@GovRonDeSantis
and the Republican Party?
I can’t think of a single Florida politician, regardless of party, who wouldn’t immediately condemn Nazis celebrating and rallying in support of them…
Not one politician, except our own Gov. Ron DeSantis. His silence should terrify every American— and it’s not the first time.
Important op-ed from
@RepBarragan
&
@APOLLOS_TRUTH
about the regressive proposal
@californiapuc
is debating. We need to increase access to solar in low-income communities, increase grid resiliency, & lower rates, not jack up fees & slash solar credits
Yesterday was the 8-year anniversary of me & Aimee’s 1st date, which I think means more to her than our wedding anniversary. I surprised her with And I Love Her - a fun “musical love letter” to the women who influenced the Beatles. She surprised me with a gourmet s’mores kit ☺️❤️
Today I was sworn into my 2nd term in the Assembly. As Speaker Rendon said, California is exceptional in many ways. Some - like bail reform, fighting climate change - are positive. Others - poverty & homelessness, the student achievement gap - are not. We’ve got work to do.
AB37, my bill to ensure that every active registered voter receive a ballot in the mail in all future elections, passed out of the Legislature and is off to Governor
@GavinNewsom
for his signature! This was wildly successful in 2020 - let’s make it permanent!
Proud to author the first bill to pass out of the Assembly in 2023.
#AB269
, which will allow California to continue its robust COVID testing policies when the state of emergency ends so that we can continue to make progress against the pandemic, received strong bipartisan support
As Chair of the Select Committee on the Master Plan for Higher Education in California, I'm hosting a virtual conversation on the college transfer process on Wednesday, January 13th from 11am to 12:30pm.
Register via Zoom:
#AD24
Tragic to see the news coming out of Hawaii, and especially Lahaina on Maui. Aimee and I go there often and were just in Puamana, a mile south of downtown Lahaina, a few weeks ago with her family. It looks like Puamana may be impacted as well. 🙏 for everyone there. 😔
It’s a pleasure to recognize author, speaker, and activist Julie Lythcott-Haims as the
#WomanOfTheYear
in
#AD24
. Julie’s commitment to living authentically, building community, and treating each and every person with dignity and kindness is an example for us all.