Dear Friends,

It’s been a busy and exciting start to 2015! In early January, the State Senate reconvened and it’s been nonstop ever since. As a new senator, I’m learning the ropes in Sacramento alongside some of our greatest state officials and my own role models -- leaders like Senator Fran Pavley and Governor Jerry Brown. Less than three months into the New Year, I’m proud to report we’ve already been addressing some of the most pressing issues in California today.

Before I go further, I want to give a big thank you to everyone who came out for my District Swearing-In ceremony in Santa Monica. More than 1,000 guests attended the event at my old high school, and we were joined by some of our most respected state and local leaders. U.S. Congressman Ted Lieu, State Senator Fran Pavley, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (ret.), were just a few of our guests. It was a great honor to take my oath as your State Senator on the same stage I became student body president of my senior class almost 20 years ago. Please click here to watch a video of my remarks.

District Office
2512 Artesia Blvd., #320
Redondo Beach, CA 90278-3279
Phone: (310) 318-6994
Fax: (310) 318-6733

Capitol Office
State Capitol, Room 2054
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4026
Fax: (916) 651-4926

Issues and Committees

I’m actively engaging in several key committees in the Senate focused on issues I am passionate about. As the chair of the Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Arts, I will be looking into critical issues that face the State. Additionally, I’ve been appointed as a member of the Budget Subcommittee on Education and the Senate Committees on Natural Resources and Water, Transportation and Housing, and Veterans Affairs. I am also serving on the California Coastal Conservancy Board of Directors, where I will work hard to preserve and protect our beautiful coastline.

New Legislation in the Works

I am pleased to announce I have already had the opportunity to joint-author my first piece of legislation that addresses a critical public health crisis in California. As many of you may know, due to a rising number of students who have been allowed to attend our schools unvaccinated, an outbreak of measles and a resurgence of other diseases has emerged. Senator Richard Pan and I have proposed legislation that will close the vaccination loophole to keep our students healthy and our schools safe. Click here to listen to a KABC interview I did recently to learn more. And if you’re interested in showing your support for this legislation, please click here.

National Arts Education Month

One of my key goals this year as Chair of the Joint Committee on Arts will be to explore ways that we can increase student access to the arts in all of our public schools. We know that students who are involved with the arts are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, three times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools, four times more likely to participate in the math and science fair, and three times more likely to win an award for school attendance.

On Monday, March 2, Senator Jean Fuller and I presented Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 14, declaring March 2015 as Arts Education Month. Click here to watch my remarks.

Voter Turnout Hearing

On Friday, February 20, Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas and I held a hearing to look into the causes of low voter turnout in Los Angeles, and brainstormed with experts on how to fix it. You can watch the hearing online below.

Thank you to all of the witnesses and members of the public that attended.