SACRAMENTO—Today we saw what leadership looks like. Gov. Gavin Newsom was fearless identifying the many issues we face in California and held nothing back as he told us what he wants to do about them.
I was very encouraged to hear about the care and concern he has for our seniors, some of whom are our most vulnerable Californians and people I care deeply about. I applaud his call for a Master Plan on Aging and his appointment of former California first lady Maria Shriver to head our Alzheimer’s Task Force.
This year I have three proposals to support seniors – one to better fund the long-term ombudsman program which protects residents in nursing homes; another to increase funding for Meals on Wheels and a third to provide an improved monthly “home upkeep allowance” that can protect vulnerable seniors, who have no other support network, from losing their homes because of unplanned events like hospital stays and post-hospital rehabilitation care.
Gov. Newsom’s perspective on health care is exactly what I have been talking about for several years – improving both access and affordability – and I agree with his statement that a “single-payer” health care system is “a long-term goal but there are things that we can do now.”
We in the Assembly have been working hard on improving health care and many of his proposed solutions are almost identical to legislation we authored this past legislative session but did not make it to the Governor’s desk – like increasing Medi-Cal rates to improve access by increasing the number of providers able to accept it; increasing the number of people eligible for subsidies for the purchase of health insurance; expanding Medicaid for undocumented young people and addressing the consolidation of hospitals which can limit patient choice. And of course, bringing down the cost of prescription drugs, one of the larger contributors to the cost of health care and health plan premiums. We had already planned to pursue all these initiatives again this year.
The devastation from wildfires throughout this state has resulted in the loss of lives, the loss of homes and businesses, displacement of families and the destruction of entire communities. Many of us have been working to help the victims of these tragedies as well as addressing the inadequacy of our energy infrastructure and of planning for our future energy needs. I support his goals of holding PG&E accountable while developing a comprehensive strategy in 60 days that will lay out how to secure safe and affordable power while ensuring justice for fire victims and protecting rate payers.
The Governor recently pulled two-thirds of the National Guard away from their deployment at the border, leaving some to assist in the fight against drugs and guns coming across the border. One-third will help CAL FIRE in its fire suppression and prevention work. Another third will boost California’s Counter Drug Task Force to go after illegal cannabis grows, many of which are run by cartels. All of this work is extremely important to our district.
We have a homelessness epidemic and we need to support families, veterans, survivors of domestic violence and people with mental health conditions. I am absolutely in support of what he calls “navigation centers” and have been pushing for what I have been calling “wraparound services” so when we can place someone in a shelter or transitional housing, they can receive the services they need to be successful in their transition.
Housing is another crisis. The Governor pointed out that 61 percent of young adults say they can’t afford to live in California. I was pleased that the Governor called out Santa Rosa as a community that has taken concrete steps to address its housing needs and am proud of our local leaders who have made tough decisions. We need more cities and counties to update their housing plans and they need more support when it comes to streamlining the process. People need rent stability and the Governor wants to find the best solution to that. And, we need to make sure labor is paid fairly for their work in building the housing that is needed.
We have many challenges before us and we need this kind of leadership in California – bold, informed, visionary and inspiring.
The California Dream that he spoke of several times needs our help to become a reality again. And I’m energized and inspired to help him achieve these goals for our state.
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