Healthcare legislation headway

As many of you know I have served on the Assembly Health Committee for most of my term in the State Legislature, and I...

Keep SVPs out of rural East County

As you know, the placement of Sexually Violent Predators (SVPs) in rural areas of California, including San Diego County, has been an ongoing problem....

Sanctuary market a treasure

I’m a resident of Japatul Valley. We’ve been here in East County since 2006 and enjoy the lifestyle made possible by living in beauty...

Rebuilding California

In 2011, the legislature worked in an effort to abolish California’s Redevelopment Districts (RDAs). Although some RDAs were poorly managed, their abolition deprived cities...

Don’t get hooked by phishing scam

The average person believes they would never fall for a scam that would rob them of their life savings and their dignity, but the...

Advocating for women

March is Women’s History Month, and it serves as an im­portant reminder of the prog­ress we’ve made in the past 100 years. In 1920, the...

Expanding mental health care

I am a strong advocate for expanded access to healthcare, including mental health and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatments. These issues fre­quently come before...

Spiking prices during disasters intolerable

San Diego rarely has to deal with weather so severe and di­sastrous that a state of emer­gency is declared. But when it does happen,...

Expanding access to mental health care

In 1967, many state hospitals serving persons with mental illnesses were closed, but local programs to address their needs were inadequate. In 1991, oversight...

Supporting California’s native wildlife

I introduced AB 1031 in 2017 to establish the Native California Wildlife Rehabilitation Voluntary Tax Contribution Fund. The legislation allows taxpayers filing their returns...