Dear Neighbors,
Happy Holidays! I hope that you are enjoying this holiday season. As 2011 draws to a close, I wish you all the best in the coming year.
I have been working diligently in Sacramento to ensure that our community prospers and I believe there are better times ahead.
So, in looking forward to 2012, I share with you important highlights from a challenging, but successful year for our district.
This year I am proud to say that crucial progress has been made in many ways. I have strived to promote local job growth and new revenue streams for the state by ensuring that out-of-state companies pay their fair share of taxes. I have helped bring attention to environmental quality and energy issues in our disadvantaged neighborhoods, as well as to the massive U.S. flow of firearms and ammunition to Mexico. I have also stood in solidarity with students and faculty facing crippling cuts to our public education system.
Thank you for your support and input throughout the year. I look forward to serving you in 2012.
If my office can be of any assistance, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Senator Kevin de León
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In this Issue:
• 5th Annual Toy Drive
• 5th Annual Turkey Drive
• Tribute to Fallen Sherriff Deputy Juan Abel Escalante
• Legislative Update–Senate Bill 116
• Legislative Update–Senate Bill 535
• Advocating for Our Schools: UC Berkeley Student Rally
• Reforming Vernon
• Senate Hearing on Firearms & Ammunition Flow to Mexico
• Senate Hearing on Energy Efficiency
• Save the Date
• Constituent Services
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5th Annual Toy Drive
For the 5th year in a row, Senator León worked with the YMCA on a toy drive for the children in our community. Thousands of toys were collected at the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA and were donated to families in need, bringing cheer to the Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles communities.
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5th Annual Turkey Drive
Working with Ralph’s Food for Less, State Farm, Los Angeles Dodgers, Central Basin Water District, Roger’s Poultry, El Super, and Fresh and Easy, Senator Kevin de León held his 5th Annual Turkey Drive during the week of November 14th. This year marked the Senator’s largest turkey drive, providing enough turkeys to feed thousands of people. Turkeys were given to local non-profits, churches, social service providers, youth and recreational centers, and public schools and were distributed throughout the entire district including: East Los Angeles, Ramona Gardens, Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, Highland Park, Glassell Park, Echo Park, Downtown Los Angeles, East Hollywood, and Pico Union.
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Tribute to Fallen Sherriff Deputy Juan Abel Escalante
Senator Kevin de León joined Sherriff Lee Baca and the family of fallen Deputy Juan Abel Escalante in a ceremony that unveiled the dedication of a section of Interstate 101 (Hollywood Freeway) to Los Angeles County Deputy Sherriff Juan Abel Escalante. Deputy Escalante was tragically killed in the line of duty on August 2, 2008, as he was preparing to leave for work. He is survived by his wife, three children, parents and two siblings. May his spirit never be forgotten, and may his service and sacrifice be an inspiration to us all.
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Legislative Update–Senate Bill 116
In an effort to save the state upwards of $1 billion a year and promote local job growth, Senator De León is carrying Senate Bill 116 to repeal an existing tax loophole that only benefits out-of-state corporations. We cannot afford to reward Texas Tycoons and stick California taxpayers with the tab. Of further benefit, this bill reforms the existing law that creates an incentive for California companies to move their operations out-of-state. Most importantly, it would generate 40,000 jobs statewide, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.
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Legislative Update–Senate Bill 535
To mitigate the direct impacts of climate change that are largely affecting disadvantaged communities already suffering from adverse health impacts, Senator De León has proposed Senate Bill 535 to create the California Communities Healthy Air Revitalization Trust (CHART). Our children and the hard-working families of our state must have clean air and job opportunities in the new clean tech economy. This bill would ensure that as California takes steps to address global warming, we invest in the neighborhoods that continue to suffer from higher levels of pollution and that are least able to confront the expected impacts of the climate change crisis.
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Advocating for Our Schools: UC Berkeley Student Rally
The backbone of our great democracy is access to high quality education for all. However, our public schools system is under great strain given the extensive budget cuts to education. Recently, Senator de León attended a UC Berkeley student rally to support the students and faculty, and to advocate that UC administrators provide leadership in solving our budget crisis. This dialogue is the first step in developing practical budget solutions that will allow for reinvestment in our schools.
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Reforming Vernon
This past year much attention was directed at the cronyism and corruption that riddled the City of Vernon. Senator De León worked to reach a compromise with Vernon by requiring that the city’s leaders implement extensive reform measures in place of disincorporation. These reforms stand the best chance of permanently cleaning up the City of Vernon while securing its 55,000 jobs. In addition to aggressive reform, the compromise with Vernon included a Good Neighbor fund of $60 million to help mitigate years of pollution, traffic and other problems caused by Vernon’s factories and policies.
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Senate Hearing on Firearms & Ammunition Flow to Mexico
As head of the California State Senate Select Committee on Immigration and the Economy, Senator Kevin de León convened a community meeting to examine California’s role as a pipeline for guns and ammunition to the Mexican drug cartels and how to improve efforts to stem such gun and ammunition trafficking.
Senate Joint Resolution 10 tackles the issues discussed at the meeting and will be considered at the Senate Public Safety Committee Hearing on January 10, 2012. The resolution urges the President and the Congress of the United States to pursue a comprehensive approach to stem the trafficking of illicit United States firearms into Mexico, that includes as its centerpiece enhanced collaboration among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to coordinate the interdiction of illegal firearms trafficking and the implementation of associated border security policies and operations in an integrated manner, the allocation of a permanent source of federal funding to sustain local and state law enforcement operations to combat firearms trafficking and other border-related crimes, the redirection of federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and United States Customs and Border Protection resources towards this effort, reenactment of a strong federal assault weapons ban, along with a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines, stronger federal authority to crack down on corrupt gun dealers, extending Brady criminal background checks to all gun sales, including all sales at gun shows to prevent firearms trafficking, and the maintenance of firearm purchase records to help law enforcement track down armed criminals and solve gun crimes.
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Senate Hearing on Energy Efficiency
Continuing his call for a massive expansion of commercial retrofit activity in California, Senator Kevin de León convened a hearing of the Select Committee on Energy Efficiency to examine California’s investment shortfall in energy efficiency and to highlight the tremendous opportunity to create huge gains in energy savings, greenhouse gas emission reductions, and job creation for California’s hard-hit construction industry.
The hearing was composed of three panels, which included investor owned utilities, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), capital market representatives, and members of the energy efficiency industry. The hearing looked at the amount of commercial space in need of retrofits throughout the State, an overview of proposed changes to energy efficiency programs post public goods charge, and obtained input from private markets on how to expedite widespread adoption of commercial retrofits. The hearing provided valuable information likely producing legislation in 2012 that will help achieve the Senator’s goal of dramatically increasing the pace and scope of commercial retrofit activity. A recent study commissioned by the CPUC estimates a need of more than $4 billion per year in capital investment to reach California’s goals.
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Save the Date!
- January 19th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00p.m
SD 22 will partner again with the Hollywood Worksource Center and the Salesian Family Youth Center to host a job fair. Over 50 employers will be present to accept applications and conduct interviews. Address- 2228 E. 4th Street, Los Angeles, CA. 90033
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Constituent Services
Please contact my district office (213-612-9566) for help with…
• Professional licenses
• Community recognition
• Dept. of Motor Vehicles
• Consumer complaints
• State Franchise Tax Board
• Government forms and applications • Unemployment claims
• Short-term disability claims
• Medi-Cal
• Calif. Veterans’ Affairs
• Child support and child care
• Small business assistance
California State Senator Kevin de León – District 22
Web site: http://www.senate.ca.gov/deLeon
E-mail: Senator Kevin de León
Capitol Office
State Capitol, Room 5108
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 651-4022
District Office
617 South Olive Street, Suite 710
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Tel: (213) 612-9566
