Recent Podcast Interview, Transparency Bills, Minerva Scholarship

Dear Neighbor,

Did you get a chance to listen to my latest interview on the Then There’s California Podcast? In the episode, we delve into a discussion about my legislative efforts, my role as Senate Majority Leader, the significance of women's representation in elected office, and many other exciting topics, check it out today!

At the Capitol, we have been immersed in the policy committee season. All of my bills have been heard and the policy committees I am a part of have heard numerous bills as we approach our deadline for legislation to pass the Senate next month on May 24. This year I authored bills about transparency and good governance, one of which is Senate Bill 1337 Referendum Funding Transparency. SB 1337 aims to empower voters by providing clearer visibility of the funders who attempt to overturn state law. I have also introduced Senate Bill 1376 The Local Contracting Transparency Act. This bill would create a pilot program to implement and study best practices for transparency in public contracting by local governments.

We also celebrated Khmer New Year and commemorated April 17 – April 23, 2024, as Cambodian Genocide Memorial Week. I presented Senate Resolutions on the floor to honor both of these important observations and recognized Cambodian community leaders from Senate District 33 for their incredible work in our community. I am honored and proud to represent a district that has the largest population of Cambodians outside of the country of Cambodia.

In the District, we had a great time celebrating Earth Month, and I want to say thank you to all the volunteers who joined us for our Senate District 33 cleanups!

Lastly, the Minerva Scholarship program is accepting applications! The Minerva Scholarship program was established in 2015 by Women in California Leadership to support the advancement of postsecondary education for women. The scholarship offers female students financial assistance to meet educational expenses by annually awarding over a hundred scholarships of $3,000 each and one $10,000 Golden Minerva Scholarship. For more details click the link below!

As always, if you need any other information or assistance, please contact my office at (562) 256-7921 or send us a message here.

Sincerely,

Lena Gonzalez
33rd State Senate District