Making a difference together

July 13, 2020

Dear neighbor,

We are living a moment in history that is unlike any other. We are grappling with a global pandemic and nationwide unemployment, which brings with them widespread healthcare and economic challenges for all our communities. Amidst these challenges, something else has happened. Voices from all over the nation and the world are coming together to stand up for the rights of Black Americans through the advancement of justice and pathways that lead to success and equity for all.

In the past few weeks, the Legislature has passed legislation to allow voters to decide this November whether affirmative action should be restored in California, whether voting rights should be restored to parolees, and legislation requiring ethnic studies in college education requirements at California State University campuses. In recent weeks, members of the California Legislature have also introduced a number of bills that seek to pursue important reforms and protect the voices of the media and the public who participate in peaceful public discourse.

Additionally, the Supreme Court of the United States has also issued decisions upholding the rights of the LGBTQ community in the workplace and helping protect the DACA program that allows thousands of workers to continue living in and contributing to our nation. There is much more that needs to be done in this state and nation and we can do it together because we all hold the power to make a difference. If you want to learn more about how you can make a difference today, please see the information below.

All the best,

Lena Gonzalez

33rd Senate District

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Complete the Census  

Spend a few minutes online today to impact the next 10 years of funding for healthcare, infrastructure, and education. If our communities are not accurately counted, the health programs that provide health coverage to families, seniors, and people with disabilities during this Covid-19 Pandemic will not receive their fair share of critical funding. Food assistance programs like SNAP and the National School Lunch Program also use census data to determine funding. Your data is protected and it’s confidential. Federal law protects your responses, which cannot be shared with law enforcement, immigration agencies, or housing authorities. Go to my2020Census.gov and respond today to make your community's tomorrow brighter.

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Register to vote

Don’t know if you’re registered to vote? Start by checking on the CA Secretary of State’s website here: Voter Registration Verification

By checking whether you are registered to vote, you will be able to do the following:

  • Check where you are registered to vote
  • Check your political party preference
  • Check your language preference for election materials
  • Check the status of your vote-by-mail or provisional ballot
  • Find your polling place
  • Find information for upcoming local and state elections
  • Find contact information for your county elections office
  • Choose how you want to receive your state and county voter guides

If you still need to register to vote you can do it here: voter registration

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Learn about the state legislative process

In addition to staying up to date with the news, it is also a good idea to familiarize yourself with how the state legislative process works. The legislative process starts with an idea for a needed change in California’s laws, and these ideas can come from anyone in the public. A member of either the California State Senate or the California State Assembly can take these ideas to the Office of Legislative Counsel, where they can be drafted into a bill. If the legislator decided to introduce the bill it will be reviewed by other members of the legislature in a policy committee and any member of the public or interested organization can voice their support or concerns about the bill. Should the bill pass out of the policy committee, it may need to be reviewed before a fiscal committee where the fiscal impact of the bill on the state’s budget is evaluated. If the bill moves out of the fiscal committee it is presented for a vote in its house of origin (the Senate or the Assembly) and if the bill passes in its house of origin the same process starts over again in the other house of the Legislature. If the bill passes both houses, it goes to the Governor’s desk where the Governor can choose to sign the bill into law or veto it.

To learn in more detail about how a bill becomes a law visit the CA Senate website here: legislative process. You will find great recommendations and tips on how to stay informed about a bill and how to provide your input along the way to ensure that bills reflect your community’s needs and priorities.

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Find your representative

To find your State Senate and Assembly representatives, all you need is your California address on this online tool:  find your California representative. Once you know who your state representatives are, you can directly connect with your representative’s district offices to provide input on existing bills or ideas for new bills, or for help regarding other local issues you may want support with.

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Follow introduced legislation

Is there any particular bill you are interested in reading more about? You can search online by key words, status, author, dates and more with the California Legislative Information website.

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Wear a Mask

Finally, contributing to the health and safety of our community in these uncertain times can be as simple as wearing a mask or face covering. You can make a difference by following best practices such as, wearing a facemask, washing your hands and staying at home when sick. Wearing a face covering can reduce the spread of COVID-19 by limiting the release of infectious particles into the air. Wearing a face covering also reinforces physical distancing, and shows you care about the health of others. Public health officials now require Californians to wear masks or cloth face coverings in most settings outside the home. And workers in certain industries are required wear a mask or respirator while on the job.

To learn more please click here.

For news from the 33rd Senate District, you can read the latest on 2020 legislation here and the latest press releases here.

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