Dear Neighbor,

Every year on March 31st, we celebrate the life and legacy of César Chávez, an incredible champion for the people who continues to inspire us as we fight for social justice and the rights of workers. In partnership with Dolores Huerta, he co-founded the United Farm Workers and led efforts that gave farmworkers the right to unionize and advocate for better working conditions. Let's remember his unwavering commitment to uplifting marginalized communities and renew our dedication to creating a more just and inclusive society in his honor.

At the Capitol, we continue working on legislative initiatives to help address critical issues within our community, and today, I am happy to announce my 2024 legislative package! Learn more about the policy proposals I have introduced this year and how they aim to bring positive change to California and Senate District 33. Your engagement and support are invaluable as we work together to build a better future for all.

In addition, as part of the Senate Leadership team, I joined Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire to announce step one of this year’s budget process, the Shrink the Shortfall early action plan which will help us create a balanced, on-time responsible budget for 2024-25.

For those of you who are students going to college soon, have you applied for financial aid? Governor Newsom recently signed AB 1887 which extends the application deadline for state financial aid programs, including the Cal Grant and Middle-Class Scholarship, from April 2 to May 2, 2024. The bill is a response to the ongoing implementation issues with the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which has left many California students unable to apply for financial aid and wreaked havoc on the enrollment timeline for colleges and universities. Remember that some colleges do have earlier deadlines. Learn more, here.

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