LOS ANGELES – Elected leaders representing the Westside communities of Los Angeles issued a joint statement today strongly condemning a racist text message sent to Black and Latino students in the wake of the 2024 presidential election. The statement is signed by State Senator Ben Allen, Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, City Councilmembers Traci Park and Katy Yaroslavsky, SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton, and LAUSD School District Board Member Nick Melvoin.

Sacramento, CA — State Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab (D-Silicon Valley) delivered welcome remarks on Tuesday morning to the SB 555 Advisory Committee.
"We are leading the country on how social housing is defined,” said Dr. Wahab referring to the Homes Act of 2024—introduced by Senator Tina Smith and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—which uses the definitions from SB 555. “So, as you all embark on this process to help shape the model for social housing in California, let this definition be your guidepost, because the overarching purpose for this work, is to house low-income and middle-income Californians.”

(SANTA BARBARA) – Today, Senator Monique Limón issued the following statement on the current status of the Mountain Fire. 
“On Wednesday our communities in Camarillo and Somis faced the start of a devastating wildfire. Countless residents have been evacuated, and many more are under evacuation warnings as the fire continues to grow. If you are in the evacuation warnings zones, please stay apprised of new developments as this situation is changing rapidly. Please help our firefighters and heed all warnings and mandatory evacuations. 

LOS ANGELES — Elected leaders representing Los Angeles’ Westside communities have issued a joint statement in response to recent anti-Semitic incidents targeting the Jewish community. The statement is signed by LA City Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky and Traci Park, LA Mayor Karen Bass, Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock, LA County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Holly Mitchell, California State Assemblymembers Rick Chavez Zbur and Jacqui Irwin, and California State Senator Ben Allen.

LOS ANGELES – This week, Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) celebrated Crystal Kung Minkoff as the 24th Senate District’s Woman of the Year.

State Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab (D- Silicon Valley) is proud to announce passage of SB 1318, Child Suicide Prevention, earlier this week which will help to reduce law enforcement interaction with youth experiencing a mental health crisis. If signed by the Governor, the bill will require the California Department of Education to revise their model youth suicide prevention policy to clarify that behavioral health professionals should be utilized to the greatest extent possible when responding to a student mental health crisis.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Ventura County Fire Department, is monitoring a developing Santa Ana wind event. Winds are expected to impact the Ventura County area from late tonight (10/17) through Saturday (10/19). As a result of the forecasted winds and potential fire danger, Southern California Edison is considering a potential Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).
 

BAKERSFIELD, CA – State Senator Melissa Hurtado (D) voted against ABX2-1 (Hart), a special session legislative item targeting oil refineries with mandates and regulations that may adversely affect the price of energy Californians are paying to fuel their vehicles.

Sacramento, CA — California State Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab (D-Silicon Valley) authored the Stable Affordable Housing Act of 2023 (SB 555) which was signed into law on October 7, 2023 and is currently in its implementation phase with the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

(SANTA BARBARA) – On Wednesday, Senator Monique Limón presented $1.6 million in state funding to support a multitude of climate resilience projects throughout Santa Barbara County. This funding will support the Community Environmental Council’s Regional Climate Collaborative work, and multiple projects in partnership with the County of Santa Barbara and other community organizations.