May 2020 Newsletter
Dear Neighbor,
It’s been another busy and productive month in Sacramento during this legislative session as my colleagues and I continue to work on ensuring all Californians are supported with the vital resources necessary to safely return families to both school and work.
Over the coming weeks, my colleagues and I in the Senate will be finalizing a budget that intends to help Californians build back boldly from this pandemic. Governor Gavin Newsom’s previewed his $100 billion comeback plan – the biggest economic recovery package in California’s history – which will provide 2 out of every 3 Californians with Golden State Stimulus Checks.
In the district: my staff, our families and I are just as excited as your families are about the prospect of safely seeing one another again. We are tempering that optimism with a cautious reminder to our neighbors to please get your first and second vaccine shots as soon as possible. We are also continuing to help resolve issues our constituents are experiencing with EDD regarding their unemployment insurance and pandemic unemployment assistance benefits. And as always, we encourage our constituents to connect should you need assistance with any state agency or department.
As always, please reach out to either my Capitol or District offices for assistance at 562-406-1001 or visit https://sd32.senate.ca.gov/.
God bless,
Senator Bob Archuleta
Thirty-Second Senate District
In the capitol, my colleagues and I are working on legislation to serve and improve our communities ranging from infrastructure investment, public safety and water management, to formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide while also asking for Congressional action to make the battleship Iowa museum a reality.
As part of the Governor’s $100 billion California Comeback Plan, we are working to utilize a $5.1 billion package funding package to address our immediate drought response demands and long term water resiliency needs through infrastructure modernization.
As part of my 2021 bill package, I introduced SB 244. This bill would require (CalFire) to develop protocols and training for the detection, safe-handling, and suppression of fires started from discarded lithium-ion batteries in the waste-handling system. As we increasingly utilize lithium-ion batteries, in our tech devices and cars, it is imperative that we have a safety protocol in place going into fire season, and a drought, to ensure that best practices are always utilized when recycling and disposing of them.
I also introduced SB 268. This would authorize the establishment of the Lower San Gabriel River Recreation and Park District, allowing cities along the San Gabriel River to come together as one governing body to advocate and plan for open space and parks projects in our district.
I also introduced Senate Joint Resolution 3, urging the United States Congress to pass, and the President of the United States to sign, the Battleship Iowa National Museum of the Surface Navy Act of 2021. The Pacific Battleship Center, known as the Battleship IOWA Museum, is a nonprofit organization that was donated the Battleship IOWA by the United States Navy in 2012 to be a museum and educational institution at the largest port complex in the country, the Port of Los Angeles. As a testament to the brave service members who served about this battleship with valor and distinction, it would truly be an honor to see this noble battleship be utilized as a National Museum for the educational benefit of future generations.
And as a member of the California Armenian Legislative Caucus, I co-introduced Senate Resolution 29 alongside Senators Atkins, Portantino, Wilk, Borgeas, Dahle, Durazo and Hertzberg to properly acknowledge the experiences of Armenians during the Armenian Genocide during and following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire following World War I. We were grateful and proud that for the first time in our nation’s history, the United States President has also formally recognized this historical atrocity on its 106th anniversary.
In the district, my team and I are hard at work reminding constituents they need to get vaccinated as soon as they are able to do so. As vaccine access has markedly improved, it is incumbent upon us all to do our part, get vaccinated, and help get our herd immunity levels up.
State Senator Bob Archuleta Launches Public Safety Program ‘Operation Safe Senior’ – Los Cerritos News
Covid-19 antibody tests are one of the many tools health professionals are utilizing in the effort to better understand and respond to the virus. Recommended for asymptomatic individuals who may have previously had Covid-19, and for those who received their second dose of the vaccine within the last 2-4 weeks, we recently partnered with Destiny Community Church International, Whittier Voters Coalition, and the Guardaheart Foundation to provide a no-cost Covid 19 antibody testing event.
We are also busy delivering PPE supplies to vulnerable seniors, public health stakeholders and regional institutions that serve the needs of some of those most susceptible to Covid-19. This Friday, May 7th marked the start of Operation Safe Senior, an effort in which my office is delivering face masks and spray hand sanitizers to senior dwellings in our district. During this first round, we were active in Downey, Montebello, and Norwalk, and were blessed to be joined by those cities’ mayoral leadership. We will continue delivering necessary supplies, in total 100,000 masks, while also making ourselves available whenever and wherever the need arises to help our community through this as safely as possible.
As work to safely reopen, we need to remain aware that not everyone has been vaccinated. CDC guidelines are continuously being updated, reflecting real progress being made on the ground. County guidelines in our region noting our reopening tier level are largely all on the same page, which itself is welcome news. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for use in children age 12 and older. Please refer to the State’s Covid-19 website for more details.
My staff remain available and committed to helping you with State agency casework. Please note the REAL ID Federal government deadline has been extended. Beginning May 3, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will require a valid passport or other federally approved document, like a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card, to board flights within the United States and access secure federal facilities and military bases. You can read more about that here.
We also stand ready to help you with EDD casework. Since the beginning of the pandemic, my staff has helped hundreds of Senate District 32 constituents with EDD issues, ensuring they receive their benefits.
My staff is continuing to work through cases as constituents contact us. If you need assistance, please call my district office at (562) 406-1001. You can also find answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at https://bit.ly/3ikvzm6