October 2019 Newsletter
Dear Central Valley Family & Friends,
This legislative year, community members throughout the Southern Central Valley came together to make a positive difference in the lives of your family. From expanding health care services to ensuring underrepresented communities receive their fair share of resources, the cities within Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern Counties raised their voices. As a result, California’s leadership delivered!
The following report highlights important legislative and local accomplishments throughout my first legislative year.
In this Issue:
Sincerely,
Your State Senator,
Melissa Hurtado – SD14
During my first year in Sacramento, I connected with my colleagues to raise awareness about the Southern Central Valley’s priorities. Through collaborative effort, key issues were presented to California’s leadership including expanding access to timely healthcare services, delivering clean and safe drinking water to rural and underserved communities, and protecting children through preventive services.
Read more to review the Senator’s 2019 - 2020 Legislative Accomplishments.
2019 - 2020 Budget Accomplishments:
Restoring Water Systems for Safe Clean Drinking Water
$15 Million: Addresses failing water systems that deliver safe clean drinking water to California’s most underserved communities.
Asthma Mitigation Project
$15 Million: Help ensure vulnerable communities have access to asthma prevention services
Youth and Family Civic Engagement Initiative
$12 Million: For the Youth and Family Civic Engagement Initiative to address civic engagement disparities for low-income and highly vulnerable youth and families.
Aging & Disability Resource Center Services
$5 Million: Allocate additional funding for Aging and Disability Resource Centers
Short-Line Railroad Projects
$7 Million: Invest in short-line railroad projects by creating a grant program through the Trade Corridor Improvement
Keeping Families Together
$4 Million: Investing in a legal fellows program for new attorneys to provide services to protect and keep families together.
Supported Budget Wins:
$130 Million: Under SB 200, authored by Senator Bill Monning (D-Carmel), and coauthored by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D- Sanger) the bill authorizes $130 million in continuous appropriation from the General Fund which will be used to secure safe drinking water in our most vulnerable communities.
$70 Million: Ends Medi-Cal's Senior Penalty
$2 Million: Invests in Career Technical Education funding to Fresno City College and Bakersfield College
$2 Million: Invests in the Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical to support valley fever research
2019 – 2020 Legislative Accomplishments:
Protecting Children & Families
SB 436: Prevents Child Abuse through Family Resource Centers
SB 490: Holds families harmless for CalFresh County Over-Issuances
Access to Healthcare & Services for Seniors
SB 260: Helps ensure Californians maintain health coverage
SB 453: Serving our Seniors: Aging and Disability Resource Centers “No Wrong Door”
Access to Clean Water & Healthy Communities
SB 351: Fair Share of Transformative Climate Communities Dollars for Unincorporated Communities
SB 513: Household Water Tanks for Homes with Dry Wells
Download the 2019 - 2020 budget accomplishment fact sheet here.
Download the 2019 - 2020 legislative accomplishment fact sheet here.
Additional Legislative Updates:
SB 331: Senator Melissa Hurtado's legislation, SB 331, was held by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The bill, which received bi-partisan support, would have required that all California counties develop a suicide prevention plan while focusing on the staggering rise of deaths among adolescents. Read the op-ed here.
SB 559: Senator Melissa Hurtado's legislation, SB 559, was extended into a two-year bill during its review in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The bill, which has received bipartisan support, helps secure California's water supply by setting up a policy framework to invest in the Friant-Kern Canal, one of San Joaquin Valley's most critical water deliver facilities. Read the press release here.
Senate District 14 is made up of four counties (Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern), which includes 1 million constituents. This year, my team and I attended close to 300 events as well as worked on a number of caseworks to assist the community throughout the Southern Central Valley. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to host multiple community meetings including Horchata Con Hurtado, the Free Senior Scam Stopper Seminars, a public hearing through the Select Committee on Social Determinants of Children’s Well Being, and Hanford’s Open House Forum. Moreover, I was able to kick off my signature event, the VSP Vision Care Mobile Health Tour.
Sen. Hurtado Kicks Off the Inaugural VSP Vision Care Mobile Health Tour
In a span of two days, I had the opportunity to partner with VSP Global/Eyes of Hope to kick off the inaugural VSP Vision Care Mobile Health Tour. The tour, which took place in Farmersville and Fresno, was held on August 26 – 27 and provided more than 100 constituents with no-cost eye exams and glasses.
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Public Hearing: Social Determinants of Children’s Well-Being
On July 15, I joined my colleagues, Sen. Holly Mitchell, Cathleen Galgiani, Susan Rubio and Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula in Fresno to host a public hearing on the social determinants of children’s well-being. The hearing provided community members with the opportunity to learn about the lives of immigrant children throughout California with a focus on access to healthcare services.
Community Meeting: Protecting Our Aging Population and Workforce
In partnership with California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, I joined more than 30 community members to discuss California’s aging population and workforce. The meeting was held September 20 in Bakersfield, California. During the meeting, stakeholders across the Southern Central Valley discussed the need for further investment in our aging population and workforce, a continuation of these public discussions and ongoing awareness education across all age groups.
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Hanford Open House Draws in a Large Community Crowd
On July 13, more than 50 community members joined me to celebrate the grand opening of our Hanford office, located at 611 N. Douty Avenue. Constituents had the opportunity to discuss issues such as immigration policies, affordable housing, addressing the aging population and workforce development.
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The California Latino Capitol Association Foundation recognized Sen. Hurtado as the youngest Latina to have ever been elected as a State Senator, presenting Hurtado with the Dreamer Award.
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Constituents of Kern County celebrates the $15 million state investment in asthma prevention services, lead by Sen. Melissa Hurtado
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Sen. Melissa Hurtado joins community members of the California Realtors Association during their day at the Capitol
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DOWNLOAD THE PDF VERSION OF THE NEWSLETTER HERE