__SALUTATION__

Beginning Thursday of last week, members of the California State Assembly and Senate voted on legislation crafted to implement the 2019-2020 budget for the State of California. As your Assemblymember, I was proud to vote with my colleagues on a fiscally responsible budget that makes the real investments necessary for California to enjoy a prosperous and sustainable future, while ensuring a healthy reserve fund to protect our state. This is a plan that keeps our state moving forward with provisions and protections to help make certain nobody gets left behind. Here are some of the key components to the plan:

1. Preschool and Childcare – This budget funds new slots in childcare and state preschools and expands the Paid Family Leave program.
2. Public Schools – Allocates record levels of Proposition 98 funding (about $81 billion in state and local funds) to public schools and community colleges, equal to over $12,000 per student, including new funding for special education.
3. Access to College – Provides 15,000 new slots for undergraduates at UC and CSU and 15,000 new competitive Cal Grants, as well as assistance to families saving for their children’s higher education. Included also was $1.5 million infusion into the Veterans Resource Center at Mira Costa College which will help bolster programs for former military transitioning into the workforce.
4. Housing and Homelessness – $500 million towards housing-related infrastructure to speed construction. Nearly $2 billion more goes for a mixed-income loan program, expansion of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, and $650 million in one-time funds to help local jurisdictions address homelessness (which also includes $1 million for Encinitas, Vista, Oceanside, and Carlsbad).
5. Social Services – Provides greater funding for a wide variety of social services, aid to help lift CalWORKs families from “deep poverty,” increases to CalWORKs homeless assistance, new senior programs, and greater funding for developmental services.
6. Tax Cuts – Suspends sales tax on diapers and feminine hygiene products.
7. Responsible Reserves – This budget also assumes an estimated $19.4 billion in reserves with $16.5 billion going to the rainy day fund.

I am also proud to say we managed to secure more than $10 million specifically for our region to help address veterans education, community revitalization, public safety, and homelessness.  Budgets are an expression of our values, and with this budget we are demonstrating, as Californians, a responsible and inclusive vision for the long term prosperity and vitality of our state.

Cheers,

Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath
Assemblymember, 76th District

Check out the second episode of TBH Podcast- To Be Honest with Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath where I interview Kim Woozy, co-founder of Skate Like a Girl, and Kathryn Bertine, former professional cyclist and founder of the Homestretch Foundation, about AB 467, legislation that will codify equal pay for female and male athletes who compete in California and the impact this legislation will have on attaining gender equity in the sports world and beyond. Find the podcast here.

• In celebration of Juneteenth, I attended the annual Juneteenth Multicultural and Jazz Festival in Oceanside on Saturday to recognize the North County San Diego NAACP for hosting the festival and honored the organization for their commitment to empowering underserved communities in North County.
  
  
  Asm. Tasha Boerner Horvath recognizing the North County San Diego NAACP President Satia Austin
  
  
• I joined the American Legion Post 146 in Oceanside for their 100th anniversary celebration and recognized Post 146 for their commitment to providing Oceanside veterans with excellent services and a place of community for the past century.
  
  
  Asm. Tasha Boerner Horvath with Post 146 Commander Tony Azares
  
  
• Field representative Alex Kiwan attended the MLK Jr. Middle School Awards Celebration and honored each graduating 8th grader who maintained a 4.0 GPA for all three years of middle school.
  
  
• Field representative Carol Waldman attend the Encinitas Union School Board meeting and honored retiring Superintendent Timothy Baird for his decade of service to the school district.
  
  

• AB 1731, my bill to appropriately regulate how long short-term vacation rental platforms may rent a unit where the primary resident is not on site in San Diego County's coastal zone, passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 7-2 vote.
  
  
• AB 931, my bill to increase women's representation on local boards and commissions, passed out of the Senate Committee Governance and Finance on a 4-1 vote.
  
  
• AB 1017, my bill to make it easier to plan for at-grade pedestrian rail crossings, passed out of the Senate Committee on Utilities and Energy on Tuesday.
  
  
• In honor of California Small Business Day, I was thrilled to recognize Darlington Marketing on the Assembly Floor. Darlington Marketing, based in Encinitas, is a successful small marketing firm that helps local entrepreneurs grow their business through effective marketing and strategic communications.
  
  Asm. Tasha Boerner Horvath pictured with Darlington Marketing CEO Cyndi Darlington
  
  

If you would like to keep up with my work in the Assembly, click here to visit my official Assembly website. There you can sign up for our email list or follow my official office accounts on social media (@AsmTBH on Twitter; @AssemblymemberTBH on Facebook: @AsmTBH on Instagram). You can also find contact information for our district office, where my staff can help you solve any issue you may have with the state.