Community Events, Other News from Sen. Blakespear

I am back in Sacramento for the last month of this year’s legislative session‚ still beaming from several successful community events in July.

Hundreds of people attended the events and engaged on topics important to them‚ including homelessness‚ plastic reduction‚ women’s leadership‚ businesses’ prosperity and gun violence prevention. See some highlights below!

My Senate office staff are truly exceptional. My team routinely originates‚ cultivates and executes large events that highlight important topics. I’m so grateful for them.

As I return to Sacramento and sprint toward the Aug. 31 deadline for every bill to be passed or die‚ I’m girding myself for the high-stakes final decision-making.

I remain hopeful that two impactful bills I have authored – SB 1053 and SB 1098 – will pass the Legislature and be sent to the Governor to be signed. SB 1053 would ban plastic bags from being provided at grocery store checkouts‚ and SB 1098 would help revitalize the LOSSAN Rail Corridor.

I will provide updates in future newsletters‚ or you can follow the latest developments on my social media channels. (Links are at the bottom of this email.)

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Senator Monique Limón and I are seatmates (meaning we sit next to each other on the Senate floor) and I truly enjoy and appreciate our friendship.

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More than 150 people attended my 2nd Annual Ending Homelessness Summit at UC San Diego’s Robinson Auditorium.

State and local elected officials gathered with leading experts on homelessness at a summit I held on July 25 to consider how to improve government response to a problem that only seems to worsen year to year.

The event‚ which was live streamed on my website‚ included three separate panel discussions‚ audience polls‚ questions and answers with panelists‚ and a chance to offer suggestions for legislation to my office. If you have a bill idea‚ you can submit it to me here.

Watch the entire summit here.

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In the final panel discussion‚ I joined San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (left) and Assemblymember Chris Ward to talk about what’s happening from the state and local perspective.

My takeaway from the summit was that we have to take our efforts to address homelessness to the next level. There is much good work being done‚ but as homelessness grows every month‚ we need to redouble our efforts. Most of all‚ we need to track the effectiveness of our efforts and make sure we are spending public money wisely.

All in all‚ I think the summit provided for a dynamic‚ robust conversation‚ with lots of good ideas to follow up on. Thanks to the panelists and to everyone who attended. Others participating in panels were:

• Dr. Luke Bergman‚ Director of Behavioral Health‚ San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency.
• Kelly Bruno-Nelson‚ Executive Director‚ CalOptima‚ MediCal CalAIM
• Lisa Halverstadt‚ Senior Investigative Reporter‚ Voice of San Diego
• Lisa Jones‚ President and CEO‚ San Diego Housing Commission
• Tamera Kohler‚ Chief Executive Officer‚ Regional Task Force on Homelessness
• Dr. Jennifer Nations‚ Managing Director and Assistant Project Scientist‚ UC San Diego Homelessness Hub/UC San Diego Urban Studies and Planning
• Omar Passons‚ Deputy City Manager‚ City of San Jose
• Glenn Tsang‚ Policy Advisor on Housing and Homelessness‚ California Department of Health Care Services

To learn more about what I am doing about homelessness‚ visit my Addressing Homelessness web page or read my newsletters.

MEDIA COVERAGE

Del Mar Times/San Diego Union-Tribune: Local officials discuss Newsom executive order at Homelessness Summit

Del Mar Times/San Diego Union-Tribune: Homelessness Summit discusses state audit on funding for homeless services

Voice of San Diego: Governor’s executive order takes center stage at Sen. Blakespear’s homelessness summit

CBS-8: Sen. Blakespear holds Ending Homelessness Summit

NBC-7 Politically Speaking: Sen. Blakespear talks about Governor’s executive order on clearing homelessness encampments

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Nearly 300 people joined me at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to view a screening of the critically acclaimed documentary “We’re All Plastic People Now” and hear a panel discussion about plastics afterwards.

The film is so enlightening. Plastic is present everywhere in our daily lives. It takes hundreds of years to decompose‚ leading to pollution in the ocean and wildlife habitats.

And perhaps most shocking and disturbing of all‚ microplastics are commonly found in our blood‚ lung tissue‚ breast milk and placental tissues. Microplastics can be absorbed into our bloodstream‚ creating long-term health problems.

I enjoyed having a lively discussion with environmental stewards working diligently to find solutions to reducing single-use plastics and answering questions from our residents who care deeply about this issue. I am committed to working on this issue to ensure that we protect the health of our communities and our ecosystems.

You can watch the panel discussion here‚ courtesy of the Scripps Institution and Voice & Video Rentals.

RELATED MEDIA COVERAGE

Los Angeles Times Editorial: Yes‚ California must ban plastic grocery bags – again

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After the performance‚ I participated in a panel discussion with creator and artist Manuel Oliver (to my immediate left).

I am committed to ending gun violence in California. That may seem like an elusive goal‚ but California has made progress enacting some of the toughest gun safety laws in the nation.

I have focused my efforts this year on ensuring that our gun laws are working. I explained my approach in this op-ed in the Orange County Register.

Recently‚ I had the great pleasure of watching the riveting performance of “Guac” at UC San Diego’s Mandeville Auditorium. Manuel Oliver masterfully wove together themes of the immigrant experience‚ the love of a family‚ the political and cultural system we live within and the struggle “to fight back in the battle that we didn’t start” caused by gun violence in his 80-minute‚ one-man show.

Sadly‚ this is the result of his 17-year-old son‚ Joaquin‚ being killed in the Parkland‚ Fla.‚ mass shooting that occurred at a high school there on Feb. 14‚ 2018. The shooting killed 17 people and left 17 others injured.

“Guac” is heartbreaking and inspiring – and reminds us of the urgency and the need to end the scourge of gun violence in America. I especially appreciated Oliver’s artistic approach‚ and his message of hope.

We owe it to Oliver and the many others across the nation who have lost loved ones to gunfire to do better.

Thanks to San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention‚ which sponsored the show.

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I was moved by Manuel Oliver’s performance.

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I updated the crowd on my work this year‚ and then took questions. (Photos courtesy of OCBC and Doug Gifford Photography.)

I was happy to join the Orange County Business Council for its annual Legislative Day event. The council is a leading voice for Orange County business community and is focused on many of the things I am advocating for – improved transportation‚ affordable housing‚ economic development‚ water and energy.

We had a terrific discussion about the California Coastal Commission‚ the state’s budget‚ homeowner’s insurance and housing issues. I was glad to see so many Orange County business leaders in attendance and appreciated the thoughtful questions.

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Steve Finnegan (left) did a great job moderating the event‚ helping to relay and follow up on questions from the audience.

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Kids could get back packs and other school supplies at this great event put on by the North San Diego NAACP chapter!

I attended the North San Diego NAACP chapter’s back-to-school rally last weekend at MiraCosta College in Oceanside and was so impressed with the turnout‚ the community support and all the school supplies available to families.

It’s crucial for school children to have what they need to start the year right. The North San Diego NAACP chapter has been putting on this event for 22 years now‚ ensuring that kids have school supplies‚ family support and anything else necessary to succeed in school.

Much thanks to the North San Diego NAACP and the other supporting organizations that helped stage this important event.

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I am delighted to tell you about the newest addition to my staff‚ Paige Apperson!

Based in my Laguna Hills District Office‚ Paige leads my constituent services program. In her role‚ Paige directly engages with constituents‚ advocates for their needs and keeps them informed of important legislative matters. She works closely with my other district staff‚ who are also assisting constituents throughout Senate District 38.

Before joining Team Blakespear‚ Paige earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from The George Washington University. She has worked in previous jobs on developing fundraising‚ event planning and communication strategies for a diverse array of political and nonprofit clients in Southern California.

An Orange County native and a former Division 1 college gymnast‚ Paige enjoys being active and hiking the beautiful trails and beaches that Southern California has to offer. Welcome aboard Paige!

Thank you for your support. I am honored to serve you.

In partnership‚

To learn more about what I am doing, follow me on social media.

        

 

Email me at Senator.Blakespear@Senate.ca.gov

Call my Encinitas district office at (760) 642-0809
Call my Laguna Hills district office at (949) 598-5850
Call my Capitol office in Sacramento at (916) 651-4038