Graduations, Other News from Sen. Blakespear

It’s that time of year when many of us cheer those we know – family members and friends – who graduate from high school‚ college‚ academies or important training programs to launch into the next chapter.

It is both exciting and rewarding for those graduating to cross the finish line and feel a sense of accomplishment. We all share in that joy and pride.

Our 16-year-old daughter Ava is now an official state lifeguard‚ who not only graduated‚ but worked in a lifeguard tower at Carlsbad state beaches every day over the Memorial Day weekend!

Our family celebrating our daughter Ava’s graduation from the intensive state lifeguarding academy in Huntington Beach.

She was one of only eight women to graduate in the class along with more than 50 men. A stingray got her foot on the last day‚ but she persevered and graduated in the top 20!

To all of you graduates out there‚ congratulations! Congratulations on your hard work‚ and on your dedication to get through. We welcome your enthusiasm and leadership‚ and all the great things you will do next.

Ava on her first shift as a state lifeguard!

We’re all busy people‚ and that means sometimes we skip the opportunity to provide feedback on surveys.

But please take a moment to do this. It will only take about 5 minutes. I promise it is short and will be invaluable to me.

As your state Senator‚ I want to make sure I am serving you – and working on the issues you care about. This survey will help me do that.

This is an anonymous‚ web-based survey that will not collect any identifiable information. No one will be able to connect your responses to you. Thank you for your participation and helping me better represent you.

Click here to access the Constituent Policy Preference Survey

I am glad to join my bi-partisan Senate colleagues in passing an important package of legislation‚ known as Safer California‚ that directly attacks the problems of rampant retail theft and the widespread deadly distribution of fentanyl.

Senate Democrats have developed 15 bills to address these two crises‚ and I was happy to see these bills pass last week and be sent to the Assembly.

They include:

Increasing Access to Treatment for Fentanyl
SB 1319 (Wahab): Expedites approval of projects that expand the continuum of substance use disorder rehab facilities.
SB 1320 (Wahab): Requires health plans to develop a mechanism to reimburse providers who provide primary care and behavioral health integrated services.
SB 1385 (Roth): Supports navigators in hospital emergency departments and in the criminal justice system to ensure patients and justice-involved individuals are connected to evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder and to ongoing treatment services. *Would include corresponding budget action to ensure navigators receive support training.
SB 1442 (Ochoa Bogh and Skinner): Empowers CalRX to supply California with vital United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved testing and health assessment equipment‚ which will help increase access to affordable fentanyl testing strips for diagnostics purposes.
SB 1468 (Ochoa Bogh and Roth): Educates and encourages providers to make use of the new federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) rule to allow practitioners to dispense a three-day supply of narcotic medication to start detoxification treatment or maintenance treatment for people who use opioids.
SB 909 (Umberg): Addresses physician shortages in underserved areas by eliminating the cap on the Steven M. Thompson loan repayment program for physicians who agree to provide direct patient care in an underserved area for 36 months.

Increasing Awareness and Prevention
SB 908 (Cortese): Requires the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to spread awareness of the increase in opioid overdoses and develop guidelines to protect and prevent fentanyl-related deaths of children zero to five.

Enhance Substance Use Disorder-Related Services within the Criminal Justice System
SB 910 (Umberg): Establishes statewide standards used by collaborative courts to improve programming‚ drug testing‚ and medication-assisted treatment for individuals moving through the criminal justice system.
SB 950 (Skinner): Expands the number of re-entry hubs to provide more warm hand-offs and treatment options to individuals returning home from the criminal justice system. *Would include corresponding budget action to align state reimbursement models with federal rules to maximize funding potential.

Preventing Fentanyl Trafficking of Xylazine
SB 1502 (Ashby): Prevents illicit use and trafficking of Xylazine (aka “tranq”)‚ an animal tranquilizer with no approved human use that is increasingly being found in the illicit drug supply and has been linked to rising overdose deaths across the country.

Combating Retail Theft and Community-Based Crime
SB 1144 (Skinner): Disrupts the sale of stolen goods on online marketplaces by requiring that third-party sellers be certified‚ and bans sellers suspected of criminal activity from operating through online marketplace platforms.

Deterring Repeat Offenders‚ Cracking Down on Sophisticated Large-Scale Professional Thieves
SB 1416 (Newman): Increases penalties on professional organized retail theft in particularly significant large-scale resale schemes.

Strengthening Tools for Law Enforcement to Make Arrests‚ Prosecute Brazen Criminal Activity
SB 905 (Wiener): Removes the locked door loophole for automotive property thefts.
SB 982 (Wahab): Cements the work California has done on organized crime by making the law on organized retail theft permanent.
SB 1242 (Min): Requires courts to impose higher penalties on criminals who create fires in order to engage in retail theft. The higher penalties do not impact Proposition 47.

My legislation to revitalize the rail corridor that runs from San Diego through six Southern California counties to San Luis Obispo passed the Senate last week.

SB 1098‚ which follows up on the work of the Senate Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Rail Corridor Resiliency that I chair‚ aims to provide stronger management and support for the rail line to optimize passenger service. It passed on a 37-0 vote and now moves to the Assembly for consideration.

I am very happy about this‚ because we need a long-term coordinated plan to ensure our rail line is getting the investment it needs to reach its potential. This legislation sets the foundation for developing a vision for the LOSSAN Rail Corridor‚ addressing dangers posed by climate change and improving the line’s operations so rail service can become more reliable and effective at transporting Californians where they need to go.

As I have worked on this issue‚ attention to this problem has grown. I thank U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and U.S. Rep. Mike Levin for constantly reminding members of Congress of the urgency of LOSSAN’s needs‚ and the media for highlighting the threats to the line.

Recently‚ the Wall Street Journal reported on the challenges facing LOSSAN. You can listen to the WSJ’s podcast on the topic here: The Race to Save an Iconic Train From Falling Into the Ocean.

I recently visited the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians for a Tribal 101 to learn more about tribal sovereignty and water rights.

Did you know that San Diego County hosts the largest number of tribes and reservations of any county in the United States? There are 18 federally recognized Tribal Nation Reservations in San Diego County. (California has a total of 109.)

I take seriously my responsibility to represent all the residents of Senate District 38‚ including the Native American tribes. Recently I joined my fellow members of the San Diego legislative delegation to get insight and education on key issues facing local tribes.

We gathered for the day to hear from local tribal leaders‚ ask questions and better understand the problems they are facing. Thanks much to the Rincon Band for hosting!

It was fascinating to hear the history of the five bands of the San Luis Rey Indian Water Authority. Those tribes are the Pala Band of Mission Indians‚ Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians‚ La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians‚ San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians and Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians.

I am a member of the California Legislative Native American Caucus‚ the group of legislators with tribes in their districts who meet to make sure we are being responsive to tribal issues.

Dozens of volunteers joined us for our cleanup effort.

I was glad to join Project3R and Ryan’s Recycling Co. for a community cleanup at Buddy Todd Park in Oceanside. I love it when communities come together in a pursuit of common purpose and civic pride.

Special thanks to Project3R and Ryan’s Recycling for working to educate people on environmental sustainability and leading similar cleanup efforts throughout Senate District 38. This is vital to preserving the beauty and well-being of our local parks‚ beaches and public spaces.

Thanks to all who participated.

I have launched a new monthly recognition program to honor outstanding people and contributions in the 38th Senate District called Champion of the Month. I aim to highlight – and celebrate – individuals‚ organizations‚ teams‚ or businesses whose accomplishments and services have positively impacted the community.

You can help by nominating someone today! Go here‚ to submit a nomination.

The rising cost of homeowner’s insurance‚ and the difficulty of getting it‚ continues to be a huge problem for many Californians.

Did you miss our webinar regarding homeowners insurance? You can watch it here.

The book in the “Our California! Book Club” that we are currently reading is The Dreamt Land‚ by Mark Arax. This book is a vivid‚ searching journey into California’s capture of water and soil. The author‚ Mark Arax‚ is from a family of Central Valley farmers with deep ties to the land who has watched the battles over water intensify even as California lurches from drought to flood and back again. I hope you can join us to discuss this book.

The goal of our book club is to discuss books that touch and reflect on the California experience – past‚ present‚ and future – and how it informs the work of the state Legislature.

• What: Zoom meeting to discuss The Dreamt Land‚ by Mark Arax
• When: 10 a.m.‚ Saturday‚ June 15.
• Details: Sign up here to get the Zoom link and additional book club details

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

In partnership‚

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