Protecting Budget Priorities, Other News from Sen. Blakespear

Greetings!

Summer is here! The weather is nice and hot in both Sacramento and at home in District 38. I hope you’re enjoying the long days of sunlight as I am!

In the Capitol‚ we finished passing the state’s nearly $300 billion state budget for the next fiscal year. It is balanced and protected key programs.

I fought hard to keep funding for the LOSSAN rail line‚ transportation investments‚ homelessness programs and the Habitat Conservation Fund. I am happy to report that in all these areas the Legislature was able to restore funding that the Governor had suggested cutting.

In an op-ed for the San Diego Union-Tribune‚ I explained the importance of the Habitat Conservation Fund. Preservation of open space and investments in nature-based solutions to fight climate change‚ as well as protection of habitat for species‚ including the mountain lion‚ is very important. The voters established this fund 30 years ago and I vigorously and repeatedly spoke out against its proposed elimination. Thankfully‚ a consensus emerged that this was worth protecting.

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Last week I was struck by the irony of entirely missing a transportation panel on the reliablity of train travel because my train was delayed!

Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva and I (above photo) were taking the train from Sacramento to Berkeley for a transportation conference being held by the California Foundation for the Environment and the Economy (CFEE).

Electrical issues caused the train to come to a lengthy halt and we entirely missed the panel titled “Running Down A Dream – Will California Rail & Public Ever Rival Driving?”

The rest of the 2-day conference was very valuable‚ as I continue to dive deeper into the complexity of our state’s transportation network.
 

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Here I am presenting‚ SB 1066‚ which passed the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. The bill requires producers of marine flares to establish and run a program to collect expired and unwanted flares‚ which are toxic and explosive.

Right now‚ I’m hearing and voting on many bills authored by Assemblymembers‚ while at the same time shuttling between committee rooms and buildings to present my bills to them. It’s very active! Here is a quick update on some of my bills.

SB 1019 passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee. The bill ensures that firearms turned in as part of gun-buyback programs or confiscated by law enforcement during investigations are completely destroyed. As the New York Times reported in December‚ many parts of guns collected in such programs end up being resold online as part of gun kits that can easily be turned into “ghost” guns.

SB 1045 passed the Assembly Local Government Committee. The bill aims to expedite the siting of composting facilities so California can meet its organic waste diversion goals.

SB 1077 passed Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee. The bill aims to improve and speed up the process for permitting ADUs in coastal areas‚ which can take up to twice as long as in non-coastal areas. ADUs are a great way to add gentle density‚ meaning we increase housing‚ provide homeowners flexibility and scatter new homes into existing neighborhoods in ways that create limited impact to neighborhoods. Loosening regulations on ADUs has been one of the most successful statewide housing programs at increasing housing across the state.

SB 1098 passed the Assembly Transportation Committee. The bill follows on the work of the Senate Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Rail Corridor Resiliency and aims to provide stronger management‚ support and a new vision for the rail line to optimize passenger service.

Unfortunately‚ one important bill stalled‚ SB 1401‚ my legislation to help ease the shortage of child care options for military personnel.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) provides many types of child care for military personnel‚ including child development centers on bases and family child care (FCC) provided in homes. SB 1401 would have made it easier and quicker for a family to provide a home-based child care for up to 6 kids by exempting the applicant from a state license when they already have a federal license.

I pulled this bill from a hearing in the Assembly Human Services Committee when it became clear that the chair did not support the bill and was recommending a “No.” Eliminating duplicative permitting is a good idea and I will continue to work on this. Making it faster for child care centers in homes to open is necessary to alleviate the backlog and waitlists for affordable child care. The shortage of child care options for military families is a military readiness issue‚ according to the DOD‚ and it negatively affects the daily lives of many families.

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I was humbled and honored to be recognized as the 2024 “Elected Official of the Year” by the California Transportation Foundation (CTF).

The nonprofit organization holds annual awards to recognize people and organizations making big contributions to transportation across the state of California. CTF cited my work on the Senate Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Rail Corridor Resiliency‚ my legislation to improve the rail line and my past work as Chair of SANDAG.

The foundation is an example of how transportation can bring together communities and transform lives. I am thankful for its recognition‚ and glad that I am in a position to support LOSSAN and public transit services throughout the state.

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Sen. Richard Roth swore me in as a member of the California Law Revision Commission.

I have been appointed to the California Law Revision Commission as the Senate representative on the board. As a lawyer‚ I welcome the challenge of examining and analyzing California laws and whether they need to be reformed.

This independent agency assists the Governor and the Legislature in assessing laws and whether they need to be changed or updated. The commissions does studies of certain laws or sections of laws and then makes recommendations. The current jurisprudence being studied in depth relate to anti-trust laws in California.

You can learn more about the commission here‚ including what areas of law it is currently examining and its most recent recommendations.

Don’t miss my upcoming Ending Homelessness Summit. You can sign up to attend here. Homelessness and the lack of affordable housing continues to be one of the biggest problems facing San Diego County and the entire state of California. I am committed to finding solutions. You can watch the last Ending Homelessness Summit I held‚ last October‚ here. I hope you can join us on July 25 at UC San Diego for our next summit.
 

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What is Plastic Free July? It’s an international movement to encourage people to quit using single use plastic products and reduce the plastic we are putting into the waste stream that pollutes our environment and the world’s oceans.

Click on the image above to watch a short video on Plastic Free July‚ or visit this website.

Shockingly‚ some 18 billion pounds of plastic waste flows into the oceans every year from coastal regions alone. This year I have authored legislation to ban the sale of film plastic bags at grocery story checkouts. This bill‚ SB 1053‚ has passed the Senate and is being considered by the Assembly.

I hope you can make the screening of this impactful film! RSVP here.

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I am honored and thrilled that Francine Busby has accepted the position of District Director for Team Blakespear! Francine fills the position that was previously held by Jack Christensen before he was elevated to be my Chief of Staff.

As a 30-year resident of San Diego County and former elected official who previously served as District Director for Congressman Mike Levin‚ Francine knows the area well and understands how government and politics work.

Francine oversees a staff of seven‚ plus several interns and fellows‚ in my two district offices – Laguna Hills and Encinitas. Feel free to contact Francine directly about any district-related matters at Francine.Busby@sen.ca.gov.

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