One life lost or impacted by traffic violence in San Francisco is too many. As of mid-April, eight pedestrians have already been killed in our city this year. If that pace continues, we will surpass the fatality rate set in 2022. That’s when the highest number of deaths were recorded over a five-year period.
The California Service Corps is the largest service force in the nation, and recruiting is underway to fill 10,000 fellowship slots with teenagers and young adults willing to serve their community while earning money for college.
It’s tax season. I wanted to highlight the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) programs, which provide tax refunds to millions of lower-wage workers and their families. Both the state and federal governments each administer one to help struggling workers with potentially sizeable tax refunds.
A ribbon-cutting marked the completion of the project’s first phase, which added improvements such as a National Fitness Campaign fitness court with exercise equipment; two new picnic tables and benches; new ADA parking at the John Muir Drive lot; new signage along the asphalt trails; and landscaping upgrades including tree maintenance and new tree plantings.
I want to wish you and your family good health and prosperity, as we celebrate the Lunar New Year. The Year of the Dragon in 2024 is expected to bring favorable conditions for change, and I’m happy to report there’s already one that I’m proud of.
As of 2024, more seniors and people with disabilities in California will be eligible for health care under Medi-Cal, the state program administering the federal Medicaid program. In 2021, under my leadership as Assembly budget chair, we approved the elimination of the asset test.
It’s almost time to ring in the new year! As 2023 comes to a close, I want to let you know of about a few state laws I championed that are taking effect on Jan. 1.
As residents of a major city, we know that getting from point A to point B doesn’t have to always involve a car. While public transit is a great option, people power should also be considered – and even play a bigger role. Active transportation is human-powered mobility, such as biking, walking or rolling.
The Arguello Quick Build Bicycle Safety Project can now move forward after Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) successfully secured $1.2 million in state funding to install protected bike lanes connecting Golden Gate Park and The Presidio.
Many of us have seen the viral images of retail theft across news outlets and social media. Large groups of thieves enter a retailer and steal thousands of dollars of merchandise in a matter of minutes.
Schools are back in session, signaling that summer is winding down. The change in seasons is noted in a variety of ways. On the west side, fall means it’s time for the Richmond District Autumn Moon Festival – 2023 marks this event’s seventh year and its success is a testament to how important this is to the community.
The state’s fiscal health is strong. As Assembly budget chair for the last eight budgets, I’m glad to see that our years of fiscal responsibility has positioned our state well to deal with declining revenues. This enables us to protect the progress we’ve made in key priority areas, avoid cuts to core programs and maintain a $38 billion reserve to safeguard against economic uncertainty in California’s new budget.
Many of you rely on buses, trains and/or ferries to get to school, work and other destinations. But the crucial services they provide are in jeopardy because the agencies running them are facing a “fiscal cliff,” – a situation in which declining fare revenue and the end of pandemic funding from the federal government could result in significant operational cuts. In addition, our Bay Area operators rely on fare box revenue to fund operations more than transit agencies in other regions such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles.
While serving as your assemblymember in Sacramento, I have been a strong advocate for students from early childhood education through college. Whether it’s digging California up from the bottom in per-pupil spending, creating Universal Transitional Kindergarten or providing free school lunches, my goal is to ensure our youth are provided opportunities and resources to succeed.
The state of California recently aligned its state tax filing deadline with the Internal Revenue Service. That means for residents living in the 51 of 58 counties declared a disaster zone due to recent storms, including San Francisco, they have until Oct. 16 to turn in their returns.
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