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.
Serving as a juror is a meaningful opportunity for impactful civic engagement, allowing everyday people to participate in our legal system and in our democracy. Yet, there continues to be a lack of adequate and proper representation in our juries.
I marked this occasion by introducing AB-264, a bill giving California’s community colleges the flexibility to observe the Lunar New Year (LNY) as a state holiday without increasing the number of days schools are closed. They could, for example, combine Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays as one holiday and add LNY as another.
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. From local food drives to neighborhood festivities, it was nice to see our community get into the spirit.
The California Controller’s Office is holding more than 70 million unclaimed properties worth nearly $12 billion, waiting for their rightful owners to claim them. Could you be one of them? Thousands, if not millions, of people have money or valuables in state custody they may not realize is theirs. While the state tries to find people, it is not always successful.
The Franchise Tax Board (FTB) has begun to process the next group of Californians eligible for inflation relief payments, called the Middle-Class Tax Refunds. From now through mid-January, debit cards are being mailed out to help residents fight global inflation. These one-time payments are part of the $9.5 billion tax refunds going to most Californians.
When you walk by 23rd Avenue and Clement Street in the Outer Richmond District, you can tell the grill at K-Elements BBQ is fired up. The smell of the Kalbi Short Ribs and Beef Bulgogi tease our senses. While the 5-year-old restaurant does a great job of filling our stomachs, I want to recognize the way they nourish community.
CA’s Seed Money for College As the new school year begins, parents naturally look ahead and wonder about their kids’ educational future. Pursuing a degree is often at the top of the […]
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 