Commentary

First off, Happy New Year! I hope you were able to enjoy some well-deserved time with loved ones over the holidays.
It’s hard to believe that we’re kicking off our second year in the State Senate. It has been a privilege to work on behalf of the people of Sonoma County and I can’t thank you enough for this incredible opportunity. Looking back at 2015, I have learned so much over the past year. Driving up and down the 400 miles of the spectacular North Coast, I have been able to meet so many good folks and get involved in the issues that are important to the small communities that make Northern California the best place to live in America.
One of the best lessons learned over the past year: One-size-fits-all approaches don’t work for our district. Too many times, solutions are advanced that benefit some of our state’s largest cities and counties, but these “solutions” can actually hurt rural and suburban regions like ours. That’s why, every day, we fight to make sure Sonoma County and the six other counties that make up this amazing Senate district get their share of resources and services.
I have always believed, when we work together, California is stronger. From the time I was on the school board at the age of 19 through my tenure on the Board of Supervisors, I’ve known that we can solve our toughest challenges when we have open and honest conversation and are willing to talk with those who may not always agree. I have taken this same approach in the Senate – hosting countless Town Hall Meetings and sitting down over a cup of coffee with neighbors – and I look forward to working with all sides in the months and years to come.
In 2015, we delivered a responsible state budget, built the strongest rainy day fund in decades and strengthened our public schools. We’re working to combat climate change and the drought, continuing to help our Lake County neighbors in need, delivering good jobs and standing strong to protect our coast.
We had some great successes that we can all be proud of. There was a lot to get done, and there’s even more on our plate for 2016. By working together, here is some of what we achieved over the past year:
Public Schools– 70 percent of public high school graduates in California will not achieve a four-year college degree. We secured $400 million, working closely with Governor Brown’s office, for career training, job skills and FFA programs in middle and high schools. In addition, we made our public schools stronger with the largest investment of funds in a decade. We made college more accessible and affordable with 32,000 new community college slots being created and we implemented a two-year tuition freeze at all UCs.
Valley Fire Response – As we all witnessed, the Valley Fire moved with unprecedented force through South Lake County causing immeasurable damage. We worked day and night to secure millions of dollars in disaster aid for shelter and housing, food assistance, debris removal, resources for law enforcement, erosion mitigation, watershed restoration, infrastructure rehabilitation, mental health services, assistance for schools and much more—including more than $2 million that was raised from over 12,000 community donors. Again, we have even more to do and are hard at work to ensure Lake County recovers and comes back stronger than ever.
Medical Marijuana Regulation – Working with Assemblymember Wood and hundreds of our neighbors throughout Northern California, we passed the most comprehensive medical marijuana regulation legislation in the nation – two decades after Proposition 215 legalized medical marijuana.
Rural school buses – We brought legislative leaders, state agencies and rural school districts together and secured $5 million for rural and small schools to replace aging buses that are a contributing factor to respiratory diseases such as asthma among our school kids.
Sonoma Developmental Center – We’re partnering with the County of Sonoma to make sure the residents of the SDC have the services and programs they need to thrive now, and into the future.
Infrastructure – We secured major funding for projects that are helping local communities combat our State’s historic drought and millions of dollars for SMART, which will help advance train service into Northern Sonoma County.
Our priorities for 2016 include a comprehensive transportation budget package that will help fund urgently needed improvements to our local roads, streets and highways. We’re part of a bipartisan team that just introduced a $2 billion initiative focused on tackling homelessness by providing housing, emergency shelter and mental health services to the thousands of North Coast residents who sleep on the streets every night. We’re focused on protecting our coast, and our $40 billion coastal economy, by advancing an off-shore oil drilling ban. And we will continue the fight to provide rural businesses and residents access to high speed internet.  
There is a lot ahead of us – and we are committed to working hard, working together and never giving up.
On behalf of Erika and our dedicated team, thank you for your support and friendship.