District 15 is expanding to Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin!
Dear Friends and Neighbors‚
The long and winding election season is finally over!
I cannot thank you enough for re-electing me to another four-year term as your California State Senator representing the new District 15.
This is the first time I have run for re-election since the district boundaries were changed in 2022. My district now includes San Martin‚ Gilroy and Morgan Hill and I’m looking forward to working with my new constituents.
I will continue working on homelessness‚ housing affordability‚ the cost of living‚ bringing inflation down‚ and of course‚ working on the new technology like self-driving cars that we embrace here but we have to regulate as a state Legislature.
At the national level‚ I am more than prepared as a California State Senator to stand up for the people of California who will be vulnerable to the sweeping policy changes on deportation and other life changing issues expected under another Trump Administration in 2025.
I was prepared in 2016 as a Santa Clara County Supervisor when I was the lead on filing the first lawsuit against the first Trump Administration that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In the end‚ our County saved more than two billion dollars per year in federal healthcare dollars to protect our residents. I protected our “Dreamers.“
I appeared on Tucker Carlson’s conservative show saying we can’t hold people without due process‚ probable cause‚ without a warrant in a criminal jail for a civil violation. We knew the President of the United States can’t usurp the spending powers of the United States Congress and can’t interfere with local control by trying to coerce people in counties by threatening to take away billions of dollars in federal funding that’s completely unrelated to his policies. The Constitution of the United States is the law of the land. It’s paramount.
As a Democratic Party we are well aware that we just lost a national election and we need to hit the reset button and adjust our platform.
However we will never stop defending the most vulnerable among us.
Let’s keep moving forward‚
Dave Cortese
Election Night Watch Party at IBEW Local 332 Hall
It was good to be surrounded by friends‚ colleagues and candidates at the IBEW Local 332 Hall at an Election Night Returns Watch Party in San Jose!
I told everyone they should be extremely proud of themselves because of all the hard work that has gone into this election cycle. People look up to Santa Clara County because of the credibility it brings to the State with all of its diversity.
The 2024 campaign from the national level to the state level‚ from Orange County to the northern most parts of the state of California has been about what is this country going to look like and what are we going to respect. We’re going to respect the diversity that makes us strong! We’re doing that and we’re going to celebrate that.
Panelists (L to R) Jasmine McNealy‚ New America Public Interest Technology Program‚· Lisa Frazier‚ Batte/le Center for Science‚ Engineering and Public Policy; Dr. Gordon Douglas‚ SJSU Institute for Metropolitan Studies; Senator Dave Cortese.
What Can Artificial Intelligence Do to Enlighten Us on Climate Change
We had a robust discussion at San Jose State University last week in partnership with The Public Interest Technology University Network on how Artificial Intelligence and technology might give us insight on addressing climate change and energy needs.
At the Capitol we’re in the process of assessing the various societal roles of AI and working on several climate change issues including wildland fires. Thank you California voters for passing Proposition 4 – a bond to fight the effects of climate change!
The 106th Veterans Day Parade in San Jose Keeps Going Thanks to Community Support
Nothing can rain on San Jose’s 106th Veteran’s Day Parade!
It took a herculean effort to save the parade during the past year. Thanks to the hard work and inspiration of Colonel Ray Watts and Mike Hennessy that didn’t happen.
At the parade I presented a Senate Resolution honoring our veterans along with Elizabeth Vacca‚ a staff member for California State Senator Aisha Wahab.
Merc News columnist Sal Pizarro did a terrific job as MC & getting the word out about the parade! Read his column by clicking here.
Federal Funding Movement on Internet for All in California
The Connecting Communities Summit hosted by Tarana Wireless this week was a wide ranging discussion about getting internet for all.
The summit‚ held in Milpitas‚ comes on the heels of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ensuring everyone in California and across the country has access to quality‚ affordable high-speed internet.
The so-called BEAD program is a $42.45 billion state grant program authorized by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. California was allocated over $1.8 billion to deploy or upgrade high-speed Internet networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable‚ affordable‚ high-speed Internet service.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez Is Celebrated By Our Community in a Big Way
Recently we came together as a community to honor my longtime friend‚ Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez. I have worked with her for decades on the San Jose City Council and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
She has termed out of office and next week will become the new chief executive of Bernalillo County in Albuquerque‚ New Mexico.
She is New Mexico’s gain but her departure will leave such a void here.
It was my honor to speak about Cindy and present her with a California Senate Resolution co-signed by State Senator Aisha Wahab‚ Senator John Laird and Senator Josh Becker.
Historic African American Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Celebrates 160th Anniversary
Members of the African American Methodist Episcopal Zion Church celebrated the 160th anniversary of their place of worship. We presented the church with a California Senate resolution.
Church member Forrest Williams‚ a former San Jose City Councilmember accepted the resolution.
Transportation News
AAPI Coalition and Bay Area Council Request Gov. Newsom Deploy the CHP on BART to Improve Safety
The Bay Area Council and a coalition of over 100 Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) groups and individual leaders‚ plus additional business groups‚ elected officials‚ and other community stakeholders‚ today (Nov. 13) formally requested Gov. Newsom deploy the CHP across the BART system to address pervasive violence on trains and in stations. The request comes in the wake of a recent vicious slashing attack that nearly killed an Asian American rider. It followed another attack in July when an Asian American woman was pushed into a moving BART train and killed‚ and a deadly attack today near a BART station in San Francisco that further amplified the urgent need for additional law enforcement and other resources.
Read the letter to Gov. Newsom.
“We need to take strong‚ decisive and immediate action that violent and other crime will not be tolerated on BART‚ particularly crime targeting Asian Americans‚ women‚ seniors and other vulnerable communities‚“ said Jim Wunderman‚ President and CEO of the Bay Area Council. “There must be zero tolerance for crime on BART. We know large numbers of riders are staying away from BART largely because of deep concerns about the lack of safety and security they feel on trains and in stations. With bold and immediate action‚ Gov. Newsom can help restore public confidence in the BART system and help bring back riders.“
“As AAPI leaders and advocates for community safety‚ we stand with the Bay Area Council in urging Governor Newsom to take immediate action to protect all BART riders‚ especially the AAPI community‚ seniors‚ and other vulnerable groups disproportionately targeted by violence over the past two years‚“ said Mark Young‚ Co-Founder‚ Stand With Asians. “Asians make up 25% of BART riders‚ making it a vital lifeline that must be safeguarded. Deploying more safety patrols is a critical short-term step to restore safety and trust while working toward lasting solutions.“
Polling last year by the Bay Area Council overwhelmingly found riders were staying away from BART over concerns about crime and safety and that they resoundingly support having more police patrolling trains and stations. These attitudes were even more pronounced among the Asian American Pacific Islander community.
The Council since early 2022 has been vigorously advocating for critical safety enhancements on BART‚ including increased police presence across the system and the on-time deployment of more secure fare gates. While BART has been responsive to the concerns of the community and has made some safety improvements‚ additional support is needed to adequately and quickly respond to the scale of the problem on an already financially strained transit system. These recent violent attacks clearly show that existing resources are simply not enough‚ and that more needs to be done and faster.
Recent media reporting also found that while the “number of violent crimes on the system is lower than it was before the pandemic‚ the rate of violent crimes per ride‚ while down slightly this year‚ is still nearly double what is was in the years pre-COVID.“ That includes robberies and aggravated assaults.
Update About Getting Jim Plunkett into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
KQED: Jim Plunkett‚ Raised in East San Jose‚ Considered for NFL Hall of Fame
Crafts for the Holidays: San Andreas Regional Center
Give or Receive Food for Thanksgiving through Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
Important Transportation Information
Important Healthcare Information
As always‚ please feel free to contact me with any questions‚ comments‚ or concerns. I can be reached at senator.cortese@sen.ca.gov or by calling (408) 558-1295.