Senator Cortese Newsletter: Happy Labor Day

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Senator Cortese in July addresses local healthcare workers rallying over pay and chronic understaffing.
 

On this Labor Day, we honor the sacrifices and bravery of all of our workers. At a young age, I became involved in the labor movement by joining labor actions with my family. I worked as a journeyman grocery worker and a member of UFCW, The United Food and Commercial Workers. This helped me understand the struggles of hardworking people. Throughout my life, I’ve looked up to labor leaders like Cesar Chavez and his surviving family members, and Dolores Huerta. Each year, we take busloads of people to the National Chavez Center in Keene, California, to learn about Cesar Chavez and his impact on the world. Check out this short documentary about this year’s Pilgrimage, and sign up for next year by emailing me at senator.cortese@sen.ca.gov.

Some have called this season the “Hot Labor Summer” because workers in government, hospitals, hotels, and across Hollywood are forcing employers to navigate picket lines on their way to the negotiating table. This labor resurgence is driven by very real pain as rents and living costs have spiked and earnings haven’t kept pace. In the Capitol this year, we’ve brought business and labor together and negotiated new protections for airline workers and motion picture workers. We’re also working to establish good-paying jobs in sustainable green industry with the enactment of my SB 150.

As we enjoy this Labor Day, let’s reflect on our fight to restore dignity to all workers, and giving every person an opportunity to take care of themselves and their family. As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Be well,

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Senator Dave Cortese

 

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I invite you to our Picnic by the Lake Multicultural Festival and Resource Fair! On Saturday, September 30th, from 10 AM to 3 PM at Hellyer County Park!

Picnic by the Lake is an all-free event! Bring family and friends for free hamburgers and veggie burgers, multicultural performances, games, a pumpkin patch with free pumpkins, and chances to win prizes. We’ll also offer public resources like free COVID vaccines and flu shots. The park is located west of the Hellyer Avenue exit along Highway 101: 985 Hellyer Ave, San Jose, CA 95111

Free parking will be available at Hellyer County Park on the Cottonwood entrance side and at the Family Life Christian Center, G.W. Hellyer Elementary, Voices College-Bound Language Academy, and Christopher Elementary School. Complimentary shuttle services will provide guests with rides to and from these free parking sites to the event.

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Thank you to our partners, Rotary Club of San Jose East/Evergreen

Santa Clara County Parks, and our sponsors: Applied Materials, California Nurses Association, Google, San Jose Water, Kaiser Permanente, Valley Water, Santa Clara and Benito Counties Building Trades Council, Silicon Valley Clean Energy, CEMA, Office of Santa Clara County District 2 Supervisor Cindy Chavez, Excite Credit Union, and SEIU-UHW.

 


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Makers Market on the Row: Saturday, September 9, 11am-6pm, Santana Row: Bring your family and furry friends to Santana Row to listen to live music, shop at local shops, and enjoy food from nearby restaurants! Click here for more information.

Senior Safari at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo: Thursday, September 28, 9-10am: Visit the zoo animals, soak up the sunshine and fresh air, and enjoy various activities. Free admission and parking! Click here for more information.

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Viva Calle San Jose Is Hosting An Open Streets Event!: Sunday, September 10, 10am-3pm, Japantown, Kelley Park, and Tamien Park: Enjoy your Sunday exploring the event route in San Jose with resource tables, vendors, food trucks, performances, and activities for the whole family to do together. This event will be spread across pedestrian-friendly streets, going to Japantown, Tamien Park, and Kelley Park. Click here for the route map.

San Jose Museum of Art Hosting a Variety of Festivals and Events!: The San Jose Museum of Art is hosting several events for the public to enjoy in the upcoming days and weeks. Click here for event dates and times. Example:

  • Thursday, September 21, 6pm-9pm: Word Dance Mosaic: Enjoy an evening of socializing, music, and open-air dancing with professional dancers and bands! Museum galleries will also be open. FREE. Click here for more information.  

Donate Food for Underprivileged Families: Deliver non-perishable, dry food. Located at the Evergreen Islamic Center: 2486 Ruby Avenue, San Jose. Open from on the following days:

  • Saturday, September 16 - 11am to 1pm

Free, Healthy School Meals for Kids during the Summer Second Harvest of Silicon Valley: Enter your address, city, or zip code to find a summer meal provider near you. This is offered to all kids in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties—no documentation or registration required. You can also get the location of nearby meal sites by calling Second Harvest Food Bank's Food Connection team at 1-800-984-3663. Offered all summer long. Click here for Locations.

Help Abused/Neglected Children and Juvenile Justice-involved Youth: The Santa Clara County Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC) is looking for interested individuals to join the JJC’s 15-member body! The JJC is a state-mandated, court-appointed commission that examines the County’s administration of juvenile court law, which includes all agencies that work with abused/neglected children and justice-involved youth. Once appointed by the Superior Court to the Commission, a JCC member:

  • This voluntary role requires a time commitment of up to eight hours each week. The term is four years. JCC members serve a critical role in the county’s oversight of the execution of Juvenile Law.
  • JCC members conduct inspections of government facilities that house children and youth. They interact closely with key agencies and other community partners in shaping policy in this county and monitoring successes and challenges.

Any resident of Santa Clara County who is a U.S. Citizen can apply. Click here for more information and for the application. Questions? Email the JJC here.

County Poet Laureate Applications Open for the 2024-2025 Term: The Poet Laureate is an honorary post advocating for poetry, literature, and the arts. They also contribute to Santa Clara County’s poetry and literacy legacy through public readings and participation in civic events. More information here.

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Attention MediCal Recipients: People who receive MediCal/Medicaid coverage are being reevaluated for program eligibility. Please update your information ASAP to ensure you can keep all your insurance benefits. Click here to get started.

San Jose Fire Department Encourages Use of the PulsePoint App to Track Local Incidents: People facing an emergency should call 9-1-1. For people who wish to monitor emergencies in their area for personal safety, the San Jose Fire Department encourages using PulsePoint. This 9-1-1-connected mobile app can immediately provide information about emergencies occurring in the community. The PulsePoint app provides a real-time feed of fire and emergency medical service calls, and displays the time of dispatch, location, and unit response. The app also includes an option to listen to live radio traffic of dispatch and command channels.

 

 

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San Jose Spotlight: Silicon Valley Black Cultural Center Receives Funding Boost

Mercury News: Cupertino Climate Summit Tackles Environmental Issues

Fox KTVU: State Leaders Meet With Religious Community to Address Santa Clara County Housing Crisis

 

 

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Earlier this month, the State Senate passed my SR 34, marking the nation’s first State Resolution to formally recognize humanity’s duty to future generations to restore a safe climate for long-term human survival. Read more here.

 

 

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We saw great crowds at this year’s “National Night Out” celebrations! These are a few of the many neighborhoods we visited across Santa Clara County. I helped establish the Neighborhood Safety Unit a few years ago, and am delighted to see our public safety partners continuing to improve safety in neighborhoods, with lots of smiling faces all around.

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I was honored last month to meet with the National Domestic Workers Alliance and many other workers at a Workers Roundtable event across health care, transportation, in-home care, and the gig economy. Every worker deserves the chance to organize, but the fight for dignity and respect doesn’t stop with collective bargaining! Workers deserve affordable housing, transportation, and support so they can take care of their families and help their kids launch into promising careers. Worker safety is also key. My Senate Bill (SB) 553 will protect workers and bring mental health resources to workers at risk of committing violence.

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We had an excellent town hall with U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna, where we took questions about building resilience to climate change, addressing homelessness, and bringing good-paying jobs to our region and state. Thank you to everyone who attended, asked important questions, and held us accountable.

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I had a great time at a town hall hosted by the Farmworker Caravan. I spoke about my SB 406 to speed up the construction of affordable housing. Also, this year we’ve awarded $16 million to support homeownership for California farmworkers! Farmworkers and their families are the lifeblood of California and deserve good pay, safety, quality homes, and healthcare. Pictured from left to right: Ray Cancino, Chief Executive Officer, Community Bridges, Dominic Dursa, District Director to Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, me, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 1 Community Leader Darlene Tenes, Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, Farmworker Caravan volunteer Patricia Gardner, and Congresswoman Lofgren’s Immigration Community Liaison Christian Mora-Castrellon.

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It was great to speak with the Retired Public Employees Association of Santa Clara County! We discussed my efforts around retirement security, including my SB 411 and SB 868, which are already bringing improved benefits and financial stability to retired educators and public servants.

 

 

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