Senator Cortese Newsletter: Spring is here!
Dear Neighbors,
Hopefully the wet season is ending and we can welcome a safe and sunny spring. As you can tell from the picture above, I am ready! It was a joy in March to join Holi festivities – a festival of colors where adults and children throw colored Holi powder into the air – in Discovery Meadow, hosted by AIA (Association of Indo Americans).
Whether you celebrate Holi, Easter, Passover, Ramadan or just Spring Break, Senate District 15 wishes you much enjoyment in the weeks ahead.
The Annual Pilgrimage to La Paz returns this year on the 30th anniversary of the death of civil rights and labor leader Cesar Chavez. Community leaders, educators, and students will be bussed to the National Chavez Center in Keene, California, to learn directly from the Cesar Chavez Foundation about the leader’s legacy. Visitors can also visit the memorial garden surrounding the final resting place of Cesar Chavez. The event is free but space is limited. Register here.
I’m happy to report that Governor Newsom signed the first of my 26 bills for the year. SB 41 represents a major agreement between business and labor — a welcome sight in Sacramento, and something I’d like to see happen more often. The law affirms the rights of flight attendants to get appropriate breaks and compensation. It also keeps good jobs from flying out of California, and promotes safety for the flying public.
Also my request for a state audit on homelessness spending in San Jose was recently approved. Adding transparency will help the City of San Jose, the State of California, and community members work together to figure out how to best spend state homelessness funding. We’re going to shine a light on homelessness spending, adopt best practices, and get more people off the street and into a better life.
Recent news coverage:
Mercury News: Grappling with homelessness, California weighs extending foster care for 5 years
San Jose Spotlight: State to audit San Jose’s homeless spending
KCRA: Audit request approved to look into spending on homelessness in California
EdSource: New bill would give homeless high school seniors $1,000 a month
It was an honor to celebrate and recognize DeAnna Pursai, our District 15 “Woman of the Year” for Women Making Herstory. Deanna is executive director of The College of Adaptive Arts in Saratoga, a first-in-the-nation nonprofit that provides lifelong and inclusive college programs for adults with differing abilities.
Deanna was honored on the floor of the State Senate
Deanna with Secretary of State Shirley Weber
Deanna with West Valley Mission Community College District Trustees Anna Kepner (left) and Adrienne Grey (right)
I enjoyed the “St. Joseph’s Table,” which celebrates the end of famine and drought in the Sicilian custom and heritage. Here’s me at the Italian-American Heritage Foundation in San Jose with Fr. George Aranha, Chairs Kathy and Larry Loman, Ken Borelli (not pictured), and the magnificent spread!
It was great to see many longtime friends and community leaders at the Santa Clara County Office of Education at the 2nd annual Environmental Literacy Summit. The event featured 17-year-old climate activist Alexandria Villaseñor, founder and board president of Earth Uprising.
Alexandria Villaseñor gained global fame as a 13-year-old in 2019 who organized youth around United Nations Climate Change Action.
If you or your kids would like to get involved in local climate action, contact our legislative director Tara Sreekrishnan, co-founder of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action. (tara.sreekishnan@sen.ca.gov)
We were also thrilled to see that wildlife are using safe underpasses to travel across Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz mountains. A couple years ago, we secured $2 million in the state budget for safe crossings for hikers and animals along that highway stretch in Senate District 15. Lots of dedicated people have devoted many years to ensuring safe passage for people and critters — and that work is paying off!
Check out some upcoming job fairs, including some that are tech-focused! Click here.
April 1 and 2, 10am-4pm, the California Native Plant presents a free tour of native gardens in Santa Clara Valley & Peninsula, San Francisco Bay Area. Click here for more information.
April 19, 5pm-7pm: Responsible Landlord Engagement Initiative, which works with the community to hold property owners accountable for the upkeep of their properties. San José City Hall Rotunda Plaza. Keynote by Assemblymember Ash Kalra. Email: RLEI@ccscc.org / 408-273-7478
Sign up for swim lessons through the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center (APJCC) of Silicon Valley. Spring session begins 4/17. Click here.
April 2, 8, 16: Free Walking Tour: Public Art as Resistance. Series by San Jose State University investigate the history of resistance embedded in downtown San José public art. Click here.
Volunteer for Martha’s Kitchen San Jose, a hot meal and grocery program for people in need. Martha’s Kitchen provided 2.5 million meals in 2022. Click here to volunteer.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns. I can be reached at senator.cortese@sen.ca.gov. State resources and services available are below and posted on my website: sd15.sen.ca.gov.
Be well,
Dave Cortese
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Santa Clara County
- Birth and Death Registration
- Domestic Violence Resources (Hotline call 800-799-7233)
- Resources for Homeless Young People: Bill Wilson Center
- Center for Employment Training / Job Counseling, Financial Support and Job Board
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- Free Legal Help: Family Law, Civil Rights, Employment Law
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- Free Healthcare for Qualifying Families
- Pick up free sandbags at the following locations (from The Mercury News): The Santa Clara Valley Water District provides five sandbag distribution sites offering filled bags, free of charge, 24 hours a day from November through April. The five sites are:
- Alviso: 5030 N First St., located behind George Mayne Elementary School, entrance on Wilson Way behind school
- Palo Alto: 1925 Embarcadero Road, next to Palo Alto Air Terminal
- San Jose: City Central Service Yard, 1661 Senter Road at Phelan Avenue
- San Jose: Santa Clara Valley Water District Winfield Warehouse, Winfield Boulevard between Blossom Hill Road and Coleman Avenue
- Morgan Hill: El Toro Fire Station, 18300 Old Monterey Road
- 20 other Santa Clara Valley Water District sites offer unfilled sandbags with sand for residents to shovel in themselves. The agency recommends people take their own shovels to those sites, as well as assistance for hauling the heavy bags. Some sites require proof of residency. These locations can be found here.
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