Taking the Oath of Office As We Move Into 2025

Dear Friends and Neighbors‚
Happy December and I hope you’re enjoying all the festivities that come with the final month of 2024!
I started the month in Sacramento getting sworn into my second‚ four-year term as your California State Senator representing District 15 now including Morgan Hill and Gilroy.
This time the swearing-in ceremony was so much more meaningful with a program and being surrounded by colleagues‚ family and friends as opposed to 2020 when I first took the oath of office. Then we were in the throws of the pandemic. Sheltering in place and standing six inches apart were a way of life.
In 2025 I’m looking forward to working on issues that will make your lives easier including transportation improvements‚ affordable housing‚ bringing down inflation‚ providing more comprehensive child care for all and technology.
We will be back in session on January 6 – until then contact my office anytime with your ideas and thoughts on legislation at Senator.Cortese@Senate.Ca.Gov.
Let’s keep moving forward‚

Dave Cortese

Oath of Office Ceremony To The California State Senate

At the State Capitol in Sacramento‚ the California Legislature convened on December 2nd for the start of the 2-year legislative session. The newly elected Senators‚ including myself‚ were sworn-in by Patricia Guerrero‚ Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. The Senate also convened a special session to safeguard California values and fundamental rights. The one-day special session focused on bolstering California legal resources to protect civil rights‚ reproductive freedom‚ climate action‚ and immigrant families. We return to the Capitol January 6th.

Addressing the San Jose City Council On Transportation And the Importance of a United Front

As the chair of the California State Senate Transportation Committee‚ I spoke to the San Jose City Council members and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan about how important it is for our region – the city of San Jose‚ Santa Clara County‚ Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and the other 14 cities in the County‚ to stick together when it comes to how we approach dealing with transit funding here in the Bay Area in the upcoming months.
Last year we dealt with transportation legislation that was not good for our area. We were able to kill that legislation. This year we have a sequel. We’re going to be dealing with the same kind of issues all over again and I was very appreciative to have the opportunity this week to make sure that the city knows we want to work in solidarity and be unified in our approach here in Santa Clara County in how we deal with my colleagues in the California Legislature and people in the region.

All Electric Kaiser Permanente Hospital Breaks Ground

Kaiser Permanente broke ground in late November for a new 303-bed Kaiser San Jose Medical Center at 250 Hospital Parkway and is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2029.
The hospital will be all-electric and twice the size of its current facility along Hospital Parkway -- adjacent to its current facility.
It will house upwards of 300 patient rooms‚ an energy center and a five-level parking garage.

Cesar Chavez Library Mural Dedication

The Cesar Chavez Library mural celebrating the life of the civil rights leader life was honored with an opening blessing‚ a land acknowledgement‚ dancing and a ribbon cutting at San Jose City College.

Operation Gobble 2024

San Jose Water Company’s annual Operation Gobble event was a great success in 2024. District 15 staffer Mario Lopez was asked to present 100 $25 Safeway gift cards to a local nonprofit. I selected M.A.Y.A. Services - Mandas Animo Y Amistad. Founder Enrique Flores accepted the gift cards!

It’s an understatement to say how disappointed I am that East San Jose native and former Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett will not get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this time.
Thousands of supporters feel the same way. But I’ve always admired Jim Plunkett’s attitude about these awards. He earlier said ’I’ve made a lot of great friends‚ won a lot of ballgames‚ lost a few we shouldn’t have lost but I had a great time playing football.’ That’s a winning attitude and two-time Super Bowl champion Jim Plunkett will always be a winner.“
Here is a column published in the Merc last week by retired Merc Sports reporter Mark Purdy before the selection was made:

Mark Purdy: Raiders’ Jim Plunkett is a good play for NFL Hall of Fame

South Bay native‚ Stanford star and first Latino Super Bowl champion quarterback helped drive a wider fan base

Former Stanford‚ 49ers and Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett in the trophy room of his home in Atherton on July 19‚ 2017.

UPDATED: November 29‚ 2024 at 2:44 PM PST
Politicians love to pass resolutions. It keeps them busy and out of trouble. Most of the resolutions are worthy but full of flowery language and have no earth-shaking impact.
That will almost surely be the case again this week in Sacramento. State Sen. Dave Cortese‚ of San Jose‚ plans to introduce a resolution supporting former NFL quarterback Jim Plunkett’s candidacy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Plunkett‚ the South Bay native and former Stanford quarterback‚ is among 31 finalists in the hall’s “Seniors“ category. In early December‚ a Blue Ribbon Committee will trim the list to nine. In February‚ three of the nine “Seniors“ will be elected to the hall along with more recent players.
I am not involved in that process. But I have been a Hall of Fame voter for other sports. And I can testify that no resolution from any state senator ever influenced my thinking. Or the thinking of any other voter I know. What could be Cortese’s motivation?
“Our family’s house was just a short distance from James Lick High School in San Jose‚ where Jim played high school football‚“ Cortese explained in a phone call. “I’m proud to have grown up in the same neighborhoods where he was raised.“
So‚ it’s personal. And a fine gesture. But to be blunt‚ Plunkett’s selection faces long odds. Other candidates have thicker curriculum vitaes. They threw for more yards and touchdowns‚ earned more honors. Plunkett never made a Pro Bowl team. He had a .500 record as a starting quarterback.
Plunkett’s best resume entry? He is one of just 13 quarterbacks to win two or more Super Bowls — and of the 10 who are eligible for Hall of Fame consideration‚ all have been inducted. Except for Plunkett‚ the MVP of Super Bowl XV with the Raiders.Off the field
Is that enough? Probably not. But Cortese has built an intriguing additional case‚ based on Plunkett’s massively influential role helping the NFL become North America’s most widely followed professional sport. I’m on board with that case‚ even if it technically violates a voting dictum.
Hall of Fame selection members are instructed to consider “only on-the-field accomplishments“ for candidates. Plunkett’s Heisman Trophy at Stanford can’t be a factor. Nor can his inspiring life story of growing up as the son of two blind parents‚ working part-time jobs while excelling at James Lick to earn his college scholarship.
But guess what? That same “only-on-the-field“ standard was in effect in 2006 when hall voters decided whether to induct John Madden as a coach. In Oakland for 10 seasons‚ he did win 112 games and a Super Bowl. But other coaches who are not in the hall achieved more — including former 49ers coach George Seifert‚ who won 124 games and two Super Bowls.
Voters were supposed to ignore Madden’s brilliant television work and how he helped create a video game that built NFL interest among millions of young fans. But did they? Of course not. The voters essentially inducted John Madden for being the one and only John Madden‚ honoring all his contributions.
Likewise‚ Jim Plunkett should be inducted for being the one and only Jim Plunkett. He entered the NFL when Latino sports fans were generally more interested in soccer or baseball. A typical NFL crowd in the 1960s through the early 1970s was pretty much monochromatic‚ the milky opposite of diverse.
Take a photo of an NFL crowd today — particularly in California‚ Texas‚ Arizona and Florida — and you will notice Latino and Hispanic faces of all sorts. A recent Nielsen survey revealed that Latinos follow the NFL more intensely than any other sport — and are more passionate about the NFL than American sports fans in general.A wider fan net
This didn’t happen overnight. In 1971‚ Plunkett became the first Mexican-American player selected as an NFL overall No. 1 draft pick. This ramped up the interest of Latino fans‚ especially when Plunkett joined the Raiders in 1979 and won those Super Bowl titles‚ one in Oakland and one after the franchise moved to Los Angeles. The Latino NFL fan base up and down the state exploded into a sea of Raiders jerseys at the mall‚ the beach and neighborhood barbecues. Not to mention the stadiums.
During Plunkett’s era‚ he formed a Hispanic NFL troika with his Raiders coach‚ Tom Flores‚ and Cincinnati lineman Anthony Munoz. Flores and Munoz are already in the Hall of Fame. But Plunkett was the most visible and identifiable personality of the three.
The cultural motor of pro football fandom shifted gears when Plunkett planted the flag as the NFL’s first Latino Super Bowl champion quarterback. There are Raiders fans today who became Raiders fans because their dads and grandfathers became Raiders fans because of Plunkett. He deserves immense credit for making the NFL an ethnically ecumenical fan soup.
In Sacramento‚ Cortese often hears his peers philosophize about “a California for all.“ He knows that pro football also wants to cast as wide a fan net as possible.
“If you want an NFL for all‚ you can’t ignore the winners and champions who created that for you‚“ Cortese said. “That should be the closing argument.“
Right. But he still intends to introduce the resolution with the flowery language. Please forgive him.Mark Purdy is a former sports columnist for The Mercury News.
Originally Published: November 29‚ 2024 at 5:30 AM PST

The Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (OCPSC) is pleased to announce the launch of the California Community Resource Guide‚ an easy-to-navigate‚ online directory to discover State services‚ resources‚ and assistance. It was developed using a human-centered design approach and was informed by our Trusted Messenger Network who has deep‚ meaningful relationships with communities across the State.Santa Clara County leaders will not opt-in to regional transit tax measureCalifornia bill would restrict sale of retired diesel trains
 

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.