by Senator Dave Cortese
Have you ever wondered why two people who get charged with exactly the same crime get sentenced to completely different prison terms? The answer is something called “judicial discretion.” It means that, in the absence of a fixed rule, and with regard to what is fair and equitable under the circumstances and the law, a judge is allowed to consider individual circumstances when deciding a sentence.

by Senator Dave Cortese
We’ve all been stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on California’s congested and decaying roads, wondering how late we’re going to be to our next meeting and if our car will ever inch past whatever the latest traffic hazard is. And we’re not alone — all told, Californians waste 94 million hours a year sitting in traffic.

by Senator Dave Cortese
The pandemic has reshaped seemingly every aspect of our lives. Creating a shock throughout our education system, the economic and social effects of the past two years have spilled over into our school settings, forcing us to acknowledge the full impact of educational inequities and rethink how we truly ensure access and opportunity for every child. 

By Senator Dave Cortese

Budgets are a statement of our values. I have been saying this, and living by it, during the entirety of my time as a public servant in local government at the school, city, and county level. Now, as your State Senator and a member of the California Senate Budget and Review Committee, I am tasked with reflecting the values of our state government and ensuring our financial prosperity.

by Senator Dave Cortese
As many students return to their classroom this season, parents, educators and legislators are rightly focused on efforts to address learning loss experienced during the pandemic.

by Senator Dave Cortese
For decades, the State of California has tracked the location of sites that release hazardous materials into the communities we live in – these toxins pollute the air that we breath, the water that we drink, and the soil our crops depend on. Read the full column at this link. 

by Senator Dave Cortese
Every year, students, teachers, school administrators, as well as local education advocates across our community, fill up a handful of school buses and head to our state’s capitol to share their ideas and concerns about California’s public education system with members of our Legislature. Read the full column here. 

by Senator Dave Cortese, Joanne Scheer, and Yolanda Ledesma

An average of 130 people per year — one person every three days — are sentenced to die in our state prisons for a crime they did not commit. “I wasn’t supposed to be here at all in the world today,” says Tammy Cooper Garvin, a former resident of Santa Clara County who was criminalized for surviving human trafficking and charged as an unwilling accomplice for a crime she did not commit.