July Newsletter

Hello, Assembly District 78! I'm your representative Chris Ward and I want to bring you up to date on the latest for the month of July.

Now that the state budget has been finalized and signed into law by the governor, I wanted to share with you some of the highlights and wins for the San Diego region. This year's budget marked a major turnabout from recent years as surpluses were not at hand. Thankfully, previous year's budgets continued to add to our reserves to help California weather projected deficits like this year.

First, let's start with the positives. The budget I held to fully funds this year's needs for public education while keeping commitments to the University of California and California State University, and includes funds to help communities who have been damaged by this year's atmospheric river storm systems.

Homelessness is of course one of our greatest challenges, and the budget held sustained support for programs, but importantly ongoing funding will have stronger expectations for accountability and results.

There's also $100 million which will be allocated to the Housing and Community Development Department's flagship Multi-Family Housing Program for developing additional affordable housing, as well as diversion and affordable housing preservation.

Our ongoing health care commitments will also see continued support, including increases to universal access to affordable health care, such as the state's Medi-Cal eligibility expansion.

Notably, child care providers will see a deserved boost in pay to increase wages, and the budget includes funding to help low-income families afford their child care.

Unfortunately, negotiations for these positives required tradeoffs – none of which are ideal. The state's previous timeline for climate funding will take a slight delay to projects aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution faster.

And for San Diego – beyond our share of statewide programs, I am proud to know our Fleet Science Center supporting student learning will be able to modernize its space for the next generation. That our San Diego River Park Foundation will be able to break ground on a visitors center for our park space in Mission Valley.

I secured support to the Padre Dam Municipal Water District for the East County Water Purification Project, and was proud to see continued support for the San Diego Regional Gun Violence Response Task Force, City of San Diego Fire Protection funding and biodiversity support led by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

I wanted to provide you a brief update on my legislative package this year. Thirteen of my bills are currently in the Senate for consideration covering a wide range of issues, including affordable housing, education, climate, technology, and public safety. I'm thrilled to see these bills move forward in the legislative process and look forward to them heading to the governor's desk for his signature after our upcoming summer recess and Senate Floor debate. For a summary of these bills, visit my website.

Several bills are still making their way through the Legislature, and I thought it would be an important time to have you weigh in on some of the more talked-about pieces of legislation this year.

Click here to be taken to my website where you can find more information on each bill, including analysis and bill text, as well as multiple choice options on how you would vote.

In future newsletters, I hope to utilize this tool more often so I can receive your input moving forward. As you can see, the legislature covers a wide range of important topics with arguments for and against bill ideas. I look forward to reading through your responses – and as always, if you have any questions about any legislation, feel free to reach out to me through my district office.

The USDA has extended the deadline for families to access their P-EBT benefits which helped families and children on verge of hunger during the pandemic. In San Diego County alone, it's estimated there is more than $12 million in un-activated debit cards –– mostly due to families not knowing about or receiving their P-EBT cards. This potentially affects up to 32,500 children and their families without food assistance due to them – and at my request, USDA has extended the deadline to claim these benefits. For more information, contact the California Department of Social Services at 1-800-887-8230 before the August 1 deadline.

From left to right: Top left: #TeamWard participate in San Diego Pride. Top right: Assemblymember Ward kicks off the 25th season of Concerts in the Park at Trolley Barn Park. Bottom left: Judging pies at the Mission Hills Town Council Fourth of July event. Bottom right: #TeamWard joins the Bankers Hill community group for a post San Diego Pride cleanup.

As always, I want to thank you for the opportunity to be your representative and work on these issues and more. One of the best ways to stay informed is to follow my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and now Threads where you can know in real time what developments are happening or what I'm working on every day.

If you need assistance, please know that my district office staff is available and ready to serve or answer any questions you may have. Feel free to reach out to the contact information at the end of this segment, and a staff member will connect with you as soon as possible. I wish you, your family and your neighbors all the best.

Sincerely,

Christopher M. Ward
Assemblymember, 78th District