Recent News in the 16th District

Assemblymember Sandré R. Swanson meets with youth during a January hearing of the Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color in Oakland, CA.

Following its standing room-only hearing in Oakland, California last month, Assemblymember Swanson's Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color in California will head to Los Angeles on March 2 for a field hearing to investigate ways to improve the lives of young men of color in the state. The hearing - Claiming the Promise of Health and Success for Boys and Men of Color – will focus on establishing commonsense school discipline and law enforcement policies by borrowing the best of Los Angeles' innovative health, education, and juvenile justice models for possible statewide expansion.

WHEN
Friday, March 2, 2012
2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

WHERE
Expo Center
3980 Bill Robertson Lane
Los Angeles, CA 90037

» RSVP For This Event

http://assembly.ca.gov/menofcolor

The hearing is open to the public. For more information, contact Amy Alley at (916) 319-2016 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Assemblymember Swanson Invites You to a Hearing on State School Financial Takeovers

Assemblymember Sandré R. Swanson, Chair of the Select Committee on State School Financial Takeovers, invites you to attend a hearing in Oakland on Friday, January 27, 2012, to hear from affected school districts and communities and to discuss solutions to help prevent districts from being taken over by the state in the future.

"Public schools are the heart of our democracy and it is unacceptable that so many of them are experiencing budget stresses that make it impossible to operate in a meaningful and healthy way. The Select Committee on State School Financial Takeovers will spend the next year working with a forward-thinking group of state legislators, school districts, and leading education finance experts to help schools avoid the financial problems leading to state takeover," said Assemblymember Swanson.

When:
Friday, January 27, 2012
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Where:
Oakland City Hall
City Council Chambers, 1 Frank Ogawa H. Plaza
Oakland, California 94612

The select committee plans to address state receivership head on with a series of hearings in Oakland, King City, and Los Angeles. Please RSVP Here.

For more information, see the attached flyer or call the District Office at (510) 286-1670.

Follow this link to view footage from the first hearing.

Assemblymember Sandré Swanson wants California students to reach their highest potential. That's why he's encouraging students to apply now for a Cal Grant to help them pay for college.

Throughout January and February, the East Bay California Cash for College Coalition will be hosting Cash for College Workshops to help high school seniors apply for a Cal Grant.

To view a Public Service Announcement, find a workshop near you or learn how you and/or your organization can participate this year click here.

Assemblymember Sandré R. Swanson (D-Alameda), Chair of the Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color in California, invites you to attend a hearing in Oakland on Friday, January 20, 2012, to address the outcomes of boys and young men of color in the key areas of health, education, violence prevention, employment, and youth development.

When:
Friday, January 20, 2012
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Where:
Elihu M. Harris State Building
First Floor Auditorium, 1515 Clay Street
Oakland, CA 94612

Innovative policies are essential to save the boys and young men whose futures are at risk. The studies are alarming:

• High school graduation rates are approximately 50 percent and lower for young men of color.
• College graduation rates are 10 to 12 percent lower for young men of color.
• Homicide is the leading cause of death of Black youth and the second leading cause of death of Latinos.
• Blacks and Latinos make up 65 percent of our prison population, while they are only 43 percent of the population.

The select committee plans to address these issues head on with a series of hearings in Oakland, Los Angeles, Fresno, and Sacramento. Please help the committee find solutions for this vulnerable population of boys and young men. Please RSVP Here.

For more information, view the flyer or call the District Office at (510) 286-1670.

2007-2011

AB 12 - $25,000 Fines Against "Johns" Engaging in Sex with Minors
The commercial sexual exploitation of minors is exploding in low-income communities and communities of color. AB 12 (the ACCESS Act) increased to up to $25,000 the fines against "Johns" exploiting minors for sex and directs those fines to organizations that provide access to support services to the victims.
Signed by Governor and Chaptered into State Law, 2011

AB 16 - Human Trafficking Three Strikes Act
The Human Trafficking Three Strikes Act adds the crime of human trafficking to the definition of a serious and a violent felony for the purpose of sentencing pursuant to the Three Strikes Law.
Held in Assembly Appropriations, 2009

AB 17 – Human Trafficking Penalties Act
The Human Trafficking Penalties Act quadrupled fines against traffickers from $5,000 to $20,000 and enabled law enforcement to seize assets associated with the conviction. The bill also continuously directs 50 percent of those funds to community organizations serving underage victims of sexual exploitation.
Signed by Governor and Chaptered into State Law, 2009

AB 45 - Oakland Unified School District — Local Governance
On his first day in office, Assemblymember Swanson introduced AB 45, a bill that would return control of Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) to the locally elected governing board. Although OUSD met all the requirements to regain local control after years of being run by a state appointed administrator, the state refused to relinquish control. AB 45 would restore the power of the local school board and the voice of Oakland's students, parents, teachers, and education community.
Vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger, 2007

AB 90 - Strengthening California's Sex Trafficking Laws
Young sex trafficking victims suffer from significant physical and mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and trauma bonding resulting from displacement and abuse. AB 90 expands the types of human trafficking crimes subject to the criminal profiteering asset forfeiture laws and makes the resulting funds available for minor victims of human trafficking through the Victim-Witness Assistance Fund.
Signed by the Governor and Chaptered into State Law, 2011

ACR 99 — Pay Equity for School Nurses
ACR 99 urges school districts to take the necessary steps to increase school nurse salaries to a level comparable to those received by nurses employed in hospitals and clinics.

ACR 101 — Safe Jobs for Youth Month
This resolution declared May 2008 as Safe Jobs for Youth Month in order to raising community awareness about child labor and workplace health and safety issues.

AB 216 - Rehabilitation through Education Act
AB 216 would remove barriers that inhibit community colleges from offering courses in correctional facilities. The bill was part of a comprehensive re-entry strategy to address the extraordinary difficulties facing the formerly incarcerated and their families upon release. Research shows that inmates who attend at least one educational course while incarcerated are 29 percent less likely to reoffend –making our state safer and saving millions of dollars per year.
Held in Senate Appropriations, 2011

AB 395 - Increasing Penalties for Child Abduction
Sponsored by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, AB 395 would increase the penalties for custodial and non-custodial child abductions that continue for more than a year. The bill increased sentences for these crimes to 2, 4, or 6 years to more accurately reflect the severity child abduction.
Held in Assembly Public Safety, 2007

AB 407 — Transition and Success Programs for Youth
AB 407 would reduce recidivism among youth by establishing vocational and technical training, education and transition services for youth. The bill establishes a pilot program in selected county-operated probation camps and similar facilities to be administered by the Alameda County Office of Education and the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
Held in Assembly Appropriations, 2007

AB 499 — Treatment for Commercially Sexually Exploited Minors
AB 499 changed law enforcement's treatment of underage prostitutes from criminals to victims of sexual exploitation. The bill established a first-of-its-kind pilot program in Alameda County to increase coordination between government, law enforcement and child advocates in recognizing and treating the signs of commercial exploitation. AB 499 has proven instrumental in assisting commercially sexually exploited minors escape the cycle of abuse and exploitation.
Signed by the Governor and Chaptered into State Law, 2008

AB 559 – Recognizing Psychological Coercion in Sex Trafficking Cases
This bill would expand the definition of human trafficking offenses to include cases in which a person causes, induces, persuades, or attempts to cause, induce, or persuade, a minor to engage in a commercial sex act.
Held in Assembly Public Safety, 2009

AB 609 – Financial Recovery for Oakland's Schools
While OUSD was under state receivership from 2003 to 2009, $2 million dollars in fines were incurred for issues that were arguably outside of the district's control at the time. When local control returned to OUSD, the fines were deemed to belong to the district. Swanson introduced AB 609 as a direct response to this situation.

As Chair of the Select Committee on School Financial Takeovers, Swanson is conducting statewide hearings to refine this complex area of law and ensure that the growing number of school districts on the verge of financial takeover will be actively engaged in formalizing best practices on school financial takeovers.
Held in Assembly Appropriations, 2011

AB 764 - Tax Contribution Fund for Sexually Exploited Minors
AB 764 adds a new donation box to the state income tax form that allows taxpayers to donate to programs that provide assistance to child victims of commercial sexual exploitation. These victims need extensive physical and mental health treatment and support. AB 764 will help fund programs providing those vital services to commercially sexually exploited minors.
Signed by Governor and Chaptered into State Law, 2011

AB 791 - Return Local Control to OUSD
AB 791 would have required the Superintendent of Public Instruction to return authority to the governing board of the Oakland Unified School District, no later than the first of July of each year, for each operational area recommended by the County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team in its annual progress reports.
Held in Senate Education, 2009

AB 788 – Stop District Money Transfer to Charter Schools
In an attempt to keep public schools fully funded, AB 788 would prohibit the Superintendent of Public Instruction or his or her appointed state administrator from transferring funds from a school district under state control to charter schools within the district.
Held in Assembly Education, 2009

AB 799 - Alameda County Diversion Program
AB 799 would extend and expand a successful diversion program for commercially sexually exploited minors in Alameda County. Rather than cycling them through the criminal justice system, the program treats child "prostitutes" as victims and provides them with extensive wrap-around services to address their physical and mental health needs. AB 799 will give the program, which was established in AB 499, a few more years to stabilize and become a statewide standard for diversion programs.
Signed by Governor and Chaptered into State Law, 2011

AB 980 – Charters to Pay Fair Share
As student enrollment declines, many school districts are unable to afford maintenance of their infrastructure and personnel costs, often subjecting them to state financial takeover. This situation financially benefits charter schools located within the boundaries of the suffering school districts. AB 980 addressed this problem by requiring a charter school located within the geographic boundaries of a school district that is repaying an emergency apportionment and for which an administrator is exercising the authority of the governing board, to pay a prorated amount of the annual payment made by the district on the apportionment.
Held in Senate Education, 2009

AB 1094 (formerly AB 900) Composting on School Campuses
To promote student leadership and community involvement in the legislative process, Swanson sponsored the 2011 "There Ought to be a Law" Contest this legislative session. The contest was open to all students in the 16th Assembly District, including Alameda, Oakland, and Piedmont. The winning idea, AB 900, incorporated student engagement and activism with the practical idea of recycling and composting options on school sites.
AB 900 was held in Senate Rules Committee and will move forward as AB 1094 in 2012

AB 1377 - Audit Finding Forgiveness
AB 1377 would give school districts under receivership a reasonable period of time to address audit findings before penalties are assessed.
Held in Assembly Appropriations, 2009

AB 1430 - Nursing and School Health Programs
AB 1430 was a starting point to specifically delineate the services to be provided in a school district by the school nurse administrator, the RN licensed vocational nurses (LVNs), public health nurses, health technicians, health clerks and health aides.
Held in Assembly Business and Professions, 2009

AB 1721 - Health and Safety School Zones
AB 1721 establishes school safety zones, within which pesticides may not be applied during specified times. The bill prohibits the application of a restricted use pesticide within one half mile of a school zone and the application of any other pesticide within one quarter mile of a school zone. The school zone is defined to mean where children will be present for a school activity within 24 hours.
Held in Assembly Agriculture, 2010

AB 1980 — Peralta College Transportation Accessibility Act
Many students in the Peralta Community College District depend on public transit to get to work, class, and home. This bill will allow students to approve a low fee on the entire student body to fund low-cost bus passes that could save students up to $1,300 per year.
Signed by Governor and Chaptered into State Law, 2008

AB 2008 — OUSD Financial Solvency Protection Act
While OUSD was struggling to repay a $100 million loan from the state, new charter schools put further strain on the district's finances by drawing away funds for students in the public schools. AB 2008 would have protected the fiscal health of OUSD by preventing the State Administrator and any other governing authority from approving a charter school within district boundaries until the district had completely paid off its loan from the state and the school board had reassumed full governing authority.
Held in Assembly Appropriations, 2008

AB 2147 — Green Jobs Worker Training Programs
This bill would establish an energy efficiency and renewable energy worker training program, specifically targeted at individuals (including at-risk youth and formerly incarcerated individuals) seeking employment pathways out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency.
Held in Assembly Labor and Employment, 2008

AB 2319 – Strengthening the Definition of Human Trafficking
AB 2319 would eliminate an ambiguity in California's trafficking laws regarding the showing of force, fraud or coercion when child victim is under 18 years of age.
Held in Assembly Appropriations, 2010

AB 2320 - Charter Schools Accountability Act
AB 2320 would reinforce the intent of the original Charter School Act by giving the real stakeholders in a school district – the parents, teachers, and students – more control in the charter school process.
Held in Senate Education, 2010

During this holiday season of giving, it is somewhat ironic that the public policy debate that has dominated the headlines has focused instead on eliminating retirement security for California's middle class.

In recent weeks, there has been much discussion (including a joint legislative hearing) about the specific elements contained in Gov. Jerry Brown's pension reform proposals.

Read more...

Veterans Day is a day dedicated to thanking the men and women who have made countless sacrifices for our country. This Veterans Day, I urge you to join me in remembering those who fought and died and those who served and returned.

Earlier this year, I honored U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Eric Trueblood as the 2011 Veteran of the Year of the 16th Assembly District. He bravely served as a mechanic, security to United Nation dignitaries and a Humvee roof gunner. In defending our country, Staff Sgt. Trueblood was killed in Afghanistan. He was 27 years old. Donald Trueblood, Eric’s father, accepted the honor on his son’s behalf. To read more about Staff Sgt. Trueblood, please click here.

We must continue to honor the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice by giving the living service members and their families the respect they deserve and access to the services they need. With more than two million veterans living in the state of California, I feel strongly that we need to provide returning veterans or surviving family members the tools they need to succeed in civilian life.

For more information about California’s programs and services for veterans and state legislation impacting veterans, please visit www.calvet.ca.gov or contact my District Office at (510) 286-1670.

Sincerely,
Sandré R. Swanson
Assemblymember, 16th District

To see full program descriptions and a list of participating servicers and which programs they are currently offering, please visit www.KeepYourHomeCalifornia.org.

Homeowners Call Toll Free 888-954-KEEP (5337)

Unemployment Mortgage Assistance Program (UMA) – Provides temporary assistance to eligible homeowners who have suffered involuntary unemployment.

Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance Program (MRAP) – Helps eligible homeowners reinstate their first mortgage loan if they have fallen behind due to short-term financial problems.

Principal Reduction Program (PRP) – Helps eligible homeowners with severe negative equity qualify for a sustainable loan modification, by reducing principal loan balances.

Transition Assistance Program (TAP) – Provides one-time funds to help eligible homeowners relocate into a new housing situation after executing a short sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure program.

Keep Your Home California is a federally funded program to help California homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages. California has received nearly $2 billion in federal funding and is working with housing counselors, servicers and housing advocates to provide assistance that will help prevent avoidable foreclosures and keep Californians in their homes.