News from the District

Sacramento - Today, Assemblymember Bill Monning (D-Carmel) introduced legislation to help California schools promote and protect student health by restricting mobile food vending near school campuses.

Assembly Bill (AB) 1678 prohibits mobile food and beverage vending within 1,500 feet of elementary and secondary school campuses from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on any day schools are in session. The bill also requires local health agencies to notify mobile food vendors of this restriction.

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Sacramento - The current worldwide financial crisis has hit working families especially hard. Just paying for food and shelter is a struggle, and paying for their children to attend college is simply not possible. However, California Speaker John A. Pérez has introduced the Middle Class Scholarship Act (www.MiddleClassScholarship.com) that could change all of that by reducing the fees to public colleges and universities by 2/3 for California students whose families make $150,000 dollars or less a year. California State Assemblymember Bill Monning (D-Carmel) applauds the Speaker’s measure in this Assembly Access Video.

En Español

by Assemblymember Bill Monning

Gov. Jerry Brown recently released his 2012-13 proposed budget, which includes continued cuts to services and the ability to ask voters to raise taxes. How do you feel about the proposed budget and what does it means for our area?

Gov. Brown's proposed 2012-13 budget includes very difficult cuts to social programs, including MediCal ($842 million); Childcare Services ($447 million); CalWORKs ($946 million); and In-home Support Services ($164 million). These reductions are part of his solution to close the state's projected $9.2 billion deficit.

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(Sacramento, CA) – Assemblymember Bill Monning (D-Carmel) believes Governor Brown is making some difficult but responsible choices to close California’s $9.2 billion dollar budget gap. While he knows that choices placed before the Legislature will be hard, the Assemblymember thinks the Governor's plan puts California on the road to a brighter future. Hear more in this Assembly Access Video.

En Español

Sacramento - On the last day for the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation to hear and report legislation introduced in 2011 for referral to fiscal committees, the Committee continued to hold Assembly Bill (AB) 669 by Assemblymember Bill Monning (D-Carmel), which makes the legislation ineligible to be considered during this year’s legislative session.

“I am disappointed AB 669 could not move forward, but remain committed to educating the public about the health dangers of sugary drinks – the biggest contributor to current obesity trends,” stated Assemblymember Monning. “Placing a tax on sweetened beverages will provide the necessary funding for a broader public health campaign that counters the massive advertising budgets used to market sugary drinks and other unhealthful options directly to our children.”

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Sacramento - Legislation authored by Assemblymember Bill Monning (D-Carmel) to help California consumers access information and assistance about their health plans and providers was signed by California Governor Jerry Brown on October 7, 2011. (Chapter 552, Statutes of 2011)

"I am extremely pleased that Governor Brown signed AB 922. This enables the state to provide Californians with a single source of correct and current information about health care coverage," said Assemblymember Monning. "There are numerous governmental and non-profit entities that currently provide help and AB 922 provides consumers with a one-stop location for assistance."

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Dear Friends,

In this edition of my newsletter, I provide some brief reports on recent visits and meetings around the district. The newsletter also provides dates and locations for upcoming events I am hosting and attending. As always, I greatly appreciate the hard work and volunteerism of so many in our community. Please feel free to drop me a line through the website. Thank you to all of you who work to make our communities a better place to live.

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(Sacramento, CA) – – Legislation authored by Assemblymember Bill Monning (D-Carmel) to assist California consumers access information and assistance about their health plans and providers passed off the Assembly Floor and on to Governor Brown.

The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as federal health care reform, will expand health care coverage to over 4 million Californians through public program expansions, a temporary high-risk pool, a mandate to purchase coverage, and by requiring guaranteed issue of coverage.  AB 922 will streamline the confusing and burdensome number of agencies that currently exist to assist consumers by making the Office of Patient Advocate a one-stop-shop for that assistance, as well as ensure that Californians get clear and understandable consumer information and assistance by strengthening current programs consistent with the federal requirements.

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March Storm Update

As many residents are aware, the 2011 March storm caused destructive flash flooding in the downtown area of Capitola, as well as major debris flows that damaged roads and infrastructure throughout Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. In the Central Coast area, more than $16 million dollars in damage occurred.

I hosted Mike Dayton, the Acting Secretary of the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA), on a tour of the local storm damage. He visited the City of Capitola and the Nelson Road Debris Flow area to review the extent of remaining repair work that is needed. Acting Secretary Dayton and Cal EMA have been diligently working as advocates for federal financial assistance to offset the recovery costs incurred by the affected communities and local governments that are struggling to address the damage with extremely limited fiscal resources.

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Assemblymember Monning on a tour of Ecology Action’s new headquarters in Santa Cruz with Chuck Tremper, Vice President of General Services for Ecology Action.

Welcome to my July E-Newsletter!

May and June have been busy months around the Central Coast and in Sacramento. In this edition of my newsletter you will find news from the district, updates on legislation, and announcements about upcoming events. The state budget has been at the forefront of the news, so I will start with a budget update.

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(Santa Cruz, CA) - Assemblymember Bill Monning (D - Carmel) thanked the Governor today for appealing the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) June 21, 2011, decision to deny a Presidential Declaration of a Major Disaster for the series of severe storms that occurred in March of 2011. The storms seriously impacted the City of Capitola, Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties.

"I want to thank Governor Brown for appealing FEMA's initial denial of California's request for federal assistance to fund the recovery and repairs associated with damage sustained from the severe winter storms this past March," stated Assemblymember Monning. "I also want to thank Mike Dayton, the Acting Secretary of the California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA) and his staff for all their hard work in gathering additional documentation to submit to the Governor's Office. We will continue to work together to assist the communities impacted by the March storms."

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Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed an on-time balanced budget, passed by majority vote. This first on-time budget in years positions California to begin to restore its bond ratings and continue the governor's commitment to eradicate the years-old structural deficit. Despite these achievements, though, this balanced budget is hardly cause for celebration.

During the budget debate I received hundreds of communications from people concerned about cuts to education, health care, mental health, public safety, state parks, environmental programs and redevelopment agencies. As a member of the Assembly Budget Committee, I also heard hours of testimony from citizens who described the impact of painful cuts to essential safety net programs.

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(Sacramento, CA) – Today, the California State Senate Committee on Judiciary passed Assembly Bill (AB) 753, known as the Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Auto Rental Car Safety Act, authored by Assemblymember Bill Monning (D-Carmel). AB 753 will prohibit rental car companies from renting or selling vehicles to the public until safety recall work has been performed.

"AB 753 is important because consumers should be able to rent a car without worrying about safety defects that have not been repaired," stated Assemblymember Monning. "This landmark legislation will be able to provide assurances to consumers that vehicles they rent are indeed safe."

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June 15, 2011 – We recommend USDA include the following points when writing the new SNAP-Ed Regulations and guidance.

• Target SNAP-Ed funds to communities of greatest need, i.e., communities with high rates of poverty, hunger, and obesity;
• Support the involvement of the SNAP-Ed community by requiring local coalitions with low-income membership as a condition of grant;
• Allow funds to be used to improve access to healthy food and physical activity;
• Require implementing agencies to award some of the funds based on a competitive process that would consider factors such as readiness and proven success and define local governments, public health, universities, and non-profits as eligible entities to apply for such funds; and
• Require evaluation of nutrition education and policy and environmental change.

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