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.

News from the District

Tour of San Martin Animal Control Shelter

From left to right: Albert Escobar, Program Manager for the County of Santa Clara Animal Care and Control; Bob Ribardo, Animal Control Officer for the County of Santa Clara Animal Care and Control, holding a rescued peacock; Assemblymember Bill Monning; Kevin O'Day, Santa Clara County Agricultural Commissioner

At the invitation of Santa Clara County Agricultural Commissioner, Kevin O'Day, I toured the Santa Clara County Animal Shelter in San Martin. The facility offers a wide array of services to promote the health and safety of people, domestic animals, and wildlife in unincorporated Santa Clara County. Currently, the Santa Clara County Animal Shelter team is researching methods to remove lead from deceased animals to create a new food source for the critically endangered California Condor.

It was a pleasure to meet the team, and I applaud its innovative efforts to protect all species of animal.

Morgan Hill National Night Out

The 28th Annual National Night Out was held across the country on August 2, 2011, to promote partnerships among law enforcement, the community, and crime and drug prevention programs. I had the privilege to attend the event in Morgan Hill. With help from local organizations, the Morgan Hill Police Department organized an outstanding event with law enforcement on hand to answer questions and perform demonstrations, as well as games, live music, and ice cream. I appreciate the hard work of Morgan Hill Police Chief David Swing to bring the community together on this important occasion.

SPIN Awards

Top From left to right: Dan and Rebecca Haifley, SPIN Parents of the Year; Cece Pinheiro, SPIN Executive Director; Assemblymember Bill Monning; and Carla Miller
Bottom from left to right: Brandon Miller and Julia Haifley

On August 27, 2011, I was honored to receive the Special Parents Information Network (SPIN) Elected Official of the Year Award at the Fourth Annual Community SPINNERS Lucky 8 Awards Celebration. SPIN honored members of the community for their outstanding work to assist and advocate for children with disabilities and their families. Congratulations to the other honorees: Jon Morgan of Soquel Vineyards, Business of the Year; Christine Johnson, Educator of the Year; Michelle Kern, Volunteer of the Year; Santa Cruz Metro Transit and its union employees, Disability Service Provider of the Year; Dr. Kenneth Bloome, Medical Professional of the Year; Dan and Rebecca Haifley, Parents of the Year; and Russ and Brenda Miller of Challenger Baseball League, Recreational Program of the Year. Thank you to SPIN's Executive Director, Cece Pinheiro and the rest of the team for their diligent and outstanding advocacy on behalf of children with disabilities and their families.

Back to School Community Eye Health Fair

I teamed up with the California Optometric Association to host a Back to School Community Eye Health Fair on August 28, 2011 at the Castro Plaza in Castroville. Members of the Optometric Association provided free vision screenings for all attendees, as well as free prescription eyeglasses. It was a great opportunity to help students prepare for school and for the community to get together over a barbecue lunch hosted by the Monterey County Deputy Sheriffs' Association. Thank you to all who participated and special thanks to all of the volunteers who made these services available to our community.

News from Sacramento

SB 568 - Senate Bill (SB) 568, authored by Senator Lowenthal, prohibits a food vendor from dispensing prepared food to a customer in a polystyrene foam food container. Commercial and institutional polystyrene products, including polystyrene foam food containers, represent 42% of polystyrene production. Polystyrene foam food containers present unique public health and recycling challenges due in part to contamination from food residue. A polystyrene foam food container has a useful life that can be measured in minutes or hours, but it takes several decades to hundreds of years to fully decompensate and can cause serious environmental habitat damage. SB 568 seeks to address this issue.
Status: Assembly Floor

AB 52 – Assembly Bill (AB) 52, authored by Assemblymembers Feuer and Huffman, is an important measure intended to protect Californians from future excessive health insurance rate increases and to assist in keeping heath care insurance premiums affordable. The bill would require the Department of Managed Health Care or the Department of Insurance to approve an increase in any premium, co-payment, coinsurance obligation, deductible, and/or other charges made by a health care service plan or health insurance policy.
Status: On Senate Floor Inactive File

Thank you for reading this edition of my e-newsletter.

Warm Regards,

Bill Monning