Representing the 37th District

SACRAMENTO — In a signal of hope for California community college students, the California State Assembly on Monday approved a voluntary program that would increase access at community colleges.

AB 955, authored by Assemblyman Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara, would allow colleges to offer courses at cost to students who choose to take them during summer and winter intersessions.

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SACRAMENTO — Assemblyman Das Williams on Tuesday praised Governor Jerry Brown’s May Revise, calling the funding for all levels of education a major milestone for our state.

“We are beginning to turn the corner after years of horrid education cuts,” said Williams, chair of the Assembly’s Higher Education Committee and member of the Education Committee. “Complete restoration cannot happen overnight, but the governor’s proposal, along with other legislative ideas, offers a strong roadmap for Californians to return to educational excellence.”

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SACRAMENTO – The Asian & Pacific Islander American Legislative Caucus honored longtime community activist Sharon Hoshida in two special ceremonies Monday in the state Capitol.

Hoshida, the former director of the UCSB Women’s Center, received the Excellence in Public Service honor. Hoshida was first recognized during the daytime Assembly floor ceremony. Later in the evening, several hundred people gathered for a Gala event at the Sacramento Convention Center organized by the Asian & Pacific Islander American Legislative Caucus.

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SACRAMENTO — Assemblymember Das Williams will join legislators for the 52nd Annual California Prayer Breakfast, Thursday, May 9.

Assemblyman Williams, D-Santa Barbara, is co-chair of the event. State Sen. Ted Gaines will also serve as co-chair.

“My faith guides me in everything I do,” Williams said. “I look forward to sharing fellowship with my legislative colleagues and finding common ways that we can best serve our constituents and each other.”

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SANTA BARBARA – In recognition of Earth Day, Assemblyman Das Williams appears in a special video to encourage people to participate in Earth Day events and celebrate our natural surroundings.

Williams, (D-Santa Barbara) joins Assemblymembers Ian Calderon (D-Whittier), Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), in a short video. The three are members of the California Assembly's unofficial "Surf Caucus." In the video, the three ride the waves in Ventura County and discuss their love of California's 1,100 miles of coastline.

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Williams, Buchanan bills designed to provide greater protections for students

SACRAMENTO – In a bold step forward for schoolchildren across the state, three education bills created to ensure child safety and hold teachers more accountable in schools, sailed through the Assembly Education Committee this week.

The series of bills marked a major step toward holding bad teachers accountable while ensuring that children are learning in a safe, nurturing environment free of potential abuse.

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SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Das Williams’ voter registration bill won support in the Assembly Elections & Redistricting Committee and will now go to the full Assembly for a vote later this year.

AB 131, approved by the Committee on Tuesday, would create one set of rules for election officials to process signed voter registration cards of U.S. citizens, even if the place of birth box is left blank.

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SACRAMENTO -- Two Central Coast legislators have introduced bills to protect the drinking water supply and bring more regulation and oversight to the oil and gas extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) has just introduced Senate Bill 395, a bill to regulate the waste water produced from fracking.  Jackson’s Senate Bill 395 would require that any fluids brought up during the fracking process be regulated as a hazardous waste by the Department of Toxic Substances Control, giving them the authority to ensure that the appropriate precautions are taken in how the waste water is transported and disposed.

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Students will have the opportunity to meet and observe some of the most influential figures in California politics as part of a six day, two-unit graded internship in Sacramento this April.

The first year program is open to all students regardless of their major. The cost is $600 plus a two-credit enrollment fee, which will cover train fare, hotel, and some meals. Students leave April 6, and will receive a first-hand look inside state and local governments by attending meetings, receiving tours, and having the opportunity to talk to legislators in an intimate setting.

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Proposed law designed to protect California wildlife from cruelty

SACRAMENTO — California Assemblyman Das Williams introduced today Assembly Bill 789, which would regulate certain practices used by the nuisance wildlife trapping industry in an effort to protect California wildlife from egregious cruelty.

In California, those employed as private nuisance wildlife control operators (NWCOs) provide trapping services to consumers for a fee under the auspices of damage control. Some practices employed by these trappers are particularly egregious and result in the needless suffering and death of thousands of animals each year.

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