Dear Friends and Neighbors:
Welcome to the first edition of my e-newsletter! First, I want to thank you for the trust you have placed in me to represent the 78th District in these challenging times. It is both an honor and a privilege to serve you and to address the many issues facing our District and our State.
This e-newsletter is just one way I intend to keep you informed of the important developments in Sacramento and the 78th District. I plan to send you one or two updates per month, as news moves fast at the Capitol, and I promise to keep future updates brief and informative. I hope that you will find it interesting and resourceful, and I welcome your involvement and encourage you to contact me with suggestions and concerns.
Thank you!
Swearing In
On December 1, 2008, I was sworn in to represent the citizens of the 78th District in the California State Assembly. Immediately, I began to assemble a strong team to serve you well; the District Staff is introduced in a section below in this e-newsletter. Whereas Decembers are normally a relatively quiet month in the legislative year, we as a Legislature began the long and arduous task of solving our budget gap and cash flow crisis that developed last year. January came very soon and I have been reviewing legislation ideas, learning how to be effective in the Capitol, responding to constituent concerns, and laying the groundwork for partnership. They have been very long days! I very much like the Sacramento area and am making the most of my time here, although every day I miss the neighborhoods of San Diego, the people, and the weather - what makes our County the best area to call home.
Incidentally, since many supporters were unable to make it to Sacramento on December 1st, I decided to re-take the Oath of Office in San Diego for residents of the District to witness! Last month, I was grateful to former Senator and 78th District Assemblymember Dede Alpert who administered the Oath of Office before over 100 supporters and district witnesses. Thanks to all who came to that event, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
Breaking News: Assemblymember Block Joins The Assembly Leadership Team.
Marty tapped by Speaker Bass to serve as Assistant Majority Whip
It is with great enthusiasm that I let you know that this week, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass appointed me to serve as the Assembly’s Assistant Majority Whip, a position she once held just three years ago. In this position, I will be working with the Democratic leadership and all members of the caucus to ensure that orderly and productive Assembly sessions are prepared.
Legislative Update
My First Bill: AB 24
On my first day of work at the Capitol, I waited in line to introduce the 24th Bill of the session. AB 24 would require that the California State University trustees conduct a feasibility study for locating the 24th Campus of the CSU System in Chula Vista. San Diego State University is experiencing high overcrowding in its current condition. It turns away more and more students every year, and is unable to expand at a rate to accommodate the local demand for services. The neighborhoods around SDSU are severely impacted by traffic congestion, parking, and other nuisances, and are unable to adequately support additional population in the area. At the same time, there are no four-year higher education facilities south of the SDSU area to serve southern San Diego County (unlike CSU-San Marcos in North County). With a growing young population in the South Bay and reduced availability to accommodate this growth elsewhere in the region, Chula Vista would make an ideal location for the next campus in the region. Best of all, AB24 does not require an expenditure of public funds!
Please see the Public Meeting announcement below about AB 24, come participate and ask questions, and follow the progress of this bill on my website.
My Legislative Package
All of the Assembly’s bills were required to be introduced by February 27. I am very excited for the package of legislation I studied and decided to introduce for consideration this year. My staff is working hard to prepare briefing papers on this diverse and important legislation. In my next e-newsletter, I will have a brief summary of this legislation, and hope to then hear your thoughts on the bills.
Assembly Committee Assignments
I am thrilled to be appointed by Speaker Bass to serve on the Assembly Committees on Higher Education; Health; Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy; and Accountability and Administrative Review. These committees meet weekly or biweekly and initiate the Assembly’s discussion on a wide range of bills. It is through these committees that legislation is critiqued and amended, and I am honored to be an active member of such important groups.
With 26 years of experience at SDSU and 16 years in elective office positions, I will bring an understanding of higher education issues to the Higher Education committee that will help produce legislation of the highest impact and quality for our students. On the Health and Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy committees, I will explore opportunities to improve our health care system, and find ways to best create new and well paying jobs for our state. I will use my position on the Accountability Committee to investigate opportunities for efficiencies and cost savings in government. But my legislation will not stop there! In my future e-newsletters, I will highlight the important work of each of the committees and keep you informed of interesting accomplishments.
Please Join Me At A Public Forum To Discuss AB 24
Would you want to attend CSU-Chula Vista?
Please join me in an evening with Assembly Higher Education Chair Anthony Portantino and Assemblymembers Mary Salas and Lori Saldaña to learn more about opportunities for higher education in Chula Vista. The forum will include Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox and Councilman Rudy Ramirez, Members of the City Council’s University Subcomittee, and will provide an overview of land assembly and potential planned land uses for the University Park and Research Center, located east of SR-125 and south of Birch Road. Along with Assemblymember Portantino, I will discuss AB24, a California State University feasibility study. A brief Question and Answer period will follow. Please join us.
March 19, 2009
7-9 p.m.
Southwestern College
900 Otay Lakes Road
Chula Vista, CA 91910
Student Union Cafeteria / Student Center East
(enter on East “H” Street)
Parking: Available in Lots J, K, L, M, or N
State Library Board Appointment
On February 6th, Speaker Karen Bass appointed me as the Assembly’s representative to the California Public Library Construction and Renovation Bond Board which is responsible for the oversight of State bond funds appropriated through the California Library Bond Act of 2000. The proposed San Diego Main Library is a major project that has funds set aside from this act. In my new capacity as a member of this board, I intend to assist the City of San Diego, San Diego Unified School District, and the San Diego Public Library Foundation in their efforts to move this important project forward for all San Diegans.
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Assemblymember Marty Block welcomed Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III to the State Capitol to honor his recent heroism and bravery under pressure.
District Office Staff Is Here To Serve You!
Information has to be a two-way street. I will need to hear from you if I am going to effectively represent your interests.
Also, if you need assistance with State departments and agencies, or are interested in the status of legislation, please contact my district office… We are here to serve you!
Some of the services we can help with include:
CONSTITUENT SERVICES
My staff can assist you with…
- Renters/homeowners assistance programs
- Property tax issues
- Consumer complaints
- Veterans’ affairs
- Unemployment and disability insurance
- Department of Motor Vehicles
- State Franchise Tax Board
- Government forms
PUBLIC SERVICES
You can obtain the following through my office…
- Information on and appropriate forms for homeowner, senior citizen, disabled and renter tax relief programs
- Consumer protection information
- State Budget information
- “Where to find it” — state agency information
- Reports issued by the Legislature and state agencies
- Information on State Capitol tours
LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
Contact my office if you need…
- Copies of legislation
- Information on the status of legislation
- Summaries and analyses of specific bills
- Legislative committee rosters
- Information on the Legislature and the legislative process
- Information on ballot propositions
- Legislators’ voting records
- Notification of legislative hearings in my district
Meet the District Office Staff:
Rich Grosch serves as District Director for Assemblymember Marty Block. He has lived in the community of Ocean Beach for decades. His is a successful business owner of the Ocean Beach Hotel and retired from teaching computer science at Sacred Heart Academy in 2007. He was elected in 2002 and 2006 to the San Diego Community College Board of Trustees where he served along side of Assemblymember Block, and currently serves as the Board President. He was the chairman and founder of Ocean Beach Community Development Corporation, chairman of the Ocean Beach Planning Board, board member of the Airport Coalition, and a coach of youth and school sports in addition to several other leadership positions within the San Diego community.
Joyce Temporal serves as the District Office Manager for Assemblymember Marty Block. In addition, she acts as the Assemblymember’s representative for some of the previously underserved communities of the 78th A.D. She was most recently the Director of Operations for Centaur North Strategic Communications in Los Angeles, and interfaced with executives, elected officials, community leaders, employees and clients. She is an alumnus of California State University Long Beach and South Bay school districts, and has family roots in the San Diego area for four decades.
Martha Rañón serves as a Field Representative for the South Bay communities of the 78th Assembly District. In addition to monitoring state legislation, she also assists community groups and constituents with concerns and issues. Martha served in a similar capacity for a former San Diego City Councilmember and California State Senator. As a public health advocate, she has enjoyed working for many years with community groups and civic leaders in the San Diego area. Most recently, she served as a public policy specialist for a local non profit women’s health agency and a national non-profit organization advocating for senior health. Ms. Rañón, a San Diego native, earned her B.A. from the University of San Diego, and enjoys traveling and spending time with her family, two cats and a dog.
Lisa Silverman serves as Assemblymember Block’s Field Representative for the East San Diego neighborhoods of the 78th District. Lisa, who has served in a similar capacity with a San Diego Congressman and City Council member, has three decades of experience working with community groups and civic leadership in the San Diego area. Most recently, she worked with a number of community-based organizations to promote policies that reduce drug and alcohol use among San Diego County teenagers. Ms. Silverman earned her B.A. in community organizing and urban planning from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1980. A San Diego native and mother of three teenagers, Lisa monitors state legislation impacting the citizens of the 78th District and serves as a liaison for constituents with state agencies.
Jonathan Goetz serves as an Office Assistant and Assemblymember Block’s Liaison to the LGBT Community. His main job duties are to handle inbound constituent communication, database management, IT issues, constituent response letters and internal reports. He actively recruits interns from SDSU and is working to build state-wide support among young people for a new California State University Campus in Chula Vista (AB24). He is a full-time student at Mesa Community College.
