August!

Happy August! And, if I may say so myself, Happy Birthday to us!

It was great to stop by the Botanic Building in Balboa Park with Mayor Gloria and see the renovation’s progress. Women’s Equality Day is an opportunity to reflect on the persistence of the suffragettes who marched and advocated, over the course of nearly 100 years, to secure the right to vote. Throughout her life, Fahari truly lived up to the Swahili meaning of her name: magnificent and rare. Despite the increased attacks on our civil rights raging across the country, San Diego Pride was, yet again, a time of joy and celebration. But it’s also important to remember who we are, and who the people we know, and work with, and live by, and love, are and focus on the value of those relationships. Which is why, last month, California’s health leaders requested an increased supply of vaccines to help mitigate the spread of the virus, and are working in close collaboration with federal, state, and local officials to distribute vaccines, conduct tests, and increase awareness. On August 26th, we will celebrate Women’s Equality Day and the adoption of the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits any state or the federal government from denying a person’s right to vote on the basis of sex. Additional funding will help support the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s redevelopment project, fund wildfire mitigation projects at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and address abandoned and derelict vessels at Zuniga Jetty Shoal near the entrance to San Diego Bay—just to name a few. The California Department of Public Health has a webpage dedicated to monkeypox for those interested in learning more. With many of our rights under attack, it feels as if our communities, friends, and families are drifting farther and farther apart. That means as soon as I’m done safely blowing out the candles, I’ll be part of the final negotiations for important bills on climate; women’s health care and abortion access, including my bill SB 1375; and worker protections, as well as casting votes on bills that will improve our state on behalf of all Californians. This follows some great work in June, when the Legislature passed one of the best state budgets in history, with funding that helps people now, invests in the future, and includes safeguards in the event of an economic downturn. Because Tenia is the youngest and insists that she has never, ever gotten to go first, I’ve asked her to start.