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SACRAMENTO — As part of Women’s History Month, Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath honors Jacqueline “Kiki” Bispo as the 2021 Woman of the Year for Assembly District 76. In the month of March, State Legislators select a woman in their district whose contributions to her community deserve to be celebrated to be given this annual honor.

Bispo is a lifelong educator currently serving as the Family and Community Engagement Lead for Vista Unified School District. The Family and Community Engagement Network (F.A.C.E), a program concept that Bispo created, is an internationally recognized approach to student success that focuses on the role of the family, home life, and learning conditions in determining classroom outcomes for struggling students — a departure from the historically unsuccessful focus on academic performance alone.

“We know that kids who have both parents engaged in their kid’s learning and in touch with their teachers do better in school and have more opportunities later in life,” said Assemblymember Boerner Horvath. “We also know that for many working families from underserved communities, providing a struggling kid with the necessary at-home support can be near impossible. Kiki’s innovative approach brings parents into the conversation, bridging that gap and resulting in better outcomes for struggling kids. Her work empowers families and makes Vista a more equitable place for kids to learn and grow. She is truly a hero for so many parents and she deserve to be celebrated.”

SACRAMENTO — Today, AB 66, Assemblymember Boerner Horvath’s bill to allocate $2.5 million to accelerate the science behind bluff failures and start the development of an early warning notification system for California’s coastal bluff collapses, passed the Assembly Natural Resources Committee on an 8-1 vote.

With fatalities, injuries, and millions of dollars in property damage just in the last few years, bluff failures are a constant threat to beachgoers and coastal neighborhoods throughout California. The worst impacts of these collapses, especially the loss of life, could be avoided with a bluff collapse early warning notification system. AB 66 would task the Scripps Institution of Oceanography with creating the science on when and why bluffs fail, as well as develop how to better predict bluff failures to increase public safety.

“What happened to the three women in 2019 in Leucadia and, tragically, to other valued members of our communities up and down the state, is unacceptable and we must use science and data-driven innovation to keep our communities safer,” said Assemblymember Boerner Horvath. “Fortunately, we have a great partner in our backyard with Scripps and while AB 66 focuses on the area from Torrey Pines to Oceanside, the information we will gather will be invaluable for our state.”

SACRAMENTO — Today, AB 341, Assemblymember Boerner Horvath’s bill to strengthen a sexual assault victim’s right to privacy by requiring social media content to go through the same process as other evidence in these types of trials, passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee on a unanimous, bipartisan vote.

Increasingly in sexual assault cases, decades of social media activity is being mined and admitted into evidence that is irrelevant to the case at hand, but has the result of embarrassing, shaming, or humiliating a victim, sometimes to the point of discouraging their testimony. AB 341 simply requires that social media content go through the same submission of evidence procedures as other types of evidence covered under existing Rape Shield Laws.
 
“We already have laws on the books to help ensure victims seeking justice for their attackers won’t have their entire lives subjected to public scrutiny, and those protections should be extended to their social media activity as well” said Assemblymember Boerner Horvath. “Character assassination and the rehashing of a victim’s sexual history are largely ruled irrelevant in assault cases, but Rape Shield Laws need to be updated to account for the realities of our online lives so that sexual assault victims can seek justice and keep their dignity intact.”

CARLSBAD — Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath is announcing the honorees for the 2021 Women of Impact Awards for the 76th Assembly District. This award was created by the Assemblymember’s office to recognize North County women who stand out in their communities as innovators, leaders, and advocates. Nominations came from across the district, lifting up a diverse array of women who have made significant impact to their communities in the areas of business/entrepreneurship, military service, education, civic engagement, advocacy, activism, health and human services, community service, arts and culture, and young leadership.
 
“During these difficult times, we’ve seen community heroes – so many of them women – who have stepped up, led, and made difference through hard work and dedicated service,” said Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath. “The amazing women selected as this year’s Women of Impact have all contributed significantly to our community, each in important ways. I look forward to celebrating these women and all they’ve accomplished as part of our virtual ceremony later this month.”

SACRAMENTO — To commemorate the occasion of the 109th Anniversary of the founding of the Girl Scouts of the USA, Assemblymember Boerner Horvath’s ACR 22 passed the Assembly on a consent vote.

With about 2.6 million youth and adult members, Girl Scouts of the USA is currently the largest leadership organization for young women in the world. Since founder Juliette Gordon Low brought together the first troop on March 12, 1912, millions of young women have found their passion, their voice, and their calling through scouting. Today, former girl scouts dominate the ranks of women legislators, business executives, astronauts, and creative leaders. Many of these professionals can trace the inspiration for their career paths back to their time as scouts.
 
“As the mother of a 10-year-old Junior Scout in Troop 1920, I’ve seen firsthand the value that scouting provides for young people as they discover themselves through childhood and adolescence,” said Assemblymember Boerner Horvath. “My daughter is going to become an adult in a world full of challenges that are going to demand a different kind of thinking from her generation. Girl Scouts provides the validation that our daughters need to see themselves as the change-makers of tomorrow, no matter where their interests lead them.”

SACRAMENTO — Today, the Legislature passed a $6.6 billion early budget bill to bring students back to the classroom safely and address the educational impacts of the pandemic. AB 86 seeks to balance the need to get children back into the classroom with the real challenges school districts are facing.

“Everyone can agree that the need to get students back in the classroom is urgent – particularly for those from underserved communities with working parents,” said Assemblymember Boerner Horvath. “As a mom of two kids in public schools, I have been working to balance the safety of our schools with the need for student success since the pandemic started. The plan we passed today is a big step forward to ensuring we provide the necessary resources, implement safety protocols, and do everything we can to ensure our children, as well as the teachers and staff who educate them, can safely return to in-person instruction. While not perfect, this agreement is a much needed $6.6 billion investment in our schools to hopefully help our children come back from this year stronger and more successful than ever.”

SACRAMENTO — Today the Legislature passed a COVID-19 relief early action budget package on a bipartisan basis, clearing the way for the timely dispersal of $9.6 billion in additional small business grants, childcare funding, tax cuts, and $600 direct payments to millions of struggling Californians. Last week, Legislative leadership came to an agreement with the Governor on the details for the package after weeks of collaboration on how to meet the critical need for more relief to bolster the eventual recovery.

“Nearly a year into this crisis, our state finds itself at a tipping point — if we don’t act fast to get people the relief they need, we’ll be setting ourselves up for a longer, slower, and ultimately more expensive recovery” said Assemblymember Boerner Horvath. “This package represents a sizable investment in the foundations of our state’s economy and will provide a bridge for millions of struggling Californians to make it to the other side of this crisis. While I would have preferred to have total tax exemption for small businesses on the PPP and disaster loan money they’ve spent since last year, this compromise on a $150,000 cap still means a full deduction will be possible for nearly 90 percent of loan recipients. I look forward to working with this Administration to ensure the timely and equitable distribution of these funds to those in need.”

SACRAMENTO — Today, the California Department of Public Health announced the issuance of new guidance for a variety of athletic settings that will make it possible for outdoor practice and competitions to resume with rigid safety protocols in place. Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues and wrote to Governor Newsom expressing my support for a return to outdoor youth sports contingent on workable, science-driven guidelines for how do so safely. While the increased pace of vaccinations and consistent drops in community spread signal the opportunity to proceed cautiously with getting our young athletes back out there, we will need everyone involved following recommendations to limit further surges.

We know that sitting out the season does more than just take away time on the field, the court, the water, or in the pool — it can have a serious toll on our children’s mental health, particularly in more disadvantaged communities. This new guidance is built on a rigorous analysis of the data from other states where activities have resumed, provides state resources to conduct periodic testing for high-contact sports, and facilitates collaboration with coaches and other stakeholders on how to implement these risk mitigation plans across all settings.

As a mom, I know how important it is for kids to get outside and be active, for both their physical and mental well-being. As a legislator, I have a duty to protect the communities I represent and to follow the science where it leads us in our collective efforts to prevent loss of life. I hope that given this chance, coaches, trainers, and parents will act responsibly and make a good faith effort to follow these public health guidelines so we can get our kids back out there safely.

VISTA — Starting this week, the County of San Diego began operating a new COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Linda Rhoades Recreation Center in Vista. The center, which is located at 600 North Santa Fe Avenue, has been operational as a COVID-19 testing facility since November 11th. To avoid cross-traffic between eligible vaccine recipients and potentially COVID-19 positive individuals, vaccinations will be administered on non-testing days, Sundays and Mondays from 9:30am to 3:30pm.

Last October, when case numbers were increasing in the region, Assemblymember Boerner Horvath took the lead in convening a partnership between the Vista Unified School District, the City of Vista, and San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency to expand no-cost, walk in testing in the hardest hit areas of North County. This collaboration led to the opening of the Linda Rhoades site, which has since tested thousands of residents, filling the access gap in that community. As vaccination began ramping up, Boerner Horvath took the same approach — pushing for the addition of a vaccination clinic at the Vista site.

“We know that our underserved communities are often the hardest hit in this pandemic” said Boerner Horvath. “Ever since this crisis began, I’ve been focused on ensuring that resources are being deployed equitably so that testing, tracing, treatment — and now vaccinations — reach everyone, no matter where they live. It’s great to see how our hard work from last fall to expand testing is now making it easier to bring vaccinations to Vista residents. I’m grateful to Councilmember Corinna Contreras and School Board Trustee Martha Alvarado for their work on this and to Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Nora Vargas for their continued attention to our needs in North County.”

SACRAMENTO — Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath (D-Encinitas) has been newly appointed by Speaker Anthony Rendon to serve as Assistant Majority Leader for Policy and Research. Boerner Horvath has served on the Speaker’s leadership team as Assistant Majority Whip since she was elected to represent the 76th Assembly District in 2018 and is now advancing into this new role on the leadership team at the start of her second term in office.

“Since first being elected a Member of the California State Assembly, I have made it my mission to help advance thoughtful legislation that not only answers the needs of the communities I serve, but all of California,” said Boerner Horvath. “This new leadership role reflects the philosophy I try to bring to what we do here in Sacramento – working without pride in authorship to craft sound, well-researched policies that help make real peoples’ lives better. I am honored that the Speaker has afforded me this responsibility, and I thank him for this opportunity. I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with my colleagues to turn good research into effective policy that better serves the people we were all sent here to represent.”