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SACRAMENTO — A bill authored by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath (D-Encinitas) to streamline the application process for the state’s Work Share Program administered by the Employment Development Department (EDD), passed the Senate Labor, Public Employment, and Retirement Committee on a 4-1 vote. 

Work-sharing, or short-time compensation, gives employers the option of reducing employee hours during an economic downturn to avoid layoffs by providing the employee prorated unemployment benefit payments to replace the loss in wages. Despite the many benefits the program provides for employers and employees, this state program is currently underutilized because the application process can be administratively burdensome and the employers may not even be aware the program exists. 

"As our economy opens and closes to help manage the spread of the coronavirus, participating in the work share program is a better alternative to layoffs,” said Assemblymember Boerner Horvath. “AB 1731 will help employers retain trained workers, employees on reduced hours will keep their benefits, and the state will maximize federal dollars already allocated to fund the program by streamlining an application process that incentivizes employers' participation in the program. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

VISTA— Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath joins volunteers from Unite Here Local 30 and Carlsbad Councilmember Cori Schumacher to host a drive-thru food distribution for hospitality workers at the North County Food Bank. Hotel workers in the cities of Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside, and Vista are some of the most severely impacted as a result of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In San Diego County, employment in the hospitality industry plummeted by about 50% in the one month between March and April as travel for work and leisure fell significantly in the wake of the pandemic. This means many of the staff from North County hotels and resorts have found themselves in need of other ways to support their families.

“I’m volunteering today to help provide some much-needed assistance to hospitality workers and spotlight the efforts happening in my district. As I’m sure you can imagine with three out of four direct hotel employees laid off or furloughed, putting food on the table and ensuring no child goes hungry is a top priority,” said Assemblymember Boerner Horvath. “I am so thankful for the regional leadership of the San Diego Food Bank and their focus on food insecurity during these challenging times.

SACRAMENTO - Assemblymember Boerner Horvath’s bill to strengthen the structure of the marine hatchery program in Carlsbad, AB 1949, was unanimously approved by the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee.

The primary hatchery facility for the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program (OREHP) activities is the Leon Raymond Hubbard Jr. Marine Fish Hatchery in Carlsbad. The Carlsbad hatchery is the only marine fish hatchery in the state conducting research on marine species, their habitats and their survivability at a time when climate change severely strains the world’s oceans. AB 1949 ensures that the legacy of sustainability-based hatchery management can continue in coastal North County.

“I am proud to continue the good work of former State Senator Dede Alpert in support of the marine fish hatchery. The goal of this bill is to implement sound recommendations to ensure sustainable fishing,” said Boerner Horvath. “The program was established to evaluate the economic and ecological feasibility of releasing hatchery-reared fish to restore depleted, native, marine fish populations.”