A Monthly Message from Senator Limón
The beginning of the year is a time for new and renewed beginnings. For the State Legislature, January also means returning to Sacramento for the second year of this legislative session.
I return to Sacramento from a productive legislative recess. I spent time with constituents, local organizations, and attended community events such as food drives and town halls to hear how we can be of resource during the current times.
My office continues to be of assistance when needed. To reach us, please call our Santa Barbara office at (805) 965-0862 or our Oxnard office at (805) 988-1940 or email Senator.Limon@senate.ca.gov.
I am honored to continue representing you and our communities as your State Senator.
Sincerely,
Monique Limón
Senator, 19th District
Governor’s Budget:
The Governor announced his 2022- 2023 budget proposal this month. I am pleased to see the continued commitments from previous years. The additional investments in education, childcare, homelessness, pandemic resources, addressing the drought, and combating climate change are important to our district and the state.
In addition, I look forward to working with the Governor and the Legislature on the commitment to a greener future. I am proud to continue to lead in this area and I remain committed to working to achieve this goal.
You can read my full statement on the budget on my website and you can find the Governor’s proposed budget here.
SB 861 Introduction – Alzheimer’s disease:
I have introduced SB 861 to establish the Dementia Care Navigator Grant Program. The grant incentivizes organizations that employ Community Health Workers, Promotoras, and Health Navigators to provide dementia care navigation to the communities they serve. SB 861 is necessary to highlight the disproportionate impact of Alzheimer’s while also directing targeted investments to help impacted communities navigate the complex network of resources.
2021 Legislative Accomplishments:
Below are some of our 2021 accomplishments. In future newsletters, I will provide information on legislation I will be working on this year.
CSUCI Physics Students:
Congratulations to the three CSUCI Physics students chosen to spend eight weeks working with world-renowned researchers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland. We are proud of you and are rooting for your success. Read more here.
Debris Flow:
January 9 marked the fourth anniversary of the 1/9 Debris Flow; our community came together for a commemorative ceremony, Raising Our Light. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Raising Our Light ceremony was held virtually. If you missed the live event, you may watch the recording HERE.
Ventura County Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Event:
I joined the Ventura County Martin Luther King Jr. Day virtual event on MLK Day. View the recording HERE.
49th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade:
On the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Legislative Women's Caucus announced a united effort to strengthen and expand access to reproductive care and ensure that California is a national beacon for reproductive freedom.
COVID-19 Home Testing:
Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of four free at-home tests from USPS.com. Order yours though https://special.usps.com/testkits.
COVID-19 Testing:
For Santa Barbara County residents, please visit the Santa Barbara Public Health Department COVID-19 website; https://publichealthsbc.org/testing/
For Ventura County residents, please visit the Ventura Recover website.
California Arrearage Payment Program (CAPP):
The newly established California Arrearage Payment Program (CAPP) will offer financial assistance for California energy utility customers to help reduce past due energy bill balances accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utility customers do not need to apply to receive assistance under the CAPP program. If a customer account is eligible, a credit will be automatically applied to the customer bill. For more information, visit https://csd.ca.gov/pages/capp.aspx
Renter/Landlord Assistance:
If you are a renter having trouble paying your rent, utilities, or other housing costs – or if you are a landlord trying to stay afloat with tenants in this situation – help may still be available. State and local programs are providing rental assistance to help renters stay housed during the pandemic. Visit California Housing is Key to find out what is available for you and what you can do.
Mortgage Relief:
The United States Department of the Treasury has approved California’s plan to provide $1 billion in mortgage relief, clearing the way for the California Mortgage Relief Plan to provide help to as many as 40,000 struggling homeowners. The program will help homeowners make past due housing payments — to a maximum of $80,000 per household — by making a direct payment to the mortgage servicers. Applicants can visit the California Mortgage Relief Program at CaMortgageRelief.org for more information.
California Department of Insurance: New insurance laws for 2022 will protect Californians’ health and safety
A list of new laws regarding insurance protections. “SB 280, authored by Senator Monique Limón, will remove discriminatory practices in the large group health insurance market by requiring these health insurance policies to cover medically necessary basic health care services.”
Santa Barbara Independent: Public Access to Hollister Ranch Proceeds
“While the fate of [the Hollister Ranch] settlement agreement is up in the air, the groups have simultaneously been negotiating another access plan, which was set into law in Monique Limón’s Assembly Bill 1680. … [she] wrote the law to require the dueling parties to cut to the chase and create a public access program”.