November Update – Senator Monique Limón
Happy November!
The season of taking a moment to give and reflect on those things we are grateful for is upon us. In that spirit, we came together to give back to our community and presented several state investments to local nonprofits and local governments to continue to advance their work. I am grateful we had the opportunity to make these investments.
As always, my office is available for you. 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.
Sincerely,
Monique Limón
Senator, 19th District
I am honored to have been included as part of the Future of Work 50 list by Forbes Magazine for my work on pay transparency and as author of SB 1162. Pay equity and transparency is key to narrowing the wage gap and helps workers and families. The recognition was given to the 50 individuals most making a difference in the future of work and workers in this country. I am honored to be the only legislator in the country to be included on this list with others like Marc Benioff (CEO of Salesforce), Brian Chesky, CEO of AirBnB, Lisa Gevelber, CMO of Google, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture, Eric Yuan, CEO of Zoom, and more.
Thank you to my partners at CELA, Equal Rights Advocates, California Labor Federation, Tech Equity Collaborative, and the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. A special thanks to the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Governor Newsom for standing up for women’s equity and changing the trajectory of workers’ earning power.
Read the full list here: Introducing The Forbes Future Of Work 50
Nyeland Acres Community Center
I was honored to present an investment of $5.5 million in state funds to the County of Ventura to fund the expansion of the Nyeland Acres Community Center. The expansion will include upgrades to serve as an emergency shelter during disasters, a cooling center during extreme heat days, indoor sports facility, and a site for important youth programming. Everyone in our community deserves a place to gather and this community center will give folks a place to come together and celebrate the rich culture in our neighborhoods.
Vanguard Building
Last month, I was joined by Assemblymember Bennett at the Vanguard Building to present an investment of $7.5 million to support the conversion of the building into permanent supportive housing. Homelessness is among the top concerns for constituents in our district and I was happy to champion this investment that will support the conversion of the Vanguard County Administration building into a shelter, homeless transition center, and permanent supportive housing. 
Barona Check Presentation
Congratulations to Rio Lindo Elementary School for receiving an educational grant from the Barona Band of Mission Indians. This $5,000 investment will support the library services provided by the school.
Westminster Free Clinic
I accompanied Assemblymember Bennett and Assemblymember Irwin for a check presentation to the Westminster Free Clinic & Community Care Center in Oxnard. I am grateful for Assemblymember Bennett leading the effort to secure $1.5 million to help fund the clinic. This state investment reinforces the state’s commitment to helping provide healthcare services to the people of our communities who need it most. In addition, these funds will help create pathways to career in healthcare through the Teen Healthcare Internship program.
Pal Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Accelerator Program
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), and Assemblymember Bennett (D-Ventura) joined me to present two investments totaling $1 million dollars to support the Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Accelerator (YARA) program in Ventura and Santa Barbara County.
The YARA program provides underserved youth entry into a career in the trades by providing basic job skills training, case management, and mentorship. This initiative is a collaboration between Oxnard PAL, Cal-PAL, Oxnard City Corps, Laborers, Local 585, and Goodwill Industries. YARA solves a critical gap in workforce systems by eliminating barriers to employment such as lack of: training opportunities, job skills, mentors, soft skills, and access to educational credentials.
Santa Paula Unified School District Preschool Grand Opening
I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of a new preschool in Santa Paula. Santa Paula Unified received $1.9 million through the California State Preschool Program to provide 160 seats across the district.
Grateful to have this new preschool in the community.
Girls Inc. Santa Barbara:
At the end of October I stopped by Girls Inc. Santa Barbara to talk to youth and teens about getting involved in our community and leadership. These girls always leave me feeling excited for our future.
As a legislator I have had the opportunity to see many of my constituents benefit from the work we do here, but I had an especially rewarding moment when I presented a high school diploma to a former student. In 2012, Talia suffered a traumatic injury that prevented her from graduating, despite being just units away from meeting requirements.
In 2012, at the time of what should have been her graduation, I had the honor of serving as the SB Unified Board President and was called back to present her achievement. Congratulations, Talia on this wondrous moment – it has been quite the journey but we have never forgotten your story. Click on the photo to see the full video.
Pacifica High School:
I had a great time speaking to over 100 AVID students at Pacifica High School with my District Representative, Viviana whose former high school teacher is now leading these students down a similar path of service. It is so great to see she still keeps in touch with her high school teacher who encouraged her to get involved in community leadership. Thank you for having me!
November is the season of giving and with that in mind City Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez and I are hosting a blood drive on November 28th at 2707 State Street from 1pm to 7pm.
At the moment, the American Red Cross is in urgent need of blood donors. Your donation could help save a life this holiday season. To register, please visit: https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=limon