Assemblymember Toni Atkins - Representing
the 78th District – Monday, 6 January 2013
Friends,
Happy New Year! The first e-news of the New Year is available
by clicking on the links below. This
month's edition includes information about how you can help end homelessness in
San Diego, important information about college and health insurance, and a new
feature on the hidden gems of the 78th Assembly District. I hope you the information useful and
enjoyable.
IN THIS ISSUE:
• A NOTE FROM TONI
• IT'S NOT TOO LATE FOR AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE
• SENIOR SCAM STOPPER
• ASSEMBLY FELLOWS PROGRAM TRAINS FUTURE LEADERS
• UC SAN DIEGO GUARANTEES ACCESS FOR REGIONAL TRANSFER STUDENTS
• A NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION WE CAN ALL KEEP
• AROUND THE DISTRICT
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A NOTE FROM TONI
Addressing homelessness is not a
one-size-fits-all proposition. Each person who is homeless in San Diego has
their own personal story of what led them to homelessness. Some lost their jobs; others suffer from
mental health or substance abuse problems.
Too many are veterans.
Homelessness among women has increased.
For each person, ending homelessness requires a personalized combination
of services and resources. But if we do
not know how many people are homeless in our region, as well as who they are
and what challenges they face, programs to reduce homelessness cannot maximize
their chances of success.
Every year, the federal Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires local jurisdictions to conduct a
census of the homeless called the Point in Time Count. Here in San Diego, the Point in Time Count is
called “We All Count” and it is managed by the San Diego Regional Task Force on
the Homeless on behalf of the City and County Regional Continuum of Care
Council. This year’s count of those
living unsheltered on the street, in canyons, in cars or in other places not
meant for human habitation will take place on Friday, January 24th from 4 am to
7 am. I will be joining 1200 of my fellow San Diegans that morning in
volunteering for this critical effort. Homeless people living in shelters that
night will also be counted. Volunteers will also conduct more in-depth interviews
of our homeless neighbors in the days following the count.
I have participated in the Point in Time
Count for a number of years. It is
challenging, but safe, and most important, it provides great insight into the
personal stories of our neighbors who find themselves without a place to call
home. The information we gather also
helps us to prioritize our resources where they will do the most good.
On January 24, 2013, the number of
unsheltered homeless people in San Diego was 4,574. Another 4,305 were in shelters that night.
The unsheltered homeless number represents a decrease of about 13% from the
number counted in 2012. There are
several possible reasons for this decrease. The economy is improving and, with
it, the unemployment rate and other financial stressors on individuals and
families are declining. Services have
increased, especially those designed for homeless veterans and permanent
supportive housing -- apartments that are integrated with social and medical
services designed to keep residents from returning to homelessness. And, it was raining the night of the 2013
count, which may have led people who usually sleep out in the open to find some
kind of shelter – a friend’s couch, a freeway overpass, or somewhere else where
it was hard to find them. After this year’s count we will have a better idea of
whether the decrease represents a trend.
The City of San Diego had the highest
concentration of homeless people counted last year, followed by North County
Inland. 79% of all the homeless people
counted that night were single adults and 63% of those were living on the
street. However, 1866 people in families
with children were also homeless that night and 10% of those had no shelter at
all.
It is important to remember, however,
that the Point in Time Count is merely a snapshot of one night. It is useful for year over year comparisons,
but does not reflect the many more San Diegans who were homeless at some other
point in the year. For more information
about the Point in Time Count, please click here.
The Assembly Select Committee on
Homelessness, which I chair, will also continue its work in the coming year to
identify best practices and to enhance the state’s response to homelessness. I
will keep you updated as we schedule hearings.
Warmly,
TONI
IT'S NOT TOO LATE FOR AFFORDABLE
HEALTHCARE
News reports regarding healthcare reform
through the Affordable Care Act have focused heavily on the December 23rd
deadline to enroll in order to have coverage by January 1st and hundreds of
thousands of Californians have already met that deadline. However, enrollment
through our state’s health insurance exchange Covered California is still
available even if you did not meet that deadline. Open enrollment for 2014 lasts through March
31, 2014. A person who submits a
completed application, receives an eligibility determination, and makes a plan
selection by the 15th of each month will be covered effective the first day of
the following month, as long as the person’s full premium has been
received. For example, someone who has
enrolled in a Covered California health insurance plan by January 15, 2014 will
have coverage beginning February 1, 2014, if they pay their share of the
premium.
However, someone who completes the
process after the 15th of the month will receive coverage effective the first
day of the second month following their enrollment, again assuming they have
paid their premium. In this example, a
person enrolling on January 16th would have coverage beginning March 1, 2014.
Anyone who does not enroll by the close
of open enrollment on March 31st will have to wait until next Fall’s open
enrollment period unless they have a “qualifying event” such as the birth of a
child or the loss of health insurance due to unemployment.
For the latest information about how the
Affordable Care Act is being implemented in California, visit Covered
California’s website at or call Jason Weisz in my San Diego office at
619-645-3090.
Seniors can be preyed upon by unlicensed
or unscrupulous contractors. This free
seminar will inform seniors, their families, and their caregivers how to avoid
being taken advantage of.
Join me and Congressman Scott Peters for
this valuable event.
Friday, January 24, 2013
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center
Jacobs Family Campus
4126 Executive Drive
La Jolla, CA 92037
Subject-matter experts will provide fraud
information relating to home repair, mail, auto repair, telemarketing, identity
theft, finances, lotteries, and more. Seniors, their families, and caregivers
are welcome to attend this FREE seminar.
Sponsored by the Contractors State
License Board, and the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center
For more information and/or to RSVP,
please contact our office at 619.645.3090.
www.cslb.ca.gov •
CheckTheLicenseFirst.com • SeniorScamStopper.com
ASSEMBLY FELLOWS PROGRAM TRAINS FUTURE
LEADERS
California’s Jesse Marvin Unruh Assembly
Fellowship Program -- named for California’s former Assembly Speaker and State
Treasurer and founded in 1957 -- is one of the nation’s oldest and most
prestigious fellowship programs. This
unique program provides an opportunity for aspiring public servants of all
ages, backgrounds, and experiences to directly participate in the legislative
process.
The 11-month fellowhip provides an
introduction to public policy formation and adoption through full-time work as
professional staff in the Assembly.
Fellows also participate in a graduate seminar conducted by California
State University, Sacramento, to further their understanding of state
governance.
Fellowship alumni have gone on to hold
positions of leadership in both the public and private sectors. Distinguished alumni include elected state
and federal officials, California Supreme Court justices, legislative staff,
community advocates, chief executive officers, university professors and
administrators.
The deadline to apply for the 2014-15
program is February 10, 2014. Additional
detail about the fellowship program and an online application is available
here. You may also call my San Diego
office at 619-645-3090 for an informational brochure.
UC SAN DIEGO GUARANTEES ACCESS FOR
REGIONAL TRANSFER STUDENTS
The University of California, San Diego
has updated its UniversityLink program, providing guaranteed admission for
eligible local students to encourage them to attend UC San Diego. The initiative
seeks to increase the number of students who transfer to UC San Diego from
participating community colleges in the San Diego and Imperial counties.
To be eligible for UniversityLink,
students must come from a low-income background (having a family income of
$40,000 or less). Students may enroll in UniversityLink as high school seniors
planning to attend one of the partner community colleges, or as a first-year
community college student attending one of the participating community
colleges. Partner schools include Cuyamaca College, Grossmont College, Imperial
Valley College, Miracosta College, Palomar College, San Diego City College, San
Diego Mesa College, San Diego Miramar College and Southwestern College.
In addition, UniversityLink is open to all
student veterans, active duty service members and former foster youth
regardless of their college year status.
In order for students to enroll in the
program, they have to submit an online UniversityLink application during the
spring of their senior year in high school or during the first year at the
community college. Admission requirements for the program include completion of
a minimum of 60 UC-transferable semester units (90 quarter units) by the end of
spring term prior to fall admission. In addition, students must have a
cumulative 3.5 GPA. Students also must declare a major when they complete the
UC admissions application, and have taken any required courses for their chosen
major.
UniversityLink also includes outstanding
services for participating students, including individual counseling and
activities to facilitate a smooth, timely transfer from high school to a
community college, and ultimately, to UC San Diego.
Services include one-on-one academic
counseling with a UC San Diego admissions officer, assistance with choosing
courses to fulfill general education and major preparation requirements,
workshops for college and transfer success, invitations to special events at UC
San Diego and contact with current UC San Diego students for up-to-date
perspectives on transferring.
More information about UniversityLink is
available here.
A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION WE CAN ALL KEEP
We’ve all been there. New Year’s Day rolls around and everyone is
making resolutions – lose weight, get more exercise, call our aging parents
more often. But by the time we get to
March, more often than not, those best intentions have fallen by the wayside.
Instead, I would like to offer a
resolution you will actually look forward to keeping – visiting some of the
hidden gems of the 78th Assembly District.
These are often not listed in any tourist guide of San Diego, but they
are those small pleasures that we, as local residents, can enjoy any time we
like.
This month, I offer a few
suggestions. In coming months, this
newsletter will feature additional hidden gems of the 78th. If you have one you
would like to share, please email me and put “Hidden Gem” in the subject line.
Nature at the Border – An estuary is a
place where a river meets the sea, creating a coastal wetland. The Tijuana River Estuary Reserve, located in
Imperial Beach, is a free state park where you can learn about the birds,
plants, and other living things – some endangered – found along our
border. The Reserve features guided
nature walks, a junior ranger program for kids, a speaker series, and a visitor
center with educational displays. More
information is available here.
The Wiggly Bridge – The Spruce Street
Suspension Bridge was built in 1912 to provide pedestrian passage across the
deep Kate Sessions Canyon which isolated developing neighborhoods from the
newly built trolley lines on Fourth and Fifth Avenues. Floating among the treetops, the bridge
stretches 375 feet from steel suspension cables anchored to massive concrete
piers hidden underground at either end. The bridge is so light that it sways
with the breeze and in response to walkers, causing local children to dub it
the “wiggly” bridge. The Bridge is located in Bankers Hill, just west of First
Avenue.
Frisbee Golf – San Diego is well known
for its many beautiful golf courses, but few people know about a special kind
of golf that is played with flying discs, popularly known as Frisbees, or about
our disc golf course in Morley Field.
Disc golf is similar to regular golf in that the goal is to complete
each “hole” in the fewest number of strokes, or in this case, throws. The flying disc is thrown from a tee toward a
target, typically an elevated metal basket.
Disc golf is designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages and is very
inexpensive. The Morley Field Disc Golf
Course is located at 3090 Pershing Drive.
If you don’t have your own Frisbee, disc rentals are available. Call (619) 692-3607 for information.
Beyond the Del – Almost everyone is
familiar with the iconic image of the Hotel del Coronado, but did you know that
at one time the most popular tourist destination in this resort community was a
huge Tent City south of the hotel? On a
narrow strand of land between the ocean and the bay, canvas tents and thatched
roof cottages served as summer homes for families who enjoyed swimming,
carnival booths, children’s bull fights, aquaplaning, and jackrabbit
hunting. Learn more about Coronado’s
colorful history at the Coronado Museum of History and Art at 1100 Orange
Avenue and while you’re there, pick up a copy of the self-guided tour to
Coronado’s Architectural Gems. Bonus:
Take the Coronado Ferry from Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego for a scenic
15-minute ride across the bay to Coronado for only $4.25.
Where Children Play Above the Skeletons
of San Diego Pioneers – One of San Diego’s oldest cemeteries, Pioneer Park, is
now an historical landmark and neighborhood park. Steeped in history, the park dates back to
the late 19th century. Original
tombstones still stand in a far corner of the park and a plaque commemorates
those buried there. Pioneer Park is a
central gathering point for the Mission Hills neighborhood and hosts several
community activities, including the annual Fourth of July Celebration and
summertime Concerts in the Park on Friday evenings. The park is located at 1500 Washington Place,
adjacent to Grant School.
AROUND THE DISTRICT
Volunteers from the California Dental
Association provided a free dental clinic last month at the Del Mar
Fairgrounds. During the two-day event,
dental professionals provided more than 12, 518 dental procedures, including
cleanings, fillings, extractions and oral health education. In addition,
volunteer dental lab technicians worked to create 221 complete and partial
dentures and repairs. The event involved
1,700 volunteers, including dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants,
nurses, and dental lab technicians.
I recently had the opportunity to discuss
public higher education in San Diego with San Diego Community College District
Chancellor Constance Carroll and Jack Beresford, Director of Communications.
I recently joined Councilmember Myrtle
Cole at the 60th anniversary celebration of the Urban League of San Diego, a
chapter of a national organization dedicated to empowering the African American
community. Among the services they
provide are housing, financial literacy, and after-school programs for youth.
I was very pleased to join the San Diego
Chapter of Women in Finance at their annual holiday party. Pictured here with me is Lisa Marie Harris,
the chapter president.
Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (far
left), Assemblymember Shirley Weber. and I hosted a joint holiday open house
and giftraiser last month. We were also
joined by Santa – known the rest of the year as local realtor Bob Kevane – and
two of his most adorable elves. Guests
to our party donated gifts for the young people served by San Diego Youth
Services, a not-for-profit organization that works to support children affected
by mental health problems, homelessness, domestic violence, child abuse, and
other challenges. Thank you everyone for
your generosity!
Our holiday party also featured a
wonderful performance of seasonal music by the very talented members of the
Eastlake High School Choir.
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California Assembly Democratic Caucus
Website: http://asmdc.org/Atkins
Email: Assemblymember Atkins
Capitol Office:
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0078
Tel: (916) 319-2078
Fax: (916) 319-2178
District Office:
1350 Front St.
Room 6054
San Diego, CA 92101
Tel: (619) 645-3090
Fax: (619) 645-3094
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