Speaker-Elect Toni Atkins, District 78 for May 2014 District News

Speaker-Elect Toni Atkins, District 78 for May 2014 District News 
Friends,
My May e-newsletter offers information about local events and attractions as well as a profile of an inspiring Holocaust survivor. I have also included pieces about our foster care system and improvements to services for survivors of domestic violence. I hope you find it useful and interesting.
IN THIS ISSUE:
•A Note From Toni 
•Holocaust Survivor Committed To Sharing His Story
•AB 1623 Will Encourage More To Seek Domestic Violence Services 
•Historic North Torrey Pines Bridge Restored 
•Have Fun And Save Lives At The Rock And Roll Marathon
•Spotlight On The 78th: Del Mar Fairgrounds
•Around The District
A NOTE FROM TONI –
Thousands of children in California’s foster care system require temporary out-of-home care because of parental neglect, abuse, or exploitation.  Some stay in foster care for weeks; some for years. The children are of all ages and varying needs.  Foster parents provide a stable and supportive family for children who cannot live with their birth parents until family problems are resolved.  All foster homes are licensed by the state and must meet minimum standards.
California is working in a number of ways to improve the quality of our foster care system and to best serve these children’s needs.  May is National Foster Care Awareness Month and a good opportunity to check in on a system that serves our most precious asset – California’s children.
In most cases, foster parents work with social services staff to reunite the child with his or her birth parents.  Strides have been made in reducing the number of children in foster care, while still ensuring their safety.  This has been done through efforts to intervene with families and provide services before a situation becomes a crisis. Fifteen years ago, California had over 100,000 children living outside the home.  Today, it is less than half that.  In San Diego, the number of children who had been removed from their homes decreased from 7,000 to approximately 3,400 over that period.
However, those children who do need the foster care system have often faced significant hardships when they were “aged out” of the system at age eighteen.  Without a safety net of support, former foster children often had difficulty completing their education, finding a job, or even finding a place to live. National estimates of former foster youth who become homeless are generally 20 percent or greater.  In California, one in four emancipated youth are homeless.
In 2010, the State Legislature passed AB 12, authored by Assemblymembers Bass and Beall and known as the California Fostering Connections to Success Act. This law, which is designed to support foster youth who are older than age 18, will be fully implemented this year.  The Fostering Connections to Success Act allows eligible youth to stay in foster care up to age 21.  This enables them to maintain a safety net of support while experiencing independence in a secure and supervised living environment.
The extended period allows these youth to be better prepared to transition into adulthood and self-sufficiency.  Participants are required to be enrolled in school, employed, or participating in a job skills program. Participation in this program has been strong and is expected to reduce the incidence of homelessness among former foster youth.
The Legislature continues to focus on improving the foster care system, but even the best system will still need the support and participation of many Californians.  The first and greatest need is for additional foster parents.  To find out if being a foster parent might be for you, visit the California Department of Social Services at http://www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/PG123.htm.
Foster children also frequently need advocates apart from both their foster and birth parents.  One San Diego group that addresses this need is Voices for Children.  Their volunteers, called Court Appointed Special Advocates or CASAs, speak for San Diego’s 5,000 foster children in the courtroom, classroom and community.  The volunteer commitment is ten to fifteen hours a month.  Learn more about them at http://www.speakupnow.org/.
Working together, we can provide a safety net for our most vulnerable children through the foster care system.
Warmly,

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HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR COMMITTED TO SHARING HIS STORY
San Diegan Lou Dunst was a teenager living in the Ukrainian village of Jasnia when the Nazis took control. First, he and his siblings were barred from attending public schools.  Then, his father was conscripted into serving as a human minesweeper.  And finally, in 1944, his whole family was rounded up, along with the other members of the Jewish community from his village, and Lou began a terrifying odyssey to four different concentration camps via rail car.   This journey didn’t end until he was finally liberated from the Ebensee labor camp in Austria in 1945 by a company of General George Patton’s Third Army.
Lou lost his parents to the Holocaust, but, miraculously, his brother Irving and his sister Risi both survived.  Incredibly, he and his brother Irving managed to stay together during their imprisonment in concentration camps in Hungary, Poland, and Austria.  Twice the two brothers were herded into death chambers, but twice random circumstance saved their lives.  And, in the end, it was Irving who saved Lou’s life.

Holocaust Survivor and San Diegan Lou Dunst recently visited me at my San Diego office.
It was just before liberation that the typhus-ridden, emaciated, and broken 19 year old Lou Dunst lay himself on top of a pile of corpses, expecting to die.  He made a bargain with God: “Let me live so I can tell this story.” Twenty-one year old Staff Sergeant Bob Persinger was among the liberators.  Irving grabbed his sleeve and, pointing to his brother’s body on top of the corpses, said, “Please save him!” And Lou was plucked from death’s arms.
The post-war period found Lou sick, hungry, homeless and stateless, but with the help of surviving family members and the nuns at a Catholic hospital he finally recovered enough to begin putting his life back together.  His path took him to Rome, Canada, New York, Los Angeles and, finally, to San Diego.  Along the way, Lou built a thirty-year career in business.
He also kept his bargain with God. He now spends much of his time telling his story as an inspirational writer and speaker.  His message is one of love and peace. 
The State Assembly honored Lou and other Holocaust survivors in a special ceremony at the Capitol on April 28th.  This ceremony is intended to recognize and honor the suffering and bravery of these survivors as well as to remind all of us, sixty years after the Holocaust, to never forget.
To learn more about Lou’s story, visit his website http://www.loudunst.com/index.html.
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AB 1623 WILL ENCOURAGE MORE TO SEEK DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICES

Family Justice Center Alliance
AB 1623 is a bill I am carrying to encourage survivors of domestic violence to seek assistance by ensuring the confidentiality of all personal information they may reveal to staff at domestic violence assistance centers.  This bill was recently passed unanimously by both the Assembly Public Safety and Judiciary Committees and will soon be taken up by the full Assembly.
It is critical that victims of abuse share personal, private information with the people who are trying to help them.  They may have other problems in their lives that bear on the abuse and it is important for service providers to have a full picture. The most important first step in addressing abuse is to get the victim, and any children involved, into a safe and healthy situation.  If victims fear that they themselves might get in trouble by trying to escape an abusive environment, they are not likely to seek help. 
Family Justice Centers are integrated one-stop multi-agency resources for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. They improve services to victims by preventing them from having to travel to multiple service agencies and tell their traumatic story to several different service providers.  Typically, Family Justice Centers include law enforcement.
AB 1623 is based upon a recent study of the Family Justice Center model in California that was called for by 2011 legislation authored by San Diego Senator Christine Kehoe.  The study, conducted by Dr. Carrie Petrucci of EMT Associates, Inc., identified best practices and also made recommendations for reducing barriers to service.
One of the recommendations was to establish a bright line of separation between law enforcement and other services so that confidential information provided by victims would be protected. In some cases, there may have been some criminal activity in the home or possibly a substance abuse issue.  Many survivors are worried about losing their children. Others may be undocumented and fear their families will be torn apart if they seek help. Protecting victims’ privacy will encourage them to come forward and seek help.  AB 1623 establishes the confidentiality requirement for all multi-agency domestic violence centers in the state where law enforcement is a partner agency. You can read EMT’s full report here http://issuu.com/familyjusticecenteralliance/docs/evaluation___outcomes_-_cfji_final_.
"This legislation will set high standards for every Family Justice Center in California and provide confidentiality protections to victims and their children coming forward for help in the midst of life threatening domestic violence,” says Casey Gwinn, co-founder of the first Family Justice Center in the country, located in San Diego.  “Many victims want to come to one place for all their services so they don’t have to go from agency to agency, telling their story over and over again.  Too often when victims have to go many places, they give up and go back to their abusers."
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can find a Family Justice Center here http://www.familyjusticecenter.org/index.php/find-a-family-justice-center/directory/gmap.html.
To find out more about all of the legislation I am carrying this year, please visit my Assembly website at http://asmdc.org/members/a78/legislation/2014-legislation or call my San Diego office at 619-645-3090.
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HISTORIC NORTH TORREY PINES BRIDGE RESTORED
A traveler between La Jolla and Del Mar in 1933 would probably have driven over the Sorrento Overhead in a Model T Ford or another of the latest model of automobile.  Last month, vintage autos were out in force once again to celebrate the completion of a seismic retrofitting of this span, re-named in 1996 as the 
North Torrey Pines Bridge.
A majestic example of Depression-era bridge architecture, this bridge is a nationally recognized historic structure.  At 550 feet long and 49 feet wide, it is bigger than it appears to the eye. It is equal to the size of two football fields and a six story building could fit beneath it. But time had taken its toll and the bridge deteriorated to the point that it had the lowest Sufficiency Rating – essentially a structural fitness score – of all the bridges in San Diego County.

Mayor of Del Mar Lee Haydu (in rumble seat) and Del Mar Councilmember Sherryl Parks take a spin in a vintage car to celebrate the restoration of the historic North Torrey Pines Bridge.
The City of Del Mar managed the retrofit with funding from the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) and the Federal Highway Administration.  The two-year project was recently concluded with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 15th.  Great care had to be taken in planning for the retrofit to preserve the history, beauty, and identity of the structure, as well as to address environmental and habitat concerns due to the bridge’s location spanning the Los Penasquitos Lagoon. The “new” North Torrey Pines Bridge looks virtually identical to the original, but it is expected to survive earthquakes for at least another 50 years.
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HAVE FUN AND SAVE LIVES AT THE ROCK AND ROLL MARATHON
Rock out at the annual Rock n’ Roll Marathon! The annual Rock n' Roll Marathon sprints into San Diego on June 1st. This marathon and half-marathon features live music that lines the street, cheer squads, and a huge post-marathon concert to end the race with a bang. With more than 20,000 runners and 100,000 enthusiastic spectators, this popular event is not to be missed. This event benefits The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer.
LLS’s mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services. More information about the San Diego chapter of LLS can be found at http://www.lls.org/aboutlls/chapters/sd/.
Don’t miss out on this epic summer event. Run, raise money for blood cancer patients and make new friends!  Register today!  For more information, contact Laurie Houston at laurie.houston@lls.org or 858-427-6668. 
Because the marathon course runs through the heart of our community, drivers may encounter road closures and detours between 5 am and 2 pm on June 1st.  To get a detailed map of the course and information about road closures, please visit http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/san-diego/road-closures.
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SPOTLIGHT ON THE 78TH: DEL MAR FAIRGROUNDS
Opening Day at the racetrack, the County Fair, the Scream Zone – pretty much everyone in the San Diego region knows that these events mean a trip to the Del Mar Fairgrounds.  But few people know that the Fairgrounds is actually a state facility run by the 22nd District Agricultural Association and managed by a board of directors appointed by the Governor.  The complex includes a nearby equestrian facility called the Horsepark and the Del Mar Golf Center.  Its mission is to manage and promote a world-class, multi-use, public assembly facility with an emphasis on agriculture, education, entertainment and recreation. No tax money is used for the Fairgrounds, however; it is supported entirely through admission, parking and facility rental fees.
In addition to the events named earlier, the Fairgrounds hosts over 300 events each year, including the summertime horseracing season.  The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, which was founded in 1937 by actors Bing Crosby, Gary Cooper, Oliver Hardy, and others, rents the racetrack for this purpose. The racetrack was immortalized in the Crosby hit, “Where the Turf Meets the Surf.”
The San Diego County Fair, known from 1984 to 2002 as the Del Mar Fair and still called that by many locals, got its start in 1880, when a group of San Diegans organized an agricultural fair to bring county farmers together to share ideas, see who had the best citrus fruit, who baked the best pie, and who had the fastest horse.  After that first fair, the county fair was held annually with a few exceptions in various county locations until 1936, when it moved to its present home.  During World War II, the fair was suspended, but it has taken place in Del Mar annually since 1946.

Don Diego statue in front of the Del Mar Fairgrounds
When the fair resumed following the war, the character of Don Diego was created as a symbol of hospitality and to get the public back into its fair-going habits.  The character was based on a real-life San Diegan, Don Diego Alvarado, whose family had a large land grant in Del Mar during the late 1800s. Don Diego was known for his grand parties and was famed for being a gracious host.  Don Diego was portrayed for almost four decades by Spanish actor Tom Hernández from 1947 until his death in 1984.  And while Tom Hernández is no longer with us, Don Diego remains the fair’s symbolic host.  His likeness graces the clock tower along the main avenue and a bronze 16-foot statue of Hernández as Don Diego has greeted fairgoers at the fairgrounds entrance since 1985.
As a lasting tribute to Tom Hernández, the Don Diego Scholarship Foundation was created to provide college scholarships for outstanding San Diego County high school students who have participated in the annual San Diego County Fair or other events associated with the Del Mar Fairgrounds.  Since the first scholarships were awarded in 1986, the foundation has distributed $579,000 in scholarships and grants and has helped more than 134 students pursue a college degree.  Applications for 2014 scholarships are available at http://www.delmarfairgrounds.com/pdf/2014_don_diego/2014_DDSF-App.pdf.
AROUND THE DISTRICT

The 25th anniversary celebration for the El Cajon Boulevard sign was a lot of fun.  The Boulevard used to be the major east-west thoroughfare in San Diego and was the location of the first Jack In the Box restaurant.  Enjoying the celebration at The Lafayette Hotel with me were Cuong Nguyen of Soda Bar (to my right) and Tootie Thomas of Lips. They are both members of the El Cajon Business Improvement District, which maintains the sign and installed 190 banners along the Boulevard depicting its history.

I was honored to be invited to be part of the program at the annual Awards Celebration for the Environmental Health Coalition (EHC.)  I presented the EHC Champion Award to National City Councilmember Alejandra Sotelo-Solis and the EHC Community Award to EHC Leader Adriana Alfaro and the National City Community Action Team.

I joined Connor Maddocks (left) and Tracie Jada O’Brien at an inspiring program on Transgender Day of Empowerment. I was honored to receive the Community Service Award that evening.

I had a great time at the City Heights Community Development Corporation (CH CDC) annual gala.  Here, I am joined by CH CDC President Steve Russell, San Diego Councilmember Marti Emerald, and former State Senator Christine Kehoe just shortly after I was honored with CH CDC’s Public Servant Hero Award for work I did with so many wonderful community partners.

Thirteen new names were recently installed on the San Diego LGBT Community Center’s LGBT Wall of Honor and I was thrilled to join Council President Todd Gloria and Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez to present these awards to these heroes of the LGBT community. Honored that evening were Bill Beck and David Huskey, Scott Carlson, Queen Eddie Conlon, Pat Cluchey, Scott Fulkerson, John Graham, Peggy Heathers, Susan Jester, Christine Kehoe and Julie Warren, Robert Lynn and Al Smithson.  Congratulations to them all and many thanks for their work on behalf of their community.
@ToniAtkins  /SDToni
Warmly,
Toni Atkins
Speaker-Elect
78th Assembly District
District Office:
1350 Front St.,
Room 6054
San Diego, CA 92101
Tel: (619) 645-3090
Fax: (619) 645-3094
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