June 2018 District Report

A Message from Senator Bill Dodd

Dear Neighbor,

Summer comes to our beautiful district this month. I hope you are able to enjoy the season, whether you’re traveling on a family vacation or simply relaxing at home with friends and loved ones.

The Legislature has adopted a balanced budget that bolsters our reserves while improving essential services like education and highways. And I have advanced a number of bills. One improves elder care in times of disaster. Another protects low-income people from getting their water shut off. Yet another penalizes companies that are careless with our personal financial data. Others deal with flood control and protecting our streams.

Of course, much of my focus remains on recovering from last year’s devastating wildfires and ensuring people are safe in the future. I’m proud to have brought legislation that requires all new garage door openers to be equipped with backup batteries to keep people from being trapped during power outages. I’ve also proposed a new law that will require utilities companies to strengthen their grids to prevent future fires, while forcing insurance companies to provide the coverage we have paid for.

 In this Issue:

As always, my office is available to help you with a state agency or answer any questions you might have. You can contact me by visiting my website.

Sincerely,

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Bill Dodd
Senator, 3rd District

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State Budget Overview

This month, the Legislature passed our state budget and sent it to the governor. It reflects Californian values, investing in areas and programs that we know work.

One priority is education, and this year we’ve set a record with an investment of $78.4 million. That’s 66 percent over 2011-12 and includes a $3.6 billion increase to local control funding to help schools with the greatest need. We also allocated funds to both the California State University and University of California systems to make them more affordable and accessible. 

The budget also devotes $983 million for fire protection and mitigation, including anticipated greenhouse gas reduction funds. It allocates $25 million toward improving mutual aid with another $25 million expected to come from other sources. Also, the budget contains $29.1 million to vover the local share of debris removal in the North Bay and $21.8 million to backfill the loss of property taxes caused by the October fires.

At the same time, the budget provides $15.9 billion in total reserves, fulfilling a mandate from Californians after the last recession to end the boom-bust cycle of state revenue.

For additional details on the budget, click here.

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Visit State Parks in Our District


  

The beauty of California extends across our district. For less than the cost of tickets to the movies, a family can spend an afternoon or an entire vacation exploring one of the many state parks in our district and throughout California.

California State Parks contain hundreds of miles of coastline, thousands of miles of hiking and riding trails, nearly 1000 miles of lake, reservoir and riverfront areas. Wild and scenic lands, underwater preserves, family friendly destinations and an incredibly diverse collection of cultural holdings are available to all comers throughout the year.

You can learn more about the State Parks and other parklands in our area by clicking here.

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Water Saving Tips

Over the last 5 years California has faced a serious drought. While this year’s rains provided a temporary reprieve, we’ve seen the snow pack is already melting far too early. That’s why we must all work together to protect our environment, public health, and our economy – all of which depend on clean, sustainable water supplies.

I have authored two bills in recent years to increase water storage and efficiency. However, making it through this drought and preparing for future droughts will take residents across our state working to conserve water.

Many of our local cities and water districts offer financial assistance for retrofitting water fixtures or offer incentives for saving water. Please check with your water provider to inquire about the programs available to you. For detailed water conservation tips, visit www.saveourh2o.org or www.bewaterwise.com.

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In the News

While California has made meaningful strides in a number of areas over the last year, there is still much work to be done. Of particular importance this year is expanding our progress as environmental stewards, ensuring affordable healthcare coverage for all and protecting our hardworking immigrants.

Here is some of the latest news coverage that may be of interest to you. As always, please contact my office if you have any questions about state policy or want to express your position or ideas for legislation.

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