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Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, a man who keeps promises

Chaptered 2018 Legislation

-Editorial

Since the first time Eduardo Garcia was elected to the California State Assembly, he has been a leader dedicated to work in the benefit of the community he serves.

Eduardo Garcia proudly represents California’s 56th Assembly District, which includes cities and unincorporated communities in eastern Riverside County and Imperial County, including Blythe, Brawley, Bermuda Dunes, Calexico, Calipatria, Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, El Centro, Holtville, Imperial, Indio, Mecca, Oasis, North Shore, Salton Sea, Thermal, Thousand Palms, and Westmorland.

In 2016, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia had well over two dozen bills and resolutions signed by Governor Brown. This is triumph is significant for the 56th District as he is the first freshman legislator to accomplish this feat. Garcia made a point to champion measures that would increase access to healthcare, bring environmental and economic relief to the areas of the Coachella and Imperial Valleys, such as the Salton Sea and New River, but also provide workforce training and financial assistance to small businesses in the district.

Included in this string of success was SB 32 and AB 197, the historic climate change package that established landmark state emission reduction mandate, boosted oversight and transparency of the Air Resources Board while constructing the framework to ensure future climate policies prioritize investments into disadvantaged communities that are most affected by pollution. 

He is a proud father, husband and life-long resident of the Coachella Valley.

Summary of his Legislative work:

Public Safety

AB 1639 – Victim Compensation Fund Expansion: AB 1639 would prohibit the board from denying an

application for a claim solely because the victim or derivative victim is a person who is listed in the

CalGang system.

AB 2495 – Prosecuting Attorneys: Charging Defendants for the Prosecution Costs of Criminal

Violations of Local Ordinances: This bill would, with exceptions, prohibit a city, county, or city and

county, including an attorney acting on behalf of a city, county, or city and county, from charging a

defendant for the costs of investigation, prosecution, or appeal in a criminal case, including, but not

limited to, a criminal violation of a local ordinance.

Water, Parks and Wildlife

AB 1928 – California Conservation Corps: Contracts: This bill would authorize the California

Conservation Corps, until January 1, 2024, to enter into a contract with an individual or collective of

certified community conservation corps for a specified type of project or program that is in furtherance of

those legislative findings and declarations. The bill would authorize the Director of the California

Conservation Corps to establish guidelines for these purposes and would require these contracts to adhere

to any established guidelines.

AB 1944 – Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: The Sustainable Groundwater management Act

would allow and encourage sustainable and collaborative management of groundwater resources by

Indian tribes and local public agencies in the upper part of the San Luis Rey Valley Basin (SLR Basin) in

northern San Diego County consistent with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

AB 2615 – State Highway System: Parks and Recreation: Accessibility for Bicycles and Pedestrians:

This bill would require the Department of Transportation to partner with appropriate public agencies,

including, but not limited to, the Department of Parks and Recreation, any federal department or agency,

and any regional or local public entity, to develop strategies and plans to improve access for bicycles and

pedestrians to federal, state, regional, and local parks adjacent to or connected to the state highway

system.

AB 2745 – State Parks: Merchandise Sales: This bill would authorize the department to license and sell

its branded merchandise, images, and other state-park-related merchandise, directly to the public for

revenue generation. The bill would authorize the department to enter into agreements with individuals,

public agencies, qualified nonprofit organizations, and other private entities for sale of department

branded merchandise, images, or other state-park-related merchandise to the public.

ACR 248 – Parks Make Life Better! Month: This resolution would recognize the importance of access to

local parks, trails, open space, and facilities for the health and development of all Californians and would

declare the month of July 2018 as “Parks Make Life Better!” Month.

Community Environment

AB 2061 – Near-Zero-Emission and Zero-Emission Vehicles: Authorizes a near zero-emission vehicle

(NZEV) or a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV), as defined, to exceed axle, tandem, gross, or bridge formula

weight limits, up to a 2,000 pound maximum, by an amount equal to the difference between the weight of

the vehicle attributable to the fueling or propulsion system carried by that vehicle and the weight of a

comparable diesel tank and fueling or propulsion system, only to the extent that it is expressly allowed

under federal law.

AB 2453 – Air Pollution in Schools: Children of color and low-income children are more likely to be

attending a school with high exposure to pollution. There are currently no statewide programs designed to

reduce exposure to air pollutants at existing school sites. AB 2453 adds Section 44391.3 to the Health and

Safety Code to make schools in communities identified for Community Emission Reduction Programs

pursuant to AB 617 (Chapter 136, Statutes of 2017) eligible for funding for air quality adaptation efforts,

including but not limited to installing vegetative barriers and upgrading or installing air filtration systems.

Agricultural Economy

AB 2006 – Charge Ahead California Initiative: Agricultural Worker Vanpool Programs: This bill

would require the state board, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and

Development Commission, air pollution control and air quality management districts, and the public, to

require existing agricultural vanpool programs to serve disadvantaged communities, as defined, and lowincome

communities, as defined, and to allocate a minimum of 25% of the moneys appropriated for

agricultural vanpool programs to those programs servicing low-income communities.

AJR 34 – Agricultural Workers: Labor Shortages: This resolution would call upon the Federal

Government to recognize the agricultural labor shortages affecting our agricultural industry and urge them

to address this critical economic issue.

SB 965 – California Cattle Council: This bill establishes the California Cattle Council within the

California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to provide production research, producer and

consumer education, and various promotional activities related to cattle in California.

Transportation & Housing

AB 2056 – Mobile Home Park Purchase Fund: A fund created by this legislation would authorize the

department to make loans from the fund to a qualified nonprofit housing sponsor or a local public entity

to acquire or rehabilitate a mobile home park where no less than 30% of residents are low income. The

bill would also authorize the department to make grants from the fund to a resident organization or

nonprofit housing sponsor to assist park residents with needed repairs or accessibility upgrades.

AB 2544 – Parking Penalties: This bill would specify that the option to collect unpaid penalties that were

issued before July 1, 2018, through the department requires a process to provide a payment plan for

indigent persons, as specified. The bill would make technical changes to the provisions for all the

specified options to collect the unpaid parking penalty.

Small Businesses & Labor

AB 626 – Homemade Food Operations Act: This act would amend Section 113789 of the Health and

Safety Code to expand the “Private Homes” exemption within the Retail Food Code’s requirements for

“Food Facilities” to include self-registration or permit for Homemade Food Operations. This measure will

also permit the sale of prepared meals and other foods from small-scale, home kitchen operations.

AB 2915 – Workforce Development Boards: Mutual Disaster Aid Assistance: Memorandum of

Understanding: The bill would require, by July 1, 2020, the California Workforce Development Board to

develop, in conjunction with the Employment Development Department and with input from local

workforce development boards, a policy regarding mutual aid agreements between and among local

workforce development boards to enable them to effectively respond to disasters and that is consistent

with applicable state and federal law.

SB 946 – Sidewalk Vendors: Decriminalizes sidewalk vending and establishes various requirements for

local regulation of sidewalk vendors.

Veterans Affairs

AB 1786 – Community Colleges: Academic Credit for Prior Military Experience: AB 1786 requires the

Chancellor of the California Community Colleges (CCCCO), by March 31, 2019, to designate a statewide

articulation officer at the CCCCO and requires that the statewide articulation officer determine for which

courses credit should be awarded for prior military experience.

AB 2325 – County Mental Health Services: Veterans: This bill would prevent a county from denying an

eligible veteran county mental or behavioral health services while the veteran is waiting for a

determination of eligibility for mental or behavioral health services provided by the United States

Department of Veterans Affairs.

AB 2439 – Cathedral City Veterans Memorial: Measure 2493 would designate the LGBT Veterans

Memorial at Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City as the official state LGBT Veterans Memorial.

California must honor all the brave men and women who have served in our nation’s armed forces. This

memorial is a testament to honor the contributions the LGBT community has made to the security of the

United States.

Education

AB 2239 – Foreign Language Courses: A-G Certification: AB 2239 would encourage the governing

board of a school district to support schools of the school district in submitting any foreign language

courses that is specifically designed for native speakers of that language to the University of California for

certification and addition to the school’s “A-G” course list.

AB 2644 – Dolores Huerta Day: This bill would require the Governor to annually proclaim April 10 as

Dolores Huerta Day, would designate and set apart that date each year as having special significance, and

would encourage all public schools and educational institutions to observe that date by conducting

exercises remembering the life of Dolores Huerta and recognizing her accomplishments and the

contributions she made to the state.

AB 3022 – Retroactive Grant of High School Diplomas: Departed and Deported Pupils: This bill would

authorize the retroactive grant of a high school diploma to a person who has departed California against

his or her will, and, at the time of his or her departure, was enrolled in grade 12 of a high school operated

by a school district, by or under the jurisdiction of a county office of education, or by a charter school,

who did not receive a high school diploma because his or her education was interrupted due to his or her

departure, and who was in good academic standing at the time of his or her departure.

ACR 243 – Crossing Guards Keep Our Children Safe Month: This resolution recognizes the month

of September 2018, as Crossing Guards Keep Our Children Safe Month. This measure would

acknowledge the importance of adult crossing guards and the role they play in our communities.

Revenue & Taxation

AB 2746 – Taxation: Tax-Defaulted Property Sales: Addresses the redemption termination deadline

related to tax-defaulted property the county tax collector is required to offer for sale at a public auction.

COACHELLA DISTRICT OFFICE: 48220 JACKSON ST., #A3, COACHELLA, CA 92236 (760) 347-2360 OFFICE, (760) 347-5704 FAX

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