GOP all-in for Chen + Climate change education bill + More university student housing?
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CONTROLLER CANDIDATE SNAGS A MAJORITY OF GOP ENDORSEMENTS
Via Lara Korte...
Lanhee Chen, the Bay-area candidate with a long history of advising national Republicans, announced a slate of endorsements Wednesday from top GOP leaders in the California Legislature.
Among those endorsing Chen in the race to replace Democratic Controller Betty Yee are Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, and Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldron, R-Escondido.
“Lanhee Chen is the proven leader that California needs as its next Controller,” Wilk said in a statement. “I am proud to endorse his candidacy because I know he will bring accountability and transparency to Sacramento. I look forward to working with him to ensure that we protect taxpayers across our state and address the big fiscal challenges we face.”
Chen currently works as Director of Domestic Policy Studies in the Public Policy Program at Stanford and holds a doctorate degree and a law degree from Harvard. He spent much of the last decade working on high-profile Republican campaigns, including as a policy director for Sen. Mitt Romney’s two presidential bids and a senior adviser to Sen. Marco Rubio during his 2016 campaign.
“I am supporting Lanhee Chen for Controller because we need a check on the one-party monopoly in Sacramento,” Waldron said in a statement. “He will be a tireless watchdog of our tax dollars and will ensure that they are spent wisely and effectively.”
An additional six state senators endorsed Chen, including Sens. Pat Bates, Rosilicie Bogh, Andreas Borgeas, Shannon Grove, Brian Jones and Melissa Melendez.
Republican Sens. Brian Dahle and Jim Nielsen were not on the latest list of endorsees, though could endorse Chen in the future.
Thirteen of the 19 Republican Assembly members endorsed Chen, include Philip Chen, Steve Choi, Jordan Cunningham, Heath Flora, Vince Fong, James Gallagher, Kevin Kiley, Tom Lackey, Devon Mathis, Thurston “Smitty” Smith, Suzette Valadares, and Randy Voepel.
LAWMAKERS VOW TO INTRODUCE CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION
Are our children learning enough about climate change?
No, according to several California lawmakers, who announced on Tuesday that they plan to introduce legislation to integrate climate change into the state’s education system.
The announcement comes as Assemblymembers Luz Rivas, D-San Fernando Valley, Lisa Calderon, D-Whittier, and Chris Ward, D-San Diego, are fresh off of their trip to the United Nations 2021 Climate Change Conference.
There, they learned “that the world is surpassing California on climate change education,” according to a statement released from Rivas’ office.
The three Assembly members are teaming up with Sen. Dave Cortese, D-Silicon Valley, and Assembly members Tasha Boerner-Horvath, D-Encinitas, Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella, and Isaac Bryan, D-Baldwin Hills, to introduce legislation to change that.
“At the United Nations’ climate conference, we learned that several countries are preparing their youth for the new climate realities affecting the planet by educating them on climate change,” Rivas said in a statement. This legislation will cultivate a new generation of climate policy leaders in California as we educate, help prepare, and give our next generation the tools to shape their futures in the wake of our current climate crisis.”
The lawmakers cited a 2019 study by Nature Climate Change, which found that teaching children about climate change in schools also significantly increased their parents’ concern about it, according to the statement. They also cited a National Public Radio poll finding that 80% of parents, and 86% of teachers, in the U.S. support teaching about climate change.
The lawmakers point to successes in Italy, New Zealand and New Jersey in requiring climate change to be a subject of K-12 study.
“For California to maintain its leadership on climate and environmental policy, we must educate our future generations on how to create a sustainable future,” according to the statement from Rivas’ office.
MCCARTY, TING TO PUSH FOR MORE STUDENT HOUSING
Speaking of new legislation being introduced, housing is likely to remain a big issue for lawmakers in 2022.
Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, on Tuesday announced via Twitter that he plans to introduce legislation, jointly authored by Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, to provide money for more university student housing.
“When #CALeg returns on Jan 3, I’ll intro leg providing $5B - zero interest revolving loans for UC/CSU to build urgently needed student housing. This would spur approx 25K new units, addressing our acute housing crisis & help us enroll more CA’s at UC/CSU,” McCarty wrote in a tweet.
McCarty linked to a CalMatters story about University of California students staying at hotels because of insufficient student housing.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Rushing Alpha Sigma Phi was fun in college. Rushing Greek letter Covid variants is not. Please get vaccinated.”
- Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin, via Twitter.
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