Busy October

Dear Friend,

I hope you’ve been enjoying the beautiful weather and fall festivities this October! It’s been great being home and I wanted to share what I’ve been up to – from focusing on our military community to pushing for universal child care to spending time at small businesses throughout San Diego.

Keep reading for more highlights:

Thanking San Diego’s Military Community

San Diego is the biggest military community in the country and we’re one of the biggest hubs for defense and technology innovation – so every year, the San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC) releases a report detailing our impact. I was glad to join SDMAC and our military community for the rollout of the 2024 Military Economic Impact Report, which highlighted the importance of improving military families’ quality of life and strengthening innovation – two things I’m working on as San Diego’s only member on the House Armed Services Committee!

San Diego is the incredible place we know and love largely because of our service members, veterans, and military families in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard who sacrifice so much to keep us safe. I’m grateful for everything they contribute to our community and country — and I’m glad to have this additional data to push us in the right direction.

Attending the 17th Annual La Mancha Awards

I was glad to attend the Casa Cornelia Law Center’s 17th Annual La Mancha Awards to honor and celebrate remarkable individuals and organizations for their work to provide legal assistance to victims of civil and human rights violations.

The Young People Fighting for Climate Action

As our climate crisis rages on, I’m so proud to see young San Diegans’ innovative approaches to climate action. Don’t forget – it was young people who advocated, marched, fought for, and delivered the biggest investment in climate action ever in the Inflation Reduction Act! Abbie, Kacie, and Emma are just a few of these incredible young leaders – and I was excited to learn more about their work, discuss action steps, and hear what they want Congress to do next year.

I’m committed to pushing for a 100% clean, renewable energy economy – powered by good-paying union jobs – investments in smart, sustainable infrastructure; more green spaces; a solution to the Tijuana River Valley crisis; and more.

Advocating for Affordable, Quality Child Care

So many families in San Diego are spending up to 40% of their income on child care – if they can even find it. That’s why addressing the child care crisis is one of my biggest priorities in Congress. I was glad to join the Children First Collective to discuss our local child care sector, ways people can get involved in fixing this crisis, and the next steps to building a universal child care system where parents can find and afford the care they need and providers can earn what they deserve.

Getting to Know More Small Businesses

If you’re an avid reader of my newsletters (and I hope you are), then you know I love visiting local small businesses. I’ve gotten to spend time at some amazing small businesses throughout our community over the past few weeks – including Art FORM on Adams Avenue, Clem’s Tap House in Kensington, Iris Delights in Tierrasanta, Java Garden in Serra Mesa, and more.

I’m proud that we have so many diverse and thriving small businesses here in San Diego – and I enjoyed getting to know some local owners, learning about their business models, and hearing how I can help them at the federal level. If you’re not shopping locally, start now!