Dear Friend,

This week’s newsletter provides updates on the ongoing City of Richmond Water Treatment Plant restoration effort, shares information on the upcoming 2025 General Assembly session, including my legislative and budgetary priorities, shares details from my office’s “Pre-Session Town Hall,” and highlights select community engagements from recent weeks. Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and for staying informed.

City of Richmond Water Treatment Plant Restoration Efforts

As a part of the ongoing City of Richmond Water Treatment Plant restoration effort, the City has opened bottled water distribution sites, which will operate from 9:30am until 11:30am and 3:00pm until 5:00pm at the following locations:

Broad Rock Library - 4820 Old Warwick Road
West End Library - 5420 Patterson Avenue
Hickory Hill Community Center - 3000 Belt Boulevard
Bellemeade Community Center - 1800 Lynhaven Avenue
Midtown Green - 2401 W Leigh Street
Pine Camp Community Center - 4901 Old Brook Road
Randolph Community Center - 1415 Grayland Avenue
Westover Hills Community Center - 1301 Jahnke Road
East End District Initiative (EDI) - 701 North 25th Street
Southside Plaza - 4100 Hull Street Road

Richmond residents that still have water are under a boil water advisory. The following protocols should be followed:

Do not drink tap water during this boil water alert.
Do not drink from water fountains in parks, public or private buildings that receive water from the Department of Public Utilities.
Do not use ice made from water today.
Discard the ice and sanitize the ice machine and/or ice trays. Likewise, do not use water or dispensed directly from a refrigerator.
Do not use tap water to make drinks, juices, or fountain soft drinks.
Do not wash your dishes using tap water – use boiled water or use paper plates for the next few days.
Do not wash your fruits and vegetables with tap water – use boiled or bottled water.
Do not brush your teeth with tap water -- use boiled or bottled water.
Do not cook with tap water, unless your food will be boiled vigorously for three minutes.

Additional information on water boil advisories is available through the Virginia Department of Health.

The City will communicate new information as it becomes available through rva.gov and its social media pages. Residents experiencing emergencies should call 9-1-1. To submit a service request, residents can call RVA311 (3-1-1 or 804-646-7000).

My 2025 Session Priorities

Today and tomorrow, I will release my legislative proposals for the 2025 Session and also begin to file budget amendments. Over the next several weeks, as bills begin to be heard in their respective committees, I will share details about the legislation and the individual bills’ progress through the committee processes.

My legislative agenda includes bills that

Safeguard reproductive healthcare rights by establishing a Right to Contraception and by protecting Virginia’s healthcare professionals who provide critical reproductive health care
Support public schools with revisions to K-12 funding calculations and includes improved support for students with the greatest needs, including students in special education, students experiencing poverty, and English learners
Increase Virginia’s energy grid’s reliability through investments in diverse energy technologies and expands career and technical training within renewable energy industries
Safeguard the lives and health of workers and student athletes from extreme heat conditions created by climate change
Provide incentives for employers to contribute to the childcare costs of their employees

A few of my upcoming budget amendments include the following:

Combined Sewer Overflow: Funding to execute the City of Richmond’s combined sewer overflow control project and final plan
Recruitment and Retention of Health Care Workforce: Multiple amendments to support health education programs, improve clinical placements, enhance grant awards, and salary supplements for providers in critical health care fields
Expanding Access to Homeownership for Our Most Economically Vulnerable Residents: Additional funding to the Commonwealth’s five Community Land Trusts (CLTs) – some of our best tools for increasing homeownership opportunities for lower-income Virginians
Supporting Survivors of Domestic Violence: Funding to complete the build of a YWCA campus, which will include 25 secure housing units, 24/7 hotline resources, mental health counseling space, legal support, court advocacy, and a mixed income early education and childcare center so survivors can access care in crisis, increase their stability, and become head of household after fleeing a violent home

Welcoming Community Members to the General Assembly Building

On Wednesday, January 8, the first day of Session, I will again host a Senate District 15 Open House from 9:30 - 11:00 am. Constituents and visitors are invited to stop by the office – Room 616 – to chat with me, my staff, and grab a treat as the 2025 legislative session gets underway.

General Assembly Engagement Opportunities

Community members have numerous opportunities to stay engaged throughout the General Assembly. Session activities are accessible through the recently-updated Legislative Information System (LIS). Helpful links include the following:

See what legislation has been introduced by all elected officials, or by member, committee assignment, or subject
Watch live streams of Senate committee meetings and floor sessions
View daily floor calendars to see what bills will be addressed in the Chambers
Find information on committees and subcommittees, including agendas
Use Lobbyist-in-a-Box to track up to five bills for free during the Session

The public is also welcome to attend and testify on bills of interest during Subcommittee and Committee meetings.

Visitors to the Capitol and to legislative offices should have a plan in place such as familiarity with the security policies of the General Assembly, awareness of the schedule of Senate and House Subcommittee and Committee meetings, the locations of committee rooms and legislative offices, and information about the specific bills on the docket for that day’s committee meetings. Members of the public are also welcome to sit in the Senate and House Galleries to observe the Floor proceedings of each Chamber. Visitors planning to attend the 2025 Session can reach out to my office for assistance, clarification, and additional details.

We will continue to issue our weekly newsletters throughout the session, as well as post daily on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Thank You: Pre-Session Community Town Hall

On Thursday, my office hosted our Pre-Session Community Town Hall. Community members received an overview of our office activities and an introduction to my staff who also shared our constituent services and the legislative tools that help the public stay engaged and participate in the General Assembly. I also provided an overview of the Commonwealth’s budget processes and my legislative and budgetary priorities. Importantly, constituents shared their own concerns on an array of topics that included freedom of speech on college campuses, concerns about the increasing stress on our electric grid, infrastructure funding, support for public education, and the three constitutional amendments being brought forward this session. Thank you to those who were able to attend.

I will be joining additional town halls in the coming weeks to share updates on the 2025 legislative session.

Upcoming: VAAPIC Zoom Town Hall

Next Sunday, January 12, the Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus (VAAPIC) will host its 2025 Session Kick-off Town Hall on Zoom. We will share our Caucus’ legislative and budgetary priorities for the session. Registration is required. We hope you will join us for this important discussion.

Established in 2021 in response to escalating violence against members of AAPI communities, the Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus has become a strong collective of elected officials who represent the diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander communities across Virginia. Details about the Virginia AAPI Caucus, our legislative priorities, and future events are available on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Select Community Engagements

On December 24, I joined employees on strike at Starbucks locations across the Metro Richmond Area, demanding fair wages and benefits. As the cost of living continues to outpace wages, individuals and families are struggling to afford necessities such as rent, utilities, and childcare. Corporations that see record-breaking profits have a responsibility to ensure their employees–the people who generate those profits–have living wages.

Sunday was a packed day as I traveled to Northern Virginia to support two of our Democratic candidates running in Tuesday’s special elections: Kannan Srinivasan running for the State Senate in District 32 and JJ Singh running for the House of Delegates in District 26. Dozens of volunteers and members of the New Virginia Majority and Planned Parenthood knocked on doors and mobilized voters.

Later that afternoon, I also joined the Fairfax County Democratic Committee for its annual Road to Richmond Brunch. Speakers for the morning included Congressmen Don Beyer and Gerry Connolly; Senate and House Majority Leaders Scott Surovell and Charniele Herring, and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay and School Board Chair Karl Frisch.

Connecting With My Office

My office can be reached at the following:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 804.698.7515

If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up to receive my office’s weekly newsletter here.

— Ghazala

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