Message from Michelle July 8, 2022 Dear John, Here in Orange County, I've been meeting with law enforcement, business owners, and local veterans' advocates to learn more about some of the challenges facing our community, and how Congress can work better for them. Read on to learn more about what I've been up to this week. Today we learned that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated. I am saddened to hear of his tragic loss, and am praying for his family and the people of Japan. Make sure to follow my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get these updates in real-time! My staff will be hosting mobile office hours in Laguna Niguel on July 12th. Mobile office hours provide an opportunity to get one-on-one, in-person assistance with federal agencies from my staff. Mobile office hours are open to the public. Laguna Niguel City Hall, Community Room 30111 Crown Valley Pkwy Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 Newport/Corona Del Mar 801 Narcissus Avenue Corona Del Mar, CA 92 You can also contact my office for assistance at any time. For my office locations in Huntington Beach and Washington D.C., click here. Contact My Office Honoring Our Fallen I visited Honoring Our Fallen in Garden Grove to meet with Founder and CEO Laura Herzog. A former journalist and Public Affairs Officer for the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, Laura was awarded the California Medal of Merit in 2009, which is awarded to National Guard service members and civilians for exceptionally meritorious conduct and is one of the highest decorations in the State of California. Honoring our Fallen is works to serve our nation’s heroes by providing programs and services to support family members of fallen service members as they go through the cycles of grief. It was great to learn about this effort, I’m grateful to Laura for her hard work to support the families of those who have served our nation in uniform. Thank you, Laura! My office is looking for a wounded warrior or medically retired veteran for a paid Wounded Warrior Program fellowship in my Huntington Beach district office. The person chosen for the special fellowship will work with our military and veteran community to handle casework and act as a facilitator between constituents and federal, state, and local agencies. Questions? Email [email protected], call (714) 960-6483, or visit the links below. Learn More Apply Announcing July's Business of the Month I am pleased to announce that this month's Business of the Month is Puriton. Puriton is a mineral-based skincare and wellness company headquartered right here in Orange County. They ship their products all over the world from Garden Grove! I stopped by to present the Award to CEO David Kim, and learn about the benefits of mineral skin care and the work mineralogists are doing to improve health right here in Orange County. Our community is truly on the cutting edge of advancements in science and health, and I was glad to see it firsthand at Puriton. Intern in My Huntington Beach or D.C. Office! If you are a hardworking, dedicated individual who has a desire to help improve the CA-48 community, an internship in my Washington, D.C. or Huntington Beach office is for you! The D.C. internship is available to college and graduate students, and the Huntington Beach office is open to recently graduated high school students, college, and graduate students. Candidates must possess excellent writing and verbal communication skills and be highly collaborative team players with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment. Learn More and Apply Orange County Heroes Protecting Our Students I met with Garden Grove Police Officers Patrick Julienne and Derek Link, along with their K9 partners, Misha and Nellie. They are part of the state’s first K9 support dog program, and help reduce anxiety, trauma, and suicidal thoughts in students. The program is funded by by the John Reynolds Youth Support Foundation and enables the department to have five full time school resource officers with the Garden Grove Unified School District which serves 45 elementary schools, 18 secondary schools, and more than 43,000 students. Thanks to Officers Julienne and Link for your service, and to everyone involved in making this important effort to serve and protect our students a success! My team has been experiencing a higher than average number of requests for assistance with passports. If you’re planning an international trip and need to renew or apply for a new passport, the time to plan is now. Click here or below for more information. If you have further questions about issues with the State Department or another Federal Agency, my team is here to help you. Learn More Get Assistance Assistance for Ukraine Many of you have asked how to help Ukrainian citizens evacuate while Russia continues their violent assault on innocent people. Below is information from the State Department, and I will continue to keep you updated as more resources are shared. Please don't hesitate to contact my office if we can be of service. Q: I am a U.S. citizen and need a passport to depart Ukraine. What should I do? The Department of State is not able to offer in-person emergency consular services in Ukraine at this time. U.S. citizens in Ukraine should fill out the online assistance form at: [link removed] and the Department of State will respond. Q. Is the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv still open for visa applications? The Department of State is not able to offer in-person emergency consular services in Ukraine at this time. U.S. embassies and consulates in neighboring countries can accept visa applications from Ukrainians. Interested applicants can find a list of embassy websites HERE, or visit a specific embassy website by clicking the buttons below and follow the instructions provided to apply for a visa. Hungary (Budapest) Moldova (Chisinau) Poland (Warsaw or Krakow) Slovakia (Bratislava) Romania (Bucharest) What I'm Reading Oil from US Reserves Sent Overseas as Gas Prices Stay High HOUSTON, July 5 (Reuters) - More than 5 million barrels of oil that were part of a historic U.S. emergency reserves release to lower domestic fuel prices were exported to Europe and Asia last month, according to data and sources, even as U.S.... Read more www.realclearpolicy.com Majority of Americans believe federal government is... The percentage of Americans who say they are struggling financially has jumped by double digits since last year, according to a new national public opinion survey, which also indicates inflation and gas prices top the list of problems faced by... Read more www.foxnews.com I’ll be using this newsletter as a way to keep you up to date on my work on behalf of our Orange County community, so make sure you sign up for regular updates. You can also connect with my official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages, where I’ll be posting the latest news and updates. Sincerely, Rep. Michelle Steel Member of Congress ‌ ‌ ‌ Rep. Steel | 1113 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]