Yesterday, I joined Congressman Juan Vargas and Congressman Scott Peters at Mesa College to celebrate the $3.4 million we secured for the San Diego Community College District in last year’s government funding bill. Of that funding, I’m so proud that I secured $1.2 million to expand their four LGBTQ+ Pride Centers and scale up their Youth Leadership Academy and Pride Youth Collective programs. With the rise of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, policies, and violence, it’s so important for LGBTQ+ youth to have places where they can safely and freely be themselves and to be a part of a welcoming community. I’m so excited to see this funding support LGBTQ+ students in San Diego! 

Too many families in San Diego can’t find or afford the care that meets their needs. For parents, the average annual cost of child care for one infant in a licensed center is more than $19,000! For low- and middle-income families, that’s far out of reach. And it’s not any easier for child care providers, who are in one of the lowest-paid professions in the country.

That’s why I joined with parents, caregivers, and caregiving advocates at the Care Can’t Wait rally in Washington to push for big and bold (and necessary!) federal investments in the care economy, including child care, paid leave, and care for older adults and people with disabilities. We need to make it easier for families and overburdened caregivers right now – because care can’t wait.

In the post-Roe era, far-right Republicans have already weaponized the vast digital surveillance system against us to prosecute extreme abortion bans – and we need to ensure that the federal government isn’t giving them a helping hand.

But right now, local and state governments could use FBI and DHS resources to surveil people, gather digital evidence, and enforce abortion bans. That’s why I’m working with Senator Hirono and Senator Wyden to push the Administration to immediately address these existing vulnerabilities and protect people’s privacy and bodily autonomy.

Every year, House Democrats gather together at the Democratic Issues Conference to determine our priorities and strategy for the year. This year, I was so honored to deliver the Invocation (something I’d never done before!) to help center the discussions about our work.

I shared my favorite quote from the Talmud: “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”

Like I told my colleagues, the big, complex problems in front of us can seem daunting and overwhelming, but we can’t give up hope or abandon our work, even if we can’t fully solve these problems. All of us – in Congress and in our communities – play an important role in making progress and improving the world around us. 

My staff in San Diego is here to help if you need assistance with a federal agency, like small business loans, immigration challenges, issues with Social Security or Medicare, VA benefits, and more!

You can also call our San Diego office at (619) 280-5353. And, as always, please encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to subscribe to this newsletter so I can provide them with timely updates.
 
For weekly news, you can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube at @RepSaraJacobs.

Warmly,