Congressman Peters is grateful for the opportunity to serve another term. He is looking forward to continuing his work to fight climate change, implementing the landmark bills enacted last year, and tackling ongoing challenges in healthcare and immigration.
Read more of his thoughts on the new session in this January 4th piece from the San Diego Union Tribune , posted below:
Elected leaders look forward to advancing their agendas in 2023
By Elizabeth Marie Himchak
January 4, 2023
From homelessness and public safety, to post-pandemic economic recovery and lowering people’s cost of living, the area’s elected politicians have a full agenda of issues the plan to tackle in 2023.
Scott Peters
“As often follows from midterm elections, 2023 will bring a familiar set of challenges with a divided government,” said Rep. Scott Peters, a Democrat. His 50th District includes Rancho Bernardo and 4S Ranch. “President Biden and a Democratic-controlled Senate will have to learn to work with a slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives to deliver for the people we represent.
Health care and the rising cost of living in a post-pandemic recovery period are among problems that need to be addressed, Peters said.
“I will continue my work to fight climate change. This includes permitting reform to accelerate domestic clean energy production, policy on wildfires to keep our air clean and communities safe, and policy on water to address California’s enduring drought,” he said, mentioning the Save Our Sequoias Act as an example.
“I also look forward to the continued implementation of provisions from the landmark Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022.”
The House passed an omnibus bill on Dec. 23 to keep the government running. Peters said it included “a regional victory for San Diego” due to a transfer of $300 million to clean up the area’s coastlines and Tijuana River Valley. “This environmental problem is far from over, but we will keep fighting to fix it,” Peters added.
Immigration reform is among the polarizing issues Congress needs to prioritize, “with an emphasis on getting the labor supply our economy needs to thrive, border security and human rights,” Peters said.
“Year after year, most Americans agree that lawmakers should forge a path to citizenship for DACA recipients who have called the U.S. home for as long as they remember,” he said. “I remain committed to this issue to honor the hardworking DACA beneficiaries in San Diego and throughout the country.”
Peters can be emailed through the link at scottpeters.house.gov. Constituents can call his San Diego office at 858-455-5550.
Brian Maienschein
Assemblymember Brian Maienschein is representing a newly-drawn 76th Assembly District that includes Rancho Bernardo and 4S Ranch.
He said he will focus on issues that matter most to his constituents, including building upon his record of fighting for health access and public safety.
“As chair of the California Legislative Rare Disease Caucus, I have made it a priority for the legislature to address affordable and accessible healthcare for individuals with rare diseases,” said Maienschein, a Democrat. “I look forward to continuing this vital work as I lead my colleagues in finding solutions to advance opportunities for rare disease patients to have access to the resources they need.”
He is also chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee, which will hear and investigate bills relating to family law, product liability, civil codes and evidence codes. “I look forward to continuing to ensure that California’s laws are in the best interest of families and consumers,” Maienschein said.
Ensuring public safety is another of his goals.
“Last year I was able to secure state funding for the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children task force enabling them to continue their vital work,” he said. “Looking into this upcoming year, one of my top priorities is to look for similar opportunities to make sure law enforcement has the resources they need to do their jobs.”
He also plans to work with various government levels to see how the state can help with local challenges including the proliferation of fentanyl, homelessness, increasing gun violence and adverse mental health impacts, especially on children and teens. Other topics include housing and animal protections.
Reach Maienschein by filling out a form at a76.asmdc.org or call his district office at 858-675-0760.
Marie Waldron
Assemblymember Marie Waldron is the new representative for Poway with the new boundaries for the 75th Assembly District.
“California is increasingly unaffordable,” said Waldron, a Republican. “We have the nation’s most expensive housing and the highest energy costs. We must reform policies that increase costs and impose burdensome fees on every home built, including rental units, making it difficult or impossible to find a place for many to live.
“State energy policies that drive up electricity costs, and our highest-in-the-nation gas prices/taxes, need serious reform. Water is another problem. Bureaucratic hurdles blocking new dams must be revised. Current storms may fill existing reservoirs … but additional water storage facilities are needed to serve agriculture and almost 40 million Californians.”
She said public safety needs to be a top priority, but blamed leniency for crime issues. Waldron called for stronger penalties for purveyors of fentanyl and other drugs, in addition to felony penalties for thefts under $950 to deter “smash and grab” crimes.
Waldron said she wants the sexually violent predators placement process revised. “Residential neighborhoods and rural communities where families try to raise children in a safe environment aren’t equipped to cope with the SVP moving in next door; nor should they have to,” she said.
Other issues Waldron said need to be addressed are homelessness, housing costs, mental illness and drug addiction.
“My legislation allowing medication-assisted treatment for drug-addicted inmates under county supervision will help keep drugs off the streets, while also helping to reduce opioid deaths and crime,” she said.
Since mental health affects many families, Waldron said she wants to increase parity between mental health and physical health. “Increasing access to care and needed treatments must be a priority, including increasing the number of treatment providers,” she said. “But it’s just part of the puzzle. We must consider every tool available to solve these complex problems.”
Reach Waldron by filling out a form at ad75.asmrc.org or call her district office at 760-480-7570.
Brian Jones
State Senator Brian Jones said assisting his District 40 constituents, including those in Poway, Rancho Bernardo and 4S Ranch, is “one of my top priorities.”
As the recently-elected Senate minority leader for the California State Senate Republican Caucus, Jones said “my top priority is fixing California. … In my new role, I am focused on continuing to fight to improve our quality of life with bold, bipartisan and immediate action on the many issues we are facing, such as the affordability crisis and homelessness crisis.”
He has introduced two bills to suspend the state gas taxes and fees, and immediately lower gas prices by $1 per gallon.
“These bills will bring desperately needed relief to Californians at the pump,” Jones said.
Another bill he introduced is designed to protect children, whom Jones called “the most vulnerable population,” by prohibiting homeless encampments near schools, parks, libraries and daycare centers.
“This bill balances accountability with compassion by connecting impacted homeless individuals with services and shelters in the area,” he said.
To reduce crime, Jones said he plans to work toward reclassifying crimes like domestic violence, human trafficking and rape of an unconscious person as violent felonies under California’s penal code.
“Californians are best served by hard-working elected officials that put bipartisanship and the betterment of the community first,” Jones said. “I have always tried to adhere to this philosophy and will continue to do so in the future.”
Constituents can reach Jones’ office at senate.ca.gov/jones or 619-596-3136.
San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson
“It’s my job to make government work for my constituents, and it’s been an honor to help people with the many different ways the county impacts their lives, such as rental assistance, public libraries and parks, road improvements and wildfire prevention efforts,” said County Supervisor Joel Anderson. His District 2 includes Poway, Rancho Bernardo and 4S Ranch.
Anderson said many of his 2023 priorities are the same as last year’s. These include providing mental health services and resources to those experiencing homelessness, increasing career opportunities in District 2, supporting housing measures that allow young families to afford to live locally, and investing in public safety systems.
“One of my goals as your county supervisor is to ensure that your money goes where you want to see it go,” Anderson said.
An expansion of the 4S Ranch Library and park improvements in 4S Ranch, along with converting a closed landfill in Poway into a bike park or other recreational use are among the projects being considered for inclusion in the Draft 2023-2028 County of San Diego Capital Plan, Anderson said.
“I want to ensure that my constituents have access to the same opportunities and quality of life regardless of where they live,” he said. “Future projects should be designed in mind to better ensure our communities are safe places to live, work and play. However, since there isn’t enough money to fund all the projects, we desperately need community feedback to help prioritize available funds.”
Constituents can reach Anderson’s office by submitting a comment form at supervisorjoelanderson.com/contact, by calling 619-531-5522 or emailing [email protected].
Marni von Wilpert
San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, whose District 5 includes Rancho Bernardo, said she is looking forward to being the new chair of the council’s Committee on Public Safety.
“I am focused on addressing the skyrocketing fentanyl crisis, curbing the rise of gun violence, reducing human trafficking, supporting our heroic first responders, bolstering wildfire prevention and resiliency and more,” said von Wilpert, a Democrat.
She also mentioned some of her accomplishments over the past year related to safety. These included getting the City Council last April to pass the SAAFE Act that prohibits the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products within the city in response to “the alarming rise in teenage nicotine addiction in our city.”
Von Wilpert said products were flavored to market them to kids. In November, voters approved the ban statewide.
“I am proud of the work we did to recover from the unprecedented COVID-19 public health and economic crisis,” said von Wilpert, who co-chaired the city’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Committee. “We evaluated the impact and effectiveness of regulations enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, provided oversight, input, and recommendations on the distribution of state and federal COVID-19 relief funding and programs, and received community input on the regional response while addressing issues of equity that had been exacerbated by the pandemic.”
She said the city will be able to address its infrastructure needs better due to a newly-streamlined Capital Improvement Program that will let the city deliver infrastructure projects more quickly. Infrastructure contracts are also being reviewed for efficiency and fiscal responsibility.
Von Wilpert can be reached at 619-236-6655 or via email at [email protected].