March in Review
In March, we celebrated 100 days in office. I’m so honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve our community in the Assembly because it gives us the chance to truly deliver. In just 100 days, we: worked on more than 150 constituent cases, recovering a quarter of a million dollars for constituents from state agencies like the Employment Development Department, Housing and Community Development, and the Franchise Tax Board. We awarded nearly 300 certificates to folks around AD40 for their good work. And finally, we met with nearly 1,000 advocates, stakeholders, and constituents on issues facing our community.
Our office also celebrated Women’s History Month by honoring some of AD40’s most incredible women. In partnership with the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, our office took nominations for this year’s Women Making Herstory celebration at the Capitol. Our 2023 Woman Making Herstory was Mary MacAdams, an exemplary woman who is stepping up on critical work to address on homelessness and housing insecurity across AD40. Mary was California’s youngest award recipient this year, and it fills me with hope to know that our younger generations are taking on incredible challenges with so much grace and creativity.
We also welcomed our Santa Clarita Valley Community to Sacramento last month. Senator Scott Wilk and I were joined by the annual KHTS community trip – it was wonderful to connect with constituents and small business owners from AD40
Last but certainly not least, thank you! Over these past four months, we hit the ground running and we haven’t stopped, thanks to engaged and passionate members of our community. We couldn’t do this work without you.
Onward!
Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo
Dedicated Veteran Service Officer in Santa Clarita!
I am so excited to announce that through our office's joint advocacy effort with the Santa Clarita Veteran Services Collaborative, Santa Clarita will be getting its first dedicated Veteran Services Officer (VSO). The VSO can help veterans and their families connect with the Veterans Administration (VA) supports and services. Veterans can seek assistance at:
SCV Community Center LA County
26111 Bouquet Canyon Road, Building H1
Santa Clarita
Mondays: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
I ran for office because I want to really be able to deliver for our community and make a difference for folks in their daily lives. Delivering for our veterans is a source of pride for me and our office. We are excited to make sure that veterans in our community are getting connected with the resources and support that they need to thrive.
To learn more about one of the veterans at the forefront of our joint advocacy effort and about the new VSO, take a look at this article in The Signal.
Gas Hikes Update
This past month, we saw gas prices fall significantly. Thanks to your public pressure and our legislative pressure, SoCalGas announced that they’ll be giving back $10 Million to “support low-income families, seniors, and small restaurant owners impacted by unprecedented regional gas market prices.” While these actions by SoCalGas are encouraging, we know they aren’t enough. That's why I worked closely with the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Utilities & Energy to call for a swift investigation of these gas hikes. It’s crucial that we know exactly what happened and why our gas bills were suddenly so outrageously high so it won’t ever happen again.
To learn more about the Gas Assistance Fund and how to apply, click here.
If you haven’t already, please make sure to utilize the existing resources that SoCalGas provides: socalgas.com/Assistance. Here is a summary of those resources:
California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE)
- Eligible customers can save 20% on their natural gas bill
Energy Savings Assistance Program (ESAP)
- Eligible customers can save energy and money through professional home improvements at no cost.
Medical Baseline Allowance Program
- Eligible customers with qualifying medical conditions can get additional natural gas at the lowest baseline rate.
Gas Assistance Fund (GAF)
- Eligible customers could receive a one-time grant of up to $100 for their natural gas bill.
As always, our team is here to help! If you have trouble filing a claim, or getting a status update on your claim, our office can assist. Never hesitate to call or stop by for Paid Family Leave or Disability forms.
Last month, we started hearing bills in committee. I’m proud to announce that many of my bills have passed out of their first committees with bipartisan support. Common sense solutions are not partisan. Passing these bills with support from Republicans and Democrats shows that when lawmakers come together and rise above partisan politics to support common sense solutions, real change can happen. These bills address priority issues for our community, including real solutions to homelessness, protecting seniors and the disabled community, housing foster youth, eliminating insurance deductibles, and taking us into the future to electrify roads for wireless EV charging.
Here are some of the bills I’m most proud of:
Foster Youth Struggling with Housing Security (AB963): AB 963 expands the number of affordable housing units available to former foster youth struggling with housing security. Supervisor Barger led a motion to support AB 963 at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which received unanimous support.
Senior Safety (AB751): AB 751 ensures older adults and people with disabilities who are victims of major crimes receive the care and support from law enforcement they need.
Reducing Healthcare Costs (AB1208): AB 1208 eliminates deductibles for some Covered California enrollees, helping those often just above the income qualifications to get heavily subsidized plans. Instead of paying thousands of dollars in deductibles before insurance kicks in, this would allow people to seek care when they need it, without cost barriers.
Electric Road for EV Wireless Charging (AB823): AB 823 brings us closer to meeting our state’s zero emission goals, a step in our effort to protect our environment for future generations. The bill allows for new innovation in wireless electric vehicle charging through electrified roads and parking lots.
I am so grateful to the residents and advocates who made their voices heard on these key policies to address homelessness, support foster youth and seniors, and protect our environment.
Assemblywoman Schiavo is coming to a location near you soon! Please come out and join us at these upcoming events:
April 23 - 24 - Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival
Main St. Old Town Newhall
April 29 - 30 - Santa Clarita Valley Home & Garden Show
Central Park - 27150 Bouquet Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91350
May 7 - Chatsworth Hike with Pilar - 9 a.m.
Santa Susana Hiking Trail - 9853 Andora Ave, Chatsworth, CA 91311
May 13 - Pastries With Pilar: A Legislative Update – 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Northridge Park - 10058 Reseda Blvd, Northridge, CA 91324
May 20 - Join Assemblywoman Schiavo at our Health Fair – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Granada Hills Rec. Center - 16730 Chatsworth St, Granada Hills, CA 91344