Keeping the Promise of California For All
May 2021
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
May this Memorial Day Weekend afford everyone the opportunity to reflect on the tremendous sacrifices of those who paid the ultimate price, and to make new memories while sharing well-wishes with family and friends.
My job has been, and always will be, to fight alongside you for a better life for you, your loved ones, and all those who call the 51st Assembly District home. That's why you sent me to Sacramento. That's why I have worked, and will continue to work tirelessly, to pass the laws we need, and use the resources we have to lift our communities up.
These six bills were taken off of the Suspense file after being passed the Appropriations Committee and sent to the Assembly Floor for a vote:
- AB 470 Eliminates the Medi-Cal Asset Test
- AB 480 Protects our Communities from Hazardous Waste & Pollution
- AB 794 Climate Jobs and Equity Act - Aligns climate goals with labor standards
- AB 937 The VISION Act protects individuals who have been deemed eligible for release from being transferred by local jails or the state prison system to immigration detention.
- AB 1007 Compensates Survivors of Forced Sterilization
- AB 1276 Reduces Single Use Plastic Waste
Our state's policies should not put those who are already vulnerable at further risk. Yet, through either past action or inaction, this has been done. Today, our Golden State is meeting the charge to Build Back Better as we emerge from the COVID-19 global pandemic. I wanted to share some of the ways in which my proposals are keeping the promise of California For All.
A savings account should not cost anyone their healthcare.
Kming Rosenthal is a 72-year old HIV-positive woman who lives on $15,000 a year. Like many low-income older adults Ms. Rosenthal relies on Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, for healthcare. This access is vitally important for Ms. Rosenthal who needs to manage both her HIV and other chronic conditions. Given her age, income, and health history, losing Medi-Cal coverage is a terrifying prospect.
It was a prospect that almost came true last year when she inherited $5,000. Currently, a senior or person with disabilities enrolled in Medi-Cal is restricted to $2,000 in a bank account (a couple may not have more than $3,000). When faced with the decision of qualifying for Medi-Cal or having additional savings, most Californians choose to spend down their savings, as the costs of healthcare far exceed the dollar amount they’ve been able to save.
Ms. Rosenthal had a real need for the money she inherited, but she had to spend it very quickly so she wouldn’t stay over the Medi-Cal asset-test limit for more than 30 days, thereby terminating her eligibility. Healthcare is a right, and no one – much less seniors and Californians with disabilities – should be scared that they will lose their health coverage simply because they have enough money in the bank to fix a broken car or buy a new bed.
I authored AB 470 to eliminate the Medi-Cal assets test, because Kming Rosenthal – and every other senior and Californian with a disability – deserves both healthcare and financial stability.
No one should be double punished because of where they were born.
An Thanh Nguyen is a Vietnamese refugee whose father fought alongside the US during the Vietnam War; he spent four years as a prisoner of war. While resettling in the US, Mr. Nguyen – facing poverty, racism and bullying – struggled to fit in and feel at home. He was a young man when his life took a wrong turn, and he committed several robberies. While serving more than 20 years in state prison, he took advantage of programs that could help him turn his life around.
Yet, upon completing his prison sentence in October 2019, he was immediately transferred to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) instead of being released to his family and community or given the opportunity to rebuild his life. He was detained, released, detained again, and released again. This nightmare has not ended. Mr. Nguyen can still be deported at any time for being an immigrant who committed a crime – despite a 2008 agreement between the U.S. and Vietnam that excludes Vietnamese nationals who arrived here before July 12, 1995, from being deported to Vietnam.
Gabby Solano spent half her life behind bars because of a predetermined penalty written into law during the three-strikes era. She was only 26-years-old when she drove a car for her then-boyfriend. She was not responsible for any of his acts. Yet, he abused and threatened her into silence, and that silence cost her two and a half decades of freedom. Ms. Solano served the sentence she received believing that one day she would be able to go home. To be clear, this is Ms. Solano’s home – California is the only place she has ever called home since arriving here as a baby. Ms. Solano should have returned to her family and community at the end of March this year, but instead she was taken by ICE to a detention center in the State of Colorado, where she may remain indefinitely under threat of deportation.
This detention and deportation of immigrants who have completed their sentences is known as “double punishment.” The VISION Act (AB 937) would do away with the double punishment Californians like An Thanh Nguyen and Gabby Solano have received.
Turning Ms. Solano and Mr. Nguyen over to ICE, instead of allowing her to reunite with their families after serving their sentences, is a betrayal of our values. Families who have loved ones behind bars for any period of time are still families. Californians who don’t get everything right the first time, deserve a second chance, regardless of their background. All Californians who are being released at the end of their sentences with a reentry plan in hand, should be allowed to rejoin their families and communities.
AB 470, AB 937, and all of the bills listed above, and the many other pieces of legislation I have authored, co-authored, and championed this year are guided by the principle that we need a California For All, not just a California for some.
Please reach out to my office if you need help with EDD https://a51.asmdc.org/edd-assistance. Although Tax Day was May 17, you can still prepare and file your state and federal taxes for free and apply for the California Earned Income Tax Credit, the Young Child Tax Credit, and the Golden State Stimulus https://a51.asmdc.org/caleitc. I’ve added a vaccination site map to my webpage, https://a51.asmdc.org/covidvaccine, to help you and everyone over age 12 in your household get one. Use this map to find a COVID-19 testing site and visit HousingIsKey.com to find out how you can get help with back rent and overdue utilities.
Please email me or call my office, 213-483-5151, if you have questions or need any support.
In Service,
Wendy Carrillo
Assemblymember, 51st District