News

"People are scared. The biggest thing that I hear is fear and trepidation about what the future is going to hold for them," Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-San Luis Obispo, and chair of the Budget Subcommittee on Health, told The Center Square. "There's a lot of fear where people are starting to think about if they're going to need a second or third job. Are they going to have to cut back on other basic needs?"

Much of that worry is centered on expiring health insurance subsidies, Addis said.

Tune into the Hometown Radio Podcast regarding the future of the land around Diablo Canyon. You can listen to my comments at timestamp 21:00.

Scammers are getting smarter and seniors are often their main targets.

That's why Assemblymember Dawn Addis and local leaders hosted a Senior Scam Stoppers event on Wednesday to help residents spot fraud before it's too late.

In May 2025, Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) proposed AB 1008, saying it would be "a vital source of revenue: for San Luis Obispo County."

At that time, Addis said, "This legislation supports our visitor-serving businesses, restaurants, and tasting rooms to expand their offerings."

In May, KSBY reported that Assembly Bill 1008 proposed by Assemblymember Dawn Addis aimed to bring 10 new liquor licenses to San Luis Obispo County. Last week, that bill was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom and will go into effect next year.

"It really is time to help our local businesses access new licenses," Addis said.

Amid shifting immigration policies and heightened federal enforcement, new funding from SB 104, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, will expand immigration services across the Central Coast.

Catholic Charities of the Central Coast will receive $1.5 million of a $5 million budget allocation secured by Assemblymembers Dawn Addis and Esmeralda Soria as part of a statewide effort to strengthen legal service infrastructure in underserved regions.

Catholic Charities of the Central Coast will receive $1.5 million of a $5 million budget allocation secured by Assemblymembers Dawn Addis and Esmeralda Soria as part of a statewide effort to strengthen legal service infrastructure in underserved regions.

While immigration raids like the ones seen in Southern California and elsewhere across the country, have not occurred in the Central Coast, Addis, who represents Assembly District 30, which includes Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo counties, said many local families are living in fear and in need of trusted, legal advice.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1288, the Retain and Train Act, into law, a key measure aimed at addressing workforce shortages in public health.

Sponsored by the California Association of Environmental Health Administrators and the County Health Executives Association of California, the bill focuses on creating pathways for training and certifying environmental health specialists vital professionals responsible for monitoring community safety during crises like wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters.

"Emotional disturbance" was a designation given to nearly 22,000 TK-12 students in California in 2023-24. That label made these students eligible to receive special education services through their school, in much the same way a student who is deaf or autistic or has a speech impairment might.

That changed in 2024 when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 2173, which allowed the state to instead use the less-stigmatizing phrase "emotional disability." The bill's author, Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-Morro Bay, asked the state Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE) for their support of the bill.

Assembly Bill 1336, now awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature or veto, is the latest skirmish in a decades-long conflict over protecting workers from heat effects on their health, whether they work outdoors or inside.

The measure, if approved, would create a new legal presumption — that workers suffering from heat illness or injury would be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if their employers failed to comply with standards set up to protect employees from heat effects.