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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.

While the federal government unwinds climate progress at warp speed, I reject the assertion that forward movement is dead. So, I traveled to Climate Week NYC the week of Sept. 21 to share California’s groundbreaking work and learn from others. I believe in policy initiatives to help create a livable climate, detailed below.

1. The grassroots are partners, not enemies. On day one, at the California Climate Leadership Forum, I presented my 2024 bill AB 3233, the Local Environmental Choice and Safety Act. Protect Monterey County first successfully fought for the right of local communities to make decisions about oil production.

Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-Morro Bay, authored a resolution to rename a four-mile portion of Highway 46 the James Byron Dean Memorial Highway.

Addis said she was inspired to author Assembly Concurrent Resolution 101, introduced June 24, in part to reinvent the notorious roadway while recognizing Dean’s contributions to arts and film in the 1950s.

More than 400,000 farmworkers across 60,000 farms in California ensure all of us have access to fresh food on our tables. Yet California's efforts to protect farmworkers from extreme heat are falling short of the state's legal standards.

In 2005, following the death of at least four farm workers due to extreme heat and lack of access to water, shade and rest, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took action by implementing the first outdoor heat safety standard in the nation.

"Roads improve access for wildland firefighting when timing is critical, and lives are at risk. ... The lack of maintenance and access have frustrated land managers for years, including firefighters who haven't been able to reach fires in time to slow their spread," they said. "It's also important to note that fire can be beneficial for forest ecosystems. ... Road access allows for more prescribed burning and other treatments that change fire behavior, transforming catastrophic conditions into low-intensity fires that are more easily managed, lower risk, and beneficial for the landscape."

But Central Coast Caucus members, including Assemblymembers Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) and Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara), disagree and submitted a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins during the public comment period urging the federal government to uphold the Roadless Rule.

When the fire erupted at the Moss Landing Battery Energy Storage Facility, causing fear and panic within the local community, a vital yet often overlooked group of professionals was on the ground to help: Registered Environmental Health Specialists.

These local experts work behind the scenes to protect our communities every day — ensuring our food is safe, our drinking water is clean, and our neighborhoods are shielded from environmental hazards.

California Assemblymember Dawn Addis has introduced a resolution that would make the week of July 14-18 California western monarch protection week.

This comes after a winter where according to Xeres Society, monarch numbers in Pismo Beach were just 556, a fraction of the more than 16 thousand butterflies counted in 2023.

Representing California’s 30th District, State Assemblymember Dawn Addis was inspired to run for office because she wanted to be a voice for her district. The accomplishment she is most proud of during her time in office is implementing the Central Coast Caucus, a group legislators from around the region that work together to identify and prioritize issues facing their communities.

The biggest lesson Addis has learned during her time in office is how important it is to listen to others so that she can address their concerns with initiatives and policies. She would say her district’s natural scenery and beauty sets the area apart from anywhere else.