This week we welcome Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva. Quirk-Silva represents Assembly District 65. We discuss how we can improve education, housing, veteran support, and more.

(02:49) Getting elected in orange county, harvesting ballots

(09:00) Special session on windfall oil profits

(13:31) What needs to be done to improve housing?

(19:18) Education funding

(27:04) Working for veteran support

Today we are happy to have California Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva who represents the 65th Assembly District, which includes portions of northern Orange County. She talked about helping to open up Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm, and the opening up of the economy in her district. She also discusses her bills for the session including specific funding for projects in her district and priorities for helping build more housing stock and reminding homelessness. Finally, we discuss her role as Chair of the Assembly Arts Committee and the opening up of venues across her district and California.

This week we have Assembly Sharon Quirk-Silva of the 65th assembly district. The 65th covers northern Orange county centered around the city of Fullerton, and also includes the amusement parks Knott’s Berry Farms and Disneyland. We begin by discussing the events in Washington, D.C. on January 6th, with her calling it “an assault on democracy,” reminding her of the 2019 anti-vaxxer protest but assuring us that democracy will prevail. We then discuss her budget priorities for 2021, including covid and vaccine distribution, the internet and the digital divide, and housing and homelessness. Her housing and homelessness focus will also be combined with mental health access and a focus on early treatment. As a former teacher married to a current teacher she will also be working on hybrid learning to return students to the classroom in a safe manner. She is the new chair of the Assembly Arts and Entertainment Committee so we also discuss the plans to safely reopen theme parks in California.