Dear Friends,
I hope everyone had a great holiday whether you celebrated Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or the winter solstice. I trust that you and yours were blessed with family, fellowship and love. Melanie and I were thankful to be surrounded by family and friends. All five of our children, Nicholas, Alex, Austin, Mariah and Noah were home for the holidays, and it was an amazing time.
From Altadena to Monrovia to Claremont and Upland, December was packed with terrific community events. I was especially pleased to see many of you when Congress Member Judy Chu swore me into office at a special ceremony in Pasadena on Sunday, December 9.
The Legislature begins its new session this month, and it is an honor to be starting my first term as your state representative in the 41st Assembly District. If you are receiving this newsletter, you are a part of this new Assembly seat that stretches from Altadena, Pasadena, South Pasadena and Sierra Madre in the west through Monrovia to La Verne, San Dimas, Claremont and Upland in the east.
Our state economy is among the largest in the world, but it has been shaken by economic insecurity, business failures and home foreclosures. I am planning to tackle many of these issues that greatly affect our communities, and I want to help put California back on the road to recovery. I began this commitment my first day in office by introducing Assembly Bill 9 addressing job creation and economic development, and with your help, I plan to do much more.