Dear Friend,

Let me begin by personally thanking you for allowing me the honor of serving as your California State Senator. I am humbled by the responsibility of representing a community with such rich diversity of language, geography, and culture.

I proudly represent Senate District 34, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Orange, Rossmoor, Santa Ana, Seal Beach and Westminster in Orange County as well as part of the city of Long Beach in Los Angeles County.

I’m ready to hit the ground running for our community in the State Senate. I look forward to working on legislation that will expand access to healthcare for all, crack down on gang and drug issues, protect our coastline and help our veterans transition back home.

As your representative, I am hopeful that we can build an open dialogue that will lead to real results for our district. My door will always be open to all members of the community. With your advice, support, and even constructive criticism, I hope to be that voice that transcends political affiliation, ethnicity, or social status to help meet the challenges that face us. I look forward to serving you with an open mind and servant’s heart.

In that vein, this represents my first monthly newsletter which my office will be sending in an effort to keep you informed about events and issues within SD 34. See quick links below to jump to any area in particular:

• Around the 34^th with Team Umberg
  • District Swearing-In Ceremony
  • Celebrating the Lunar New Year
  • Long Beach MLK Day of Service
  • Team Umberg in the Community
• Sacramento Update
  • Committee Assignments for 2019
• Paying Homage to our District Heroes
  • Honoring Chief Tom Shultz
  • Remembering Our Veterans
• Important Issues
  • Protecting our Community
  • Addressing the Housing Crisis
  • Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program - Grant Funding Opportunity
• Upcoming Events
  • Tax Preparation & CalEITC Workshops
  • OCCORD Citizenship Fair
• How to Contact Me

Sincerely,

Col. Tom Umberg (Ret.)
Senator, 34th District

 

 

Around the 34^th with Team Umberg

District Swearing-In Ceremony

Thank you to the hundreds of community leaders and residents who participated in our District Swearing-In Ceremony on January 10th. I was honored to welcome California's Senate President pro Tempore, Toni Atkins, to Orange County to administer my oath of office. I want to give special recognition to Cal State University, Fullerton President, Fram Virjee, for hosting us at the CSUF Grand Art Center. I would also like to thank Santa Ana High School’s Mariachi Los Santos for performing, and Downtown Inc., Santa Ana Highway Patrol 675, the Santa Ana Police Department, and ChapterOne for their partnerships.

Celebrating the Lunar New Year

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!

On Saturday, February 9th, our team and I attended several celebrations of the Lunar New Year that took place in Orange County. We began the day by participating in the annual Tet Parade in Little Saigon, hosted by the Vietnamese American Federation of Southern California. Despite the rain, more than 13,000 residents were in attendance. After the parade we attended the Tet Festival celebration at Mile Square Regional Park, organized by Supervisor Andrew Do. Finally, we attended the Tet Festival of Southern California hosted by the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations (UVSA). It was a busy and inspiring weekend!

Team Umberg in the Community

Sacramento Update

Committee Assignments for 2019

I am honored to have been appointed to the following committees for 2019 by Senate President pro Tempore, Toni Atkins:

Chair, Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee
Chair, Senate Select Committee on the Growing Impact of Artificial Intelligence
Co-Chair, Senate Select Committee on the 2020 United States Census
Joint Rules Committee
Budget & Fiscal Review Committee
Judiciary Committee
Housing Committee
Transportation Committee
Veterans Affairs Committee
Select Committee on Aerospace and Defense
Select Committee on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs
Select Committee on Manufactured Home Communities
Select Committee on Preparing California's Future Workforce.

I am excited to represent the residents of the 34^th Senate District on these and many more issues in the months ahead.

Paying Homage to our District Heroes

Honoring Chief Tom Schultz

Tom Schultz, who suddenly passed away on January 27 at age 54, was one of Orange County’s finest public servants. In 1985, Tom began his career with the Fullerton Fire Department and eventually climbed his way to becoming the 13th Fire Chief of Garden Grove.

While serving in Fullerton, Tom undertook the momentous task of consolidating the fire departments in both Fullerton and Brea to create a more organized and seamless command structure for the area. In the spirit of improving the efficacy of local fire agencies, Tom also spent 25 years training future cadets in Fire Technology at Santa Ana College. He was the type of public servant that sacrificed repeatedly to make his departments better and our communities safer.

Before being diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic and liver cancer, Tom devoted 30 years of his life keeping Orange County communities safe from fire destruction. Tom will be remembered most dearly by Kim, his wife of 29 years, and his three children Sarah, Melissa, and Andrew.

Tom was a blessing for our community. May his life never be forgotten.

I was honored to adjourn the California State Senate on February 20^th in his memory. Watch the video.

Remembering our Veterans

Orange County is fortunate to have Heroes Hall, where we can learn about our local military history. Heroes Hall is a free, permanent, year-round museum and education center with exhibitions, performances and educational programs that celebrate the legacy of Orange County’s veterans and others who have served our nation.

I had the privilege of attending the two year anniversary of their opening where they revealed their new exhibit “Victory From Within, The American Prisoner of War Experience.” I also had the chance to meet and honor some of America’s greatest heroes – veterans and POWs from three wars. Learn more about Heroes Hall.

Important Issues

Protecting our Community

Last month I was honored to present Assembly Joint Resolution 1, a bi-partisan effort to discourage the Trump Administration from any reinterpretation of the 2008 United States-Vietnam Repatriation Agreement. Authored by Assemblymember Tom Daly, (D-Anaheim) AJR 1 urges the upholding of the agreement – a landmark effort to prohibit the deportation of Vietnamese-Americans who arrived in the U.S. as refugees prior to 1995.

 Actions currently being debated by President Trump and his staff could dramatically increase the number of Vietnamese-Americans deported back to Vietnam. Many survivors of communist atrocities live in my district and their personal safety would likely be at risk if they are forced to return. The ceaseless patriotism from the Vietnamese community is something that makes both our State and Country stronger. California stands in solidarity with Vietnamese-Americans, thousands of whom fought on our side during the Vietnam War, before fleeing communism in search of freedom and democracy.

AJR 1 passed the Floor of the California State Senate by a unanimous vote of 37 to 0. Last month, it received the support of 68 members of the California State Assembly.  It has been forwarded to Congress and President Trump’s Administration for consideration.

Addressing the Housing Crisis

I recently lead my colleagues -- Senator John Moorlach, and Assemblymembers Tyler Diep, and Cottie Petrie-Norris -- in sending a letter to Mayor Peterson of Huntington Beach and Governor Newsom urging a timely resolution to recent lawsuits filed over state housing mandates.

It was important for me to reach out my fellow legislators who represent Huntington Beach to release this joint letter. Although we are not all from the same party, we are united in working in a bipartisan manner to resolve this issue.

California’s housing shortage is real and is on track to reach crisis levels if we do not take immediate action. According to the Department of Housing and Community Development at least 180,000 new dwellings per year will need to be built to keep up with the demand.

We must respect communities and keep in mind local concerns when addressing these issues, but at the end of the day all communities must contribute to the solution.

To that end, my fellow Huntington Beach legislators and I are urging both parties to seek the services of a third party mediator to resolve this current disagreement. Together, we stand ready to assist the process and resolution in any way to solve this problem for our constituents and the taxpayers of California.

Read the letter

Our office is partnering with Orange County Communities for Responsible Development (OCCORD) and other local community organizations to host a Citizenship Fair.  Free services at the Citizenship Fair include: citizenship application assistance, legal consultation (on citizenship process), and educational materials as well as a list of free citizenship classes. Our office will be providing assistance with state agencies on site.

View more information
RSVP for the Event

How to Contact Me

My staff and I can assist you on a number of issues and state services.
District Staff are able to assist with the following state-related matters (and more):

• Department of Motor Vehicles
• Foreclosure Prevention Programs
• Consumer Complaints
• Veterans' Benefits
• Unemployment and Disability Insurance
• State Taxes
• Professional Conduct or Licensing Complaints
• Medi-Cal and Covered California

Capitol Staff are able to assist with legislative matters including:

• Express an Opinion
• Propose a New Law
• Ask for Copies, Summaries, and Information on Bills
• Get Involved in Legislative Process
• Find Information on How a Bill Becomes a Law
• Be Notified of Legislative Hearings
• Report Agency Misconduct

The District Office is temporarily located at 10971 Garden Grove Blvd, Suite D, Garden Grove, CA 92843. Our phone number is (714)741-1034.

Please Note: Our District Office is moving in the coming months to Santa Ana. More details to come!

The Capitol Office is located at State Capitol Room 3076, Sacramento, CA 95814. Our phone number is (916) 651-4034.

Our website is www.sd34.senate.ca.gov.