The final day of the 2018 KHTS Sacramento Trip was full of energy, laughter and discussion as Santa Clarita residents met with state legislators on behalf of the entire community.
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After a previous night of celebration, Santa Clarita residents on the 2018 KHTS Sacramento Trip met at the state’s Legislature at 9 a.m., prepared to discuss topics from education to cannabis.
H. D. Palmer, Deputy Director of the California Department of Finance, kicked off the day with a presentation about the state budget. One item in particular that Palmer mentioned sparked the interest of many SCV residents in attendance: the creation of an online community college for the whole state. Many residents expressed their concern to Palmer that the proposed college would take potential students away from colleges that already exist in Santa Clarita.
Related: Intro Letter – 2018 KHTS Sacramento Road Trip
Next up, Courtney Jensen, Vice President of State Government Affairs for California Credit Union League, discussed the banking aspect of cannabis sales. Many credit unions in the state of California avoid getting involved with the cannabis industry due to the high risk and limited protection to financial institutions, according to Jensen.
State Assemblyman Vince Fong was up next to address the transportation situation in the state of California. Fong discussed the gas taxes in California, as well as the development of self-driving cars. Residents voiced their dissatisfaction with the state’s gas taxes and the regulations from the state involved with building roads.
After a short break, Santa Clarita residents heard from Rob Lapsley, President of the California Business Roundtable, as he gave an economic outlook for the state. Many realtors attending the 2018 KHTS Sacramento Trip took this opportunity to discuss the housing market in Santa Clarita.
Lance Izumi, former president of the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, came on stage next, opening with several jokes as he went on to discuss higher education in California. Izumi’s speech intrigued many SCV residents, as the crowd went on to ask a variety of questions about remedials classes, community colleges, and state universities.
Related: 2018 KHTS Sacramento Road Trip Heads For State Capitol
After a brief lunch, Santa Clarita residents went on to hear from State Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell about K-12 education. O’Donnell sparked a lot of interest from school board members from Santa Clarita when he stated that he wanted to take away standardized testing and instead replace it with the SAT and ACT.
After O’Donnell’s presentation, the student representatives on the 2018 KHTS Sacramento Road Trip separated from the main group and met with State Senator Scott Wilk for a private meeting and a photo op on the State Senate floor. Wilk asked the students about what they wanted for their future, and shared his journey through state politics.
In the meantime, Deborah Gonzalez, Director of Government Affairs at the Public Policy Institute of California, talked to the main group about the upcoming November elections, and the governor’s race in California. Jobs, the economy, and immigration were key issues to look out for during the election, according to Gonzalez.
Next, Patrick Moran, chief lobbyist for the California State Firefighters’ Association, discussed lobbying efforts and the risk of wildfires in California. California has two large fire seasons that take up 11 of the 12 months in the year, with May being the only month considered to not be in a fire season, according to Moran.
Finally, Jennifer Pierre, general manager for State Water Contractors, talked about the state of California water and the regulations involved with water in California. State Water Contractors conducted studies on the insides of fish in order to determine how water run-off affects the quality of the state water, according to Pierre. Santa Clarita residents were particularly interested in the water scarcity the state is currently facing.
After a send-off from Senator Wilk, residents on the 2018 KHTS Sacramento Trip boarded the same charter bus that had brought them to the state capitol and began the six hour journey to Newhall.
Throughout the ride home, KHTS Senior Staff Writer Caleb Lunetta interviewed many of the participants, asking them about their experience in Sacramento over the past two days. These interviews will be posted on the KHTS website throughout the coming weeks.
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