Latest News in the 17th District

Speaker Pérez, Assembly Democrats Lead on Ending Unfair Burden on Middle Class from Rising Public College Fees

SACRAMENTO, CA - Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani today unveiled new legislation which she is a co-author to create the Middle Class Scholarship program. Introduced by Speaker John A. Pérez, (D-Los Angeles), the proposal is designed to keep more money in the pockets of middle-income families with students attending the state’s public colleges and universities.

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Is it a Lack of Comprehension, of Competence or of Veracity?

Could the Real Issue be that the initial construction segment will utilize the available funding in the Central Valley rather than the Bay Area or the Los Angeles Basin?

Sacramento – Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) issued the following statement today regarding the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) report to the Assembly Transportation Committee on Tuesday, which questioned the legality of beginning the initial construction segment in the Central Valley and whether Federal ARRA and California Proposition 1A funding could be utilized for other purposes.

“The statements by the LAO indicate that they are unqualified to provide a comprehensive analysis of this complex project which the state has been working on for 15 years.  They either haven’t read or do not comprehend the California High Speed Rail Bond Act, the federal ARRA funding criteria, or the Peer Review Committee report.  Proposition 1A designated a highly qualified Peer Review Committee as the appropriate and qualified body to assess California’s High Speed Rail project as it progresses.  The Peer Review committee, not the LAO, was authorized by the legislature and the voters for that purpose.

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California Signs Agreement with Federal Railroad Administration for $928.6 million

Sacramento – Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton), Chairwoman of the Assembly Select Committee on High Speed Rail for California, released the following statement in response to the announcement by the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) that they have signed an agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration for the $928.6 million in additional federal funding to construct the initial segment in the Central Valley: Read More...

California's High Speed Rail Project is On Track with Announcement of First Construction Contract Packages and an Event for Small Businesses in Fresno

Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani praised the announcement by the California High Speed Rail Authority (CAHSRA) of the planning details on the first construction contract packages for the project.  The CAHSRA announced that the packages represent the start of construction on the backbone of the system in the Central Valley and are based on the approximately $6 billion in funding available at this time. Read more...

Agreement to Achieve an Environmentally Sustainable High-Speed Train System in California

Sacramento – Today, Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston) participated in a press conference applauding the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between state and federal agencies on promoting the environmentally sustainability of California’s high-speed train system.

“High-Speed Rail is a pivotal step in providing an environmentally clean way to travel,” stated Galgiani.  “The MOU establishes a framework under which the signatory agencies can work together to achieve an environmentally sustainable high-speed train system in California.  It defines common goals, identifies key areas for collaboration and defines expectations and terms for signatory agencies.” Read more...

Sacramento – Earlier this week, Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston) formally requested information from the Legislative Analyst, Mac Taylor, via certified letter, on the genesis of the report issued by the LAO titled, “High-Speed Rail Is At a Critical Juncture”. Read more...

SACRAMENTO, CA - Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston) named Stockton City Councilmember Susan Talamantes Eggman as the 17th Assembly District's Woman of the Year. Dr. Eggman was honored on the California State Assembly Floor today with other notable women from throughout California. Read More...

AB 755 Assists with Eradicating Sex Offenders from Websites

SACRAMENTO, CA - In her continuing efforts to protect children from sexual predators online, Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani, in conjunction with the KlaasKids Foundation for Children and former Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly, introduced on Friday Assembly Bill 755 (AB 755), the California’s Electronic Securing and Targeting of Online Predators Act (E-STOP) legislation. Read More...

Plan Lays Out Vision for Long Term Infrastructure Investments Needed to Win the Future

SACRAMENTO, CA - Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani today applauded Vice President Joe Biden's announcement of a comprehensive plan that will help the nation reach President Obama's goal of giving 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail within 25 years, as outlined in his State of the Union address. Read More...

The $4.3 Billion Investment Nearly Doubles that of any Other State

SACRAMENTO - Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston) today applauded the confirmation of $4.3 billion dollars for high-speed rail construction in the Central Valley – an investment that nearly doubles any other high-speed rail investment in the Nation. Read More...

SACRAMENTO – In this Democratic weekly address, Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston) says while the Assembly continues to focus on saving and creating jobs there are ways all Californians can help their communities this holiday season, including donating or volunteering at food banks. Read More...

SACRAMENTO - Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston) today released the following statement responding to news California would be awarded $902 million for high speed rail projects, including $715 million for projects in the Central Valley. Read More...

SACRAMENTO - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Thursday signed AB 1985 by Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston) which is part of prison health care Receiver J. Clark Kelso’s Taxpayer Relief  bill package designed to help the Receiver achieve the proposed $820 million cut to the prison health care budget. Read More...

Belgium shares their expertise on the development of a bullet train in California

Sacramento – Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D- Livingston) conducted the first hearing of the Select Committee on High Speed Rail for California today with a presentation from a delegation representing the Belgian High-Speed Line (HSL) Network. Presentations were also made by Mr. Roelof van Ark, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority and Mr. Rod Diridon, a California High-Speed Rail Authority Board Member, highlighting the high-speed systems in France, China, Japan, Korea, Italy and Spain. Read More...

Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani, Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on High Speed Rail in California, cordially invites you to attend the Committee's informational hearing and meet the Belgian delegation: Read More...

Stanislaus County CA. - Stanislaus County experiences a 25% greater rate of domestic violence calls than the state average and a 50% higher rate for child welfare referrals. More than 2,000 elders reported being abused and more than 3,000 domestic violence calls were received by law enforcement in 2009.  The Stanislaus Family Justice Center is a new one-stop center to help victims of family violence/abuse.Read More...

San Francisco, CA – Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani and the City of Merced’s Mayor Bill Spriggs were two of the many dignitaries attending the groundbreaking ceremony today in San Francisco for the new Transbay Transit Center. Read More...

Roelof van Ark, International Leader in High Speed Train Systems, Will Lead California’s High Speed Rail Project

Sacramento - Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston), along with several California business and labor groups held a reception at the State Capitol on Tuesday evening to introduce the new Executive Director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, Mr. Roelof van Ark. Mr. van Ark is filling the vacancy left by the retirement on March 30 of Medhi Morshed who served as the projects Executive Director since it’s inception in 1995.
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Sacramento, CA – On Tuesday, Assembly Bill 1872, introduced by Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston), passed the Assembly Health Committee on an unanimous vote. This bill provides reimbursement funding to care for California's sick children. Read More...

Sacramento, CA – Today, Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston) and the California Legislature honored Leslie Baranco Martin as the 17th Assembly District's Woman of the Year. Read More...

Sacramento – Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D- Los Angeles) and Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D- Livingston) voiced their strong support for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed today between the California High-Speed Rail Authority and the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, Republic of Korea. Read More...

SACRAMENTO - California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston) on Thursday thanked President Obama and Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for their dedication and commitment to high-speed rail by allocating billions of dollars to 31 states, including California, for their projects. Read More...

AB 957 will ensure that homebuyers can use local escrow services to provide better service at lesser cost in the purchase of Bank Owned houses.

Sacramento, CA -- Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D - Livingston) announced that Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB 957, "The Buyers Choice Act", over the weekend. Galgiani’s bill is an urgency measure which means the law will go into effect immediately after being chaptered by the Secretary of State rather than January of 2010. Read More...

(Washington DC) - Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston) was part of a bipartisan delegation of 20 Assemblymembers, led by Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), who went to Washington, D.C. to press key federal officials on budgetary and policy issues critical to California. Assemblymember Galgiani says the delegation lobbied hard for federal funds for California's high-speed-rail system and drought relief. She also said the group pushed for more federal support for California's green economy programs and worked to secure $1 billion in increased federal funding for health care related costs. Here's more from Assemblymember Galgiani in this Assembly Access video. (Each legislator paid his or her own expenses on the trip.)

Galgiani's High-Speed Train Legislation Passes out of the Assembly

Sacramento, CA - Assembly Bill 733 authored by Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston) successfully passed off the Assembly Floor yesterday on a unanimous bipartisan vote. AB 733 seeks to maximize the number of California-based jobs that will be created for the construction of the High-Speed Train project as a means to improve and strengthen the California economy and job base.
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