Marie Waldron

PREPARING FOR WILDFIRES

By Assemblymember Marie Waldron

Photo: Paradise Mayor Ron Lassonde discussing fire recovery efforts since the 2018 Camp Fire

January 25, 2024 (Valley Center) -- I recently joined several legislators to tour the site of the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire disaster in 100 years, which stuck much of Butte County in 2018. The fire resulted in 85 deaths, covered almost 240 square miles, and almost totally destroyed the towns of Paradise, Concow and other communities. Sadly, this tragic death toll was surpassed in 2023 by fires that engulfed Maui, with almost 100 dead and many still missing.

Our region is no stranger to wildfires. Most of us remember the Cedar, Witch, Cocos, Guejito, Rice and Lilac fires which devastated much of San Diego County. In the aftermath of those fires, we’ve learned a great deal. For example, San Diego Gas & Electric maintains one the country’s most advanced utility weather networks. Over 190 weather stations monitor high fire risk areas and generate microclimate forecasts and fire modeling that anticipate the path of potential fires. This data is shared with fire agencies throughout the county in advance of adverse weather events such as Santa Ana winds, and is also used by system operators to shut down circuits to avoid fires generated by downed power lines. More information is available here.


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WALDRON BILLS PASS ASSEMBLY, ADRESS HEALTHCARE ISSUES, WILDFIRE PREVENTION, AND WATER CONCERNS

East County News Service

June 14, 2023 (Sacramento) -- This year, the “House of Origin Deadline” was June 2nd, the final day for bills to pass the house in which they were first introduced. Several bills by  Assemblywoman  Marie Waldron (R-Valley Center) passed the Assembly by that deadline.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

CELEBRATING NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

By Assemblymember Marie Waldron

 

Photo: Assemblymember Waldron presented a proclamation to Pechanga Tribal officials honoring Pechanga Pue'ska Mountain's 10th anniversary.

 

November 21, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- November is Native American Heritage Month, a national celebration recognizing Tribal history and sovereignty.  San Diego County is home to more Indian reservations than any other county in the United States. These sovereign tribal governments all lie within the 75th Assembly District, and as their representative in Sacramento, the commemoration has special significance for me.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

VOEPEL LOSES SEAT TO WALDRON, JONES AND WEBER WIN REELECTION

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Marie Waldron has defeated Randy Voepel in the redrawn 75th Assembly district

November 9, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) – Redistricting pitted two incumbent Republican Assemblymembers against each other in the 75th Assembly district.  Assemblyman Randy Voepel has been ousted by Assemblywoman Marie Waldron, the Assembly Republican leader and former Escondido councilmember. Waldron received 66.76% of the votes tallied so far, while Voepel drew just 33.24%.

A staunch conservative and pro-life legislator, she is a member of the Mental Health Caucus and has served on the Assembly Health Committee.  A former member of the San Diego County Opoid Task Force, she now serves on the Stanford 5-Year Initiative on Neuroscience, a group fostering communications between policymakers on mental health, addiction and opioid drugs. She was honored as legislator of the year by both the California Life Sciences Association and the California Chronic Care Coalition.

In the 40th State Senate district, Senator Brian Jones, a Republican, leads by nearly 11 points over challenger Joseph Rocha, a Democrat and military veteran. Jones has long won his Senate and before that, Assembly races by large margins, but redistricting resulted in a nearly even party registration balance. Democrats had poured money into the race for TV ads and other campaign messaging, but were unable to defeat Jones, a former Santee Councilman and Chairman of the Assembly Republican Caucus.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

LICENSED SKILLED NURSING HOMES VS ADVOCATERS, WHO WILL WIN?

Both sides of issue have rare agreement: California does a poor job

By J.W. August

Photo: Microsoft clip art

February 1, 2022 (San Diego) -- The approval this past week by the California Assembly of new state legislation has the potential to significantly alter the oversight of skilled nursing facilities statewide that are home to some 400,000 patients.

Assembly Bill 1502 cleared the Assembly on a 55-15 vote, with only Republican legislators casting no votes, including the minority leader Republican Maria Waldron representing part of North County. Whether this far-reaching bill becomes law depends on whether the legislation will survive review by the California Senate. The first stop is at the Senate Health Committee.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

SAN DIEGO REPRESENTATIVES RECEIVE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS

 

By Miriam Raftery

January 5, 2013 (San Diego)—Assembly Speaker John Perez has announced committee assignments for the new term. San Diego’s delegation will be well represented on several key committees.  San Diego County members will control 3 of 7 votes on Housing and Community Development, with two or more members on several other key committees, notably education  and the budget committee. Our region lacks representation on several committees however, such as transportation, revenue and taxation, and natural resources, where San Diego doesn’t have a single member.  Below are the assignments of our region’s members.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.