Friedman vows to fight fed cuts at Hollywood Head Start
U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Burbank, Glendale, West Hollywood, and parts of Los Angeles and Pasadena) toured a Head Start site on Vine Street in Hollywood yesterday, joining parents, toddlers, infants, teachers and administrators from the Los Angeles County Office of Education and Para Los Niños at the Early Head Start program, which serves infants and toddlers, 58% of whom qualify as unhoused.
The visit came as the Trump administration has proposed a rule that would strip major portions of the federal Performance Standards governing Head Start classrooms, curriculum and staff qualifications, and eliminate the federal staff-to-child ratio requirement in favor of deferring to individual states.
The Department of Health and Human Services projects the changes would save $2.2 billion, achieved in part by cutting teachers and allowing class sizes to grow; the agency has also acknowledged that shorter program hours under the proposal could force parents into additional financial costs or lost work time.
“The Trump Administration is proposing rollbacks to Head Start that treat our children like financial burdens, but I believe our children and their futures are worth investing in,” said Friedman. “I’m proud to help lead the charge pushing back against these rollbacks, because I will not compromise or back down until every child and family has the chance and resources they need to succeed in life.”
Friedman is a cosponsor of the Expanding Head Start Eligibility Act, which would expand and codify existing Head Start eligibility rules so a future administration cannot revoke them, and of the bipartisan Head Start for Our Future Act, which would make early education and childhood development jobs eligible as “community service” work under the Federal Work-Study program.
Barger presses state lawmakers to protect wildfire survivors in liability reform
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (R-Palmdale, Lancaster, Santa Clarita, San Marino, Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, and portions of the San Gabriel Valley) yesterday called on state lawmakers to ensure any wildfire liability reform negotiated with Gov. Gavin Newsom protects survivors’ legal rights rather than shifting the financial burden of catastrophic fires onto the people and communities who endured them.
Barger said she supports efforts to get financial assistance to survivors faster, but warned that a fast-pay program should be an option for survivors, not a substitute for their right to pursue full and fair compensation. She has sent a letter to Newsom requesting clarity on the proposal under negotiation so survivors and the public understand exactly what is being considered and how it could affect their ability to recover.
“The Eaton Fire continues showing us that wildfire devastation lingers. In Altadena, families lost homes, businesses and everything they had built,” said Barger. “While many survivors are rebuilding and navigating the financial and emotional consequences of that loss, others have not even been able to begin rebuilding because they remain paralyzed by overwhelming financial pressures and constraints. A fast-pay program can be part of the solution, but it should be an option for survivors — not a substitute for their legal rights. Any reforms that limit recovery, weaken accountability or shift costs onto survivors, local governments or taxpayers deserve serious scrutiny.”
Barger said she is asking every lawmaker involved in the negotiations to consider a wildfire survivor’s perspective before agreeing to a final proposal.
Valladares, Lackey fight against sexually violent predator placement in Lancaster
State Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares (R-Lancaster, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, portions of the Antelope Valley) and Assemblymember Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale, Lancaster) announced their opposition yesterday to a state proposal to place Harold Wachter, an adjudicated Sexually Violent Predator, at a Lancaster residence — joining Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who first raised concerns about the same proposed placement last week.
The California Department of State Hospitals is recommending Wachter, who has a history of sexual crimes against children and several LA County convictions for sexually violent offenses, be placed at 45310 200th Street East.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge found Wachter suitable for conditional release in April 2023 and directed the state to locate housing for him in the county. According to Valladares and Lackey’s offices, all four Sexually Violent Predators placed in LA County to date have gone to the Antelope Valley.
“The Antelope Valley is a community of families, not a dumping ground for state agencies looking for somewhere to place sexually violent predators,” said Valladares. “Our children and neighborhoods deserve the same consideration and protection as every other community in Los Angeles County. DSH needs to explain why it selected Lancaster, what risks were considered and why it believes this placement is appropriate. Until our community receives satisfactory answers, I will stand with Lancaster residents in opposing this placement.”
Valladares and Lackey have sent a joint letter to LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman opposing the placement and asking his office to vigorously represent Antelope Valley residents’ concerns in court.
The DA’s office is accepting public comments on the proposed placement until 5 p.m. Aug. 26, by email to SVPcomments@da.lacounty.gov.
Carrillo elected chair of California Latino Legislative Caucus
Assemblymember Juan Carrillo (D-Palmdale, Lancaster, Littlerock, Lake Los Angeles) was elected by his colleagues yesterday to serve as the next chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, elevating him from his current post as the caucus’s vice chair.
Carrillo will lead the caucus’s work advancing priorities affecting Latino communities statewide, bringing his experience representing the Inland Empire and High Desert — among California’s fastest-growing regions — to the role. He credited Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas for his support in the transition.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by the trust my colleagues have placed in me to serve as Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus,” said Carrillo. “I was born in Mexico and came to this country with the hopes and aspirations of the American Dream. Through education, hard work, and a commitment to public service, I have had the opportunity to give back to the communities that shaped me. To now lead the Latino Caucus is an incredible honor and responsibility.”
“Our communities across California are diverse, but we share many of the same hopes and aspirations: the opportunity to build a better life, provide for our families, pursue an education, and create a stronger future for the next generation,” Carrillo added.
