Hi this is Matt Matern. And I’m here today with Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager on the show, Unite and Heal America. Thank you very much, assembly members for being here. And I wanted to thank you for your public service, doing the work that you do on behalf of all your constituents and behalf of the State of California. I know that’s a lot. And you know, really appreciate that.

Well, thank you so much for the invitation to be here and to talk with you and your listeners. Thank you very much.

Well, I would just talking with you off here. We’re both born in Chicago and actually went to the same high school a little bit, you’re quite a bit younger than I am. So you know.

But it’s nice to have some Midwestern blood here in the studio a, so many folks actually are in LA who are transplants from Chicago. It’s nice to to meet Midwesterners out here. It

is indeed, it’s a little bit different, as far as rootedness in LA than than Chicago, but it’s become my home after 32 years. I’m kind of getting used to it after a while there’s there’s a lot to love out here.

Me too. Me too. I, I I love being a member of California and a resident of Los Angeles and certainly love being able to represent the 54th, it’s a great city. So tell us a little bit about your background and what you what brought you to the assembly and and what is motivating you and in the work that you’re doing there.

Wow, okay, good question, well came out to California really to go to school, I came out here to go to USC and then sort of temporarily moved back to the East Coast after the 1993 earthquake, shaking Earth scares me, but found my way back here because of the amazing folks that I was able to meet while I was here. And also because of the real interest that the city piqued, you know, in my curiosity, especially around sort of race relations and happened, I was also here during the 1993 uprising, and the need to rebuild Los Angeles in a way that was going to be more inclusive.

And it seems like we sort of had a resurgence of those kinds of conversations last year, I ran for the assembly in 2018. And a special election, I was at the time president of the Los Angeles Community College District, but really ran because it was important for me to be able to speak to the issues that are of most concern to the residents of the 54th.

Equity, economic equity, housing and homelessness has become an increasing issue. We are now sort of reentering a phase of discussing public education, and the young folks who are going to the schools and what’s happening in the schools health care, and making sure that we have health care that is accessible and affordable to everyone. And during this pandemic, we’re having researched conversations around the importance of small and local businesses and the fabric that they sort of lend themselves to, as it relates to community resiliency, then also very, very close to my heart, our discussions around environmental justice and making sure that we have clean air and green space that everyone can access.

So I was successful in my run and was also successful again in 2020. And I also happen to chair the Los Angeles County delegation, which is a group of about 30 or so members in the legislature, assembly members and senators who represent some portion of the region of Los Angeles. And we’ve been spending a lot of our time talking about infrastructure needs for this particular part of California, and how to lend our collective voice to the statewide conversations around making sure that Los Angeles region gets its fair share.

Well, that’s a lot and sorry, no, I appreciate it. And what I was going to say is that, that’s one of the reasons why I respect what you’re doing so much is that there’s a large portfolio of issues that you need to be on top of and working with. And that’s, that takes a lot of study a lot of work to, to to move those issues forward.

So it does and you have to be open to all of the perspectives that you’re going to hear while you are sort of keeping your eyes on the prize. And obviously, you know, for many of us the prize is making sure that schools are able to open making sure that people are safe making sure that folks are not losing their jobs and making sure that people are being sheltered.

Right. And on top of that, too, then we have this pandemic and complicates everything that they were working on already, which were not easy problems to begin with.

They were not. And we started last year very excited and motivated to champion housing and homelessness as a priority issue for the legislature and for the governor. And then March happened and everything just went sideways with COVID. And yet, none of the problems that we were facing before COVID, none of those problems went away. So to your point, everything has been exacerbated and accelerated.

Right. So yeah, homelessness was an issue that I’ve been working on and with a lot of different people over the last few years and started a nonprofit. And we we’ve worked with spy, which is safe place for youth in Venice, as well as St. Joseph Center, which which works in Venice, as well as downtown in Central LA, as well as a downtown Women’s Center, food finders, which district redistributes food that otherwise would go bad.

And, you know, that’s a complex web of issues and a lot of people working on this problem. And it’s, it’s been very challenging, because despite all that hard work, the homelessness population has increased over the last few years, if you could, you know, tell us what your thoughts are on, on ways that we can address this most effectively going forward?

Well, first, I want to say, you know, thank you for putting your hat in the ring and saying, I’m going to be part of the solution rather than sitting on the sidelines. And kudos to you for partnering with those really great and amazing nonprofit organizations, I’ve done some work with downtown Women’s Center, and Venice family clinic and some other groups.

And so you are with a good group of folks, you know, the issue of homelessness is it’s a small word, but it’s a very complex word, there are all kinds of and types of folks who are homeless, there are those that have been chronically homeless, and coupled with not having consistent safe shelter, they’re, they’re struggling with issues of poverty, of substance abuse of mental illness, then there are others that are sort of, you know, intermittently homeless, and it has a lot to do with the wages that they’re earning and the cost of living and maybe family members that they’re taking care of.

And so they’re sort of spikes and low points of revenue that they have, and that they’re sort of challenged with finding ways to cover their expenses. And then there are those that are on the brink, and are probably sort of, you know, couch surfing, and are on the brink of some kind of stability. And so it’s how do we keep them from becoming homeless, and all of those populations deserve and warrant different kinds of resources and supports.

And so we tend to sort of lump everyone in this one sort of bucket of homelessness, and with that, wanting to offer one kind of service and support, and that doesn’t, that doesn’t help. And so I’m sort of in the business of being really honest about the kinds of folks who are homeless, and the needs that are required for them to find shelter, and for them to keep shelter.

You know, there are some folks who are homeless and are unemployed and have been unemployed for a very long time, that kind of support that you would give them might be different than someone who is working or is going to school, but is not able to afford, you know, rent or mortgage consistently.

Right. And that’s what I found in in the work that I’ve been doing kind of studying it myself to so I could be more helpful and, and one of the things that we’ve proposed and working with a couple of members of the legislature is a program that would provide a stipend to households who take in homeless people, or sober living facilities or group homes.

And, and it would give them up to say $1,000 A month or whatever the reasonable amount is for that particular community, hopefully to encourage people to take in homeless people who might be on the edge of the spectrum that are more easily housed, who have been homeless, maybe a shorter period of time who don’t have severe mental illness issues or severe drug problem that can be taken in with less time. have social services wrapped around them in in the process.

And our hope is that we can at least reduce the amount of homeless people on the streets that would reduce the amount of services that need to, to to help those people out.

Well, I, you know, interesting, you’re in the milieu with a number of other folks who are sort of thinking creatively about how to address the issues of homelessness. It’s not exactly the same, but I think it is very similar to discussions around sort of universal basic income and how we incentivize community and individuals to be part of the solutions. It’s very similar to discussions around ad use and granny flats and how can people sort of use their property, right to create space to either keep someone housed or to take in someone who’s been unhoused.

And I think that it would provide some benefit to people who have an extra bedroom who are economically struggling through this time and that give them a chance to to get some extra income, which will be good for them now. We’re going to take a break here. I’m here with Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager and great to have you on our show here. Matt Matern, Unite and Heal America KABC 790.

Hi, this is Matt Matern back with Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager and we’re talking about homelessness and a bill that I am putting before the California Legislature and looking for legislative sponsors and and hope to get Assemblymember calm Waggers support as well as others. And yeah, of course, to be part of the sausage now.

Right? Well, it’s a process. So I hope that we can develop something that works. That’s that’s the point of this is putting any ego aside on my part, if if we can do something that helps the situation helps people and improves our state. And that’s that’s the end goal.

Well, I welcome all folks that want to be part of a solution because it’s so much easier to sit on the sidelines, and complain in kvetch, but it takes a lot of courage to jump in the fray and say, you know, how do we come up with solutions? I’m excited about this year, I’m excited about a lot of the proposals that are coming before us. I know we talked last year about this, you had a group of folks come and meet and was really energized about the diversity of folks that had come to the table.

I think the question this year with our budget is going to be what we can afford. Because while we’ve gotten some monies that we were not anticipating getting, we also know that we have a ballooning deficit. But having said all that, that doesn’t mean that you don’t press forward with ideas that are good. And for some creative ways to make sure that you’re doing what we need to be doing. Right,

the hope is that this is an economical way to deal with the problem, because I know that it costs about $500,000 a unit to build housing, particularly in the most urban areas where most of the homeless people live, like LA and San Francisco. And so $1,000 a month is only $12,000 a year versus the cost of $500,000 a unit and also the time period that it takes to build out a unit we’re talking two, three years to to do that. And we could use some relief immediately.

Right? There we go. James, you’re absolutely right. I think there was a number that sort of toggle between 507 $100,000 A unit. And we know that in cities like Los Angeles, where it is expensive to build, and when the where the process can take longer than it should. It’s understandable why you see more and more folks cropping up who are living on the streets.

And yet that is an inhumane way for people to live anywhere, especially in the wealthiest country in the world. So I think it’s we have to put all kinds of solutions on the table, right? Everything from how you build tiny homes, to how you streamline processes, to how you force and be more forceful with cities to make sure that they’re building the kinds of units that people need to be able to get into.

Right rather and how the state then plays a role in just in not only just monitoring those efforts, but in also constructing as well and offering subsidies and supports and incentives to cities to counties and and even to individuals that are Part of this solution driving movement.

Yeah, it seems to me a good idea to have denser housing along, particularly the the areas where we have rail lines and high density traffic areas, because then we’ll save on commuting, and so on and so forth. Where do you fall on that issue?

So transit oriented corridors are, have been something of discussion for a number of years, and it’s gained a lot of support. There are concerns around only placing units along transit oriented corridors, because oftentimes, those spaces tend to be more urban, they tend to be communities that has more folks of color. And so there are some disparities that rise when you say, Well, why are you putting more units for example, in the Crenshaw district, but fewer units, say in you know, Cheviot hills.

So I support that we have build where we have density and where we have transit oriented corridors. I also think it’s important for us to look at adaptive reuse for some of our zones, right? We have commercial zones, and we have residential zones, but in certain cities like Chicago, like New York, you know, you have live workspaces and light industry, right, and light industrial corridors.

And so I think we should also sort of be looking at how we can put housing in some of those spaces, I do think we have to rethink some of the zoning laws. And I think we have to be careful about how much density is good density. You know, we are also in a place that, you know, resides on top of a lot of fault lines and some of the restrictions that we have to deal with deal with the fact that we’re also trying to manage our way through earthquakes.

And so how high does it make sense for us to go across all of this region in a way that’s safe? But the short answer is, you know, all options on the table, and we probably do need some more density. It’s just how do you create it in a way that’s equitable?

Right? Well, again, I’m here with Assemblymember, Sydney, Kamlager, and we’re talking about the homelessness issue in the state of California and what we can do to help solve that problem in the in the near term as well as in the long term.

So what other issues do you think related to housing in terms of potentially having less restrictions on builders so they can build more quickly, you hear a lot from the building community and the developers that there’s so many restrictions on development, that it makes it difficult to to build anything new?

Well, they, they say 30% of the cost of building hit is allocated towards legal fees. And so, you know, that I think, would make a lot of folks hesitant to build because you have to pencil in extra money just to fight fights, when you should be putting all of that money towards, you know, additional units. That’s something that folks have to, you have to kind of face the music on a lot of these things, right?

I mean, at the end of the day, I think there’s an existential conversation to be had about like neighbors, and are we going to be good neighbors, and you are a good neighbor, when you say, I have to make some compromises because my fellow person is living on the street. And you you really do have to say, am I only willing to say yes to things that don’t directly impact me at all, or have absolutely no impact on the community where I live?

And I think if you’re going to be a good neighbor, then that also means you have to take some accountability, and you’re gonna have to take a couple hits. It’s unfair to say only one group should always be taking the hits. Well, certainly, that’s my soapbox.

Well, since I came here in 1988, I think California has grown by 12 million people. So that’s a lot of new housing units that we would have to add and I don’t believe that we’ve kept pace with the growing population we haven’t their Rina goals that are goals that our cities are supposed to meet with regards to their the construction of housing units for low and middle income folks. And you know, a lot of cities find ways to appeal the demands that the goals say they have to meet.

A lot of it’s because folks don’t want to be a good neighbor to their own neighbor. And so if you have cities that push back and say, give me a pass, I haven’t done this construction, give me a pass for all of these reasons I haven’t built you know, at some point you have to say, you know, no more passes. I think many of us kind of you know, we do that in our own homes right when we’re parenting we say the anger You got five passes, I’m not gonna give you the six, you’re in trouble now.

So the state, you know, you have sticks and you have carrots. And ultimately, we have to both build our way out of it. And we also have to sort of income our way out of it, make sure that folks have the kinds of incomes or economic supports that they need to not fall into homelessness. And then we have to shelter our way out of it.

There are folks that are chronically homeless, that may not do well on their own in a space where they have all of this without the wraparound services, right. So it’s a multiple pronged approach to how we as a state, encourage and force ourselves to be good neighbors to our fellow men and women.

Well, again, we’re here with Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager, and we’re talking about the homelessness issue here in California. And I wanted to follow up with you on that the issue of in common and how we can or how the state could and and how we as citizens can do a better job on that front?

Well, you know, that’s an interesting question to ask, in the middle of COVID, when we’ve had so many small businesses, you know, on the brink of closing, or or who have closed, Los Angeles is very interesting. We, you know, have this housing shortage, but we also have units that are on the market, but they cost too much for people to get in them and to stay in them, right for long term.

And then we also have low wages, in proportion to the cost of living is really expensive to live here in Los Angeles, folks are spending between, you know, 40 and 65% of their income, you know, on rent, when I was growing up, I never wanted to have a roommate. And now it seems like in order to live anywhere, it’s like two or three or four folks in a house or in an apartment.

And I don’t think that’s how people want to live into their, you know, long years. The governor this year is putting together his his budget proposal, and he’s proposing a $4.5 billion to give out to small businesses $25,000 grants. So I think when you’re talking about helping people stay alive and have businesses stay open, you know, one way to do it is to your earliest point, put money in the hands of people’s pockets.

Well, again, a lot of great ideas there and we’re going to take our break, I’ve got Assemblymember Sydney kamagra here with me and we’re talking about many issues facing Southern California. We’ll be back with you shortly. This is Matt Matern and Unite and Heal America.

This is Matt Matern back with you on Unite and Heal America. I’m here with my guest Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager and just wanted to pivot a little bit with you and talk about the environment. And I know that you have an interest in in clean air as we were talking about before, and I’ve certainly done some work in that area have had some case going right now against the refinery down in Torrance. So that’s an issue that’s close to my heart. And I’d like to hear what your thoughts are, as far as environmental justice here in California.

Well, I support clean air, I think having a healthy environment is good. I don’t know about you. But in the beginning of COVID, I remember looking at so many images of you know, satellite images of the earth and waters and animals and just thinking yes, can we get back to a place where we are not fighting with all of these emissions, and dirty air and dirty water.

And of course, as a result of COVID You see, we’ve actually, you know, not backpedaled but we’ve had some major losses, I think in the area of fighting for a clean and green planet. Uh, you know, California’s complex state, to say the least, an environmental justice is real. I remember a few years ago, I did an aerial tour of my district. And it was very interesting. The southern part of the district, all I saw was concrete, and roofs of homes and apartment buildings. And then the on the western in the northern part of the district. I couldn’t even see homes or buildings because all I saw were green canopies from trees.

And that made me think about the oxygen and the air that these distinct communities had and we’re breathing in. And so we really do have to have a conversation about access access to green space and access to clean air and what we are going to do as one state to make sure that everyone is able to go outside and breathe some air that is is clean, it really should not depend on your zip code or the income of your parents or those before you.

Absolutely. And and I think that what I’ve found was that the regulatory agencies aren’t really holding these refineries and other polluters accountable to the standards that they should be. And what do you say to that?

You know, I say that there’s a lot of Swiss cheese out there. And so it is important that we fight for regulations that have teeth, and we fight for regulations that are consistent. And it’s really important that those things get elevated, because sometimes you’re working on legislation, or you’re fighting for something and you don’t see the unintended consequences, because you’re wanting a platform that’s, you know, so macro in scope, that you’re not taking into consideration all of the loopholes and the possibilities.

And so what you end up doing is you learn about all of those things in court, when people file lawsuits and say, This isn’t happening correctly, or you’re doing it to party a, but you’re not doing it to party B. And so we, you know, sometimes we have cords that get clogged up. But I think it’s also important that we’re sort of uncovering those things.

And so and we’re able to fix them, we have a callin virus screen here. That’s all about sort of equity and trying to make sure that we are being equitable in the resources that we are giving to communities across the state as it relates to environmental supports, and holding different sort of industries accountable.

I have certainly worked to make sure that we are equitable in how we’re looking and how we’re serving South LA, for example, and some places in the South Bay. But you’re right, we have a responsibility to do better. I think that’s been a big discussion this past year with some of the discussions around CARB and EPA.

In terms of holding the regulators responsible is that a part of what you do is as an assembly member, what do you do to hold these agencies accountable to make sure they’re setting the standards and doing a good job so that lower income areas are being treated the same way as you know, higher income areas?

Yeah. You call folks on the carpet. That’s why we have our informational hearings. That’s why we have our select committee hearings, oftentimes, not getting those kinds of answers is what drives legislation where we’re able to bring people back to the fold to say, Why don’t you speak on this? If this is something you want, or you don’t want? Tell me why?

Because what I’m hearing from my constituents is that this is happening or it isn’t happening. And so those are the sticks that we use in the legislature. Last year, we had a number of those hearings as it relates to, you know, Edd and the pandemic, years before, we’ve had a number of those hearings as it relates to fracking, and the oil industry. And I suspect that we will be holding a number of hearings in 2021. Based on the things that we’ve learned from last year.

I certainly would encourage you and I’ll certainly try to do my part of holding these polluters accountable. Because you do see differences. The Chevron refinery in El Segundo had a lower level of pollution coming out of it than the old Exxon refinery in Torrance. So why is that happening? I mean, all of them. Obviously, the operators are different, but But there should be a lower level pollution at all of these different refineries.

Sure, I know. Some years ago, there were discussions with Dogger, which is the sort of the state authority for oil production. And I recall in my district, we had a number of town halls and folks that you know, there’s just no tea. So what the regulator’s you know, have at their disposal to hold folks accountable. So how do we how do we, how do we change that? And so some of that happens through the change in regulation, some of it happens through the change in leadership.

But nothing happens without the voices of the people without folks that are impacted and affected saying, you know, enough is enough, or you’re not hearing my voice or you know, and so I, the squeaky wheel does get the oil.

And you You hate to say that, but sometimes it is very true, but it’s also really reflective of what we need in government, which is to continue to be engaged with our constituents and the people and elevate these kinds of things. You know, I’m surprised actually, we’re talking about this because I don’t know how many folks are that engaged with this kind of issue. So kudos.

Well, thank you for that. This is Matt Matern. I’m here with Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager on the Unite and Heal America show, AM 790. And one of the reasons I am doing this show is so that we can hold people accountable.

And so that we can bring these issues to the fore, because they are such important issues and, and to the extent that I can have members of the assembly or people in government come and give their unique experience so that our citizens can do their part, which is to bring these issues to the fore, and to use the tools that our democracy affords them.

To hold polluters in this situation accountable to comply with the regulations that exist, because it doesn’t mean it’s not that we don’t have good laws on the books, for the most part, it’s necessarily to do the right thing. Right, they need to follow that. That’s right. And when they don’t, they need to get in trouble. Right.

So I wanted to talk to you also about, you know, with the work that you’re doing, as the kind of head of the LA region for the delegation, the California delegation, and how, how you’re doing that work, what, what are the priorities that you have for that delegation? Well,

how I’m doing that work, because I’m taking a lot of aspirin and drinking a lot of coffee, because there’s definitely a lot of issues to discuss. We actually just had a meeting today. And we were talking with our LA Unified superintendent, about the schools and about COVID. And vaccines. We have been working for the better part of last year on housing and homelessness, making sure that we are part of the discussions on a plan to solve a number of these challenges.

There will be budget asks coming up as well as new legislation. We also have been working on at one point, we were working on PPE distribution and making sure it was getting to our essential workers. So that’s now shifted to the vaccine distribution, and really holding some folks accountable to make sure that it is being distributed in a way that is equitable and safe and efficient.

But we’ve been very focused on issues around infrastructure, water, transportation, housing, homelessness, and coordination. And sometimes it’s not always law, but it’s about getting folks to the table and asking the questions, and then having folks sort of talk about what the solutions are or how we can help with them in finding them.

Well, certainly one thing that I think our listeners are very interested in his vaccine distribution, and can you tell us a little bit more as to how, how it is going to be done, and how soon they can expect to get a vaccine and how it’s going to be done equitably? Because I think all of us are out there wondering, how’s this gonna work?

LA is very large. It’s also very complicated. There’s a three tier system that most counties are adhering to one A is essential workers, folks in the healthcare industry, one B are those with preexisting conditions, the elderly, then one C are those that are not the 50 years and under, we are in the A moving into the B range and are working with all of our partners to ensure that these vaccines are being distributed equitably, and that folks are not sort of jumping the lines. We’ve heard some stories of that happening and you know, unconscionable unconscionable I’m just so if you’re a listener and you’re doing some shady stuff with getting a vaccine when you’re not supposed to shame on you.

Yeah, absolutely. So well I appreciate the work that you’re doing on that front because it’s it’s certainly hugely important to our community and getting it out the vaccine out there as quickly as possible. Going into the break this is Matt Matern and I’ve got my guest Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager here with me and discussing the problems that face us in California on Unite and Heal America. We’ll be back.

Back here as Matt Matern with Unite and Heal America I have Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager here with me as a guest, delighted to have you here and wanted to talk to you about the schools and what we’re doing, you know, to reopen them as well as to give access to all the students because my understanding is that they’re all kind of falling a bit behind because of the pandemic. So, do you have to have school aged kids?

Oh, My kids are a little bit older than that.

So. So you’re lucky?

Yes, yes. Yeah, I have two school agers in my home and distance learning has been a real challenge, to say the very least. So what is the state doing? We there’s a bill that’s been introduced that says schools have to reopen by March, the governor has just released a plan that’s asking for, I think, $2 billion, to incentivize schools to districts to get open as quickly as possible. I think it’s $450. A student, we know that across the state 500,000 Kids have not checked in to school over the course of last year. We also know that there’s a digital divide. Broadband is not consistent or available to everyone across the state.

I don’t know if people saw this photo last year of these two little ones, doing their homework outside of a Taco Bell, because there was Wi Fi access. So when we’re talking about opening the schools, there are a lot of other infrastructure needs that come into focus around this issue. You know, our school districts are also great sites for COVID testing, and for vaccine distributions, because many folks, whether you like your school or not, you at least know where the school is in your neighborhood. And many of our schools are also responsible for huge meal distribution programs, I learned that last year, LA Unified actually gave out 30 million meals to kids and their families.

Because of COVID. We are working to get schools open as quickly as possible. But we also know that they have to be done safely. And we have to have some discussion around what a hybrid approach to learning is going to look like. We know that we’ve suffered a lot in terms of lost learning. But we also know I will say that there’s one bright spot is for a number of young students who are on the spectrum and who have special needs.

Actually, learning remotely has been helpful to a percentage of the students because they’re not dealing with distractions, or maybe their sort of the social challenges that they have have been mitigated because they are in a space that is quiet, or a slightly more isolated, but we know that the majority of our kids are coming will be coming back into an environment where they have lost a year plus and learning and where we will have to deal with some mental health traumas that will reveal themselves once young people come back to school that, you know, our issues there to discuss.

It’s kind of fascinating as to the crossover between remote work and that some of the people say in my office who are introverted, have thrived in this environment. And some people were maybe more extroverted, this is a much more challenging time for them to be isolated. Right.

It’s also hard for folks who are parents, you know, it’s hard to be working remotely when your kids are also learning remotely or if they’re not in there jumping around. It’s been hard for parents who don’t have access to childcare anymore.

You know, there was a report that came out that said 2 million women have popped out of the workforce as a result of COVID because they’ve had childcare and because they’ve had education issues. So there’s a gender equity lens that has to be looked at when you’re talking about this. Flexibility means a lot of different things now to both employees and employers as a result of COVID.

This is Matt Matern. I’m here with Assemblymember, Sydney Kamlager and we’re talking about the issues facing California, one of the points that you made was just that there are 500,000 children that have not checked into the system. That’s, that’s a bit shocking to me. Can you explain what happened to those 500,000 kids?

We want to know too. But you know, it sounds so easy stay at home, and we’ll give you this link. And you’ll log on and you’ll learn. That assumes a lot. It assumes that you have a computer, it assumes that you have access to Wi Fi, it assumes that you’re paying it on the regular, it assumes that the Wi Fi is good, and you don’t have five other devices that are plugged into it.

Right. It assumes that everything is cool at home, it assumes that you probably have time to go to the bathroom or get some food or you always have and that nothing else is sort of in flux in that household. And those are some rich assumptions that folks are making. Right? There are kids who were not checking in even before COVID Because they were housing insecure because there might be some domestic abuse or mental health trauma in that home because they might not have, they might have food insecurity. And so all of those things have been exacerbated because of COVID.

And then, you know, I’ve heard stories of teachers not checking it, you know, teachers are people too. And they’re dealing with the same traumas that the parents are dealing with. I’ve talked to numbers of teachers who said, you know, I’m also distance learning my child, while I’m teaching my class, and it’s all happening in the same room.

So sorry about that.

No worries, I was getting back on the soapbox, I was just gonna say, what can the state do to help with families that are having internet access problems, or just don’t have the internet, don’t have a computer, that kind of thing. So there was a digital broadband bill that was going through the legislature last year, and it died, that we’re bringing it back, I think that number is SB four. And this is about, you know, digital broadband deserts in urban areas, because oftentimes, we think about rural areas, but it happens in urban areas, too.

Like I said, the governor has put forth a proposal to give money to districts to get kids into seats into the schools, whatever seats, air quotes looks like. And then we have a bill that’s moving through the legislature this year to say, get the schools open. So we’re coming into 2021, all hands on deck, all hands on deck?

Well, it’s certainly an enormous problem. And the future of our children is at stake here, because many of them are falling behind. And, obviously, there’s a lot of social problems related to that, too, in terms of young kids not having a chance to interact. So I wanted to pivot again, to talking about infrastructure, something that you had mentioned earlier.

And just to let the listeners know, I’m talking with Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager on the Matt Matern Unite and Heal America show, KABC 790. And talking about infrastructure here in the state of California, and what what are the issues you see front and center on on that front?

Infrastructure has been redefined for me, because of COVID. On the one hand, infrastructure is, you know, what does our public school system look like? Are they still are we still going to have folks in these large brick and mortar dilapidated facilities or going to we’re going to rethink how we’re going to learn. Infrastructure also means, you know, a green economy and what a just transition looks like for the workforce, right?

And so how do we sort of clean up our environment, but also continue to support innovation in a way that heals and helps the planet infrastructure also is going to look like health care? You know, goodness, we’re talking so much about COVID, and testing and vaccines and, and, and getting into the ICU or urgent care when you have some non COVID related emergency. And so infrastructure is also going to mean how we’re making sure that we’re providing affordable, accessible health care to everybody. And then roads, like what’s this transportation look like in a post COVID world, you know, public transportation, and how we transport goods and move them.

And then for California infrastructure is going to look like how we’re going to continue to manage wildfire seasons, right to make sure that our cities and our counties have the supports that they need to fight fires and what we’re doing on the front end, to be proactive to make sure that we’re lessening the degrees, which which our fires are burning. So that is a big word, my friend. Well,

I it definitely is, and one of the things I’d like to follow up with you on is the ICU issue and the fact that our ICUs here in Southern California are at capacity and overflowing. What can the state do to help alleviate that problem in the in the immediate future?

Well, the state can play a role, but we also have a responsibility, you know, folks need to recognize that COVID is real, and you know, stay home spatially distance that going out to some underground party thinking that, you know, COVID goes home at five o’clock.

It doesn’t. But we are doing our part to get monies out to the county and to coordinate with our counties to make sure that, you know, they’re moving people, but I can tell you that the stories are really wretched of folks being put into gift shops, you know, to die, because there are not enough beds and part of it is because of the irresponsibility of individuals, because people are responsible for the surge.

And part of it is the strengthening of coordination and penalties around what happens. I mean, you cannot tell people to follow a curfew, and then people don’t and then something bad happens. And then people say well, it’s not my fault.

So Well, I certainly want to echo that sentiment that people are responsible for the surge and all of us need to do our part and wear masks and follow the public health guidelines that that we’ve been given? I wanted to ask you one last question before we wrap up. And that was about on the show on the fire, the fire front and the resurgence of California wildfires which have ravaged the state over the last few years. And and what can we do? And what can the state do to help address that issue?

Why don’t you ask me all these long legal questions that require real thought, come on now. And then you say 30 seconds, I would encourage everyone to watch this Netflix show rebuilding paradise, which really talks about what happened to that community that was devastated by the wildfires? Because the answer is complicated. Part of it is building, you know, we are now building in places where we shouldn’t we are building into wildfire paths.

And we’re somehow thinking that the fires are not going to, you know, hit those particular buildings, we have to talk about burn management, you know, Native Americans used to do that hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years ago, they know a lot. We have to get back into the business of that, yes, brush management is important.

A lot of those leaves that folks we’re talking about are actually on federal property. So what kind of supports can we get from the federal government to make sure that we’re doing that part? And then how do we build responsibly, right? What kinds of new technologies are out there to help ensure that folks, you know, kind of have a little extra time when the fires do happen?

And then lastly, what are we doing as consumers to make sure that we’re less than seeing the opportunities and the triggers that we make available to fires when the fire season, you know, hits, they’re real people who are fighting these fires, and there are real people who are dying, doing that work.

And I think we as California owe them some respect, by making sure that we’re putting forth laws and doing things that are right to ensure their safety, as well as the safety of our own families and our neighbors.

Well, thank you very much, Assemblymember Sydney Kamlagr, for coming on the show and for your service to the state of California and all the hard work that you’re doing. And as we got a chance to hear on the course of the program, there’s a just a ton of important issues that you’re working on.

And I think what it says is that all of us have a duty to be engaged as citizens and support that work. We can’t sit on the sidelines and say, Representative Kamlager’s doing it all, you know, just let her take care of it. We’ve got to help out and do our duties.