Reflections of Progress

Greetings Neighbor, 

As we bring another year to a close, I’m pleased to share this issue that reflects on our progress in 2024 and what we’ve accomplished together. This has been a year of challenges and growth, and your partnership has been essential to shaping the policies and initiatives that impact our community.

Looking ahead, I’m excited about the opportunities to build on our successes to make further progress in 2025. Thank you for your continued engagement and interest in making California and our district the best they can be.

Warm Regards, 

Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Senator, 28th District

Signed Legislation
 

SB 1484 – Child Protection in Juvenile Courts
Protects California’s children by completely limiting the juvenile court’s jurisdiction in cases involving youth under the age of 12.

SB 1340 – Localizes Civil Rights Enforcement
Gives a voice to all Californians who encounter discrimination by empowering them to file complaints in their own cities.

SB 1137 – Intersectionality in Civil Rights Cases
Makes California the first state in the nation to recognize intersectionality (e.g., discrimination based on race and gender) within anti-discrimination laws.

SB 1089 – Grocers & Pharmacy Store Closure Notice
Requires grocery stores and pharmacies to give notice about closures, and ensure that workers and surrounding communities have access to supportive information, such as employment resources, food supply sources, and prescription transfers.

SB 572 – EDD Crenshaw Building Surplus Property
Gives a community land trust preferential solicitation for their proposal on an unused state EDD building in the Crenshaw corridor to redevelop the property as an affordable housing or social housing model.

This year, I am proud to have worked with my colleagues in the Legislature to lead the state through their biggest challenges:

• As the new Chair of the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement, I remained committed to bolstering workplace protections, enhancing paid family leave and disability benefits, and funding job and leadership training opportunities.
• Voted to provide $1 billion for local governments to help unhoused individuals find a path to safe, affordable housing.
• Voted to ensure our K-12 schools received funding to retain critical programs, prevent employee layoffs, and support educators in their professional development.
• Supported a historic bond to update K-12 and Community College facilities to meet the safety and needs of millions of students, including the largest investment in career technical education facilities.
• Supported subsidized child care for thousands of working families to allow parents to be part of the economy while providing a stable home for their families.
• Protected vulnerable communities and seniors by promoting greater access to job and nutrition assistance, and ensuring legal services and programs for our immigrant communities.

(From top left) Taste of Soul Family Festival on Crenshaw; Hispanic Heritage Month in South LA; Central Avenue Jazz Festival; Pick Pico Street Fair in West LA; Mother’s Day Paint & Lunch at West LA College; Skid Row Listening Session in Downtown LA; King Day Parade in South LA; Coffee with the Sentaor at Playa Vista.

Workforce Advocacy

While striving for a more equitable California, I continued to stand in solidarity with California’s working families by fighting for their rights, fairer wages, and better working conditions. Since our businesses play a vital role in our local economy, I also worked toward fostering a more vibrant, resilient business community that creates jobs and essential goods and services.  

Scholarship Support

Throughout the year, I worked closely with the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) that oversaw the Community College Rising Scholar Program that provides at-risk students with greater access to millions of dollars worth in textbook costs. CLBC also administered over half a million dollars in scholarships that were awarded to more than 100 college students and college-bound scholars across the state, including the following eight students from the 28th District:

• Henry Addison, UC Merced
• Brooklyn Alexander, Howard University
• Samuel Christopher, Harvard Westlake
• Elijah Gordon, Alexander Hamilton High School
• Anderson Moore, Loyola Marymount University
• Dylan Moore, Blue Ridge Academic Charter School
• Damarion Tyler, Verbum Dei Jesuit High School
• Daija Willis, Cal State Dominguez Hills 

White House Visit

In July, I joined dozens of California leaders at the White House for the “Communities in Action: Building a Better California” event presented by the Biden-Harris Administration. While in D.C., I also had a productive meeting with the Senior Counselor to the Secretary Betty Hung at the U.S. Department of Labor. During our meeting, I extended my gratitude to Secretary Julie Su for all of the labor standards, gender and equity guidelines, and toolkits given to states to best multiply federal investments in our infrastructure. 
 

Affordable Housing Learning in Vienna

Also in July, I joined more than two dozen state, county and local officials, housing experts, and municipal homelessness and home ownership technicians in Vienna, Austria to learn how we can help California weather our housing crisis. During our visit, we embarked on a five-day master class focused on affordable housing solutions modeled after the city of Vienna, which is considered one of the world’s most livable cities.

The learning experience was a collision course of cultural values and policy that demonstrates how Vienna provides affordable housing for its nearly two million residents. Utilizing their four pillars of sustainability, affordable economics, beautiful architecture and housing for all, Vienna has built a successful model of providing affordable housing at scale, resulting in relatively nonexistent homelessness in the city.

It was such an honor to receive recognitions from several distinguished organizations in 2024, including the Dream Builder Award from the Building the California Dream Alliance; Public Official & Labor Champion Award from the California Black Women’s Collective; and the Ella Hill Hutch Award from Black Women Organized for Political Action.