December Newsletter

Greetings Neighbors,

As the year draws to a close, I want to thank you for your support and the trust you place in me to serve our mighty 28th District of Los Angeles. It is an honor to represent you, and I’m grateful for your voices and engagement that help make our district strong.

While this past year brought challenges, we were able to continue making real progress because we refused to settle for the status quo. That spirit – and the united spirit of our community – is what drives the work I do, both in our district and at the Capitol.

In this newsletter issue, I’m sharing some of the important work we’ve done throughout the year. This includes advancing legislation to better protect working families and to secure public investments that support equitable economic opportunities. I’m especially proud of the collaborative work we’ve done with our community partners and residents to make our district a better place to live and work.

Equally important, I’ve valued the meaningful discussions I’ve had with many of you – at town halls, community events, and constituent meetings. Your voices guide my work each and every day, and I remain committed to fighting for your rights with integrity and transparency.

As we look toward 2026, I will count on your continued engagement as we work together to help move our district and state forward. I wish you a joyful and a hopeful New Year. 

Warm Regards, 

Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Senator, 28th District

I’m pleased to share that Governor Gavin Newsom signed my bill package that strengthens worker protections for California’s working families:

• SB 303 – Enables state and local agencies to engage in bias and anti-discrimination programs while keeping employees' participation in these programs confidential and inadmissible in civil court proceedings.
• SB 464 – This a California Legislative Black Caucus priority bill that expands pay data reporting requirements to public employers and will make other changes to add job categories, expand salary bands, and other changes to ensure higher quality data from the pay data reports.
• SB 578 – Requires the Department of Industrial Relations to establish and administer the California Workplace Outreach Project to promote awareness of, and compliance with, workplace protections that affect workers.
• SB 648 – Gives the Labor Commissioner the authority to investigate and issue citations or file a civil action for gratuities taken or withheld from employees in violation of existing law.

To view all of the legislation that I authored this year, please visit here.

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In a year of tough budget decisions threatening rollbacks to essential protections, I fought alongside my progressive legislative colleagues to ensure that the urgent needs of working families, immigrants, and communities of color were not ignored. Highlights of our budget wins include:

• Film & TV Tax Credit Program – Expanded to $750 Million
  Historic expansion of this tax credit program to keep production jobs, businesses and contractors in California.
• Wildfire Recovery – $39 Million
  Transitions season firefighter positions to permanent union roles.
• California Worker Outreach Project – $13 Million
  Funds multilingual outreach, education, and legal rights training for low-wage, immigrant and frontline workers.
• Community Mediation and Reconciliation – $3.9 Million
  Supports early intervention in civil rights disputes through a dedicated mediation unit and maintains funding for community-based efforts to deescalate conflict and build trust.
• Historic South Los Angeles Black Cultural District – $2.5 million
  Establishes California’s first state-recognized Black Cultural District to preserve Black heritage, promote local economic opportunity, and uplift the legacy of South LA.
• Workforce Training for Industry Needs – $1.5 Million
  Creates a statewide strategy aligned with higher education and workforce training with industry needs, expanding access to quality career pathways — especially for underrepresented communities.
• Civil Rights Enforcement – $1.4 Million
  Expands the state’s capacity to investigate hate incidents and protect residents from discrimination and civil rights violations.
   

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Here’s just a glimpse of our district outreach in 2025 (Top Clockwise): SD28 Constituent Service Day at the Pueblo del Rio housing community in March; MLK Day Parade in South LA in April; SD28 Hispanic Heritage Month Community Event at Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School in September; SD28 Free Food Giveaway at McCarty Memorial Christian Church in South LA in November. 

Over the past year, I focused on several priority projects that reflect my commitment to a recovery and future that uplifts all communities and leaves no one behind.

In January, I prioritized a strong and coordinated response to the devastating Los Angeles wildfires by joining Senator Sasha Renée Pérez in hosting an “Equitable Recovery for Altadena: A Listening Session” held at Pasadena Church East Campus. These conversations were essential to ensuring that recovery efforts were grounded in lived experience and delivered with urgency, equity and accountability. In March, I convened labor leaders and advocates at our first Workforce Equity Summit to advance fair access to quality jobs and build pathways to economic mobility.

At the same time, I led the effort to designate Historic South LA as California’s first Black Cultural District to preserve the community’s rich history and culture while strengthening local economic development. Looking ahead to the 2028 Games, I aim to continue equity-centered engagement with LA28 leadership to ensure that the Olympic and Paralympic Games deliver lasting benefits for our most vulnerable communities. 

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Left Photo: Altadena residents gather to share their experiences from the January wildfires during the listening session. Right Photo: Senator Sasha Renée Pérez joined Senator Smallwood-Cuevas for a TV news interview about the listening session.

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Left Photo: Shown at the Workforce Equity Summit are (from left) Dr. Manuel Pastor, Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at USC; Dr. Steven Pitts, Former Associate Director of UC Berkeley Labor Center; Saba Waheed, UCLA Labor Center Director; Capri Maddox, LA Civil Rights Executive Director; and Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas. Right Photo: Senator Smallwood-Cuevas meets with LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover at their Downtown LA headquarters.

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Shown at the Historic South LA Black Cultural District designation press event are (from left) Yvonne Farrow, Co-Director, Vision Theatre Performing Arts Center; Hakeem Parke-Davis, Planning Deputy, LA City Councilwoman Heather Hutt; Aminah Muhammad, President, Leimert Park Merchants Association; Vince Bertoni, Director of Planning, LA City Planning; Cameron Shaw, Executive Director, California African American Museum; Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas; Jacqueline Hamilton, Deputy Mayor, LA Mayor Karen Bass; Daniel Tarica, General Manager, City of LA Cultural Affairs Department; Ken Bernstein, Principal City Planner, Historic Resources, LA City Planning; Karen Mack, Executive Director, LA Commons; Xavier Clark, Planning Deputy, LA City Councilman Curren Price Jr.; and Terri Osborne, Planning Deputy, LA City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson.

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This year, I had the opportunity to travel with legislative colleagues around the world to learn about leading green initiatives – including Portugal’s innovative sustainability programs, Canada’s “California Recycling Challenge,” and the global climate leadership showcased at New York City Climate Week.

I am honored to have been recognized this year by labor, social justice, and climate resilience organizations. These awards include:

• 100% Labor Vote Award – California Federation of Labor Unions
• Community Impact Award – Turning Point
• 100% State Legislative Scorecard Award – Equality California
• Beloved Community Award – Southern Christian Leadership Conference
• Climate Justice Queen Award – California Environmental Voters
• Reproductive Award – Reproductive Freedom for All
• Legislative Arts Champion Award – California For The Arts

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These acknowledgments reflect the collective work we’ve done to stand up for working families, advance equity and opportunity, and build communities that are healthier and more resilient for the future. I’m grateful to these organizations for their partnership, advocacy and trust — and I remain committed to continuing this work in the year ahead alongside the people of California.