Hi friends,
As blossoms form on the tips of plants and trees, the sun shines brighter and the days grow longer, I hope you are as excited as I am to welcome Springtime! March is here, and with it brings continued Lunar New Year celebrations, Eid for our Muslim communities, Cesar Chavez Day, and Women's History Month.
I'm looking forward to celebrating Women's History Month as I have the last two years: uplifting the remarkable women who shape our communities as we know them. Later this month, I'll host fourteen Women of the Year, all nominated by fellow Assembly District 28 residents, at my annual honoree luncheon. After hosting it in San Jose and Morgan Hill over the last couple of years, this year's ceremony will take place in Santa Cruz.
Well-deserving women will be celebrated all throughout the month, as the Santa Cruz County Office of Education (Santa Cruz COE), Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH), and Lookout Santa Cruz are coming together to host the third-ever HERstory celebration, highlighting women of Santa Cruz County! Ten women will be honored across three cohorts: Legacy (lasting contributions that continue to influence Santa Cruz County), Impact (impacting Santa Cruz County today), and Rising (impacting Santa Cruz County's future). The celebration will take place on Friday, March 6, and I have the profound honor of serving as the emcee for the evening!
Legislative Update
I am proud to have introduced a full slate of bills this legislative session, focusing on supporting youth, strengthening mental health resources, and protecting our public lands. As the Chair of the Assembly Elections Committee, I am also carrying committee bills to strengthen election processes and make them more transparent, clear, accurate, and fair. You can read summaries of my legislative package on my website.
Outside of my own legislative proposals, last month, AB 1421, which many interpreted as a mileage tax bill, went viral. This bill seeks to create a committee to conduct a transparent, research-driven process to evaluate the advantages, disadvantages, and inevitable trade-offs of a road user charge or mileage-based funding system, so the Legislature can make informed decisions. The funding system that supports our transportation network is becoming less stable, less equitable, and less sustainable as more drivers switch to more fuel-efficient and zero-emission vehicles.
I supported this bill because it asks a basic fairness question: How do we ensure all motorists pay their fair share, no more and no less, while protecting affordability and privacy? AB 1421 contains no language regarding new taxes or new fees. This bill is about research and examining how to maintain our roads without creating inequities or overburdening Californians, and, most importantly, keeping Californians safe on well-maintained roads. When the study is complete and informs future legislative proposals, I will rely on your input to help me make an informed vote.
Supporting Healthcare in the Budget
I'm grateful to my colleagues for recognizing the urgent need to act as a lifeline for our women's health centers and voting to commit $90 million in one-time funding to safeguard reproductive health care providers affected by federal cuts. When clinics close, needs do not disappear. Patients travel farther, wait longer, or go without care altogether.
Our community knows the impact of H.R. 1 too well with the loss of our Santa Cruz Planned Parenthood and the elimination of prenatal care, primary care, and behavioral health care in all Planned Parenthood clinics. California understands the essential role these clinics play in our health care network and is ready to step up to protect access, stability, and care for those who need it most.
Upcoming Events
Women of the Year
On Friday, March 20, I will host our fourteen 2026 Women of the Year in Santa Cruz. At this annual luncheon, I have an invaluable opportunity to celebrate the women you all bring to my attention throughout the year. I feel so honored to represent countless women who, through their abundant compassion, ambition, and bravery, embody the identities of the communities they serve. It goes without saying that choosing a small group from the nominations I receive is one of the hardest tasks of the year for me. Please continue to submit nominations for the women in our community who inspire you through the impact they make on our world--whatever that impact may be. Women's history is really our shared history, and this is an opportunity to uplift the women who continue to build on the progress and compassion of those who came before them.
HERstory 2026
📍 Santa Cruz MAH, 705 Front St. | March 6 | 🕙 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Don't miss Santa Cruz COE's HERstory event in collaboration with MAH and Lookout! I am excited to serve as the emcee for the evening and introduce you to ten incredible women who shape our county as we know it. This free event will be held at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH).
Scotts Valley Wellness Walk
📍 Scotts Valley High School, 555 Glenwood Dr. | March 28 | 🕙 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
I'll join Scotts Valley High School students at their wellness walk on March 28, supporting our shared belief that learning begins with feeling safe and supported. I'm proud to be a part of a community that organizes and shows up to support student wellness services. Learn more at svwellnesswalk.com and consider participating.
Wilder Ranch Volunteer Open House
📍 Wilder Ranch State Park, 1401 Coast Rd., Santa Cruz | March 7 | 🕙 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
If you're interested in volunteering at Wilder Ranch State Park, attend the Wilder Ranch Volunteer Open House on March 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and meet the volunteers who help bring this special place to life. You'll have the chance to chat with current volunteers about available opportunities, enjoy live demonstrations in the blacksmith shop and Victorian kitchen, take a house museum tour, and more. Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to volunteer with California State Parks and see if Wilder Ranch is the right fit for you.
Please note that parking is $10 and helps to support the park, no dogs are allowed, and in the event of rain, the event will be cancelled. If you have questions about the event or volunteering, email wilderranch@ports-ca.us.
Local Artisan Fair at Terra Amico Farms
📍 680 California Ave, San Martin | April 4 | 🕙 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Joe and Lisa Raineri of Terra Amico invite everyone to their tomato farm for free family fun! Come by for a chance to buy locally grown plant starters, produce, and crafts, and stay to enjoy the farm. This event is well known in South Santa Clara County, so be sure to arrive early!
Past Events
Manu Town Hall
I appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with Santa Cruz County's First District Supervisor Manu Koenig last month to provide a "State & County Budget Town Hall" for our constituents. Despite the rainy week we had, plenty of residents came out to hear from us in person as we covered the logistics, challenges, and priorities ahead as we balance the State and County budgets.
We also provided non-budget-related updates for the community and took questions and concerns from neighbors. The recorded Zoom webinar of the event is available on my website if you are interested in watching.
Silicon Valley Index
Joint Venture Silicon Valley always puts together such an insightful conference to showcase economic data defining our community. I was honored by El Camino Health's invitation to State of the Valley, and enjoyed hearing from experts in engineering, economics, and healthcare.
The statistic that had the greatest impact on me concerned our youth's mental health. One in 10 teenagers has considered suicide in the past 12 months. Dr. Shashank Joshi of Stanford Medicine Children's Health shared important insights on how we should prioritize mental health care. He said, "Mental health is health, and our kids have to be healthy enough to learn." I look forward to continuing our work to ensure mental health reaches parity with physical health.
The data showcased at Joint Venture Silicon Valley's State of the Valley is free to download at their website.
San Jose Chamber of Commerce Leaders & Legacy
A selfie with the Normandin family
The San Jose Chamber of Commerce is celebrating 140 years of work this year, and Normandin Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram FIAT stands as the only business that appears to have been part of our business community even longer--by about a decade! The Chamber of Commerce has been serving Silicon Valley businesses long before we earned the title Silicon Valley and continues to meet the demands of our ever-changing technological landscape and business needs. I was happy to have the opportunity to stop by the Chamber's Leaders and Legacy Dinner; I'm proud to call the Normandin Family, the 2026 Legacy Leader Award recipient, . Congratulations to both the San Jose Chamber of Commerce and the Normandin Family for reaching these incredible milestones!
Resources & Updates
Trump's Attacks on our Shores
In recent months, I've been reaching out to you all with the assumption that you value the cleanliness and health of our waterways and coastal economies. The Trump Administration has its sights set on opening our California coast to offshore oil drilling and deep-sea mining, and I join every other local leader in saying not in California -- not ever. I'm grateful to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors for unanimously passing a resolution to oppose deep-sea (seabed) mining, a destructive practice that would destroy already fragile marine habitats, generate sediment plumes that spread far beyond mining sites, and risk long-term or irreversible ecosystem damage.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has opened multiple public comment opportunities right now that would shape federal offshore policy:
- BOEM-2025-0120: A proposed rule that would fast-track the leasing of vast offshore areas for deep-sea mineral extraction. In plain terms, this makes it easier for industrial mining to move into our oceans--putting fragile marine ecosystems, fisheries, and coastal economies at risk. Once these doors are opened, it becomes much harder to close them. Comment period closes April 27, 2026.
- BOEM-2025-0681: A related proposal that would rewrite the rules governing offshore mineral resources--changing definitions and processes in ways that could weaken safeguards and smooth the path for future seabed mining. These bureaucratic shifts may sound technical, but they lay the groundwork for real-world impacts on our coast. Comment period closes March 30, 2026.
While both of these are proposed regulatory changes, not final actions, your comments would become part of the official record and must be reviewed before any final rules are adopted. Your voice influences the outcome. Federal Representatives Jimmy Panetta, Zoe Lofgren, Alex Padilla, and Adam Schiff are pushing to extend comment deadlines, but the clock is already ticking. As I write this, both proposals have garnered only 72 comments in total, with one having only 10.
Submit your opposition before the deadline:
California Safe Homes Grant Program
The California Safe Homes Grant Program will provide financial assistance to low- and middle-income homeowners in high wild-fire-risk areas for critical, proactive safety upgrades. Managed by the California Department of Insurance, the program helps fund fire-resistant roofs and "Zone Zero" mitigation within five feet of the home to reduce wildfire risk.
The state-run application portal is expected to open this spring, although no exact date has been determined yet. Grant funds can be used for Class A roofs, clearing flammable materials within 5 feet of the home, and other hardening measures. If you are an interested, low- to middle-income homeowner located in a high- or very-high fire hazard severity zone, there are steps you can take now to be prepared to apply when the portal opens:
- Check Your Zone: Use the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones map to see if your property is in a high-risk area.
- Prepare Documentation: Gather property tax records, insurance information, and income verification.
- Monitor for Portal Launch: Watch for the official California Department of Insurance (CDI) website for application opening dates.
My district offices can serve as your liaisons to the CA Department of Insurance staff. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about the program or other insurance-related inquiries.
Team Pellerin Intern Breaks UCSC Record
Who said Slugs were slow? Our Santa Cruz District Office intern, Camille Anneet, set a UCSC women's track record as the first to complete the indoor 200m in under 27 seconds, finishing in an incredible 26.73 seconds. She's just as fast on the track as she is delivering for our constituents! Congratulations, Camille!
Welcome to the Team
Our district offices continue to grow as we onboard remarkable interns passionate about public service! This past month, we welcomed Lan Nguyen to our San Jose office, a Foothill College English major on a CSU/UC transfer pathway, and Eve Chavez to our Santa Cruz office, another UCSC banana slug studying Politics/Latin American and Latino Studies with a double major in Legal Studies.
Free Drinking Water Well Testing in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County residents who rely on a domestic well for drinking water may qualify for free well testing. The program includes complimentary water sampling, easy-to-understand test results, and information about free replacement water or treatment systems for eligible households.
The test focuses on common groundwater contaminants, including arsenic, nitrate, 1,2,3-TCP, and hexavalent chromium. These contaminants often have no color or odor, boiling does not remove them, and exposure can pose serious health risks, especially for pregnant women and children. To schedule your free test, visit centralcoastwelltesting.org or call 844-613-5152.
Personal Emergency Preparedness (PEP) Workshop With CADRE
CADRE, the VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) of Santa Clara County, is hosting a special event to help you be more prepared for emergencies! Join CADRE for an interactive Personal Emergency Preparedness (PEP) workshop designed to help you build practical skills, create a customized emergency plan, and feel more confident facing disasters.
The Resilience PEP session will be held on March 26, 2026, from 6 - 8 p.m. at the American Red Cross, 2731 N. First Street, San Jose.
Participants will receive $50 worth of disaster equipment and supplies. Seats are limited, so please register in advance by visiting our events page at www.CADRESV.org
The Gray Wave Discussion: The Growing Crisis of Seniors Being Unhoused
Join CADRE for a follow-up discussion to United Way Bay Area's Lunch and Learn, "The Gray Wave: Rising Homelessness for American Seniors." Together, you will reflect on key takeaways from the presentation and share what we are seeing locally among older adults at risk of being unhoused.
CADRE has twenty Community Support Networks (CSN) that offer a more granular approach to emergency preparedness and disaster recovery. These CSNs range from seniors, the unhoused, immigrants, veterans, climate resilience, and others. They are committed to making Santa Clara County more connected and resilient.
Constituent Services
As your elected representative, I'm here to serve you in a variety of ways. One of the most important is helping you navigate issues with state agencies.
Whether it's the DMV, Franchise Tax Board, EDD, Disability Insurance, or another state department-we're here to help. Contact my office through my website or by calling:
📍 San Jose District Office: (408) 264-2848
📍 Santa Cruz District Office: (831) 425-1503
You can also visit our offices-just call ahead to make an appointment so staff are ready to assist.
Warm regards,
Gail Pellerin
Assemblymember, District 28
