Mailbag: Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris and Rep. Harley Rouda deliver with promising first terms

Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris and U.S. Rep. Harley Rouda are so busy seeking positive legislation for their districts, that the two Laguna Beach Democrats have not had the time or inclination to get involved in negative political battles with their opponents.

Both of them tout impressive lists of legislative conquests and have been overly generous with the time they have devoted to meeting their constituents at town hall locations and at numerous public events.

Norris’s latest legislative achievements have been directed against fighting homelessness in Orange County. She is trying to increase the number of emergency shelters, working with local leaders to open a new mental health treatment and housing facility to get people who need help into treatment and off the street, and is leading a working group that she has established in the Legislature on substance abuse treatment.

Norris is taking a “services-first” approach to the homeless situation while also supporting laws that protect sensitive areas, public parks and neighborhoods.

To that effect, during her first term in the state Assembly, she has supported providing funding to assist local cities in addressing the crisis.

Finally, in another effort to help the homeless population, she secured funding to provide housing for homeless veterans in Orange County.

Homelessness is not the only issue that has caught Norris’s attention. She authored a new bill, which has already been signed into law, which invests in green infrastructure along the California Coast to combat sea level rise. .

Rouda has also captured the imagination of many of his constituents with his amazing energy and accomplishments during his first term in Congress. To the gratitude of many of his constituents, Rouda has promoted bipartisanship, common sense and duty toward those whom he serves. He has been among the most legislatively productive freshman member of Congress, introducing and cosponsoring numerous measures..

Rouda is most proud of his efforts at bipartisanship while addressing Orange County’s unique problems: climate change, which has already affected our coast, prevention of wildfires and storms, which are becoming more extreme, cleaning up our air and drinking water, and properly managing spent nuclear fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

The accomplishments of these two amazingly energetic freshmen representatives are staggering. It is comforting to know that Orange County is being so well served in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., by such conscientious and positive leadership.

Lynn Lorenz
Newport Beach

O.C. Republicans are smearing Foley

It’s starting again! The right-wing smears against Democratic politicians in 2020 are now appearing, as evidenced by the recent hit piece on state Senate candidate Katrina Foley, the current mayor of Costa Mesa. Many remember a similar smear campaign against former Huntington Beach Mayor Jill Hardy in 2012 in which cowardly Republicans hid behind special interest political action committees (PACs) to try and bamboozle our electorate. It didn’t work.

Given a taste of true representation by Democratic office holders who won elections in 2018, Orange County voters have wised up and have ignored political party affiliation to elect the best candidate. This trend will doubtless continue in 2020. It is why a desperate and craven GOP is resorting to smear campaigns in front of the March primaries.

Tim Geddes
Huntington Beach

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