News

SACRAMENTO, CA - Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) secured $15 million to aid in the Middle Creek Restoration project, part of an effort to promote the natural habitats and health of Clear Lake.

Aguiar-Curry made the announcement on Monday after successfully working with Secretary John Laird of the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) and the Department of Water Resources (DWR). The funds will help complete the first phase of the project, located at the north end of Clear Lake. The grant will be funded by bond proceeds from Propositions 84 and 1E.

Read more here.

Until a few years ago, most students in Winters — a farming community of 7,000 west of Sacramento — did not have computers at home. So the city’s then-mayor, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, pushed for a program that enabled the school district’s sixth-graders to check out laptops along with their textbooks.

Their parents were required to learn how to use the computers as well. For some, it was their first time surfing the web or sending an email.

Read more here.

In an effort to remove obstacles for Californians trying to succeed in the labor market, a new law could make access to child care easier for low-income parents taking classes to learn English or complete high school.

The law will expand the eligibility requirements for subsidized child care. It will make low-income parents who are are enrolled in English as a second language classes (ESL) or a program to earn a high school diploma or general education development certificate (GED) eligible to place their children in subsidized care.

Read more here.

Among hundreds of bills signed into law on Sunday by Governor Jerry Brown was the rural broadband measure championed by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D — Winters).

Several past efforts to increase funding to close the connectivity gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots,” known as the “Digital Divide,” were intensely opposed by the largest telecommunications and cable companies. After a three-year stalemate, this bill represents a cooperative effort between legislators of both houses and both parties, consumer advocates, and representatives from the telecommunications and cable industries to invest in broadband access and rural development.

Read more here.

District Four Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry recently visited the location of the most important project for the restoration of Clear Lake: the Middle Creek Marsh.

Over 1,600 acres of land, farmed for a better part of a century and protected by battered levees, are the focus of federal, state, and local efforts to restore original wetlands. These wetlands are expected to slow the flow of nutrient-rich water and sediment to Clear Lake, providing flood protection, water quality improvement, wildlife habitat, ground water recharge, and recreational opportunities.

Read more here.

There's a new law on the books in California that will remove a barrier for low-income parents aiming to access education. Under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last week, poor parents enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) or high school equivalency courses will be eligible for subsidized child care. 

Read more here.