Thanking Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (center) for dropping by ABC Adult School and for talking to students and community leaders were (l-r) ABC School Board member Sophia Tse, Artesia Chamber of Commerce Vice-President Shaila Patankar, Cerritos College Board President Dr. Shin Liu, and ABC Adult School Principal and Artesia Chamber President Dr. PaoLing Guo.
By Larry Caballero
ABC Adult School and the Artesia Chamber of Commerce hosted a Coffee for Congresswoman Linda Sanchez Nov. 4, where more than 200 attended the Cuesta campus to hear the Congresswoman talk about the “gridlock challenges” in Washington.
Sanchez said there is a lot of “election uncertainty about our country’s future, but even so, I believe that better days are ahead for us, and I’m waiting for that breakthrough moment.”
She will soon be moving on from being Chair of the Hispanic Caucus, and the ranking member of both the Ethics Committee and the Select Committee on Benghazi, and she hopes to soon be elected to a leadership position on the Democratic Caucus.
Sanchez will also remain as the first Latina and woman on the House Ways & Means Committee, a powerful committee where issues are addressed that impact millions of Americans.
Sanchez said that she is proud of the work she has done for her communities that she represents, including just recently turning over 15 acres of land to the City of Norwalk.
“This has been a crazy Presidential election year,” said Sanchez, “and 2016 will prove to be a very unproductive year in terms of legislation, and when we return to Washington, we only have 16 legislative days left until the end of this year.”
Addressing a potential government shutdown is the first priority, and Sanchez believes Congress will pass a short term spending bill to last until early 2017.
Another issue is overhauling the criminal justice system. “We can improve it,” said Sanchez, “if we work together to make America even greater.”
Another serious issue is rebuilding our infrastructure. “If we don’t do it, our whole economy suffers.”
When she’s visiting the District, she loves to meet with local businesses and walk through their shops. “When I’m in Artesia, I love to stop by boutiques like Sona Chaandi to buy a piece of jewelry or maybe even a sari.”
She was asked about challenges to having access to higher education, and she expressed concern about the exorbitant student loan debt. “It hampers student desires to go to college,” said Sanchez.
She said that student debt is second to mortgage debt, has already surpassed credit card debt, and “it’s a drag on our economy.”
She is worried that states are divesting in education. In the past, states spent up to 30 per cent of tax dollars on education, and now it’s about 9 per cent.
Sanchez is in favor of reducing the interest rates on student loans and in supporting a new GI Bill that will allow funding for a vet when he returns home, or it can be transferred to a dependent.
Sanchez said she had more than $60,000 in law school debt when she graduated from a public university, and it took her 20 years to repay the debt.
The Congresswoman also supports providing resources for vets so they can find jobs when they return home, and also providing funding for job skill training.
When asked about public safety in our schools and parks, she said that the rise in homelessness in our communities is a growing concern, and more funding is needed to address the problem.
On exorbitant citizenship application fees, Sanchez said that we have a broken immigration system, and more immigration judges are needed. She advised immigrants to apply for fee waivers if they qualify.
Recognized by her colleagues and the national media as a leading voice for working families, judiciary, and trade matters, Linda Sánchez has represented California’s 38th Congressional District since 2013.
From 2003 – 2013, Congresswoman Sánchez represented California’s 39th Congressional District, which included many of the communities she currently represents. The 38th District includes the communities of Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, East La Mirada, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, La Mirada, La Palma, Los Nietos, Montebello, Norwalk, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, South El Monte, and Whittier.
