State Senator Ted Lieu Visits Santa Monica City Council Meeting

from smmirror.com

POSTED JUL. 26, 2013, 8:10 AM

PARIMAL M. ROHIT / STAFF WRITER

State Senator Ted Lieu knows all about dealing with a local airport and traffic congestion in a coastal area bordering the City of Los Angeles. Once a Council member in Torrance, Lieu will certainly be a part of an already expansive debate about the future of a local airport and worsening traffic congestion in Santa Monica.

Thanks to redistricting last year, Lieu represents Santa Monica in Sacramento as part of his 28th state senate district.

In his official capacity as Santa Monica’s state senator, Lieu visited City Hall to quickly chatwith Council members and provide a snapshot of what is happening in Sacramento.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Lieu addressed the dais for about three minutes, briefly explaining how far California has come since facing a budget crisis in 2010.

“A few years ago we had to close a $60 billion budget deficit in this state and city councils had to deal with their own budget shortfalls. We did what we had to do. We made very painful choices,” Lieu told the council. “We stabilized the state and local cities, and we provided a foundation from which to grow.”

Lieu added the state legislature submitted for a third consecutive year an on-time budget that pays down debt, funds education and healthcare, and leaves for a $2 billion surplus.

“We’ve looked at ways we help cities. Anything I can do to help Santa Monica, please let me know,” Lieu told Council members.

Lieu has a district office in Redondo Beach, but he told Council member Bob Holbrook his team is looking to establish a district office further north to keep in closer contact with Santa Monica residents.

The state senator concluded his comments by telling the council the legislature will be considering gun control laws, including the Assault Weapon Kit Ban proposed by U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman.

Lieu currently represents nearly 1.3 million people. In addition to Santa Monica, he also represents constituents in Beverly Hills, Carson, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Torrance, West Hollywood, and portions of Hollywood.