I am pleased to report that over 85 residents attended my community town hall in the City of Lake Forest. These town halls provide a great opportunity for me to hear from you and discuss the state’s current issues. Of particular interest to me was the support expressed for my efforts on behalf of pension and regulatory reform.

California still has a long road ahead, but it is my belief that we can solve many of our problems by reaching across political affiliations for solutions that work. For example, the Governor proposed a 12 point pension reform plan and I was happy to join most of my Republican colleagues in co-authoring the legislation to implement this plan. We recognize that the growing unfunded pension liability is not a partisan issue and I hope to put this bill on the Governor’s desk very soon.

This past month, I co-hosted an Identity Theft and Fraud Prevention Town Hall with State Senator Mimi Walters. This event allowed our constituents to learn protective measures against identity theft and fraud. According to the California Office of Privacy Protection, 8.1 million adults were victims of identity theft in the United States last year, including about a million Californians. In this economic climate, criminals look for every advantage to scam the unsuspecting and vulnerable citizen.

I am grateful for the panelists who joined our discussion and offered insightful presentations aimed at protecting the attendees from the criminals. Joining Senator Walters and me were attorney, professor, talk-radio host, and privacy expert, Mari Frank; Orange County Assistant District Attorney, Elizabeth Henderson; Orange County Sheriff Department’s Criminal Investigations Bureau Officer Jason Ito; and Team Leader with TransUnion’s Fraud Victim Assistance Department, Rica Valtairo. If you would like more information and wish to get in touch with these experts, feel free to contact my district office and we will be happy to assist you.

The Kia Motors Design Facility invited me to tour Kia’s facilities in Irvine this past month. I met with Vice President John Yoon and other representatives of the company to thank them for their tremendous support to our local and statewide community.

My office will be hosting mobile district office hours throughout the district. Feel free to stop by just to say hi or ask for assistance with difficulties you may be facing at the DMV or other state agencies. You can find out where my mobile office will be next on my website or by clicking this link.

I joined the Orange County Council of Boy Scouts in recognizing Orange County’s new Eagle Scouts. These new Eagles have contributed significantly to our community through service projects all across Orange County. I was honored to coordinate with every legislative office in the County to provide Certificates of Recognition for each Eagle Scout at the event.

Congratulations to the following businesses for their recent ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremonies: Opus Bank, Baskin Robbins, Wetzel’s Pretzels, Spireon, Inc., The Children’s Place, and Foothills Preschool.

Special Recognition: Concordia University Men’s Basketball Team – National Champions; Irvine All-City Men and Women’s Water Polo Teams; and Tustin Unified Teachers of the Year: David Goldenberg, Jennifer Sandland, and Kristina Posavec.

I recently had the privilege of honoring Melinda “Mindy” Stearns of Newport Coast in a ceremony held at the Capitol as California’s 70th Assembly District Woman of the Year.  Mindy is a philanthropist who has dedicated an extraordinary amount of time and energy into charitable work in Orange County’s education, arts, and military veterans’ communities.  Over the years, she has raised millions of dollars for several organizations that provide educational opportunities for our nation’s youth and its veterans, and her wonderful contributions have no doubt had a positive impact on individuals throughout Orange County.

Do you think someone deserves special recognition? Contact the District Office and let us know at 949.863.7070.

Assemblyman Donald P. Wagner invites you to join him for an Aging Policy and “Ask the Doc” Town Hall on Friday, April 13 at the Clifton C. Miller Community Center from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.  The topics of discussion will be aging, memory loss, and dementia, as well as a legislative update on the issues California faces.

The following doctors from UC Irvine’s Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders will be present to discuss health concerns you may have for yourself or your loved ones:

Dr. Frank LaFerla, Ph.D.  Dr. Aimee Pierce, M.D.

Dr. Cordula Dick-Muehlke, Ph.D. Dr. Malcolm Dick, Ph.D.

Dr. David Cribbs, Ph.D.

Representatives will also be present from the City of Tustin, Orange County Community Services, the Caregiver Resource Center, and Age Well Senior Services to discuss the resources available to residents in the community.

Please join us for this free informative community event.  Send RSVP’s to  Sam.Han@asm.ca.gov or call (949) 863-7070 for more information.