Monterey Bay Economic Partnership Meets with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Assemblymember Chris Ward on Key Issues

Assembly Speaker Rivas (D-Salinas) and Assemblymember Ward (D-San Diego) discussed challenges of California's coastal regions with MBEP CEO Tahra Goraya.

MARINA, CA, UNITED STATES, October 18, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Their discussion centered on a number of policy issues including housing, digital equity, infrastructure, and good jobs as critical economic mobility factors to support community and industry across the Monterey Bay region and in California.

“Increasing the supply of housing of all types and across all income levels is MBEP’s north star, and Speaker Rivas and Assemblymember Ward have authored and supported some of the most impactful legislative solutions to the state’s housing shortfall,” said Monterey Bay Economic Partnership President & CEO Tahra Goraya. “Their leadership has resulted in the signing of 32 affordable housing bills in this legislative cycle alone.”

“We are grateful for their advocacy on behalf of housing as well as other key issues: broadband and infrastructure, economic development and economic mobility to grow regional economies,” said Goraya.

Working at the intersection of government, business, and industry, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership builds collaborations, advocacy, and strategic partnerships that effectively address the changing needs of the Monterey Bay region.

Both Speaker Rivas and Assemblymember Ward are keenly aware of the challenges coastal communities face in balancing hospitality and tourism industries with environmental preservation and business attraction and retention.

MBEP has shared a long and productive working relationship with Speaker Rivas dating back nearly a decade. A longtime ally of Monterey Bay Economic Partnership’s mission to advance the economic well-being of Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties, Speaker Rivas grew up in farmworker housing as the grandson of a migrant farmworker and has long championed housing and other issues of importance to the Monterey Bay region.

Assemblymember Ward has focused much of his legislative efforts on housing, with recent legislation streamlining development of affordable housing, supporting creation of sustainable development near transportation corridors, reducing the cost to construct affordable housing, and ensuring more equitable access to rental housing. He has also passed legislation expanding state funding eligibility for non-credit career development and college preparation courses at community colleges.

Marie Vasari Hislop
Monterey Bay Economic Partnership
+1 831-224-2132
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