SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblymember Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) has been honored by Elk Grove Food Bank Services for his dedication to helping families struggling from food insecurities and to the homeless in the region.

As Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration, Cooper spearheaded an effort to help Elk Grove’s cherished Food Bank Services by securing $4 million in state funding to help expand their services and relocate their headquarters.

“It’s an absolute honor supporting Elk Grove Food Bank Services and their critically important role assisting thousands of families in our community,” said Assemblymember Jim Cooper.

Elk Grove Food Bank has served Elk Grove residents since 1974, growing from one program to 16 programs. Currently, more than 800 volunteers distribute food to over 5,700 people each month, including families, seniors, persons with disabilities, and the homeless.

“I cannot express how grateful we are to Assemblymember Cooper for his continued support,” said Elk Grove Food Bank Executive Director, Marie Jachino. “Assemblyman Cooper is a champion for our community, it’s a pleasure to recognize his over 15 years of dedicated support with the Harvest of Hope Award,” added Jachino.

Cooper received the award at the Elk Grove Food Bank Services Annual Harvest of Hope Gala Dinner on Saturday, September 14, 2019.

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Assemblymember Cooper represents the Cities of Sacramento, Elk Grove, Galt, and Lodi.

SACRAMENTO, CA – Assembly Bill 271, authored by Assemblymember Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove), was approved on a unanimous bi-partisan vote by the California State Senate. The bill will help close the gender and ethnicity pay gap as well as address the underrepresentation of women and minorities in state civil service classifications.

“Two years ago, I authored AB 46, which was signed by the Governor. The bill leveled the playing field for California’s working women and people of color,” said Assemblymember Jim Cooper. “However, pay disparities and underrepresentation of women and minorities in California’s civil service sector remains an issue. I am grateful that my colleagues in both the Assembly and the Senate agree that it is imperative that we continue our fight for equal pay and equal representation within all levels and classifications of our government,” added Cooper.

AB 271 requires the Department of Human Resources to evaluate all civil service classifications on a biennial basis and prepare a detailed report on gender and ethnicity wage disparity as well as the underrepresentation of women and minorities in each agency.

Each state agency will be required to create a detailed plan and timeline for meeting the goal of wage parity along with recruiting, attracting, and retaining women and minorities into all levels and classifications where a discrepancy was found to create a more diverse workforce.

“I am glad to team up with Assemblymember Cooper to ensure pay equity for government employees,” said Assemblymember Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood). “It’s important that all public and private sector employees are protected under pay equity laws.”

AB 271 would require the facts, findings and plans for each state agency be presented annually to the appropriate legislative budget subcommittee when the budget of that state agency is being considered.

AB 271 has been sent to Governor Newsom for consideration.

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Assemblymember Cooper represents the Cities of Sacramento, Elk Grove, Galt, and Lodi

SACRAMENTO – Assembly Bill 1, authored by Assemblymember Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove), was signed into law yesterday by Governor Gavin Newsom. Assembly Bill 1, also known as the California Youth Football Act will enact safety standards for youth football, limiting full-contact practices to reduce brain injuries.

“California is leading the nation in setting the bar on the importance of protecting children from brain injuries while playing contact sports,” said Assemblymember Jim Cooper. “I applaud Governor Newsom for signing the California Youth Football Act into law, it sets the most comprehensive youth football safety standards in the nation.”

Assembly Bill 1 will limit full-contact practices for youth football teams to no more than 30 minutes per day for no more than two days per week. The bill also bans full-contact practices for youth football teams during the offseason.

In 2014, California enacted standards to improve the safety of high school students participating in tackle football (AB 2127, Chapter 165, Statutes of 2014). Assembly Bill 1 extends similar safety protection standards to youth tackle football.

Additionally, the California Youth Football Act requires concussion education, coach training, and injury tracking protocols. As well as, a medical professional to be present for all games and an independent person to attend all practices with the authority to remove players who show signs of an injury.

“The California Youth Football Act represents a new era for youth tackle football, with a focus on safety and performance, that will pave the way for future generations of Americans to continue benefiting from the sport,” said Joe Rafter, President of the California Youth Football Alliance. “It’s been an honor for our organization to partner with Assemblyman Jim Cooper and his staff to set statewide safety standard for youth tackle football.”

Assembly Bill 1 was sponsored by the California Youth Football Alliance and will take effect January 1, 2021.

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Assemblymember Cooper represents the Cities of Sacramento, Elk Grove, Galt, and Lodi.

Sacramento – Assemblymember Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove), Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration applauds Governor Brown for signing the state budget, which includes funding that Cooper spearheaded. These funds deliver resources to the City of Lodi, Cal Expo, and efforts to combat crimes against children.

“I am very encouraged by this year’s budget and am proud of the investments the Legislature and the Governor passed to support our region,” said Assemblymember Jim Cooper. “Essential funding for erosion control at Lodi Lake, deferred maintenance at Cal Expo and lastly, funding for California’s Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce will benefit our region and the residents of the 9^th Assembly District.”

Lodi Lake, known as the “Jewel of Lodi” is a popular recreation area for Lodians and is a destination for residents across Sacramento and San Joaquin counties. Since 1999, Lodi Lake has suffered severe erosion from the Mokelumne River, threatening Lodi’s community amphitheater and Rotary Picnic Shelter at Lodi Lake Park.

“We’ve taken small measures to prevent the river from slowly eroding away Lodi Lake Park, but in the end it takes significant funding to make a difference,” said Mayor Alan Nakanishi. “We’re thankful Assemblyman Cooper recognizes Lodi Lake’s significance to our community, as well as our financial challenges and that he took the steps needed to protect the jewel of our park system,” added Nakanishi.

The 2018-2019 state budget includes $1 million in funding for the City of Lodi to combat erosion at Lodi Lake.

In addition to securing funding for the City of Lodi, Assemblymember Cooper also led an effort to provide funding to Cal Expo for restoration and infrastructure improvements.

Cal Expo, a major regional site for several large community events, has hosted the California State Fair since 1968. During this time, Cal Expo has maintained and enhanced their nearly 800-acre land with no funding from the State, relying completely upon revenues generated from events to cover its annual operations and maintenance of facilities. However, time is taking its toll on Cal Expo’s facilities while much-needed capital expenditures are outpacing revenues available for maintenance of buildings and infrastructure.

In addition to its many programs and functions, Cal Expo serves as a significant emergency response and support facility for the State and Federal government, and has been designated as the Emergency Seat of State Government, the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile for Northern California, and a Tsunami Recovery Facility for the San Francisco Bay Area.

For these reasons, the Legislature and Governor have agreed to allocate $15 million in grants for deferred maintenance at Cal Expo.

“Thank you to Governor Brown, Assemblyman Cooper, and the California Legislature for their much needed General Fund assistance which will further address Cal Expo’s 50-year-old aging infrastructure, as well as our goal of being sustainable for future generations,” said Rima Barkett Chair of the California Exposition & State Fair.

Furthermore, Assemblymember Cooper led an effort to fund California’s Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce Program (ICAC). ICAC’s mission is to help state and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and Internet crimes against children.

“I know first-hand how valuable ICAC is to providing training to parents and protecting our young ones,” said Assemblymember Cooper. “At increasing rates, children are using the internet and social media at very young ages and are more and more susceptible to online predators and victimization,” added Cooper.

This marks the second year in a row that Cooper secured a significant amount of funding for California’s Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce.

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