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Fletcher seeks Atkins’ seat + Bera names his guest for the State of the Union

Sacramento Bee - 2/7/2023

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

FLETCHER ANNOUNCES BID TO SUCCEED ATKINS IN SENATE

San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher announced Monday that he will seek Sen. Toni Atkins’ San Diego Senate seat when she term limits out of office next year.

Fletcher, a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran and former assemblyman, is the first Democrat in a decade to chair the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, where he championed the county’s response to the twin crises of homelessness and COVID-19.

As an assemblyman from 2008 to 2012, Fletcher authored a bill that came to be known as “Chelsea’s Law,” which increased penalties for first-time sex offenders who commit heinous crimes.

“From leading one of the most effective COVID responses in the nation to leading Marines in combat, I’ve never shied away from taking on the toughest fights,” Fletcher said in a statement.

If elected, Fletcher said that he would push for higher wages and a lower cost of living.

Fletcher is popular with San Diego voters; in 2022, he was reelected with 65% of the vote. Senate District 39 is a Democratic-leaning district, with the party maintaining a 24-point registration advantage over the Republicans.

He has a number of endorsements, including San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria — himself a former assemblyman — and former State Sen. Christine Kehoe.

Fletcher is the husband of former Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, who now heads up the California Labor Federation.

SACRAMENTO MAN TO ACCOMPANY BERA TO STATE OF THE UNION

Via David Lightman...

Mervin Brookins, founder of Brother 2 Brother Mentoring in Del Paso Heights, will be visiting Congress Tuesday as the guest of Rep. Ami Bera at President Biden’s State of the Union address.

“After making a series of poor decisions in his youth which led to serving 21 years in prison, Merv has since committed his life to being a positive influence and role model for young people in Sacramento,” said Bera, D-Sacramento.

He called Brookins’ journey “a testament to making the most of second chances.”

Brookins, a Sacramento native and former high school and college football star, went on to found Brother 2 Brother Mentoring, a non-profit to help Sacramento-area youth at risk of gang involvement and other issues.

Brookins has worked with the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office to establish an alternative sentencing program. He’s also helped the Sacramento Police Department improve community and police relations.

Members of Congress can bring guests to the State of the Union address, which is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. EST. They sit in the balcony, above the main floor where President Joe Biden speaks and members of the House, Senate, Supreme Court, Cabinetand others gather.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Speaker-Designee Rivas has already failed at being speaker by woefully failing to unify our caucus.”

- Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, in an interview with Nikki Laurenzo on Inside California Politics.

Best of The Bee:

Gov. Gavin Newsom asked the federal government Monday to investigate why Californians are seeing unusually high natural gas bills this winter, via Maggie Angst.

The oil and gas industry spent over $34 million lobbying California lawmakers while reaping record profits in 2022, new figures show, via Ari Plachta.

The City of Sacramento is taking small steps toward creating a reparations plan for Black residents in an an effort that mirrors one unfolding at a statewide task force, via Marcus D. Smith.

Egg prices should be dropping in California this year. But they’re still likely to be a lot higher than a year ago, via David Lightman.

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