Team Roth - Victories

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Notable Victories

  • Funding for UC Riverside School of Medicine!
    • 2023: Secured an additional $2M in ongoing annual funding for the UC Riverside School of Medicine (total $42M in General Fund commitment) to sustain UCR SOM so that it may continue to grow to serve the needs of Inland Southern California.
    • 2021: Secured $10M for UCRSOM to initiate the process to secure an acute care teaching hospital in Riverside County through acquisition, lease, management, or operating agreement to serve as an academic medical center for the purpose of training UCRSOM medical students, medical residents, and medical fellows.
    • 2020: Negotiated an additional $25M ongoing funding (total $40M in General Fund commitment) to sustain UCRSOM and allow it to grow, including doubling its capacity from 250 to 500 physicians-in-training. 
    • 2019: Secured approval for the construction of a new state-of-the-art $80-100 million academic building for UCRSOM, doubling the capacity of the school from 250 to 500 physicians-in-training;
    • 2013: Secured critical funding to startup the University of California, Riverside’s School of Medicine (UCRSOM), training hundreds of new medical doctors for our underserved region;
  • Fixing our Infrastructure:  Helped to secure from the State Budget $427 million in funding for five high-priority transportation infrastructure improvement projects in Western Riverside County (2017);
  • Protecting our Mojave Desert Environment: Fought to preserve and protect the Mojave Desert by securing legislative passage and the Governor’s signature on Senate Bill 307.  The Mojave aquifer, and the vegetation and wildlife that depend on it, is now secured for generations (2019);
  • Improving Access to Justice:  Helped to secure new trial court judgeships and an Appellate Justice position for Riverside County – the first new trial judge positions in the state since 2007 and the first new Appellate Justice position in California in 18 years (2017);
  • Improving Access to Justice – Round 2!: Helped to secure 25 new trial court judges for the State Trial Court system, $30.4 million in the 2019-20 budget and $36.5 million on-going (2019);
  • Special Education Stabilization: Worked to secure over $600 million in increased Special Education funding throughout the State (2019);
  • Ensuring ADA Compliance:  Enacted legislation (SB 269) to help ensure individuals with disabilities have a full and fair opportunity to access facilities and services and further ensure that business owners have the education and training necessary to comply with Federal and State disability access laws and regulation.  For the first time, created a “Notice and Right to Cure” for business ADA violations under specified conditions (2015);
  • Bringing Jobs to the Region:  Secured $419 million for the new California Air Resources Board vehicle emissions testing facility under construction at UC Riverside, bringing over 400 new jobs to the Region (2017/18);
  • Educating Inland Southern California’s Emerging Clean Tech Workforce: Secured $15M to begin the process of site acquisition, environmental analysis, and planning for a new UC Riverside College of Engineering, Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) educational research facility to be co-located with the new California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Southern California Headquarters in Riverside, providing UCR students with the unique opportunity to further their education through cutting edge research while helping California meet its clean energy and environmental targets (2021);
  • City Funding Victory…Finally!:  Fought for over four years to secure the restoration of funding for the California’s four newest cities – Jurupa Valley, Eastvale, Menifee, and Wildomar.  Victory – up to $19 million per year was secured for our cities in 2017 (2017);
  • Cleaning our Drinking Water: Supported Eastern Municipal Water District’s successful grant application to strengthen our drinking water supply for the region. The Perris North Groundwater Basin Program was awarded $36.3 million in Proposition 1 bond funding, which will help remove nitrates and other contaminants from underneath March Air Reserve Base.  Not only does this program clean our water supply and reduce our reliance on imported water, it also protects the integrity of structures on MARB so they may continue to focus on keeping us safe! (2019)

 

Improving Access to Higher Education

  • Improving Justice Diversity: Secured $5 million to expand the California LAW Pathways Program--a statewide initiative linking K-12 schools, California Community Colleges, higher education partners, and law schools in an effort to expand pathways to a legal career for those in our most underserved and underrepresented communities (2021);
  • Extending Financial Assistance to Summer Term: Approved $10 million to provide “Summer Cal Grant” financial assistance to summer term students at UC and CSU (2019);
  • Expanding Competitive Cal Grants: Helped to expand California’s competitive Cal Grant program by $30 million and 11,000 slots (2019);
  • Connecting Youth to Higher Education: Organized the first-ever Pathways to Higher Education Workshops in school districts throughout Western Riverside County, providing over 1,000 high school students and their families with information about college admissions policies, “how to” tips regarding successful college entrance essays, and information on how to navigate the financial aid process; 
  • Preventing Cal Grant Program Cuts: Worked to preserve financial aid for students at private non-profit and for-profit colleges and universities.

 

Helping our Veterans

  • Expanding Campus Resource Centers: Successfully pushed to expand Community College Veterans Resource Center funding by $5 million, thereby guaranteeing more sustainable, dedicated funding (2019);
  • Helping Disabled Veterans: Worked to secure $3 million dollars to fund a California “Strike Team” to reduce the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs crushing Veterans disability claims backlog in California, resulting in over $35 million in disability claim back payments and over $52 million per year in on-going disability payments to California veterans (2016);
  • Restoring Work for Warriors: Successfully negotiated and worked with the Governor to secure over $1.7 million in continued funding for California’s “Work for Warriors” job placement program, placing separating service members, veterans, and their spouses in jobs throughout the state of California (2018);
  • Housing for Veterans: Co-authored the 2014 Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act, helping to provide $600 million to construct transitional and supportive housing for veterans throughout California. (Over $12 million approved for Riverside County projects to date!) (2014);
  • Honoring our Veterans: Helped to secure over $1 million in the State Budget for funds to construct the first new State Veterans cemetery in decades located at the former Fort Ord military installation.  The California Central Coast Veteran’s Cemetery is now a reality! (2013);
  • Expanding the California Military Institute:  Secured over $1 million to expand the California Military Institute in Perris, California, which serves over 1,000 students from 5th to 12th grade. Part of the California Cadet Corps Program, the California Military Institute is California’s only school-based, applied leadership program conducted within a military framework, stressing leadership, citizenship, patriotism, and academic excellence (2018).

 

Expanding Health Care Services

  • Increasing Inland SoCal's Primary Care Provider Workforce:
    • 2023: Secured $290,000 ongoing General Fund monies to pay the debt service on a CSU-issued bond for $4.34 million to build out additional classroom and laboratory capacity that will increase the size of the Master of Science Physician Assistant (MSPA) program at California State University (CSU) San Bernardino from 40 students per cohort to 50 students per cohort each year. This pipeline of new physicians will help alleviate the region’s current shortage of 1,500 primary care physicians.The MSPA program is expected to be launched in Fall 2025 with a cohort of 40 students. This is the first program to be offered by a public university in Inland Southern California and only the second such program in the 23 campus CSU System. 
    • 2022: Secured an additional $10M to complete the funding of the program. 
    • 2021, procured $1.8M to establish the program. . 
  • Mental Health in Schools: Successfully obtained over $65 million in new funding to support mental health services on K-12, community college, CSU, and UC campuses, state-wide (2019);
  • Investing in Mental Health:  Budgeted $40 million in new medical residency slots providing more doctors in medically underserved areas like Riverside County; and, $15 million to establish an innovative tele-psychiatry program at the University of California, Riverside’s Medical School, driving much needed mental health services to areas of Riverside County that are the most underserved through the use of mobile treatment units, new psychiatric residents and technology (2018);
  • Increasing Access to Pediatric Providers: Secured $2 million in on-going funding to expand pediatric physician residency programs in children’s hospitals, state-wide (2019);
  • Helping to Provide Health Care: Facilitated an innovative two-county pilot program in nursing education with Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Fullerton, and Riverside Community College District that will reduce time to graduation and drive more bachelor's degree nurses into medically underserved regions of our state, delivering health care where it is needed most (2017/18);
  • Connecting Constituents to Health Insurance: Helped to provide first-time health insurance to thousands of people by organizing healthcare informational workshops and town hall events throughout Western Riverside County.

 

Economic Development

  • Fighting for Jobs: Pushed the Northrop-Grumman Aerospace Tax Credit (a total of over $300 million) through the Legislature, creating thousands of new California jobs building the B-21 “Raider” Long Range Strike Bomber! (2014);
  • Promoting Economic Development: Collaborated with the Governor to enact the California Economic Development Initiative, providing new employment hiring tax credits, sales/use tax exemptions, and California Competes Tax Credits for businesses looking to move or expand in California. (As a result, Western Riverside County businesses were awarded over $24 million in California Competes tax credits between 2014 and 2018!) (2014).
  • Fostering Business Innovation: Secured $2.5M to renovate a facility that will serve as the Corona Innovation Center in the City of Corona to house economic development resource partners and incubate startup businesses. The facility will help ensure that Corona continues fostering business innovation through developing science, technology, and research-driven enterprises for the region (2022);

 

Additional

 

  • Creating Educational Opportunities for At-Risk Youth: Secured $500K to fund a feasibility study for a prospective Youth ChalleNGe academy in Western Riverside County. Research confirms that the ChalleNGe program has positive impacts on educational outcomes for those youth that would otherwise drop out of school. If developed, this would be the fourth ChalleNGe academy in the State.
  • Historical Preservation Efforts at the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California (CRIIS): Secured $500K to fund an electronic archival system, which will document the oral histories of California residents who have made significant impacts on the advancement of civil rights in Inland Southern California; and the enhancement of the MLK Jr. Memorial in Downtown Riverside.
  • Expanding the City of Perris’ Senior Center: Secured $2M to expand the Perris Senior Center, allowing the city to increase recreational activities, health and wellness classes and the daily lunch program for our seniors most in need.
  • Destination Perris – Connecting the Perris Metrolink Station to the Southern California Railway Museum: Secured $7M to complete the rail connection between the Perris Depot (Perris Metrolink Station) and the Southern California Railway Museum. Once completed, the Los Angeles historical “Red Line” Railcars will be able to meet guests at the Perris Depot and take them directly to SCRM, providing tourists, including school children from across Southern California, the opportunity to travel to the museum completely by rail.
  • Expanding our Regional Parks:  Worked with the State Controller and Department of Finance to approve the construction of the SilverLakes Sports Complex, providing the region with over 100 acres of youth soccer fields and equestrian facilities; Secured $7.5M in State funding for the renovation and expansion of Foss Field Park in the City of Perris (2022);
  • Funding for Agricultural Education Programs: Successfully worked to ensure continued State funding for agricultural career technical education programs throughout California.
  • Preserving our Military Infrastructure: Worked as a member of the Governor’s Military Council to preserve the more than 30 military bases and 41,000 personnel serving in California. (2013-present)
  • Replacing and Expanding CSDR Athletic Complex: Collaborated with the Governor to obtain $43.1M to fund a well-deserved and overdue replacement and expansion of the athletic facilities at the California School for the Deaf, Riverside following one of the most successful football seasons in Cubs history (2022);
  • Preserving Riverside’s Oldest Historic Landmark: Secured $5M for the preservation and development of the Trujillo Adobe, a historic multi-cultural landmark in Riverside. Established in the 1840s, the adobe predates the city of Riverside’s establishment and is an artifact from the earliest non-native settlement in the Inland Southern California region (2022);
  • Funding Infrastructure Projects for California Citrus State Historic Park: Procured $5M for infrastructure projects at California Citrus State Historic Park to further develop the park as a living outdoor historical museum that tells the story of the citrus industry in our region (2022);