Press Release

Thursday, February 7, 2019

SACRAMENTO— Today, Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside) introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 428 to provide critical support to California’s special needs students through the establishment of funds to equalize long-standing special education funding inequities, as well as increase support for students requiring higher cost services.

Monday, February 4, 2019
Friday, February 1, 2019

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – California high school students may need to start taking a one semester class in ethnic studies in order to graduate.

Assembly Bill 331, introduced Thursday, would require the students in grades 9-12 to take an ethnic studies course in either social studies or English starting in the 2023-24 school year. The Instructional Quality Commission would develop the course curriculum with input from ethnic studies professors at universities and colleges, along with representatives from local education agencies and teachers with experience or educational backgrounds in studying and teaching ethnic studies. The class could run either one semester or a full school year, depending on what the individual school district decides.

High school students are already required to complete the following in order to get a diploma:

Read more
Thursday, January 31, 2019

SACRAMENTO— Today, Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside) introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 331 to mandate Ethnic Studies as a graduation requirement in all California high schools. This follows Governor Brown’s veto of AB 2772 last year, which would have created a pilot program for select school districts to require Ethnic Studies.

Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Thursday, January 10, 2019

Hoping to stave off “a public health crisis” from afflicting the Inland Empire, Riverside’s delegation to Sacramento wants tens of millions of dollars in state funding so UC Riverside’s medical school can double its enrollment.

State Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, announced Wednesday, Jan. 9 his sponsorship of a bill, SB 56, to spend $80 million on “a dedicated facility” for the UCR School of Medicine that would take its enrollment from 250 to 500 students. The bill also seeks $25 million in ongoing state support for an expanded school, an increase from the $15 million it gets now.

A bigger school would bring more doctors to a region with one of the nation’s most severe shortages of primary care physicians, Roth said in a news release.

“Inland Southern California is experiencing a surge in its economy and population as the region veers into a public health crisis,” he said. “If we don’t act now to alleviate this dire need, we will regret it.”

Read more
Thursday, January 10, 2019

SACRAMENTO— Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside), Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, released the following statement on Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed 2019-20 State Budget:

“I applaud Governor Newsom for prioritizing higher education in the state budget with significant, and much needed, investments in the University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges. These investments are long overdue and critical to keeping California’s institutions of higher education a pinnacle of excellence. I also appreciate his efforts to increase and expand Cal Grant awards, especially to students with dependent children, and cover the cost of tuition for community college students.