Ready for summer? It will be here before we know it. Another of my country music favorites, Clint Black, once had a song that said in summer, "every night is a Saturday night." That's something I think we can all relate to, living in a place where summer is one of the best times of year in one of the most beautiful places around.

Right now in the Capitol, it feels a lot more like Monday morning than Saturday night, however, as we are experiencing one of the busiest times of the legislative year.  We are in the midst of several marathon sessions to meet what's called the "House of Origin Deadline." That's when all the bills introduced in the Senate have to be either approved and sent to the Assembly, become bills that will be finalized next year, or cross the legislative equivalent of the Rainbow Bridge. The same goes for bills authored in the Assembly. At the writing of this Note, we have passed hundreds of Senate bills, reflecting the hard work of 40 state Senators, each of whom represent nearly one million Californians.

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Even though San Diego's LGBTQ+ Pride events are traditionally held in July, June is nationally recognized as LGBTQ+ Pride Month, commemorating the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York City in June 1969, which sparked the movement for LGBTQ+ equality.

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Even though San Diego's LGBTQ+ Pride events are traditionally held in July, June is nationally recognized as LGBTQ+ Pride Month, commemorating the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York City in June 1969, which sparked the movement for LGBTQ+ equality.

We are currently in the midst of the House of Origin deadline, when the Senate and Assembly consider bills introduced in their own houses. While there are many bills still to be heard at the time of this writing, I wanted to provide you with an update thus far.

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With the economy continuing to impact family budgets, for some families, finding ways to make ends meet during summer months can be tough. But there are resources for families to turn to when school meals are unavailable.

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It was a piece of cake – well, pie – to spend time talking about this legislative year, the LGBTQ+ community, and of course, Dolly Parton, for the 100th episode of "Then There's California," the official podcast of the California State Senate Democratic Caucus.

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Pro Tem Atkins with Goodwill Industries of San Diego County CEO Toni Griffin

I'm happy to announce that I have selected Goodwill Industries of San Diego County as our 2023 Nonprofit of the Year for the 39^th Senate District. The organization will be honored on June 7 at a special event in Sacramento to honor nonprofits selected by the California Legislature.

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After a four-year hiatus, it was great to be back in person for the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast where we celebrate our LGBTQ+ movement and commit to the work ahead. While we honor the memory of this influential civil rights activist, we also continue supporting the many services provided by the San Diego LGBT Community Center.

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