Guest View

California has some of the most beautiful weather in the country, but those beautiful sunny days can expose us to harmful side effects if we aren’t prepared.Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the main cause of skin cancer in children and adults, and is the most common cancer in California and the nation. Tanning beds and some welding equipment are also known to cause skin cancer.  Approximately 128,000 Californians will get skin cancer this year and one out of every five people in California will get skin cancer in his or her lifetime. The federal government has classified UV rays as a known human carcinogen because of their extreme likelihood of causing skin cancer.UV rays can be harmful to both adults and children, but children are particularly sensitive, especially before age ten. Children’s risk of developing skin cancer later in life is increased if they get sunburns and/or tan.The good news is that skin cancer caused by UV radiation can be prevented. The California Department of Public Health suggests that to prevent skin cancer you should decrease the time you spent outside from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., wear full-length clothing and a hat with a wide brim and neck flaps, wear UV-protective sunglasses, seek shade, apply sunscreen SPF 30 or higher to exposed skin, use lip balm SPF 30 or higher and avoid tanning beds.Additionally, people should be aware that cancer-causing UV rays are the strongest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from mid-spring through mid-fall, at higher altitudes, concentrating an extra 6 percent per 1,000 feet gain in elevation and with a lack of thick cloud cover.You can find additional information about UV safety on the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) website:  https://www.cdph.ca.gov. The website provides resources and tips on how to stay safe from cancer-causing UV radiation.The better prepared you are, the more likely you are to have a fun and safe summer, and I encourage everyone to take the steps necessary to become educated on this issue to protect yourself and your family.  Monning represents the 17th Senate District, which includes all of San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz counties, and portions of Monterey and Santa Clara counties.

Measure I will allow MHUSD to attract high-quality teachers and keep them in our district. This bond will provide the necessary funds to update aging classrooms and schools to be equipped with the modern technologies essential to preparing students for their careers.

As I begin a new term on the Valley Water Board of Directors representing District 1, I am honored to serve as the Chair in 2023. While our region remains in a drought, we are cautiously optimistic about Santa Clara County’s water supply outlook this...

April 22 marks the 47th Earth Day—a day created to celebrate our planet, environment and wildlife. Every Californian has a story to tell about how nature has made their lives richer. For some, it is regional food, lakes and rivers, or a beloved local park. For others, it is the ties to ranches, working farms, forests or our magnificent public lands. The ecosystem is one of California’s greatest assets. We have a unique and diverse climate and geography, and some of the most extraordinary plants and wildlife in the world.Today, the fight for a clean environment continues with increasing urgency, as the effects of climate change become more and more apparent. Earth Day 2017 provides an opportunity for all of us to do something meaningful for our planet by giving back in our communities. Thousands of volunteers will be needed throughout California to assist with projects such as campfire center improvements, habitat restoration, native garden conservation, fence building, trail maintenance and beach cleanup.The idea for a national day to focus on the environment came to Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after he took a trip to Santa Barbara following a devastating oil spill off California’s central coast. Upon returning to Washington, D.C., Nelson introduced a bill designating April 22 as a national day to celebrate the Earth. The date was chosen to help commemorate the birth of California naturalist and conservationist John Muir, who was born April 21, 1838.In 1970, the first Earth Day celebrations took place in hundreds of communities across the United States, bringing together millions of Americans who supported environmental reform.  By the end of that year, Earth Day had led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.  By 2000, formal events celebrating Earth Day were being observed in 184 countries, and more than 500 million people participated in those events. It now is considered the largest secular observance in the world, celebrated by more than one billion people every year.Earth Day is a day of action designed to change human behavior and provoke science-based policy changes, and serves as a reminder to us that our planet’s future is in jeopardy. The science is clear: climate change continues to harm our planet and has led to rising sea levels, warmer oceans, rising global temperatures and increased incidences of extreme weather events. I encourage everyone to attend local Earth Day events, which are planned throughout the month of April in communities throughout California. Help do your part to restore and care for the places where we live, work and play…for this and future generations. Seize the opportunity to ensure that nature continues to sustain us in the 21st century.Monning represents the 17th Senate District, which includes all of San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz counties, and portions of Monterey and Santa Clara counties.

In 2003, I started a company that evolved into what we named “PlanReady.” As a school architect following the Columbine massacre in 1999, I realized that much of the information that the first responders, police and fire—and the school itself—should have had at their fingertips was unavailable to them.

As Mayor of Morgan Hill, I know our city is strongest when we have great schools, thriving small businesses and high-quality public services. That’s why I’m supporting Proposition 15, the Schools & Communities First initiative on the November ballot.