California Sen. Monique Limón made a guest appearance, sharing personal anecdotes and political advice to the board members of the Associated Student Government (ASG) at their weekly meeting on Friday, April 26.
Limón is the Senate representative of California’s 19th district, including all of Santa Barbara County and over half of Ventura County. She has been deemed a ‘climate champion’ by Politico Magazine for her efforts in the environmentalism movement.
“In the State Senate I keep very busy,” Limón said. “Once it’s in your blood, it’s hard to let it go.”
Limón is involved with many state government committees; her areas of focus include natural resources, transportation, health, utilities and energy to name a few.
After providing a brief overview of her role as a Senator, Limón listened attentively to questions posed by the board members of ASG.
(Answers have been altered for clarity and length).
Q: What can we do to help push things forward that we care about passionately, like environmental protection, as college students?
A: You all have the opportunity to have a formal voice in the legislative process. Just this week we had a visit with college students from our area. There is a role for all of you to play. […] You’re all able to give your input on what we should be doing, or even ask questions.
Q: Is there anything the Senate is currently working on to benefit community college students?
A: One of the discussions right now is the role of community colleges, and “B.A.s” (bachelor’s degrees); whether or not community colleges should offer some level of “B.A.s.” We have a really high need for nurses in our state and in our country, that’s where the thought is coming [from]; the CSUs (California State Universities) can not do it alone, it’s very clear.
The Q&A with Sen. Limón was orchestrated by Soph Kofoed, the ASG’s student trustee.
After Limón left the meeting, the student senate announced the winners for Fall semester’s executive committee; candidates had until Wednesday, April 25 to campaign, and student voting took place between 5 p.m. on Wednesday and 9 a.m. on Friday.
Here are the ASG election results:
Soph Kofoed for President.
Sofia Raquel Smith for Vice President of Internal Affairs.
Hayden McBride for Vice President of Operations and Finance.
Bruce Tan for Student Trustee.
Yonatan Libman for Student Advocate.
The position for Vice President of External affairs is still available, and a representative will be chosen by the new ASG executive committee in the Fall. All members of the new committee with the exception of Tan were present on the current spring 2024 semester’s board.
“Congratulations everybody, and thank you so much for continuing the legacy of ASG,” President Elizabeth Wilmer said, addressing the winning candidates.
The other 10 positions on the board, being commissioners, representatives and a secretary, will be voted on by the executive board in Fall 2024.
In other news, the board is still working on several end-of-the-year events, such as the upcoming ‘Honors Sustainability Fair,’ which is being organized by the ASG and the Honors program at City College.
The event will take an environmental approach to celebration, providing services from small businesses around Santa Barbara, eco-friendly prizes for games, tabling from institutions such as UCLA and free food.
“The event is getting a little bit bigger than I anticipated,” Student Advocate Elena Fuentes laughed. “We had someone reach out and connect us with a small business called ‘Sunkissed Pantry.’ The woman who runs the business is going to do an ‘educational expo’ at the event.
“We got a stage for the event, we’re getting musicians, we’re getting vendors. It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Fuentes added.
The ‘Honor’s Sustainability Festival’ will take place on West Campus’ ‘Great Meadow’ between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The ASG’s next meeting will take place on Friday, May 3 at 9 a.m. in the Campus Center, room 223.
