Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to outstanding women who are making a difference in my congressional district. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Holly Hampton of Echo Park, a unique neighborhood in Los Angeles, California.

Holly Hampton has been a resident of Echo Park for many years, calling this historic neighborhood and community home since 1989. Ms. Hampton currently serves as Vice President of the Echo Park Historical Society's Board of Directors, which preserves and promotes the neighborhood's architectural and cultural heritage. Holly also serves as Chair of the Historic Echo Park Home Tours.

Ms. Hampton, a professional graphic designer, has been recognized for her involvement in numerous community design projects. Most notably, she participated as a judge for the Echo Park Community Parade's children's art contest for the past six years, and has designed installations for the Echo Park Historical Society. She received recognition from the City of Los Angeles at the Echo Park Farmers' Market's 10 year anniversary for her work with Katrina Alexy, an artist, on the creation of the market logo.

In 2001, Ms. Hampton purchased a home in Echo Park, and became active in the development of her local neighborhood watch, which included neighbors on Grafton Street, Lemoyne Street, Effie Street, Lake Shore Avenue and Lobdell Place. She also began partnering with the Los Angeles City Council 13th District Office to organize staircase street clean-up events in an effort to help maintain the public staircase located on her street.

I ask all Members to join me in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Holly Hampton.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to outstanding women who are making a difference in my congressional district. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Betty Porto of La Canada Flintridge, California.

The success of the Porto family stems from humble beginnings in Manzanillo, Cuba. After Fidel Castro's violent revolution erupted in Cuba in the 1950s, Raul, Sr. and his wife, Rosa requested permission to leave the country. As they waited for approval, both Raul, Sr. and Rosa were dismissed from their jobs. To support their three children, Betty, Raul, Jr., and Margarita, Rosa, a talented baker, refined her recipes and started selling her cakes to neighbors and friends. The Porto family's request to leave the country was eventually approved, and they entered the United States in the early 1970s. In the United States, they opened a bakery in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles that quickly flourished, and Betty Porto, in addition to her siblings, was there to lend a helping hand.

Betty Porto attended John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, and simultaneously worked at the family's bakery, Porto's Bakery & Cafe, taking care of the front of the house since she loved interacting with people and enjoyed customer service. Her mother, who valued the importance of receiving a higher education and credits a large part of her success to having a bachelor's degree, influenced Betty's love of learning. Upon graduating from high school, Betty received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in political science from California State University, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Los Angeles, respectively. Her goal was to attend law school, but she quickly changed her mind as spending time with her family at the bakery had awakened her passion for the family business, and she wanted to support her parents, keeping in mind all the sacrifices they had made to give her a better life.

Over the years, Ms. Porto and her siblings became increasingly involved in the community by supporting many worthwhile organizations, including Glendale Healthy Kids, American Red Cross, Glendale police and fire departments, and the Alex Theatre to name a few. For the past seven years, Betty has been a staunch supporter of Union Rescue Mission, donating the remaining food from Porto's Bakery & Cafe at the end of each day. She also gives tours of Porto's Bakery & Cafe to culinary students, to show them firsthand, out of the classroom setting, how to run a bakery, and has even hired some of these students to work at Porto's Bakery & Cafe. Betty and Rick, her husband of twenty-five years, have two daughters.

I ask all Members to join me in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Betty Porto.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to outstanding women who are making a difference in my Congressional District. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Lena Kortoshian of La Crescenta, California.

Ms. Kortoshian attended California State University, Northridge, where she received a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics, and a Master's Degree in Leadership and Policy Studies.

For many years, Ms. Kortoshian has been a pillar of education and an avid supporter of our youth. Lena's career in education began in 1986, when she was working as an instructional assistant at an elementary and a middle school in the Glendale Unified School District. Since then, she has served in many capacities, including as a mathematics teacher at Glendale High School and Clark Magnet High School, Assistant Principal of Herbert Hoover High School, and a Mathematics Administrator at the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Lena has also served as Assistant Principal and Associate Principal of Clark Magnet High School, and is currently Principal of the school.

Lena has always dedicated her time and efforts to ensure the success of her students. She served as a volunteer math tutor with the Committee for Armenian Students in Public Schools, a non-profit organization that addresses both the educational and social needs of immigrant children in public schools, and continues to tutor students after school, giving special attention to each student she helps. Lena is also a Member of the Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools--a board which is appointed by the Prelate and Executive Council of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America.

Over the years, Lena has received recognition for her contributions to the community, such as the Armenian American Chamber of Commerce's ``Friend of the Armenian Community'' award.

I ask all Members to join me in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Lena Kortoshian.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year,

we pay special tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to outstanding women who are making a difference in my Congressional District. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Anne-Marie Johnson of Silver Lake, a unique neighborhood in Los Angeles, California.

Born in Los Angeles, Anne-Marie Johnson has been a lifelong Silver Lake resident, and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles. Since 2011, she has served as an At-Large Representative on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council. In this capacity, she has co- chaired town hall meetings and has served as co-chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee.

Ms. Johnson is a familiar face in motion pictures and television. She has starred in numerous television series such as Melrose Place, In Living Color, In the Heat of the Night, and for a few seasons, she appeared on JAG, portraying Congresswoman ``Bobbi Latham.'' In addition, Anne-Marie has appeared on Days of Our Lives, Chasing Life, Hunter, The X-Files and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and most recently in Pretty Little Liars, Castle, Grey's Anatomy, Major Crimes, and NCIS: Los Angeles. Anne-Marie Johnson has an impressive list of feature film credits, in addition to the remarkable roles she has had in many television series. She has appeared in Strictly Business, Robot Jox, Pursuit of Happiness, True Identity, and Sister Code among others.

For many years, Ms. Johnson served as a Screen Actors Guild National Board officer, and served as the Screen Actors Guild's first vice president for four terms. In 2016, she received the Screen Actors Guild Ralph Morgan Award, and was the first African American to receive this award since the inception of the honor in 1981. In 2017, Anne-Marie received the Rosa Parks Legacy Award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, in recognition of her tireless efforts in the community. In addition, Ms. Johnson has volunteered with the Los Angeles Police Department, where she co-created, co-produced and co- directed a series of public service announcements called ``Obey The Rules Of The Road'' to bring attention to traffic safety. Anne-Marie has been married to Martin Grey since 1996.

I ask all Members to join me in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Anne-Marie Johnson.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to outstanding women who are making a difference in my Congressional District. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Phyllis Kim of Glendale, California.

Phyllis Kim received her Bachelor of Arts Degree and an Interpretation & Translation Certificate from the University of California, Los Angeles. Currently, she is a court interpreter in the Korean language in Los Angeles.

For years, Ms. Kim has been very active with the Korean American Forum of California, which is dedicated to bringing public attention and recognition to the ``comfort women'' of World War II. From 1932 until the end of World War II, over 200,000 women and girls throughout Asia, many of them kidnapped, threatened, or lured from their homes under false pretenses, were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Armed Forces of Japan. Ms. Kim continues to raise awareness about these women, known as ``comfort women,'' and also works toward receiving a formal recognition and an apology from Japan for its past war crimes of sexual slavery by its military, and to prevent wartime crimes against women as well as children.

Through the dedicated efforts of Ms. Kim and the Korean American Forum of California, the Comfort Women statue was built in Glendale, California. Phyllis makes every effort to visit the statue as often as she can to honor the Halmoni.

Phyllis lives in Glendale with her husband of nine years, Roy Hong.

I ask all Members to join me in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Phyllis Kim.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to outstanding women who are making a difference in my Congressional District. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Karen Volpei- Gussow of Burbank, California.

For over twenty years, Ms. Volpei-Gussow has symbolized the tireless and dedicated work of a true pillar of her community. She has given of herself with joy, humility, and grace and, along the way, has changed so many lives for the better in Burbank. Her kind and relaxed demeanor is not only evident in her treasured relationships with her husband Barry, her family and friends, but also in her charitable work in the community.

Ms. Volpei-Gussow has brought her incredible talent, insight, time, and energy to numerous boards and special committees over the years. She currently sits on the Boards of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce, City of Burbank Heritage Commission, Burbank Arts for All, Burbank on Parade, Burbank Business Partners, and Keller Williams Agent Leadership Council. She serves on committees for the Providence Saint Joseph Foundation Emergency Service Campaign, Boys and Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley, Burbank Temporary Aid Center, and Family Service Agency of Burbank.

Her past community involvement includes Ambassador Chair of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce, Docent at the Burbank Historical Society's Gordon R. Howard Museum, and Board Member of both the Kids Community Dental Clinic and The Burbank Association of REALTORS, Community Service Foundation.

Ms. Volpei-Gussow's charitable and professional work has not gone unnoticed as she was awarded 2012 Realtor of the Year by the Burbank Association of REALTORS and named Community Leader of the Year at the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley 2013 Gala Dinner.

Ms. Volpei-Gussow rarely says no when asked to give a helping hand, and once given, her level of leadership, support, and generosity never waivers. She is a community leader who is unafraid of challenging the ways things were done in the past as she looks towards the future with a bold new plan to make the organizations she is involved with and the City of Burbank grow and thrive.

I ask all Members to join me in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Karen Volpei-Gussow.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to outstanding women who are making a difference in my Congressional District. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman Amanda Truelove Fairey of the Franklin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

Amanda Truelove Fairey is a co-founder and partner with her husband, Shepard Fairey, in the creative agency Studio Number One, the art and project space Subliminal Projects Gallery, and the online store Obey Giant/The Art of Shepard Fairey; all based in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Ms. Truelove Fairey became a vocal advocate for research advancements through the MS Hope Foundation, after her own diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in 2013. She also believes in the importance of arts and music education for all, through her work with Art of Elysium and the Silverlake Conservatory of Music. Ms. Truelove Fairey currently sits on the board of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles and was the 2016 Chair of the foundation's annual fundraiser, The Young Literati Toast. Funds raised at the Toast support Adult Literacy Services, a vital program of the library that breaks the cycle of low literacy throughout Los Angeles with one-on-one tutoring, self-directed and online practice, and group classes.

In 2016, Ms. Truelove Fairey and her husband founded Make America Smart Again, an organization that encouraged voter education and registration during the 2016 election season. It has evolved from a call to action into a movement that empowers citizens to stay engaged and informed about social issues. Make America Smart Again has partnered with a variety of non-profit organizations including Rock the Vote, The Young Literati, and Vote Detroit to continue its mission in building a coalition of a well-informed citizenry.

Ms. Truelove Fairey enjoys family time with her husband, Shepard and their two wonderful daughters, Vivienne and Madeline.

I ask all Members to join me in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Amanda Truelove Fairey.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year,

we pay special tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to outstanding women who are making a difference in my Congressional District. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Amy Yanow of the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

Amy Yanow has always had a passion for community. After a career in real estate development, she obtained a Master of Business Administration from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and combined her love of community with her love for small businesses. As co-owner of two of the most notable craft beer destinations in Southern California, Mohawk Bend in Echo Park and Tony's Darts Away in Burbank, Ms. Yanow has found innovative ways to incorporate her desire to support community and her passion for locally sourced products and services. Ms. Yanow formalized sourcing guidelines which focus on procuring products that celebrate Los Angeles and California local farming.

Charitable giving is built into every level of Ms. Yanow's restaurant strategy from menu offerings to marketing efforts. She believes in personal outreach to build lasting and meaningful relationships with her community. On behalf of Mohawk Bend, Ms. Yanow has partnered with thirty local non-profits to achieve fundraising and awareness of community-based initiatives in her backyard. Machine Project, 826LA, Echo Park Recreational Center, Echo Park Parenting and Education, Sandra Cisneros Academy, Fire Station 20 Echo Park, Echo Park Community Parade, Edendale Branch Library, and Food Forward are a few of the beneficiaries of her generosity. Under her guidance, Tony's Darts Away has supported community-based initiatives in the City of Burbank by providing funds to the Family Service Agency of Burbank, the Beagle Freedom Foundation, and Keep-A-Breast Foundation to name a few.

Ms. Yanow and her husband, Tony Yanow, have shown great dedication to the non-profit organization River LA and its mission to unlock the potential and beauty of the Los Angeles River's fifty-one miles. From late 2015 until February 2016, the Yanows led a public matching grant campaign to raise funds and awareness for the creation of the community-oriented recreation areas and green spaces along the river. Ms. Yanow was deeply involved in the fundraising drive by creating a public awareness campaign through personal outreach and building a comprehensive social media strategy that ultimately accomplished the fundraising goal of $500,000. Ms. Yanow is a treasure to her community and an inspiration to all who know her.

I ask all Members to join me in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Amy Yanow.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to outstanding women who are making a difference in my Congressional District. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Marlene Hitt of Sunland, California.

A lifelong Sunland resident and consummate volunteer, Marlene has been active in many organizations in the Sunland-Tujunga community. She has been a member of the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council for many years, serving in various leadership roles and on many committees.

Marlene has been a dedicated and devoted member of the Little Landers Historical Society (LLHS), a non-profit organization founded in 1959 to preserve Bolton Hall, a 1913 historic stone building in Tujunga that was the Tujunga City Hall and the hub for many community activities up until the late 1950's when it was saved from destruction. The LLHS subsequently collects, preserves and displays records, artifacts and landmarks of the history of the Sunland-Tujunga area and people active in that history in the Bolton Hall Museum. For nearly three decades, Ms. Hitt has capably and enthusiastically served the LLHS and Bolton Hall Museum as Museum Director, Docent Director, Boardmember, Archivist and Docent. In addition, Marlene and her husband Lloyd, were very involved in the successful effort to obtain historic designation for a portion of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course, where a World War II detention center for Japanese-Americans was located.

A well-regarded writer, Ms. Hitt is a longtime member of the Chupa Rosa Writers of Sunland-Tujunga and the Foothills, and has authored anthologies, readings, poetry chapbooks, a non-fiction book: ``Sunland- Tujunga, from Village to City,'' and has written articles for many newspapers. Along with other community members, Marlene co-founded the Sunland-Tujunga Poet Laureate program, where she was honored to serve as its first Poet Laureate.

Married for sixty-one years, Marlene and Lloyd have two children, two grandchildren and one great grandchild.

I ask all Members to join me in honoring an exceptional, well- respected woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Marlene Hitt.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to outstanding women who are making a difference in my Congressional District. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Camille Lombardo of Pasadena, California.

Camille has a Bachelor of Arts in Theology degree from Pitzer College and a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University.

For twenty-five years, Camille has admirably served as Executive Director of the Friends of the Observatory (FOTO), the non-profit organization that supports the world-renowned Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. During this time, Ms. Lombardo has not only raised tens of millions of dollars for the Observatory, but has also been a leader in assisting with the development, planning and execution of key Observatory initiatives. During her tenure, she spearheaded the funding effort of the public-private partnership with the City of Los Angeles for the observatory's ninety-three million dollar expansion and renovation project, raising over twenty-five million dollars of that in private funding and working with local, state and federal agencies to secure public funding.

Ms. Lombardo has continued to raise millions of dollars for upgrades in the ten years to the observatory. These include the planetarium show production capability, theater projection and sound systems, and the ability to record and broadcast live astronomical observations and special events, thus greatly expanding its audience both world-wide and at the observatory itself. In addition, Camille raises funds for the observatory's school program for fifth-graders which serves 25,000 mostly public school students annually, and Bus Scholarship program for disadvantaged schools, resulting in free school programs.

A consummate professional, Ms. Lombardo capably guides FOTO with its thousands of members and many activities, and works effortlessly with the City of Los Angeles and the observatory staff on policy issues, building improvements, and major events organization and implementation.

I ask all Members to join me in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Camille Lombardo.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to outstanding women who are making a difference in my congressional district. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Noemi Torres of West Hollywood, California.

Noemi Torres immigrated to the United States from Guadalajara, Mexico at the age of 13. After some time in Seattle, Washington, she came to Los Angeles and now calls West Hollywood home. Ms. Torres came to California, as many do, to pursue her dreams. While she has a passion for photography and acting, she found herself working with a successful startup telecommunications company, and it was while at that company, that she was exposed to the real estate industry. Now Noemi is on the Modern Living LA team of the John Aaroe Group Sunset, where she uses her considerable talents to help her clients with their real estate needs.

Along with her incredible professional accomplishments, Ms. Torres has also shown herself to be an astoundingly capable community leader. She volunteers for Project Angel Food, AIDS Walk Los Angeles, the Revlon Run/Walk, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Heal the Bay, and the Downtown Women's Center. Noemi especially shines in her advocacy in her two terms on the City of West Hollywood Women's Advisory Board, which she currently chairs.

I ask all Members to join me in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Noemi Torres.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the contributions and sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to outstanding women who are making a difference in my Congressional District. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Christine Rodriguez, of Elysian Valley, a unique neighborhood in Los Angeles, California.

Christine has spent many years of her life serving her community through her work as a librarian and through volunteering. She was the Children's Librarian at the East Los Angeles County Library, and then became a volunteer at that library, leading the Summer Reading Program. Since 1994, Ms. Rodriguez has worked for the City of Burbank's libraries, and is currently Supervising Librarian at the Buena Vista Branch Library.

A consummate volunteer, Christine has been active at Dorris Place Elementary School, running school book fairs, fundraising and participating in the parent support organization. She is a graduate of the Leadership Burbank program, where she assisted with fundraising for Monterey High School in Burbank, and was active in the John Burroughs High School Boosters, where she raised money for the water polo team.

Ms. Rodriguez served as Secretary and Treasurer of the Elysian Valley Neighborhood Council, chairing the Neighborhood Purposes Grants Committee, utilizing her longtime city employment knowledge. Her current volunteer organizations include serving as a member of the Elysian Valley Fruit Share, where excess fruit from neighborhood gardens is given to residents without gardens, attending a variety of neighborhood community meetings, and as a member of the Elysian Valley Art Collective where she raised funds for two of the annual Frogtown Artwalks. In addition, Christine is an art quilter whose artwork has been displayed at the Cactus Gallery in Elysian Valley.

I ask all Members to join me in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Christine Rodriguez.

Mr. Speaker, I, along with my colleague, Representative Judy Chu, rise today to honor A Noise Within, a classic theater company of Pasadena, California upon its twenty-fifth anniversary.

A Noise Within (ANW) was established in 1991 by Artistic Directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott with the goal of performing classic theater as a vital means of enriching the community by embracing universal human experiences, expanding personal awareness, and challenging individual perspectives.

At a period when classical theater was seldom performed in the area, ANW's first production was Hamlet. Initially performing in a small theater in a former Masonic Temple in Glendale and funded by the founders, ANW flourished for nearly twenty years, garnering praise for its artistic excellence. After an effective capital campaign, ANW built a permanent home in east Pasadena, California in 2011.

A Noise Within performs in a rotating repertory manner to general and student audiences, reaching an audience of around thirty-five thousand people each season with one hundred-fifty shows of seven timeless classic plays, and has the distinction of being the only year- round classical repertory theater in Southern California. Dedicated to making great classic literature come to life for our youth, with its Our Classics Live! Education Program, ANW serves 16,000 students every season, with some level of subsidy for each student participant.

I ask all Members to join Congresswoman Chu and me in recognizing A Noise Within upon their twenty-fifth anniversary, and for their outstanding service and significant contributions to the arts in the greater Pasadena area.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Lois Williams, of Burbank, California, who passed away on March 21, 2017.

Lois Tuttle was born on February 25, 1921 in Kansas City, Missouri where she was raised with her brother Karl. In 1947, Lois married Bill Williams and they moved to California in 1951, settling in the Burbank area of southern California.

With a passion for social justice, Lois was an ardent advocate for the rights of workers to organize and join in the democratic political process. A staunch defender of the union movement, she assisted in writing curriculum for teaching union history in schools, worked on labor law negotiations, and was a founding member of Citizens for Utility Rate Balance. Ms. Williams was Executive Secretary and Treasurer of the Council of the Engineers and Scientists Organization and an officer at the Engineers and Scientists Guild-Lockheed Section, where she helped advance many progressive programs, and was an early proponent of portable pensions, health care for all, conversion policy in the defense industry and child care in the workplace.

Affiliated with the Democratic Party since she first voted for Harry Truman, Lois was active in many democratic organizations and clubs where she held leadership positions. She served as President of the Verdugo Hills Democratic Club, President of the MidValley Democratic Club, Regional Vice President and Chair of the Endorsements Committee of the California Democratic Council, a Steering Committee member of the Stonewall Democratic Club, Secretary and Treasurer of the 43rd Assembly District Committee, and a member of Democrats for Neighborhood Action. In addition, Lois was a long-serving member of the California Democratic Party State Central Committee and the Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee, and was a founding member of the 27th Congressional District Democratic Club. In 2012, Lois was honored with the Action Democrats of the San Fernando Valley's Mimi and Lou Robins Distinguished Achievement Award.

Preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Bill Williams, Lois is survived by her daughter, Lyn Shaw and son-in-law, Jim Hilfenhaus.

Lois was an irreplaceable part of the local community, and she will be greatly missed. I ask all members to join me in remembering Lois Williams.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special recognition to the Burbank Unified School District as it celebrates its Ninetieth Anniversary.

In 1927, the Burbank Union High School District (BUSD) and the Elementary City School District unified to become the Burbank City School District, which served approximately 1,000 students. The name later changed to Burbank Unified School District to reflect state educational standards.

Today, BUSD's total enrollment is approximately 15,000 students, who attend grades K-12 at three high schools, three middle schools, and eleven elementary schools. The District also has an Alternative Education Program, an Adult Education Program which serves more than 5,000 students, and numerous district child care centers serving preschool or school age children.

The Burbank Unified School District's mission statement reflects its purpose by building partnerships with parents, families, students, and the community and promises the effective use of all available resources to create, provide, and support quality instructional programs, services, and environments. The District strives to ensure that every student develops the skills, knowledge, attitude, and behavior in order to be a responsible, productive citizen and lifelong learner in a diverse and changing global society.

BUSD is proud to have had seven of its elementary schools named as 2016 Gold Ribbon recipients as well as all three of its middle schools and its comprehensive high schools recognized as California Distinguished Schools. Five elementary schools have earned the distinction of being named 2016 Academic Achievement Award winning schools and four are designated as having Exemplary Arts programs. In addition, the District's continuation high school, Monterey High, has been selected as a state model school, and the Burbank Adult School has been honored as a Program of Excellence by the State of California.

I ask all Members to join me today in honoring the Burbank Unified School District upon the celebration of its Ninetieth Anniversary. The entire community joins me in thanking the past and current School Board Members, Superintendents, Teachers, Administrators and Support Staff of Burbank Unified School District for the outstanding educational opportunities they have provided for the youth of California's 28th Congressional District.