Yesterday, I was joined by my friends Councilman Joe Buscaino, Mexican Consul General David Figueroa Ortega and over 100 local businesses at a Port of Los Angeles Trade Connect Workshop. Our ports are tremendous economic engines, and one of my priorities in congress has been to connect small businesses in our community with the opportunity of our ports. The Trade Connect workshop series provides guidance and resources to businesses looking to export their goods and find international markets.

This latest workshop was unique because it was conducted in Spanish for the first time to address the needs of the growing number of Hispanic-owned small businesses in Southern California. The workshop was incredibly informative and I am looking forward to the next month’s Trade Connect for women-owned businesses.

This past Sunday, I participated in National Plug In Day with hundreds of people from across the country in 65 cities.  As the proud owner of an all-electric vehicle, I had the chance to speak to the crowd in El Segundo about the benefits of driving an electric vehicle and what it means to not only our environment, but our national security as well.  The event showcased and provided test drives from Nissan, Tesla, Coda, Mitsubishi and BMW to name a few, as well as demonstrations from quick charging vendors who can charge a vehicle in 30 minutes or less!

I've always found my best ideas from speaking directly with my fellow community members. Throughout the year, I host Congress on Your Corner events. These are opportunities to have one-on-one meetings with me to discuss the issues that matter most to you.

On Saturday, October 13th, I will host my next one in Wilmington. I will be there from 11:00am  to 12:30pm at Hojas Tea House located at 1201 N. Avalon Blvd., Suite B. My District staff and I will be on hand to help out with any problems you may be having with a particular government agency, such as the Social Security or Veterans Administration. Feel free to come by and visit! For more information, click here.