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Dear friend,
We made it through another year of challenges and triumphs. As a father and husband, I remain concerned about those in our communities who have suffered because of this virus. Thank you to every frontline and health care worker who continued making sacrifices during a second year of uncertainty. Compared to last year, we're in a much better place thanks to all the people who got vaccinated, but we're not out of the woods yet.
As we see the continued spike of COVID-19 cases, in particular the Omicron variant, please remember to keep yourselves, loved ones, and our most vulnerable citizens safe as you consider gathering for the holidays. The best way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated and boosted.
Below is my last update of 2021 on the work my staff and I have done to serve you.
La Jolla Students Pitch Their Passion
Last Friday, I visited the Riford Public Library in La Jolla to engage with students during the "Pitch Your Passion" program. This initiative partners with high school students from La Jolla and allows them to bring awareness to causes they care about while practicing their public speaking skills and earning community service hours. I spoke with the students about how my concern for local issues started building my career in politics. Various students made their pitch for the group's community service project. I posed questions and then the students voted to adopt a succulent service project that focuses on water conservation and community engagement.
Meeting with CA-52's Congressional App Challenge Winner: Ayush Nayak
Last week, I spoke with Ayush Nayak from Westview High School. He is the 52nd district Congressional App Challenge winner who designed Optix, an app to help people who are visually impaired see the world. The application uses a device's camera and several artificial intelligence models to understand the world around it, and then uses sound to relay that information to the app user. I appreciated learning about this technology and the way Ayush developed this intelligence to be used in real time on our phones. Congratulations to Ayush for this accomplishment!
2021 Year in Review
In Congress this year, I worked hard to address the needs of the people I represent and tackle issues that need urgent solutions like the state of our economy and the harmful effects of climate change. It's my honor to bring you a review of my work in Washington, D.C. and San Diego during 2021 here.
Thank you for your continued trust in me as your representative! Here's to a great 2022! I wish you a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and happy new year!
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