Asm. Robert Rivas’ Program to Support Teachers Signed Into Law $89 Million for Golden State Teacher Grants Included in State Budget

On Thursday, June 27, Governor Newsom signed the Golden State Teacher Grant Program into law and funded it with $89 million in the state budget. The program, proposed by Assemblymember Robert Rivas and Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell, delivers grants to aspiring teachers to help them cover the cost of the training they need to enter the classroom. Grants are targeted to teachers who commit to teach in subject areas where California is currently facing a severe shortage of teachers – primarily bilingual education, special education and STEM, and in schools that have had a particularly hard time hiring qualified educators.

“Teachers change lives and are the bedrock of our public education system,” said Assemblymember Rivas. “That’s why it’s critical we fight to support them. I authored the Golden State Teacher Grant Program to do just that and help schools bring more teachers into the classrooms where they’re needed most.”

Currently, California’s pipeline of new teachers hovers near a 12-year low and the number of new credentials issued has dropped by close to 50% during the same period. Additionally, over the past five years, the number of waivers issued when schools cannot find a fully-qualified credentialed teacher has nearly doubled.

To address this, the Golden State Teacher Grant Program, proposed in AB 1623 and adopted in the 2019-20 State Budget, will provide a one-time $20,000 grant for prospective teachers who commit to teach for 4-years in hard to staff subjects, such as bilingual education, special education, and STEM courses, in schools acutely impacted by the shortage.

“Every student deserves an opportunity to achieve,” continued Rivas. “Yet, this opportunity is harder to come by in schools located within low-income communities or schools heavily comprised of English language learners that suffer from a teacher shortage. I applaud the Governor and my colleagues in the Legislature for taking this important action to help bring more teachers into our public school classrooms.”

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Fatal 3 Vehicle Accident Involving Wrong Way Driver on Highway 101 Outside of King City on January 10

A fatal multi-vehicle collision happened on Saturday night, January 10 at 9:51 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 outside of King City. According to the King City CHP a 2016 Toyota Tacoma driven by 65-year-old Paul Lee Cooper of Otis, Oregon was heading the wrong way going southbound in the northbound lanes south of Jolon Road, while a 2006 Toyota Corolla driven by 33-year-old Dinora Maribel Gomez of Salinas was heading northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road in the #1 lane and a Honda Accord driven by 36-year-old Ignacio Sangerman of King City was also traveling northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road but was in the #2 lane. Due to Cooper's level of impairment his vehicle went the wrong way on Highway 101 going directly into the path of Gomez' vehicle causing the rear of her car to crash with the front of the vehicle driven by Sangerman. Cooper was arrested, sustaining major injuries and was transported to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas where as of January 12 is...

Monterey County DA Releases Preliminary Information Concerning an Officer Involved Shooting Incident that Occurred Outside of Soledad on December 16

SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni on December 19 released preliminary information concerning the officer involved shooting (OIS) which occurred at about 1:20 a.m. outside the city of Soledad on December 16, 2025. Just before 1:00 a.m., Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Pina, who has been a peace officer for 10 years all with MCSO, and Deputy Blain Councilman, each in separate patrol cars, were dispatched to 32097 McCoy Road. A resident at the farm labor camp reported a suspicious individual with a handgun whose white Honda 4 door sedan was parked in space 18 at the complex. Before parking there, the suspect drove around and around, stopped in front of the reporting party’s (RP’s) truck, and got out. The RP could hear music. Deputy Pina drove the lead patrol car and arrived just after 1:20 a.m. His dashcam video, which does not record sound but which he installed on his own and at his own expense, depicts the following: He drove down ...

King City City Council Announces Selection of José Arreola as New City Manager

January 7, 2025-Following an extensive recruitment process, José Arreola has been selected by the King City City Council to be its next City Manager. Arreola will replace Steve Adams, who is retiring after serving in the position for the past 10 years. Arreola was selected from 31 applicants and 8 finalists for the position. The King City City Council will formally consider the proposed city manager contract at its meeting on Tuesday night, January 13. Arreola's first day on the job is scheduled to be February 23. José Arreola has a distinguished career of serving the community with a particular commitment to youth. He has worked for the City of Salinas for 12 years as their Community Safety Program Manager, Community Safety Administrator and Assistant to the City Manager. Among other responsibilities, Arreola has led several programs to eliminate gang violence which aligns well with the City of King’s efforts and priorities. Prior to that, Arreola worked as an Educa...

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