In partnership with FUHSD, assemblymember Patrick Ahrens hosted the inaugural Holiday Open House on Dec. 12 at HHS. With the goal of fostering community engagement leading up to the January state legislative session, Ahrens and several Silicon Valley representatives held open-ended discussions from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Ahrens said.
“I wanted to invite the community to not only hear about what I’ve been working for the first year in office, but also to have the community submit legislative ideas of their own,” Ahrens said. “[I wanted] to bring the community together, provide resources and just be transparent and accessible to the community I’m representing.”
Since the main goal was to connect with the community, the Holiday Open House featured a variety of family-oriented activities, such as a performance from HHS jazz band, face painting, coloring and more, Ahrens’s district director Victoria Low said.
“This was intended to be an inclusive event where we could ensure constituents had access to their local officials to share their concerns as well as their policy proposals on what can be done better,” Low said. “[Teenagers] may not be able to vote yet, but you can still propose legislation and policy ideas to the state assemblymember, regardless of your age.”
During the event, important issues such as healthcare accessibility and public transportation were discussed, Ahrens said. Specifically, Ahrens said the main concern was regional housing affordability.
“The public is demanding we lower the cost of living here in Silicon Valley,” Ahrens said, “so I’m going to be introducing legislation with my colleagues, but I’m also going to be advocating for anything that would lower the cost of living in California, [through] the ballot initiative or state legislation.”
Attendee Anne Kepner, who raised relevant local issues, said the Holiday Open House allowed her to plan with local leaders to improve student experiences.
“I was talking to Rosemary Kamei, a councilwoman in San Jose, and we strategized ways we can help students going to certain schools within her district,” Kepner said. “There’s been a lot of gang activity and some violence, so we strategized about how our respective groups can provide greater support.”
To ensure effective representation, the Holiday Open House proved valuable as a space where anyone, especially youth, could actively share ideas for community improvement, Ahrens said.
“It’s really important for me as a new assemblymember representing Silicon Valley to listen more than I talk and to make sure people can find me accessible,” Ahrens said. “I want to see more youth and civic engagement, and this was an opportunity to have that occur.”
