The Legislature will be in its weeklong spring recess this week, but state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, won’t be taking a break.
On Monday and Tuesday, Jackson will be on a “listening tour” of the North County cities of Lompoc and Santa Maria, visiting with local farmers, educators, firefighters and medical professionals, visiting the new Public Safety Center at Alan Hancock College, and touring Vandenberg Air Force Base.
And as the Legislature considers legislation to strengthen the connection between education and industry needs, Jackson will be visiting two area schools doing innovative work preparing students to be future leaders.
On Monday, she will visit the Lompoc High School Space, Technology and Robotic Systems Academy, which focuses on developing pre-engineering skills relevant to the aerospace industry.
On Tuesday, Jackson will be visiting the Pioneer High School science classroom of Riccardo Magni, the Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year. Magni has been recognized for his innovative teaching of environmental education.
“It’s vitally important that I stay connected to my North County constituents, so I can bring their ideas and experiences back to our policy discussions in Sacramento,” Jackson said. “Connecting education with industry, the classroom with real-life experience, is a hot topic of discussion in Sacramento right now. These North County educators are doing hands-on work to prepare our students to become tomorrow’s scientists, engineers and innovators, and I look forward to visiting with them and their students.”
Jackson represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County.
— Lisa Gardiner is the communications director for state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson.