November is here!

his month is a time to embrace loved ones and show gratitude for the little things in life. November last year was much different. Most of us were still isolating from our friends and finding ways to celebrate at home. Thanksgiving will definitely look different this year. Thanks to vaccines and masks, many of you will be able to gather safely and celebrate with family, friends, and lots of food.

In this month's R-Guide we highlight land acknowledgements, Small Business Saturday, how to be a digital citizen, and the importance of community green spaces.

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Between the long lines of Black Friday and the minute-to-sell-out sales of Cyber Monday lies an important holiday, Small Business Saturday. On this day we celebrate the value of American small businesses and bring attention to the importance of shopping from the businesses that are the backbone of our economy and community.

In SELA, we have many small businesses that do a lot for our community everyday. It's important as we go into the holiday season that we don’t forget about our small businesses.

Click the following link to find small businesses in SELA and across the state:
https://tinyurl.com/SELASmallBusiness

Remember to #ShopSmall!

In the age of technology and social media, it's now more important than ever to be a good digital citizen. But what does that mean?

Everyone, including kids, are online all day every day, especially since the beginning of the pandemic. Being online is not a bad thing, but only when we do it smart and safely.

Here are some tips on how to practice being safe and responsible online:

1. Downtime: Recognize when it's time for downtime. We need to remember to digitally disconnect and physically spend time with others.
2. Respect: You should behave the same way online as you do in person. Be kind and show respect!
3. Turn Off & Report: Develop a way to recognize when to be connected and when it's time to turn off your devices and put them away. Also, take time to actively report problems, abusive behaviors and inappropriate content.
4. Scan & Trust: Always scan sources of information found online to determine the legitimacy of a source. It's important to be able to recognize and understand the red flags of illegitimate websites and news sources.
5. Security: Make strong passwords that are easy to remember, but hard to guess. Also, avoid opening or engaging with suspicious emails, sites, and ads.

Here is a video recap in Spanish of a digital citizenship workshop my office held last month:
https://www.univision.com/local/los-angeles-kmex/como-mantener-a-los-menores-a-salvo-del-ac oso-cibernetico-una-experta-entrega-algunos-consejos-video

Accessible green spaces in our communities are important for various reasons other than just looking really nice.

Green spaces provide health benefits for those communities who have access to them. It encourages exercise, gives more space to socialize, and it even helps decrease air pollution.

It has been a priority of mine to help bring more green space to SELA. Our kids deserve spaces to grow, have fun and to just be kids! Being able to bring these safe, healthy and environmentally friendly spaces to SELA has been a goal of mine. Last month, I was able to present a $1.5 million check to the City of Long Beach to build a new playground at Ramona Park.

There is a lot more green space, parks, and recreation areas coming to SELA thanks to funding I was able to secure in the state budget. Take a look at this map of AD63 budget victories which will be used to bring more parks and green spaces to our communities.

I'm excited to see the positive impacts these parks and green spaces will have on our communities in SELA!