As co-chair of the bipartisan Military Veterans Caucus, I was proud to host Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald on Capitol Hill to join our caucus for a discussion about what the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is doing to improve services for veterans and how we can work together to make sure these reforms continue to be implemented.

Today, I joined 169 of my colleagues in sending a letter to President-elect Trump expressing our disgust with his appointment of alt-right leader Steve Bannon as White House Chief Strategist and urging him to rescind this appointment. The full text of our letter can be found here: http://bit.ly/2fWoPt5

Be the change you want to see in our community and in our country. Do some good for those in need and sign up to volunteer today! http://www.nationalservice.gov/

As a former student veteran myself, I know firsthand that our veterans face unique challenges when pursuing an education. And I also know what a huge difference a support system can make for students veterans. That’s why I’m so glad to see the new Contra Costa Community Student Veteran Resource Center open its doors, which will provide veterans in our community with a supportive place where they can get help with the benefits, services and guidance they need to achieve their academic goals.

I strongly oppose the appointment of Stephen Bannon – who’s on record espousing racist, anti-Semitic, and xenophobic rhetoric - as White House Chief Strategist. I’ve joined 120 of my colleagues - and counting – in sending a letter to President-elect Trump calling on him to rescind this appointment immediately.

President-elect Trump has set up a site to solicit input from the American people about what we want to see happen during his Administration. Make your voice heard: tell our next President exactly what your concerns are and what you would like to see him do, or not do, during the next four years. https://apply.ptt.gov/yourstory/

Three months after the Clayton Fire tore through our community, the clean-up and recovery efforts remain on-going. Many thanks to CalRecycle, Lake County, and everyone involved in our effort. While we’re making progress, we still have a long road ahead. If you or a loved one have any questions about the recovery and rebuilding process, please don’t hesitate to contact my Napa office. We’re here to help in any way we can. http://bit.ly/2g8056e

On Veterans Day, our community’s respect, appreciation and gratitude for our veterans and their families was obvious – in every corner of our district. As a veteran, I can’t tell you how proud I am to represent a community that not only stops to honor and recognize our veterans on November 11th, but that supports our veterans and their families 365 days a year.

Many thanks to the Napa Chamber of Commerce for hosting a Business Expo to showcase our fantastic local businesses!

Nicole Hockley lost her 6-year-old son Dylan in the tragedy at Sandy Hook. And now, she’s turning her unimaginable grief into a force for good by trying to end the scourge of gun violence before it takes the life of another innocent children. Nicole Hockley’s courage, strength and selflessness makes her most deserving of this recognition and an inspiration for us all. http://bit.ly/2fvLGPM

Many thanks to the Latino Health Forum for convening an important discussion on the impact of racism and discrimination for the health of our Latino community. Thanks to your efforts, we can continue making progress toward our goal of eliminating all health disparities in our Latino community.

Many thanks to Eliseo Rivas – recipient of the 2016 CanDo Spirit Award – for working to develop leadership opportunities for our young people and for empowering young voices in our community through LGBTQ Connection Napa.

It fills me with great pride to see so many people across our district recognizing Veterans Day and honoring those who have served our country in uniform, including those who attended this year’s luncheon hosted by the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa and the Kiwanis Club of Santa Rosa to honor America’s veterans.

Veterans Day is about giving thanks: giving thanks to our veterans who answered our country’s call to service; to the families of our veterans, because as anyone who has ever served or had a loved one in the Armed Forces knows, it’s a family commitment; and to our community for supporting our veterans and their families 365 days a year.

Many thanks to the Napa County RCD for planting 300 oak trees at Alston Park. It’s wonderful to see our community come together to help bring us closer to our goal of planting 5,000 native oaks in Napa County within three years.

With a new Administration and Congress, there’s no question that the challenge has become steeper when it comes to advancing many of the policies we care about. But I’m not giving up. As the old saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Please know that as your Representative, I will always defend our shared values of respect and acceptance for all people - regardless of immigration status, nationality, race or gender – and I won’t hesitate to fight back if they’re ever threatened. It’s the highest honor and greatest privilege to represent the wonderful people of our Fifth Congressional District, and as we look ahead, please know that you will always have an ear and a voice in me, your Representative in Congress.

I'm grateful for the honor of representing the people of our Fifth Congressional District and I’m eager to get back to Washington, roll up my sleeves and work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to solve the challenges we face today.

Since I’ve already cast my ballot, I couldn’t think of a better way to start my day than by celebrating 15 of our newest citizens! Thanks to the outreach and citizenship application assistance provided by the Napa Valley Community Foundation's One Napa Valley Initiative, Napa County, California is home to 522 more citizens today than in 2012. That’s extraordinary. And that’s so important. Our democracy is strongest when all of our voices are heard.

Tomorrow’s the day! Don’t sit on the sidelines in this election, find your polling place and VOTE tomorrow. http://bit.ly/1RdXe10