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SACRAMENTO – California Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D – Orange County) released the following statement in response to the 11 people killed in the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue Pittsburgh on Saturday. The victims of the attack were beloved members of one of the country’s vital Jewish communities. The perpetrator of this brutal act made hate-filled statements during the shooting, and targeted Jews on social media, according to a federal law enforcement official.

“Orange County stands together with the rest of America in support of the Jewish community of Pittsburgh. Our hearts are with the Tree of Life community, the first responders, and the families that suffered their tragic loss,” said Quirk-Silva. “In the face of this horrendous, hate-driven, and anti-Semitic brutality, we must reject intolerance and remember that inclusion is what makes a community strong. These attacks should be seen as attacks on the very foundation this country stands for.”

In lieu of the tragedy, Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva will continue to work closely with legislative leaders, as well as relevant standing policy committees, concerned residents, and other officials to examine solutions to violent hate crimes that continue to plague communities around the state and the country.

Funds will Support California Start-Ups and Small Businesses Achieve Short and Long-Term Goals

ORANGE COUNTY – Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, Chair of the Assembly Jobs Committee, and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) today announced the 84 recipients of the of the California Small Business Technical Assistance Expansion Program (SB TAEP) for 2018. The $17 million provided for this year’s recipients has been allocated to technical assistance centers with a focus on services to underserved business groups, including women, minority, and veteran-owned businesses and businesses in low-wealth, rural, and disaster-impacted communities.

“California is home to the largest number and fastest growing start-ups and small businesses in the country doing everything from providing professional services to innovating next gen consumer products,” said GO-Biz Director Panorea Avdis. “This new grant program will give many of these small businesses the expert advice and tools they need to grow and maintain their ventures.”

SB TAEP was created as part of the Governor’s Fiscal Year 2018 / 2019 state budget to expand the capacity of federal small business technical assistance programs and services in California such as free or low-cost one-on-one consulting and low-cost training. The Office of Small Business Advocate at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) is charged with implementing and administering the Program.                          

“As Chair of the Jobs Committee, I am pleased to see that our state’s real job creators, our small businesses, now have greater access to services that help them expand their successful ventures and begin new ones on the right foot,” said Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva. “These grants will support the development of small businesses in California, and remove impediments to help businesses flourish. This investment will make economic independence, and upward mobility, a reality for millions more Californians, by cultivating the ingenuity and talents our best have to offer.”