Sen. Umberg seeking change, successful Census
Although local communities face serious financial challenges, state Sen. Tom Umberg says he is working on policy changes that could improve future economic prospects for the state and communities like Los Alamitos.
Umberg was elected to Senate District 34 in 2018, following a career that included stints as both a civilian and military prosecutor and two earlier terms in the California Assembly. The district includes Seal Beach, Los Alamitos and other local communities.
Umberg, a retired Col. In the U.S. Army, said he has a soft spot for Los Alamitos, having served at the base at various times during his days in the military.
In fact, Umberg said he and his wife Robin, now a Brigadier General in the United States Army, were both in command of units at Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos during the dark day of 9/11.
All emotions aside, Umberg said in an interview this week that the base is critical to the state’s emergency management and must be protected.
Moreover, he said JFTB and the Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach are the only military facilities remaining in a country once blessed with numerous military installations. With Marine bases in El Toro, Tustin and the Navy in Long Beach, the military ethic runs deep in Orange County and existing bases should be supported, he said.
“Now, he said, “it’s all gone except for this one jewel in Los Alamitos. JFTB serves a purpose for the whole region, said Umberg, in terms of providing emergency response, a military transportation hub and the base gives public service agencies an ability to respond to fires and other natural emergencies.
“Having this base in Los Alamitos provides an opportunity for greater interconnection between civilians and the military. It is home to “Race on the Base,” and so many good things for the community,” he said. Umberg praised the quasi military operation Sunburst Academy, saying after a recent visit that it is producing great results. Troubled youth who attend come out “motivated, back on their feet and it is really, really wonderful.”
Also, he said, “now that we have an all-volunteer force, fewer and fewer people from the civilian community interact with folks from the military and that’s not a good thing. Not good for the military, not a good thing governance and not a good thing for society in general.”
Overall, said Umberg, “we have a very vibrant military presence here and we were all the better for it.”
Regarding the economy, Umberg said he is working to improve conditions for communities like Los Alamitos, which is considered to be a transportation hub because of its convenient location. “At some point, we have to work on densities in attractive transportation hubs,” said Umberg. “I know there is resistance, but we simply have to be smarter.”
As the state Co-Chair of the upcoming 2020 Census, Umberg said it is critical for communities like Los Alamitos that every resident be counted. While the federal government, until now, has under resourced the upcoming Census, the state of California is reportedly considering providing up to $200 million in funding to ensure every citizen is counted.
For every person not counted, said Umberg, the state loses about $2,000 in federal highway, healthcare and education funding. “I love my job,” said Umberg, who has returned to public service after a meaningful absence. Now representing more than a million constituents in a wildly diverse state senate district that includes Los Alamitos, Seal Beach and other local communities, Umberg said there are “critically important issues that still need to be decided.”
