Each August, Congress enters a district work period. This time allows me to return to the Central Valley, interact with the community, and connect with constituents to ensure my work in Congress is benefiting CA-22. During this time, I’ll be meeting with small businesses, community representatives, and local government leaders to discuss projects that will create economic growth, improve local infrastructure, and address the unique challenges our district faces. I’ll also be speaking with constituents about topics like healthcare, education, federal programs that impact CA-22, and more. The things I learn will help me better advocate for your priorities in Washington, and I look forward to having some productive conversations.

Don’t worry, I’ll still be keeping you updated on everything I’m working on! Click these links to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

This week, I was proud to join Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20) in sending a letter to Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy applauding the Federal Railroad Administration’s decision to  terminate funding for California’s High Speed Rail project. It’s been over 10 years since the California High-Speed Rail Authority began construction, and after wasting billions of taxpayer dollars, missing numerous deadlines, and forcing the Central Valley to suffer due to neglect, they have zero miles of operational track to show for it. This project has been overfunded and grossly mismanaged from the start, and it’s past time we refocus our efforts and resources on infrastructure projects our region needs.

This letter urges DOT to redirect the $4 billion in recovered federal funds from high-speed rail to critical infrastructure priorities in the Central Valley and across our state. These include expanding some of our main highways, supporting repairs on our farm-to-market roads, repairing wildfire-damaged roads, and shifting State Route 152 and modifying a bridge on Interstate 5 to make room for much-needed reservoir capacity improvements. These are real infrastructure enhancements that will directly benefit CA-22, and I’m optimistic DOT will agree.

This week we celebrated National Intern Day, and I wanted to thank all my Washington and district office interns for their hard work serving CA-22! Their passion and dedication have made a real impact, and I look forward to all of the amazing things they will go on to accomplish.

Internships are a great opportunity to gain valuable work experience, connections, and skills. Our district interns get the chance to meet with local leaders, attend events, and assist our caseworkers with constituent requests. In Washington, interns have the opportunity to learn the legislative process, conduct research, attend policy hearings, shadow our communications and legislative teams, and give tours of the U.S. Capitol to constituents.

My offices in Hanford, Bakersfield, and D.C. are always looking for enthusiastic applicants to intern with us, and I encourage all interested to apply through our website here!

Serving California’s 22nd District is an honor, and I always look forward to meeting constituents from the Central Valley. This week, I welcomed constituents from Porterville and we had a great discussion about their work in the Porterville Unified School District in public relations and digital media. We discussed education in the valley and their role in expanding opportunities to students through internships.  If you or someone you know is planning to visit Washington, D.C., please reach out to my office directly to schedule a tour by calling 202-225-4695, or by making a request through our website here. We look forward to hosting you during your visit!

Over the weekend, my team joined Shafter City Councilman Pete Espinoza to celebrate the ribbon cutting of his new business, Pack n Ship. In Bakersfield, Team Valadao attended a Candlelight Vigil and Prayer hosted by Flood Ministries for the community to gather and express support for those affected by the tragic Texas floods. 

On Monday, they attended the Shafter Police Department Promotional Ceremony to celebrate our law enforcement’s ongoing dedication to safety and public service. Team Valadao also met with Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency, who is responsible for the implementation of California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). 

On Tuesday, my team attended the Bakersfield Chamber Ambassadors Luncheon jointly hosted by the Kings County Board of Supervisors. In Wasco, they met with Líderes Campesinas—a grassroots organization that highlights issues impacting female farm workers—and discussed the types of benefits available to them and spoke about how my office can be of assistance.

On Wednesday, Team Valadao attended the Delano Police Department’s Voices for Justice Event, where the department was able to communicate directly with the community about unsolved homicides, share information about rewards, and highlight how to submit anonymous tips. Later, they joined Bakersfield Community Healthcare, where my office presented certificates at their Veterans Recognition Ceremony to recognize and honor their bravery and selflessness. 

On Thursday, my team presented a certificate at the 2025 Kern County ADA Conference to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In Porterville, they met with the dedicated staff at the CSET Porterville Family Resource Center, which provides local families with critical services like nutrition, health, education, housing, utility assistance, and more. Later, Team Valadao attended the ribbon cutting for Buford Frames, a beloved custom picture framing shop which is now under new ownership after five-decades of business. Finally, my staff met with the Director of Kings View, a local provider of behavioral health and social services for underserved residents.

Trying to get an answer from a federal agency can often be a time-consuming and frustrating process. If you ever need help navigating a federal agency, you can visit my website or call my Hanford office at (559) 460-6070. My team is ready to assist you!

Tratar de obtener una respuesta de una agencia federal a menudo puede ser un proceso frustrante y que requiere mucho tiempo. Si alguna vez necesita ayuda con una agencia federal, puede visitar mi sitio de web aquí o llamar a mi oficina de Hanford al (559) 460-6070. ¡Mi equipo está listo para ayudarte!

Our question this week comes from Van from Bakersfield. He asked about the Dignity Act and whether it provides amnesty for undocumented immigrants.

Thanks for your question, Van. The Central Valley has so many hardworking people who have lived here peacefully for years, and the Dignity Act is an opportunity for these individuals to get legal status the right way. I want to be clear: this bill is not amnesty or a pathway to citizenship.

The Dignity Act creates a 7-year temporary legal status for undocumented immigrants who have been here for 5 years or more if they meet certain requirements. This aims to give people who were brought here as children—through no fault of their own—the ability to come out of the shadows and legitimately provide for their families. However, this bill doesn’t grant blanket forgiveness for entering our nation illegally and doesn’t give undocumented immigrants access to federal benefits. To qualify for the program, people will need to pass a criminal background check and pay $1,000 per year until the 7 years are over. These funds will be used to create a $70 billion program for training and upskilling American workers and will offer grants for apprenticeships, job training, and higher education.

The bill also provides resources to help secure our southern border and interior enforcement. The Dignity Act mandates construction of enhanced physical barriers, increases penalties for illegal crossings, enacts stronger penalties for child sex traffickers, and reforms our asylum system to help speed up processing while increasing penalties for asylum fraud. These are all actions that will disincentivize people from coming into the country illegally.

The Dignity Act reaffirms that we’re a nation of laws, but we’re also a nation of second chances. Keeping our communities safe is one of my top priorities, and this bill is just one piece of the puzzle to reforming our current system.

Do you have a question about my position on an issue? How the Congress operates? My thoughts on the news of the day?

Send your first name, town, and question to AskDavid@mail.house.gov and I might answer yours right here in one of my weekly newsletters. Make sure to subscribe to my weekly email updates to see if your question was answered!

If you want to share your opinion with me on issues of importance, you can always contact me on my website.

Did you know you can now sign up for texts from my office to stay up to date on my work in Washington D.C.? To sign up to receive updates from me directly to your phone, just text VALADAO to (559) 387-4346 and you will be automatically subscribed. You can also sign up for text alerts using this form here.  

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