Editor’s note: Sacramento Snapshot is a weekly series during the legislative session detailing what Orange County’s representatives in the Assembly and Senate are working on — from committee work to bill passages and more.
It’s just before 6:30 a.m. on a cold February morning in Sacramento.
The forest of trees flanking the Capitol is still shrouded in the nighttime darkness. Temperatures hover just above freezing, and only a smattering of brave, coat-clad dogs are out for their morning routine.
And on a corner adjacent to the Capitol Park is Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, bundled up in a black buffy coat, green beanie and gloves — ready for her first meeting of the day.
Every Tuesday and Wednesday, literally at the crack of dawn, Quirk-Silva meets with constituents, lobbyists, colleagues or anyone who makes the early bird appointment.
She listens and brainstorms and leads her guests on a brisk walk twice around the Capitol complex, bypassing construction projects and trees felled by recent storms and acknowledging people who have made the Capitol grounds their home. And there’s coffee after.
These are her “walk-and-talks,” a unique — and healthy — way for a legislator to meet with those she serves. And it began when Quirk-Silva was a member of the Fullerton City Council.
Really enjoyed my Capitol #walkandtalk wit #ocregister reporter @K_Schallhorn Kaitlyn Schallhorn. Great to learn about her career as a reporter, and her interest in homelessness. She is a #Michigan #Missouri girl! pic.twitter.com/5vMfY7iAUc
— Sharon Quirk-Silva (@quirk_silva) February 1, 2023
“I always found there were particular issues to the neighborhoods in my district that people really wanted to talk to me about, whether it was about lighting, graffiti, open space,” Quirk-Silva said after a recent two-mile jaunt around the Capitol. “It was always an opportunity to say, ‘Hey, I’m available and accessible.’”
In Sacramento, Quirk-Silva initially…
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