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California Assemblymember Esmerelda Soria, D-Fresno, wore a black cross-body bag to the Problem Solvers Caucus news conference on Wednesday.

She keeps her passport there, she said, in case she needs to prove her citizenship.

“My own family members are scared,” she said. “Some are scared to go to the store, to the doctor, to simply live their lives.”

Soria is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, which includes 13 Democrats and 13 Republicans and meets bi-weekly to find common ground on contentious issues.

Well over 70 people — a group made up of local leaders, members of the media and neighborhood residents alike — braved the projected triple-digit forecast Monday morning to get a glimpse of American icon Dolores Huerta at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new city park named after her. 

Cameras and phones swarmed around the 95-year-old Huerta as she slowly walked toward the podium. When she finally spoke at Monday morning’s ceremony, she revealed she was unfazed by the heat that day. 

After more than two years of closure, Madera Community Hospital officially reopened its doors, marking a major milestone for the city and its residents.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday to celebrate the reopening.

LOS BANOS, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Bills aimed at protecting patients from sexual abuse in hospitals across the state are moving through the California legislature.

On Tuesday, AB 848, which would let judges give harsher sentences for those convicted of sexual abuse in a healthcare setting, passed unanimously in the Senate Public Safety Committee. It now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee, before being sent to the floor for a vote.

Who should determine the voting districts in Merced County? Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria has introduced a bill that would take control from county supervisors and instead put it in the hands of an 11-member citizens' commission. We unpack that idea with journalist Brianna Vaccari.

Plus, the latest news headlines: What farm leaders are saying about Trump's immigration crackdown, and is livestock harming habitats in the Sierra Nevada?

A state legislative committe has approved a bill from Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria that would allow school districts to apply for waivers while working to adopt the state’s 2035 zero-emission school bus mandate.

Assembly Bill 1111 sought an extension to 2045. Amendments adopted by the committee would allow small Local Educational Agencies to apply for a five-year waiver between 2035 and 2040, as well as the ability to apply for an annual waiver between 2040 and 2045.

Adam Conour took a couple of career detours before finding his calling in real estate development in California’s Central Valley. 

Prior to launching Anabasis, a real estate company that houses U.S. armed forces veterans, he tested explosive weapons for the federal government. Before that, the 34-year-old Winton native was enlisted in the U.S. Army. 

Conour’s commitment to housing his fellow veterans runs deep, even though investing in affordable housing in the state’s rural areas is challenging. 

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Valley lawmaker introduced two new bills aimed at protecting patients from sexual assault this week.

It comes as a healthcare provider faces several lawsuits in Merced County for allegedly violating women.