Dear Friend,

I wanted to share with you a story of a constituent, one that highlights the power of our young leaders in driving real and meaningful change.

Sahil Mehta was 7 years old when his older brother, Ronil, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Ronil endured bravely. After a roughly two and a half year long battle, he passed away at the age of 14.

Sahil and his family have since turned their grief into action. Together, they established the Neev Kolte & Brave Ronil Foundation with the Kolte family to advocate for families and raise funds for pediatric cancer research. Seeing the lack of investment in the area, Sahil proposed a bill idea and inspired me to author legislation empowering everyone with the chance to contribute to pediatric cancer research. AB 703 creates a dedicated funding stream by allowing taxpayers to donate a portion of their state tax return to this critical area of scientific study.

 (I recognized Milan Mehta [right], the father of Sahil [middle], as an Unsung Hero for his work as Co-Founder of the Neev Kolte & Brave Ronil Foundation.)

I'm proud to share that AB 703 has been signed by the Governor, over 6 months after Sahil proposed the idea to me. This bill pays homage to Sahil's brother and the countless children and families impacted by pediatric cancer. As Sahil stated during his testimony at the State Assembly, "These children are not numbers. They are sons. They are daughters. They are sisters. They are brothers whose lives are being left behind without a chance to grow up."

"We cannot allow the lack of funding and prioritization to stand in the way of progress," he continued. "We have the power and the responsibility to change that through this bill."

The Mehta family is carrying forward the compassion and resilience that inspires all of us to take action. It is through the advocacy of Sahil that we will bring hope to those affected by pediatric cancer.

Ranked Choice Voting Informational Session - September 15

On Monday, September 15, from 6 - 7 p.m., I'll be joining Cal RCV for an online webinar about ranked choice voting, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of their preference. Join us to learn more about this voting system!

Silicon Valley Pride

It was another fabulous celebration of the Silicon Valley Pride Parade! I'm proud to be part of our vibrant and resilient LGBTQ+ community. It has never been easy or popular, but we must continue to live and fight proudly.

Community Ice Cream

A big thank you to everyone who came to my Community Ice Cream Meetup at Pints of Joy in Fremont. It was great catching up, sharing bill ideas, and talking about the most important issues facing our community. I look forward to seeing you next time!

Recognizing India's Independence Day

My office was honored to celebrate India's independence! It was a pleasure joining our community celebrations hosted by the Association of Indo Americans, Foundation For India and Indian Diaspora Studies, and Festival of Globe.

BART Anime Festival

The first ever BART Anime Festival at the Warm Springs/South Fremont Station was a blast! Thousands of people turned out to show their love of transit and anime. What a great event and thank you to BART for hosting the festival in one of the four BART stations in my district.

Environmental Justice Advisory Committee

We are taking important steps towards environmental equity. Two years ago, I authored legislation to give communities most impacted by pesticide a voice, and a meaningful avenue to provide input on the use of pesticide. The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) has since formed a committee to advise DPR on integrating environmental justice into its programs. Just recently, members representing diverse groups have been appointed to the committee ahead of its first public meeting. Through public input and meaningful deliberation, it will serve as a much-needed forum to address the socioeconomic disparities of pesticide exposure.

Take advantage of a great opportunity from the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Foundation to apply for $2,500 in scholarship funding! The deadline to apply is Tuesday, September 30, 2025. This scholarship aims to reduce the barriers to higher education for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) students in California.

Sincerely,

Alex Lee
Assemblymember, 24th District