Welcome to Catch Up With Young Kim, my weekly e-newsletter to get you the latest on my work for you in Congress.

My team and I are here to serve you. If you ever need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office. I also encourage you to receive real-time updates on my work for you in Congress by following me on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.

Inviting all CA-40 young artists! The 2024 Congressional Art Competition is now open through Monday, April 22, 2024.

The Chapman University Hilbert Museum of California Art is back open in Orange!

This newly-renovated museum courtesy of Mark and Janet Hilbert features more than 5,000 pieces of art dedicated to showcasing the Golden State, from its rich history to everyday life.

Thank you to the Santa Margarita Water District team for the tour of your Rancho Santa Margarita facility and all that you do to ensure clean water access to more than 200,000 residents across South Orange County! I look forward to working with you to support our CA-40 communities. 

Fantastic to catch up with and show my gratitude for our brave Brea Police Department officers at their annual Awards Banquet. I always appreciate our local heroes who work around the clock to keep CA-40 safe. 

Increasing opportunities for students keeps the American Dream alive. I visited Orange Coast College to see their impressive career development programs that equip students to join our Orange County workforce.

Thanks for having me!

Our CA-40 communities have all known, seen, and felt the devastation of wildfires. I appreciate hearing updates from our first responders on the ground and am working in Congress to boost communications resources and tech to support them in their dangerous and demanding jobs.

Buying a home is hard enough. The Federal Housing Finance Agency should not promote risky attorney opinion letters that lead to at least 6x the cost for potential homebuyers in Southern California. 

Policies should lower costs and protect families. Rep. Brad Sherman (CA-32) and I are demanding answers.

Grateful to local seniors, caretakers, health care providers, and community organizations for meeting with me to discuss issues facing CA-40 seniors. Our seniors deserve the benefits they have bought into their whole lives – period. I’ll always be a voice for them.

Protecting our CA-40 communities is so important to me as your representative. I appreciate local police departments sharing updates with me on organized retail crime and more, and I’ll keep working to ensure our law enforcement has the tools they need to keep us safe.

Congratulations to the Orange County Chinese American Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 President and Board of Directors!

I was honored to join the installation ceremony and appreciate all that you do to uplift our Chinese American small businesses and entrepreneurs across Orange County.

I met with local veterans and advocacy organizations to discuss the Orange County Veterans Cemetery and improving VA transportation and outreach.

I’ll always have the backs of the brave men and women who served our nation and am working in Congress to ensure they receive the support they have earned.

I met with local APA leaders to discuss issues in our CA-40 communities as well as my work as Indo-Pacific Subcommittee Chairwoman, from combatting human rights violations in Asia to supporting trade in the region. I am grateful for the opportunity to be your voice in Congress.

Great to join the Taiwanese American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles to celebrate its 44th Anniversary and our Taiwanese American community in Southern California.

Congratulations to incoming president Joyce Tsai, and thank you to outgoing president Amy Wu.

During Women's History Month, we honor the women who blazed trails for us to have seats at the table and voices heard, celebrate women making their communities better each day and commit to do our part to help young women and girls achieve their dream.

My office is seeing an increase in casework requests related to cybercrimes. As we see hackers use sophisticated tactics to take your personal information, please remain vigilant and be careful of suspicious links, calls, and messages. If something seems suspect, trust your instinct and do not click. 

My team and I are here to serve you.

In addition to our offices in Anaheim Hills and Mission Viejo, please don’t hesitate to stop by our mobile office hours: 

• Chino Hills Mobile Office Hours every Wednesday from 9AM-1PM at the City Clerk's Office- 14000 City Center Drive, 2nd floor, Chino Hills
• Laguna Woods Mobile Office Hours the third Thursday of each month from 9AM-1PM at Laguna Woods City Hall- 24264 El Toro Road Laguna Woods, CA
• El Modena Mobile Office Hours first the Thursday of each month from 10AM-2PM at El Modena Branch Library-380 S Hewes Street Orange, CA.

To receive in-person assistance from my team on any casework you need help on. As always, you can call my office at (714) 984-2440 or (949) 268-6706 or visit my website at youngkim.house.gov.

I am pleased to share a great opportunity for educators in CA-40 and our state: K-12 teachers and higher education faculty across the country can apply to attend professional development programs funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Selected educators will be able to develop new teaching methods while diving deeply into a humanities topic through one- to four-week residential, virtual, and combined format programs.
 
This summer, NEH is offering 44 programs on a variety of humanities topics ranging from Shakespeare to the Space Age. Applicants will receive an invaluable experience for educators to deepen their understanding of the humanities and learn new ways to incorporate that knowledge into their teaching. The application deadline for all 44 programs is March 5.
 

Are you traveling planning travel for this year? Stop what you’re doing and check your passport!  

Processing times are now 6-8 weeks (routine) or 2-3 weeks (expedited, not incl. shipping). Start your renewal or application at travel.state.gov/passport.

Passport processing times are the fastest they’ve been since March 2020. Take advantage and apply or renew now so that you’re ready for international travel in the new year. 

Travel Tip -- Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after your departure. Look up your destination’s entry requirements at travel.state.gov/destination and check your passport expiration date before booking flights.

Travelers are encouraged to wait to book international travel until a valid passport is physically in hand, apply for a new or renewed passport 9 months prior to travel, and ensure that their passport doesn’t expire within 6 months of their international travel dates.

If your pending application was filed with routine service and you have upcoming travel, you may benefit from upgrading to expedited service. Please dial (877) 487-2778 to upgrade to expedited service and shipping.  

Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if we can assist you in any way at (714) 984-2440.  

The Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution as tensions around the world increase the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution. 

U.S. citizens should:

• Stay alert in locations frequented by tourists.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive information and alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency overseas.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter and visit travel.state.gov.

If you are traveling abroad or are abroad please check the destination warning levels travel.state.gov, and be sure to register for the STEP program even if you are abroad. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office at my website or at (714) 984-2440 if you have any questions or need assistance.

If you need help with a federal agency, please reach out to my office. We’re here to serve you always.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Young Kim