On Sunday, April 1st, Congressman Brad Sherman (D – Sherman Oaks) hosted a Town Hall meeting at Birmingham High School, fielding questions from some of the 200 constituents who attended. Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine and Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich also made appearances at the Town Hall and spoke to the audience about local Valley issues. Congressman Sherman has held over 160 Town Hall meetings during his time in Congress in a variety of formats, including visiting virtually every public and private high school and middle school in the San Fernando Valley. Sherman’s staff has also hosted over 100 information booths at various community fairs, senior centers, veterans’ organizations, cultural and religious festivals, and farmers markets to share information about his constituent services program.
On Sunday, Congressman Sherman provided a brief update about his work in Congress before responding to questions about major federal issues including, taxes, the national debt, education, Social Security and Medicare as well as other issues facing Congress. Sherman highlighted his continued work to resolve the nation’s debt crisis, restore faith in the economy and help put Americans back to work. Sherman also set up a constituent service booth at the meeting to help dozens of constituents resolve problems they were having with federal agencies. Sherman also had the honor of bestowing the Congressional Award Bronze Medal to Steven Ryu, of Granada Hills Charter High School, who completed over 100 hours of Voluntary Public Service. Every year Congressional Awards are given to outstanding youth throughout the country to recognize individuals who excel in volunteering, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition. Steven helped supply donated food and other goods to those in need by volunteering with the food bank operated by the Cathedral Center of St. Paul. For his Personal Development component, Steven improved his violin skills and earned the first violinist position for the Valley Philharmonic Orchestra. For Physical Fitness, he completed over 50 hours of Kendo practice in which he obtained his second degree black belt.
“Town Hall meetings are critical to the public policy process, providing an opportunity for me to hear about the most pressing concerns in our community and to elaborate on the work that my colleagues and I are tackling in Congress. We had a good discussion about a wide variety of issues that are important to the daily lives of Valley residents,” said Sherman. “These meetings are something I have always done, and will continue to do in the future. Many people hold strong opinions about the issues currently facing Congress. Hearing from Valley residents, helps me better serve them. I want to stay up to date with what Valley residents are saying, so I can continue to fight for their needs in Washington. I would like to thank everyone who came to participate.” Sherman directed his constituents to his Sherman Oaks office, (818) 501- 9200, for further assistance in solving problems with federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs. He encouraged constituents to visit his website (www. Br a d S h e rma n . h o u s e . gov) for more helpful information.