Congressman Brad Sherman Hosts Town Hall Meeting at the Village at Sherman Oaks Senior Living Community

SHERMAN OAKS, CA – On Tuesday, September 27th, Congressman Brad Sherman (D – Sherman Oaks) hosted a Town Hall meeting at The Village at Sherman Oaks, a senior living community located at 5450 Vesper Ave.

Sherman provided a brief update about his work in Congress before responding to questions about major federal issues, including prescription drug costs, the national debt, Social Security and Medicare as well as other issues facing Congress. Sherman highlighted his continued work to lower the cost of prescription drugs as well as fight against any plan that privatizes Social Security or turns Medicare into a voucher program.

"Social Security belongs to the people who contribute, not the government – it must not be hijacked to pay the federal debt. The money put in should be protected and used only for Social Security," Sherman said.

"The Village at Sherman Oaks was very happy and enthusiastic about having our local US Congressman actually come to our community and make himself available to our residents," said Shellie Stewart, Marketing Representative for The Village at Sherman Oaks. "The Town Hall format allowed many of our residents to address concerns particularly relevant to our senior population. Representative Sherman’s visit was especially valuable because he allowed our politically engaged residents an opportunity to speak directly to him. In today’s world of emails and tweets, it was rewarding for our seniors to have their representative actually be here IN PERSON and very accessible. We at The Village at Sherman Oaks have a goal to keep our residents as active and involved in life as possible. Representative Sherman made a valuable contribution to that goal."

Sherman also set up a constituent services booth at the meeting to help dozens of constituents resolve problems they were having with federal agencies.

"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 senior citizens and all Valley residents," said Congressman Brad Sherman. "At a time when many are struggling to endure challenging economic times, it is inspiring how united we remain, and how dedicated we are to making our communities stronger."

Congressman Sherman has held over 150 Town Hall meetings during his time in Congress in a variety of formats, including visiting nearly every Senior Center in the San Fernando Valley numerous times to hear from senior citizens and other Valley residents about the issues important to them and their families and to describe what he does in Congress.

Congressman 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.BradSherman.house.gov) for more helpful information.

Congressman Sherman Presents a Flag from the US Capitol to Ken Goldblatt, The Executive Director of The Village at Sherman Oaks.Congressman Sherman Speaks to the Residents at The Village at Sherman Oaks

-30-