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Obama responded that problems with the health-care Web site had been fixed, enrollment was growing steadily and the administration was focused on moving forward, attendees said. "He said the question is what they are going to do from here on out," said Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), who said the president also faced questions about Syria and the administration's policy on deportations of illegal immigrants.

"This new effort is an attempt to create restrictions far beyond the scope of the current law, interfering with how women use their own private dollars in their own private insurance for health coverage," said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., who has introduced the Women's Health Protection Act, aimed at "keeping our politicians out of our health care decisions."

Chu said that she supports Obama's push to use executive orders if Congress does not act. "Tonight, President Obama spoke to our best intentions as Americans," Chu said. "At a time when a hard-day's work doesn't earn a livable wage and solutions in Washington stall out in political gridlock, the president's proposals extend beyond the partisan rancor to address the challenges of our time."The American people deserve better governance for their tax dollars than what they got in 2013, which is why I am glad the president will use executive orders where Congress does not act.

More than half of Congress stood up and applauded his call for immigration reform, including El Monte Congresswoman Judy Chu, co-sponsor of the Democrats' bill on the matter. Speaking in the Capitol's Statuary Hall after the speech, Chu said the President "pushed as hard as he could on the issue, and he tried to do it in a way that would not alienate anybody. And I think that was extremely important at this point in time."

However, congressional Democrats offered unfettered support for Obama's decision to focus on executive authority to advance his goals. "The American people deserve better governance for their tax dollars than what they got in 2013, which is why I am glad the president will use executive orders where Congress does not act," said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif.

An adjoining proposal to create a national recreation area out of the rest of the Angeles National Forest, the San Gabriel River and the Rio Hondo, plus part of the Puente-Chino Hills, was launched by Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena and is further along.The NPS scaled down Chu's preferred proposal from 581,000 acres to about 50,000 acres in April.

[T]he National Park Service (NPS) recognizes that people of color and low income people face disparities in access to parks -- these disparities harm their health, and park agencies have an obligation to alleviate these disparities. And NPS is taking action, such as their recommendation for a new national recreation area in the San Gabriel Mountains, citing the President's Order on Environmental Justice and health. Congresswoman Judy Chu cites health and environmental justice as two of the main reasons why the new recreation area is needed.