Political Watch 11/14/13

• On Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, Sen. Hannah Beth-Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) joined other state and local officials to celebrate the unveiling of the Purple Heart Trail along U.S. Highway 101 in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. A resolution—authored by Jackson and passed overwhelmingly by the state legislature earlier this year—designated Highway 101 in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties for inclusion in the National Purple Heart Trail. The addition completes 240 continuous miles of the trail on the California coast, starting in Monterey County. The Purple Heart award honors those who were wounded or killed while serving in the military. “I can’t think of a more fitting day than Veteran’s Day for us to unveil this extension,” Jackson said in a press release. “This is an important way to honor those men and women who made great sacrifices, and in some cases, the ultimate sacrifice, for our country.”

•The California State Auditor’s office recently released findings from an audit conducted into whether information was being reported to the Department of Justice regarding people who aren’t legally allowed to possess firearms. The law requires immediate reporting, and assembly members Katcho Achadjian (R-San Luis Obispo) and Allan Mansoor (R-Costa Mesa) pushed for the audit earlier this spring to ensure the law was being followed. “The State Auditor’s report confirmed our worst fears—that information about individuals who should be on the list of armed prohibited persons is not being fully reported,” Achadjian said. “The safety of our communities relies upon government at every level doing a better job of reporting this information.” Results of the audit show that the justice department can’t effectively identify those people who aren’t allowed to possess a gun. The audit found that only five of the 34 courts surveyed knew about the reporting requirements, while the courts that were reporting the information didn’t report everything required, and the majority of reports aren’t being done immediately. The state auditor also made several recommendations to the Legislature for ways to close process loopholes and strengthen the state law surrounding the reporting process.

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