• After President Donald Trump pressured Senate Republicans to push forward with their promise to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act on July 24, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) issued a statement condemning the vote then planned for July 25. “Make no mistake, a yes vote tomorrow is an endorsement of the most indefensible process on a major piece of legislation I’ve seen in my 24 years in the Senate. I don’t understand how anyone could vote to advance a bill that would take health care away from millions without soliciting feedback from the patients, families, doctors, and nurses who would be affected,” Feinstein said in the statement. “This isn’t the way the Senate is supposed to work. I urge my Republican colleagues to vote no and instead join Democrats in improving the Affordable Care Act through a bipartisan, open process.”
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) introduced a bail reform bill with co-author Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in a bipartisan effort to encourage states to reform or replace the practice of money bail. Harris spoke on the issue of bail reform at the NAACP’s 108th National Convention during the Federal Policy and Legislative Workshop, which highlights public policy issues facing the African-American community. “In a system that is supposed to have blind justice, is it not an injustice that the person who can pay to get out of jail gets out for the safe offense, but the person who can’t pay to get out of jail sits in jail with all these other residual consequences?” Harris said. “That is wrong. Let’s be clear about something else. On this issue then, it is not only about criminal justice reform. This is also a matter of economic justice. Because the person who can pay gets out.”
• Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced on July 24 that his request to fully fund the Operation Stonegarden program was included in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Authorization Bill, granting $110 million in funding from 2018 through 2022 from the department to offset the costs incurred by Central Coast law enforcement that combat panga boat smuggling along the coastline. Operation Stonegarden is designed to increase coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and help offset costs incurred by local law enforcement that conduct homeland and border security related operations. Carbajal had requested the funds in a letter to the chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee, saying they were “particularly important in my district along the Central Coast of California where we have seen an increase in small-craft smuggling of narcotics and, in some cases human, using traditional Mexican fishing boats called ‘pangas.’” In a statement released by Carbajal’s office, both San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson and Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown praised the decision to include the funding in the final budget. “It is critical that our coast is secure from drug and human trafficking and I’m pleased to see federal resources provided for this effort in Santa Barbara County,” Brown said. “This funding will help local law enforcement strengthen and build upon our efforts to counter this threat and keep our communities safe.”
• State Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-Templeton) paid a visit to South Side Coffee Co. in Lompoc on July 25 to personally present the Small Business of the Month July 2017 award to the locally owned coffee shop. South Side was honored for its commitment to quality food and beverages, but also as its role as a community hub in Lompoc. “South Side Coffee is always one of the first places mentioned when you’re talking about Lompoc,” Cunningham said in a statement. “They’ve earned this stellar reputation, and the business they bring in is shared all around town. They truly are deserving of this award.”
