• At the end of October, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced support for a House resolution that furthers the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. He said the vote will allow for more public hearings. “The House has collected strong evidence about the president’s misconduct, and we must be able to move forward unimpeded,” Carbajal wrote in a Facebook post.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom again called for PG&E to change its power shutoff practices after spending days meeting with fire evacuees and residents from blackout areas. He has publicly called for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to change its rules on blackouts. Newsom’s published statement appeared in a Nov. 1 post on Medium. “While this week showed how California is leading the world in wildfire prevention and response, PG&E presented the opposite portrait. Long and widespread blackouts highlighted their culture of ineptitude—a behemoth that was slow to act and resistant to change,” Newsom wrote. He has already called for a statewide emergency as California is engulfed in a handful of fires encroaching on populated areas like the Getty Fire in Los Angeles and the Kinkade Fire in Sonoma County. He has also launched a website (response.ca.gov), which offers information on blackouts and active wildfires and points displaced residents toward resources. The governor also touted Assembly Bill 1054 in his Medium post. He signed the bill earlier this year, and it strengthens the CPUC’s authority to enforce wildfire safety rules. It also mandates that utility executive pay is tied to safety performance and requires utility companies to form wildfire safety boards. “For decades, PG&E failed to prioritize public safety. Their lack of safety investments left PG&E—and nearly half of Californians—with an antiquated electrical system that is vulnerable to weather events and not at all prepared for the more extreme weather associated with the climate change that has been predicted for the past several decades and is now here,” Newsom wrote.
• Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham’s (R-San Luis Obispo) office selected the Project Lexi Brown Foundation of Santa Maria as the nonprofit of the month. The nonprofit was named after Lexi Brown, who died from cancer as a child. “I am honored to name the Project Lexi Brown Foundation as our nonprofit of the month,” Cunningham said in a press release. “This critical foundation provides children and their families with a support network and resources to help them through the biggest fight of their lives. The foundation is an unbelievable organization doing unbelievable things for members of our community, and I could not be more grateful for all their work.” Learn more about the nonprofit at projectlexi.org. Cunningham’s office also announced its small business of the month, naming K-Man Cyclery of Atascadero and Paso Robles as the award recipient. “K-Man Cyclery has been a staple of the county’s cycling community for 20 years, and their work in the community has made them plenty of friends outside of the cycling world, too,” Cunningham said. “Keith Schmidt’s continued efforts to improve our community and work with local nonprofits shows his commitment to the North County. I thank Keith and his team for everything they do for San Luis Obispo County.” The bike shop sponsored Atascadero’s local summer league basketball. It also offers repairs and serves as a meet-up location for weekly cycling groups.
