• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), state Sen. Hannah Beth-Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), and Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) joined a conversation with California Secretary of State Alex Padilla on Aug. 12, after the Sun went to press, to discuss the work that the state is doing to ensure census completion. “Ensuring an accurate census count is critical,” Jackson wrote in an Aug. 10 Facebook post promoting the event. “It determines billions in federal funding for state and local governments to build better schools and roads; fund community programs for seniors, children, and families; and improve housing, as well as the number of seats each state receives in the House of Representatives.” Limón also posted about the event on Facebook, writing in an Aug. 7 post, “As we enter the last phase of the census and approach the 2020 election amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to answer any questions you may have regarding these important topics provide valuable information.”
• The California state Legislature will soon vote on Assembly Bill (AB) 3030, authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose). According to a press release from Defenders of Wildlife, the California Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee will vote on the bill before Aug. 31. If passed, the bill would legally establish two key state policies. One is the goal to conserve at least 30 percent of California’s land areas and waters, as well as help protect 30 percent of the nation’s ocean waters, by 2030, dubbed “30 by 30.” The bill would also establish policy “to improve access to nature for all people in the state, including for communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities,” the release states. The bill passed the Assembly on June 8. Key opponents of the bill include sportfishing organizations such as Keep America Fishing. In an article posted to its website, Keep America Fishing states, “Every angler understands the importance of conservation. However, the supporters of the legislation have not yet provided any explanation for how and where it will be implemented—leaving the fishing community questioning if the bill will lead to new, arbitrary closed areas to meet the 30 percent goal.” The Defenders of Wildlife release states, “AB 3030 would protect our declining biodiversity. Ecosystems around the world are in a state of crisis, threatening our planet and humanity itself.”
• Assemblymembers Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) and Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) recently gave updates in response to the difficulty that some of their constituents have faced in accessing the state’s Employment Development Department’s (EDD) services. In an Aug. 5 Facebook post, Limón wrote, “My office answers calls every day to help constituents receive their unemployment aid. Many who have waited weeks and spent much time on the phones trying to resolve their concerns. We are in the fifth month of the ongoing pandemic, and we want to work with the department to bring aid to our constituents who most need it.” Limón included an Aug. 5 letter to Newsom, which she signed along with 62 other state Assembly members and senators asking that the EDD clear its backlog, increase accountability, and address customer service, among other issues. Cunningham wrote in an Aug. 7 Facebook post, “My office has helped, or is working to help, more than 3,000 … residents with their EDD issues. Our residents cannot afford to wait any longer for a functional EDD. Californians [deserve] a government that works for them. EDD must be completely overhauled.” He encouraged constituents to reach out to his office for help with their unemployment claims.