• U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California) and Dianne Feinstein (D-California) released a joint statement on Aug. 5 following new vehicle emissions rules announced by the Biden administration, which set higher standards for emissions and set a target to make half of all new cars sold in 2030 zero emission. The new standards are based on California’s framework agreement for voluntary vehicle emissions, which Padilla and Feinstein called upon Biden to use to set the national standards earlier this year. According to Gov. Gavin Newsom, the state standards were signed in 2019 with five major automakers “to serve as a path forward for clean vehicle standards nationwide in the face of Trump administration rollbacks,” according to the governor’s office. “We are proud to see the White House respond to our calls to build on California’s leadership by setting clean car standards modeled on the ‘California Framework Agreement,’” the senators said in a joint statement. “We are grateful for the steadfast efforts of the administration, automakers, environmental advocates, autoworkers, and labor unions to advance clean car standards that protect public health and reduce carbon pollution.” The legislators also called upon the president to go further by setting a target for all vehicles sold after model year 2026 to be zero emission. “We must decarbonize the transportation sector as quickly as possible to give us a fighting chance to breathe clean air and attain a prosperous, clean energy economy that works for everyone,” their statement said. “The automobile industry has shown it has the ability and willingness to make this transition while creating good-paying jobs and saving Americans money.” Newsom also released an Aug. 5 statement commending Biden’s actions. “California applauds the Biden administration’s move to boldly reduce climate pollution from cars, inspired by California’s nation-leading framework. The climate emergency demands no less,” he said in the statement. “Today’s proposal will help to clean the air and create a healthier future for our children and our planet. We look forward to continuing our decades-long collaboration with federal partners to build on California’s clean car leadership and deliver the investments needed to support the nationwide build-out of clean vehicle infrastructure.”
• The Special Olympics of Southern California commended state Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) for her support on Aug. 4. “Thanks to Sen. Monique Limón for supporting Special Olympics California’s inclusion in the state budget!” the organization wrote in a Facebook post. Limón wrote in response, “I will continue to be a supporter of the Special Olympics. The programs impact our communities by helping improve health, wellness, and independence among athletes with intellectual disabilities while promoting acceptance and inclusion.” This time last year, funding for the Special Olympics was cut from the 2020 state budget, but the governor signed a budget trailer bill on July 12, 2021, that included $6 million in funding for Special Olympics Northern California and Southern California, according to a statement from Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Fairfield). According to Fraizer’s statement, there are about 60,000 Special Olympics athletes in the state who will be supported by this budget inclusion.
• In an Aug. 4 Facebook post, Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) voiced his concern about increasing cases of domestic violence during the pandemic. “While we were able to secure a funding increase for shelters and prevention efforts in the last two budgets, there is work yet to be done to secure permanent funding for DV [domestic violence] shelters and prevention programs,” he wrote. “I will continue to prioritize policies that protect victims of domestic violence in the Legislature.” He added that anyone experiencing domestic violence can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for support and referrals, or text START to 88788.
This article appears in Aug 12-19, 2021.