• On June 17, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced that the IRS is extending a small businesses tax credit through September. The credit covers the cost of paid sick and family leave for workers. Workers can use leave to care for themselves or family members who are sick and to get their COVID-19 vaccines and recover from any temporary side effects. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and they were hit especially hard by the pandemic. This assistance will allow them to continue operations while prioritizing their workers’ health and safety,” Carbajal said in a statement. “This is one component of the American Rescue Plan that will help our community crush the virus, by allowing workers the time needed to get vaccinated or care for their health while also supporting employers who want to keep their workers and customers safe.” Businesses with fewer than 500 employees can receive more than $17,000 per employee to provide workers up to 10 days of qualifying sick leave and 12 weeks of family leave, now extended through the end of September. “Certain self-employed individuals in similar circumstances are entitled to similar credits, as are schools, public hospitals, and other state and local government employers,” according to Carbajal’s office. “Roughly 6 million businesses and more than 30 million workers are eligible for this credit. Businesses can access the advanceable, refundable tax credit in real time by reducing the amount they set aside to pay payroll taxes and employee withholding. Employers can then claim any excess on their quarterly tax filings or request an advance payment from the IRS.”
• Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an emergency proclamation on June 17 to free up energy capacity amid the heat wave hitting California. In preparation for the extreme temperatures, California energy agencies called on individuals and businesses to “flex their power” by reducing energy use in the evenings through Friday, June 18, according to Newsom’s office. The proclamation suspended certain permitting requirements, “allowing the use of backup power generation and freeing up additional energy capacity to help alleviate the heat-induced demands on the state’s energy grid.” Individuals were also urged to take precautions and conserve energy where possible as temperatures soar. “Since last summer, the state’s energy agencies have taken swift action to ensure grid reliability—both this summer and into the future—to build the state’s climate resilience,” according to Newsom’s office. “This includes requiring utilities to procure additional energy resources to meet forecasted demand during extreme weather, bringing on additional storage and launching the revamped Flex Your Power campaign to help California conserve energy.”
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) issued a statement on June 17 in reaction to President Joe Biden signing S. 475 into law, making Juneteenth a federal holiday. The bill passed with bipartisan support in the House before heading to the president’s desk. “Slavery was a scourge on our nation’s history that should not be ignored or swept under the rug. Today, we took a small but important step to reckon with our past and look to the future,” Carbajal said in his statement. “I was proud to cast my vote to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, cementing this celebration of freedom for enslaved African Americans as an American tradition. This is long overdue, and I am thankful for the advocacy of all those who have helped make this possible. … As we celebrate Black lives and liberation, we must continue working to address systemic racism in order to make our nation more equal, fair, and free.” The statement added that Carbajal recently gave the 2021 Congressional Women of the Year Award to Central Coast racial justice advocates: Santa Barbara poet Sojourner Kincaid Rolle and co-founder of R.A.C.E. Matters SLO Courtney Haile.
This article appears in Jun 24 – Jul 1, 2021.