Political Watch: May 8, 2025

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• The California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, co-chaired by Assemblymembers Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) and Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) and vice chaired by state Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), announced its bill priorities for the 2025 legislative session on May 2. “From protecting our coasts from offshore drilling to protecting our homes from wildfires, this year’s package aims to not just defend the residents of the Central Coast, but also people all over the state of California,” Addis said in the May 2 statement. “This year’s package takes a holistic view of the natural disaster landscape through bills that address the root cause of these disasters, climate change, while also making our environments and homes more resilient to storms, wildfires, and other natural disasters.” The California Legislative Central Coast Caucus’s 2025 package includes eight bill priorities. Assembly Bill 1243 (Addis) requires fossil fuel polluters to pay their fair share of the damage caused by fossil fuel emissions to relieve a portion of the burden carried by current and future California taxpayers. Assembly Bill 14 (Hart) would expand the California Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program, a voluntary vessel speed-reduction program to incentivize oceangoing vessels to reduce their speed. Assembly Bill 1448 (Hart) would prohibit changes to oil leases that would increase the amount of oil transported through state waters, protecting the coast from additional oil infrastructure. The California Legislative Central Coast Caucus anticipates announcing further updates on the progress of these three bills—as well as five other bills spearheaded by Assemblymembers Steve Bennett (D-Ventura), Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), and Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz), and Sen. Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles)—as they move through the legislative process. “This year’s priority bills reflect the challenges and opportunities unique to our region—from protecting our coastline and preparing our communities for wildfires to addressing the climate crisis and expanding access to outdoor recreation,” Hart said in the May 2 statement. “Together, we are advancing thoughtful, lasting solutions that strengthen the Central Coast and meet the needs of the communities we represent.” As vice chair of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, Limón said that she’s “proud to join my colleagues in supporting policies that protect our communities from wildfires, safeguard our natural resources, and mitigate the impacts of a changing climate.” The Central Coast is “a diverse landscape that is home to some of the state’s largest agricultural producers, numerous state and national parks, and great biological diversity that must be protected for decades to come,” Limón added.

• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) issued a statement on May 2 in response to the Trump administration’s 2026 budget plan. The plan would cut nondefense domestic spending by $163 billion while increasing expenditures on national security, according to Carbajal’s office. “I strongly oppose President Trump’s proposed budget, which asks for unprecedented cuts to vital programs that many Central Coast residents depend on,” Carbajal said in the statement. “Slashing funding for health care, education, food assistance, and more will hurt families who are already struggling to pay their bills. We need a budget that helps the American people, not one that pulls the rug out from under them.” According to a May 2 letter from the Executive Office of the President to Committee on Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, the budget proposes a 13 percent increase in defense spending, totaling $1.01 trillion for the 2026 fiscal year.

This article appears in May 8-18, 2025.