• Amid renewed efforts by Congressional Republicans to replace the Affordable Care Act, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) introduced the Medicare for All Act, and received support from several members of the Democratic caucus, including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California). According to a statement from Harris’ office, the bill would realize the dream of Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who hopes to create a universal health care system in the U.S. The legislation would expand the Medicare program to all Americans, granting citizens health insurance and comprehensive benefits. “Health care should not be thought of as a partisan issue—it’s a nonpartisan issue,” Harris said in the statement. “Cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure affects folks around our country regardless of whether they are in a red state or a blue state, regardless of their income, and regardless of their status. We should not differentiate in the way that we do public health policy, and we should understand that everyone should receive the health care they need regardless of where they live, their income, or their zip code. That is what this bill is about, and I’m proud to co-sponsor the Medicare for All Act. It is about saying that health care is a right for all, not a privilege for a few.”
• After The Washington Post reported that U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke recommended that President Donald Trump reduce the size of four national monuments in the Western United States, as well as resize two marine sanctuaries in the Pacific Ocean, in a leaked memo, Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) issued a statement on Sept. 18. Carbajal had previously spoken out on Trump’s executive order to review U.S. national monuments, which include the Carrizo Plain National Monument, which straddles Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. In the statement, Carbajal chastised Secretary Zinke for recommending to resize the monuments, but also for loosening restrictions on the lands to allow for drilling, mining, and logging in protected areas. “While I am relieved that so far no recommended changes have been made regarding the Carrizo Plain National Monument on our Central Coast, we must continue to fight to protect thousands of acres of our public lands that include critical wildlife habitats, significant archeological sites, and recreational open spaces, so that they are kept intact for future generations to enjoy. I encourage the president to finally make this report public, so that we can understand exactly how these recommendations were made and whether scientists and experts were properly consulted.” One part of the memo recommended that Congress should limit executive power under the Antiquities Act, which allows the president to designate national monuments. Local nonprofit, Los Padres ForestWatch, issued a statement, which included a response to that section of the memo, saying, “As demonstrated over the past five months, the public cares deeply for the conservation and protection of public lands, and supports the legal authority of any president—Republican or Democrat—to use their discretion to designate national monuments of whatever size they deem appropriate under the law. Any Congressional attempt to impeded this long-standing power of the presidency will be met with widespread public opposition.”
• State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) saw a piece of her legislation approved by the state Assembly on Sept. 13, SB 169, which would codify federal Title IX guidelines issued by the President Barack Obama’s administration in response to sexual assault on college campuses. The bill was introduced to the state Legislature after the Department of Education announced that President Donald Trump’s administration would review the Obama-era guidelines. “I am pleased to see that the actions of Washington will not be affecting California,” Jackson said in a statement. “Last week, Secretary Betsy DeVos rolled back guidelines on Title IX, the important law protecting gender discrimination and sexual assault in America’s education institutions, putting women and girls at grave risk. Let’s be honest—women are raped and sexually assaulted far more often than their perpetrators are falsely accused.” The bill now heads to the state Senate floor for a vote.
This article appears in Sep 21-28, 2017.
