• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California) spoke at the National Action Network’s 2018 Convention on April 20 and reflected on leaders of the civil rights movement. A member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Harris said that the current political climate “is requiring us to speak the truth” that “in so many ways the pendulum is swinging backward,” and pointed to disparate rates in home ownership and poverty between black and white Americans. “And then they dare ask us the question, ‘What do you have to lose?'” Harris said. “Well, I’ll tell you what we have to lose. And I’ll tell you what America has to lose. What we have to lose is a justice system that is supposed to protect and treat everyone equally. But our current Department of Justice has re-escalated the failed War on Drugs, has emphasized incarceration instead of rehabilitation, and has rolled back pattern-and-practice investigations and undermined consent decrees.”
• Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) helped vote to pass the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) as part of a bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) “modernization package” on April 27. Carbajal applauded the DRRA for “ensuring that a percentage of FEMA assistance funding provided in the wake of disasters is invested in pre-disaster hazard mitigation to better prepare for future disasters,” according to a release from his office. “Today the House took an important step toward a more proactive approach to disaster preparation and recovery,” Carbajal said. “After recent devastating fires and debris flows, the Central Coast knows that, rather than just responding to natural disasters, we need to strategically adapt to extreme weather patterns that will only increase due to the impacts of climate change. We must continue to prioritize cost-saving strategies to make our communities better prepared for the next storm, fire, flood, or earthquake.”
• On April 27, State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) and Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) honored women first responders from Ventura County who responded to the Thomas Fire as 2018 Women of the Year. “These women courageously stepped up during our community’s time of need,” Sen. Jackson said. “We are fortunate to have such brilliant, talented, and brave women and men serving Ventura County.” Honorees represented private businesses that helped with first response efforts, nonprofits like the Red Cross or Humane Society, and government agencies like the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, city of Ventura, and U.S. National Guard. “We are so grateful for the courage and service of our women first responders during the chaos and confusion of recent natural disasters,” Assemblymember Limón said. “The expertise and dedication they provided was critical to promoting accessible emergency communications and community safety.”
• Republican candidate for California Congressional District 24 Justin Fareed received an endorsement from the Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriff’s Association in late April. According to a release from Fareed’s campaign, the association’s president, Neil Gowing, said that Fareed “is offering common-sense solutions that will help protect our county, state, and country as a whole. We need a representative in Washington that will support law enforcement��”Justin is the right man for the job.” “Upholding the rule of law and ensuring that our law enforcement officers have the tools they need to keep our families safe is a top priority of mine,” Fareed saidin a statement. “As your next congressman, you can rest assured that I will back the badge and support the thin blue line.”
This article appears in May 3-10, 2018.