• Gov. Gavin Newsom visited a water recycling facility in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on May 17 to discuss the administration’s response to the ongoing drought affecting the western United States. January through March were the driest first three months in the state’s recorded history, its largest reservoirs are at half of their historical averages, and the snowpack is just 17 percent of its average. “California will need to use every tool in its toolbox to safeguard our communities, businesses, and ecosystems from the severe, climate-driven drought being felt throughout the West,” Newsom said in a statement. “The state is taking urgent action to tackle drought impacts, drive water savings, and empower local water agencies to step up conservation measures across the state. All of us must take aggressive action to meet these challenges head-on while we work to build a climate-resilient water system.” The drought emergency extension, and the executive order for water agencies to implement their drought contingency plans are some of the actions the Newsom administration has taken to combat the conditions. The state is calling on residents to also take immediate action like limiting outdoor watering, taking shorter showers, taking showers instead of baths, using a broom instead of a hose to clean outdoor areas, and washing full loads of clothes, according to the governor’s office.
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California)—a Committee on Rules and Administration member—participated in a hearing on the administration of upcoming elections, according to a May 19 statement from Padilla’s office. During the hearing, Padilla questioned acting secretary of the Commonwealth Pennsylvania, Leigh M. Chapman, about the challenges of combating and preventing election misinformation for linguistically diverse voters. Padilla has advocated for the expansion of voting rights in California and across the country and has led efforts to strengthen election integrity, the statement said. In 2021, he co-led the introduction of the Freedom to Vote Act to improve ballot access for Americans, advance common-sense election integrity reforms, and “protect our democracy against relentless attacks,” according to Padilla’s office. The senator also joined his colleagues in introducing the Sustaining Our Democracy Act—which would provide $20 billion in mandatory federal funding over the next decade to help states and local governments support election administration. Support includes training and recruiting nonpartisan poll workers and election officials, as well as increasing access to voting in underserved communities, according to the senator’s office.
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) voted with a bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives to pass two measures aimed at alleviating shortages of infant formula for Central Coast families, according to a May 19 statement from Carbajal’s office. The first measure—the Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act—is a $28 million emergency funding bill that would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) funds to purchase additional formula from FDA-approved facilities in Europe and Latin America as well as increase resources for formula safety inspectors. The second—called the Access to Baby Formula Act—would cut red tape with the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program to allow them to make the formula purchases necessary to supply families in need. It is estimated that at least half of all infant formula in the U.S. purchased through WIC, according to Carbajal’s office. “I’ve heard firsthand from parents who are struggling right now to find essential formula needed to feed their children. The failures of one company should not lead to such a nationwide crisis, and this week my colleagues and I are stepping up to pass bills that will put more formula on store shelves and put an end to this shortage,” Carbajal said.
This article appears in May 26 – Jun 2, 2022.
