• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) applauded President Joe Biden’s approval of more than $16.5 million in direct federal funding for community projects that benefit Santa Barbara County residents, according to a Dec. 30 statement from the congressman’s office. Carbajal helped secure this funding through the omnibus spending package that was crafted over the past six months and passed by Congress in December. The appropriations package was written to cover federal spending for Fiscal Year 2023, providing funds to help expand U.S. Highway 101 carpool lanes and support upgrades to public spaces in Santa Barbara, Lompoc, and Santa Maria. “As the Central Coast’s representative, my first and foremost responsibility is to deliver real results for our communities and its residents—and I’m proud to do that again by delivering nearly $17 million for Santa Barbara County to support projects that will improve our quality of life,” Carbajal said in the statement. “With these funds, we will be able to make critical upgrades that will reduce traffic, renovate public spaces, and improve access to food and clean water across the Central Coast.” About $1.3 million will fund renovations to Lompoc’s Pioneer Park, $1 million will support construction and equipment needs for Marian Regional Medical Center’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program Clinic in Santa Maria, and $500,000 will create a Santa Maria Japanese Community Center to honor the original Japanese settlers in the Santa Maria Valley.
• U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) along with U.S. Rep. Sylvia R. Garcia (D-Houston) celebrated President Joe Biden signing into law their bipartisan bill to provide a technical fix for crew members of lightering ships—which remove oil or other hazardous chemicals from vessels. The Energy Security and Lightering Independence Act of 2022 amends the C and D visa categories in the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow nonimmigrant visas to be granted for up to 180 days to foreign crew members of lightering ships involved in ship-to-ship liquid transfer of crude oil or liquid natural gas, according to a Jan. 5 statement from Padilla’s office. Approximately 44 percent of all U.S. imports of crude oil or natural gas are conducted by lightering. Current immigration law authorizes lightering crews entering the country to stay in the United States for a maximum of 29 days through a C or D visa. However, lightering operations often last up to 180 days. As a result, Customs and Border Patrol and the State Department have had to develop workarounds on a case-by-case basis, which is time consuming and inefficient, according to the congressman’s office. “As we work to make our immigration system more efficient and easier to navigate, this common-sense and bipartisan law will allow foreign crew members of lightering ships to obtain a visa for a time period consistent with their duties within the United States,” Padilla said in the statement. “This ends the need for individual grants of parole and ensures they are able to properly transport resources into and out of the country without overburdening the administrative process.”
• Working to protect Californians from the incoming winter storms, Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency throughout California to support the ongoing response to recent winter storms, according to a Jan. 4 statement from the governor’s office. “California is mobilizing to keep people safe from the impacts of the incoming storm,” Newsom said in the statement. “This state of emergency will allow the state to respond quickly as the storm develops and support local officials in their ongoing response.” The emergency proclamation supports emergency relief efforts including authorizing the California National Guard to support disaster response, directing Caltrans to request immediate assistance through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program for highway repairs and other support for local response and recovery efforts. Newsom also activated the State Operations Center to its highest level.
This article appears in Jan 12-19, 2023.