• Gov. Jerry Brown granted 56 pardons and 14 commutations on March 30 to ex-convicts who had already completed their sentences to recognize their “exemplary behavior” after leaving prison, according to a statement from the governor’s office. Included among the pardons were five made to ex-convicts that were facing possible deportation, according to reports in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Two of those pardoned were Cambodian refugees, and they and the others had turned their lives around with jobs or community involvement. The choice to pardon the five immigrants caught President Donald Trump‘s attention, and he posted to Twitter on March 31, saying, “Governor Jerry ‘Moonbeam’ Brown pardoned 5 criminal illegal aliens whose crimes include (1) Kidnapping and Robbery (2) Badly beating wife and threatening a crime with intent to terrorize (3) Dealing drugs. Is this really what the great people of California want?” Gov. Brown had previously criticized the the Trump administration over immigration policies in early March, when U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke at the California Peace Officers Association and announced a federal lawsuit against the state for SB 54, the so-called “sanctuary state” bill. Brown called Sessions and others in Trump’s White House liars, saying, “This lawsuit is going to last a lot longer than the Trump administration.”
• President Donald Trump spoke to the press outside the church where he attended Easter Mass on April 1, criticizing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and Democrats in Congress, saying, “A lot of people are coming in because they want to take advantage of DACA. … They had a great chance. The Democrats blew it.” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) issued a statement the following day. “President Trump unilaterally rescinded DACA. At the White House, I asked him to support a clean DACA bill. He immediately agreed,” she said. “A day later, he walked that commitment back and has ultimately opposed every single bipartisan bill to protect Dreamers.” Feinstein also said Trump didn’t appear to have “even the most basic understanding of the DACA program,” explaining that the program is not eligible to anyone unless they’ve been in the U.S. since 2007 and wouldn’t be taken advantage of by new arrivals. “Democrats worked in good faith for months to come to an agreement to protect Dreamers,” she said. “We agreed to support flawed bills that included provisions we oppose, like funding for the border wall, to get it done. But the president still said ‘no.’ Democrats are going to keep working to protect Dreamers. We will not walk away as the president has.”
• State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) issued a statement on March 31, which would have been Cesar Chavez‘s 91st birthday, honoring the famous labor organizer for his work in addressing poverty, inequality, and immigrant rights. “Cesar Chavez dedicated his life to improving the treatment, pay, and working conditions for farmworkers everywhere,” she said. “His commitment to social justice remains an inspiration to us all and serves as a reminder that we must continue to protect the rights of all Californians.”
• Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) gave her endorsement to to Justin Fareed, candidate for the California’s 24th Congressional District on March 28. “Washington is in need of a new generation of leaders committed to working hard for American families,” she said in a statement. “Justin Fareed will cut through the bureaucracy in order to move our country forward, and that is why I’m proud to support him.” Fareed thanked her in the statement, saying he was “humbled to receive Congresswoman Stefanik’s endorsement” in his run against incumbent Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara). “She is a trailblazer in the halls of Congress,” he added. “Elise has set an example for all young women across America that the sky’s the limit.”
This article appears in Apr 5-12, 2018.