• Looking for something to do on Labor Day? The San Luis Obispo County Democrats will be host to its 56th annual Labor Day picnic Sept. 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Santa Rosa Park in San Luis Obispo. U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara), State Board of Equalization candidate Fiona Ma, and other local politicians will be in attendance. Tickets for the tri-tip barbecue cost $20 for adults and $10 for children. Children ages 5 and under are free. Tickets are available at the SLO County Democrats headquarters at 3592 Broad St., Suite 100, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and online at ActBlue, https://secure.actblue.com/page/laborday2013. For more information, call 546-8499 or visit slocdp.org.
• A resolution by state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) to specify portions of U.S. Highway 101 in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties as part of the National Purple Heart Trail recently passed out of the Assembly Transportation Committee. Senate Concurrent Resolution 27, or SCR 27, would designate all of Highway 101 in Ventura County and most the highway in Santa Barbara County as part of the trail. The Purple Heart is an honor awarded to those who have been wounded or killed while serving in the nation’s armed services.“We owe Purple Heart recipients a debt of gratitude, and this is one small way we can show it,” Jackson said in a press release. “This is an important visual reminder of the great sacrifices these men and women made for all of us.”
Michael Cook, commander of the Chapter 750 Military Order of the Purple Heart, said the trail “will give the people of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties the opportunity to remember, in a tangible way, those who sacrificed for our nation’s freedom.” The resolution now heads to the Assembly floor.
• The city of Santa Maria has partnered with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to retrofit more than 5,300 overhead city streetlights with LED fixtures. PG&E is expected to complete these installations over the next four weeks. According to city officials, community members will see a dramatic upgrade in nighttime lighting, as well as savings on their utilities. The project will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions and maintenance costs for the city. Decorative streetlights and streetlights owned by PG&E are not included in the project. For more information, call the City Manager’s Office at 925-0951, Ext. 372.
This article appears in Aug 15-22, 2013.