• The chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), issued a statement on behalf of the Caucus after the passing of Sen. Sharon Runner (R-Antelope Valley) on July 14.
“The California Legilsative Women’s Caucus extends its deepest condolences on the passing of our colleague, Sen. Sharon Runner,” Jackson said in the statement. “A well-respected member of our caucus and only the seventh Republican woman to be elected to the state Senate, she was extraordinarily dedicated to serving her district and state, always graciuos, and weathered health challenges with exceptional strength. Along with being a strong advocate for public safety, education, and children, she worked to get more women into public office while serving as president of California Women Lead.”
• On July 14, Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) offered an amendment to H.R. 5538, the FY 2017 Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which would prohibit funds from being used to process any “permit to drill” or “permit to modify” applications that would authorize the use of hydraulic fracturing or acid well stimulation in the Pacific Outer Continential Shelf, releasing the following statement that day.
“Ignoring the risks with fracking will not make them go away,” Capps said. “My amendment would have provided for the opportunity to reflect on the future of our energy landscape and ensure that we have the time to fully evaluate the impacts of our decisions.”
This article appears in Jul 21-28, 2016.