Political Watch

• The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation crafted by U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) and several of his colleagues to authorize funding the United States Coast Guard through 2026 and support for members of the service branch in their critical missions, according to a May 14 statement from Carbajal’s office. “Every single day, […]

• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal joined several of his colleagues in introducing the Combat Veterans Pre-Enrollment Act, a bipartisan bill to allow service members to opt in to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) patient enrollment, according to a May 9 statement from Carbajal’s office. Currently, members of the armed forces cannot apply for VA […]

• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) and Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse joined Santa Barbara Harbor officials to survey the semiannual dredging at Santa Barbara Harbor and discuss how more than $3 million secured in the 2024 federal funding deal will help ensure safe navigation for Santa Barbara’s maritime industry, recreational boaters, and maintain […]

• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) highlighted $850,000 he helped secure in the 2024 federal budget to build a 1.2 mile bike and pedestrian path adjacent to Highway 227 in San Luis Obispo, according to an April 25 statement from Carbajal’s office. The funding is set aside to help complete segments two of the […]

• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) visited the future site of more than 30 new studio apartments and a health clinic in downtown Santa Barbara, and presented a ceremonial check for $1 million, an investment he secured in this year’s federal budget to support the project, according to an April 16 statement from Carbajal’s […]

• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) joined Grover Beach officials to present a $543,000 federal grant that the congressman helped secure through his work on the 2024 federal budget, according to an April 12 statement from Carbajal’s office. The funding included in the 2024 federal funding bill signed into law by President Joe Biden […]

• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) is continuing his push to preserve the Affordable Connectivity Program, the federal internet affordability program that is lowering monthly internet bills for more than 38,000 Central Coast households, according to a March 26 statement from Carbajal’s office. Carbajal and his colleagues created the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) through […]

• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) led 17 Senate Democrats in requesting administrative relief for undocumented immigrants, according to a March 26 statement from Padilla’s office. As the Biden administration considers executive actions on the border, the letter outlines recommendations to make immigration relief more efficient for […]

• The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced legislation that prevents Coast Guard Academy cadets from punishment when reporting an incident of sexual assault, and language in that legislation was proposed last year by U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), according to a March 22 statement from Carbajal’s office. The bill advanced by the committee also […]

• Assemblymember Gregg Hart announced Assembly Bill 1866, which will address idle wells by requiring oil operators to develop a comprehensive plan to expeditiously plug the estimated 40,000 idle wells in California within the next decade, according to a March 12 statement from Hart’s office. The bill also requires operators to prioritize plugging wells within […]

• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal and several colleagues introduced legislation to designate spaceports including Vandenberg Space Force Base, as eligible for tax-exempt municipal revenue bonds to incentivize investment in spaceport infrastructure, according to a March 8 statement from Carbajal’s office. Projects such as airports and docks currently qualify for tax-exempt municipal revenue bonds, which attract […]

• U.S. Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) and Julia Brownley (D-Oxnard) are urging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to finalize the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary with a larger footprint than the most recent federally proposed alternative and to include parameters that recognize the need for coexistence with future offshore wind development […]