• Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Kamala Harris (D-California) joined Sens. Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Bill Nelson (D-Florida), and Marco Rubio (R-Florida) in introducing the Hurricanes Florence and Michael and California Wildfire Tax Relief Act on Nov. 16. The legislation would allow more taxpayers to claim personal property loss deductions in their taxes, remove penalties on certain hardship withdrawals from retirement accounts, encourage employers in hard-hit areas to retain employees, expand “opportunity zones” for those looking for aid, and allow taxpayers to use earned income from the prior year when claiming certain tax credits. Sen. Feinstein said in a statement that the bipartisan bill “will help families recover by providing them with much-needed tax relief as we begin to rebuild in the aftermath of these natural disasters.” Sen. Harris stated that, “The wildfires that tore across California this year claimed precious lives, devastated communities, destroyed thousands of homes, and forced hundreds of thousands of Californians to evacuate. The road to recovery for these communities won’t be easy, and we have a responsibility to give them the federal support they desperately need. Today, I am proud to join with my colleagues to provide these families working to rebuild their lives with much-needed relief.”
• At a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Nov. 15, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California) questioned Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Ronald Vitiello regarding the agency’s policies for detained pregnant women held at the border and allegations of abuse by ICE agents. Harris asked Vitiello about ICE’s reversal on a policy that prohibited the detainment of pregnant women and asked him to provide the numbers of pregnant women currently being detained and the what trimester they are in. Vitiello acknowledged that women in their third trimester had been held by ICE. “Since ICE issued this policy, there has also been a question about what is exactly the policy regarding women in their third trimesters. Can you tell me what the current policy is on that?” Harris asked. “The very rare circumstance where someone would be in custody in their third trimester, it would only for, to effectuate a removal,” Vitiello said.
• Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced in early November that federal grant funding was allocated for San Luis Obispo County to support programs that improve outcomes for individuals with mental illnesses and substance abuse issues. The Department of Justice will provide $1.79 million for SLO County programs, including $400,000 through the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program. “Strengthening the partnership between law enforcement and mental health servcies ensures individuals struggling with mental illnesses have access to the care they need while also addressing their wrongdoings,” Carbajal said. “I’m grateful for this funding, which helps fill a serious gap in our criminal justice system.”
• Outgoing Lompoc Mayor Bob Lingl received an award from the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) in September, the Spirit of Public Power Award. The organization honors someone each year who “embodies the spirit of public power by demonstrating an outstanding commitment to public service to both their community and NCPA.” Lingl served on the NCPA Commission since 2011 and was chair and executive committee chair from 2016 and 2018. “This recognition is testament to the city of Lompoc providing low-cost, reliable public power for our community,” Lingl stated. “I’d like to acknowledge our city’s electric division for its continued commitment to excellence.”
This article appears in Nov 22-29, 2018.