• U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) testified before the Senate Committee on Environmental and Public Works on Dec. 10 at a hearing regarding the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s implementation of Fukishima Task Force recommendations regarding nuclear safety. In her testimony, Capps pushed for thorough oversight of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, which is in the 24th Congressional District she represents, as well as asked for improved efforts to have independent sources collect and analyze data from and around the plant. She also asked for greater transparency and public engagement by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). “The stakes are simply too high for us not to do everything in our power to fully identify and understand the risks and prepare for them,” Capps said during the hearing. “The more information that is available and accessible to the public, the more our constituents can engage in the oversight process and make their voices heard.” She added that one of the most common complaints she hears from her constituents is frustration with the commission’s lack of transparency. “While I know the NRC makes a strong effort on several fronts to engage with the public, more clearly needs to be done to address these concerns,” she said.
• The Santa Barbara County Republican Central Committee is holding a holiday potluck on Dec. 17 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Bollay Ranch in Santa Ynez. A through K should bring main dishes and L through Z should bring salad or desert. The committee asks that people bring a beverage to share as well as a basket for the silent auction. RSVP to Bobbi McGinnis by Dec. 14, c21bobbi@gmail.com.
• The proportion of working-age Californians who are employed or actively seeking employment is the smallest it’s been since the 1970s, the LA Times reported. The labor participation rate was 62.3 percent in October 2014, below the national rate of 62.8 percent. “The unemployment rate continues to be the main rate people think of, but it’s misleading—and grows more misleading every day,” a former director of the state Employment Development Department, Michael Bernick, told the Times. “That the participation rate is going down should signal a number of issues beneath of the surface.” The Times reported that baby boomers are a leading contributor to falling labor force participation, but also that workers ages 65 and older are the only demographic now seeking work in greater numbers than before the recession. Bernick said the root cause behind fewer people looking for work is job scarcity. He added that those who have quit looking for jobs are relying on government disability benefits, and people participating in those programs fear that the income that comes with a job could disqualify them from the safey net. “The system itself still has some strong disincentives to work,” Bernick told the Times.
This article appears in Dec 11-18, 2014.