• Acting as the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) requested that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan “provide a detailed explanation” regarding the circumstances around the death of Jakelin Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died after being taken into Border Protection custody. “I am disappointed that you did not inform Congress about this tragedy,” Feinstein wrote in the opening paragraph, “especially when I directly asked you about the treatment of children in custody at last week’s oversight hearing. This death raises serious questions about the care of children by Border Patrol.”
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California) and Rep. Salud Carbajal were two of several of California members of Congress to sign a letter sent to Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Ronald Vitiello on Dec. 14, requesting information about ICE’s management and oversight of detention facilities in the state. The Democratic representatives detailed conditions from a Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General released in June, which found the agency’s contracted inspection and monitoring services didn’t ensure “consistent compliance with agency standards, and that the agency does not systematically rectify detention facility conditions.” “Under this administration, ICE has provided insufficient transparency about its management and oversight of its immigration detention facilities in California to members of Congress, community organizations, and the public,” the letter states. “ICE appears to be increasingly evading accountability for its management of these facilities by inappropriately deflecting requests for information about facilities operated and staffed by private contractors to those private contractors.”
• State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) introduced legislation on Dec. 12 that would add certain alcohol-related crimes to the list of offenses that result in a 10-year restriction on gun ownership. The legislation is based on research by the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program that found an increased risk of future violence among firearm owners with certain alcohol-related convictions, according to a release from Jackson’s office. The added crimes include multiple driving under the influence (DUI) convictions or vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. “The research demonstrates that people with certain alcohol-related convictions are at increased risk of committing a violent or firearm-related crime,” Jackson stated. “With over 3,000 Californians killed by firearms each year, we should do everything we can to ensure those at risk of harming themselves or others do not have access to these deadly weapons.”
• Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) was sworn in for her second term in California’s Assembly on Dec. 3, and was also elected the new vice-chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus. She’s the second representative from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties to serve in that capacity, according to a release from Limón’s office. “I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to work with and support my colleagues in a leadership role within the Women’s Caucus,” Limón stated. “In this new session, I remain committed to ensure issues impacting women and families continue to be on the forefront of our work and will work diligently to advance policies to ensure equity for all women, in all spaces.”
• Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) shared an LA Times article to his official Facebook page that detailed the California Public Utilities Commission’s withdrawal of plans to tax text messages on certain plans, a proposal the Assembly member was against. “It’s good to see this plan scrapped,” Cunningham wrote. “No unelected agency should be able to impose a tax on consumers.”
This article appears in Dec 20-27, 2018.