• State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson introduced legislation on Feb. 22 in response to the Trump administration’s rollbacks and proposed changes to Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded schools. The changes to Title IX haven’t taken effect yet, but would involve requiring schools to dismiss reports of off-campus incidents of sexual harassment and assault, would allow live cross-examinations of students, and would raise the standard of evidence to “clear and convincing.” “All California students deserve to pursue their education in a safe environment. It is critical that California’s schools continue to protect survivors through policies that treat them with dignity and respect,” Jackson said in a press release. “Senate Bill 493 will ensure that California student survivors of sexual assault are treated fairly and those responsible are held accountable for their actions.” If passed, Jackson’s bill would amend California’s education code to require that state-funded institutions of higher education investigate reports of sexual harassment and assault, whether it took place on or off campus; prohibit live cross-examination of either student; use a “preponderance of evidence” standard in determining responsibility; and use trauma-informed and impartial investigation procedures, among other provisions.
• Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) wrote a letter to U.S. Department of the Interior Acting Secretary David Bernhardt on Feb. 20, expressing support for federal and state governments to work together to facilitate offshore wind development on the Central Coast. Cunningham wrote that offshore wind development could offset some of the lost energy production from Diablo Canyon Power Plant’s closure. “Central Coast wind farms could readily tie into the existing energy transmission infrastructure at either Diablo Canyon or Morro Bay and transmit power to the state grid. There is perhaps nowhere else on the West Coast with this type of infrastructure,” he wrote. “Moreover, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management projects that construction of offshore wind in California could create more than 1,300 jobs, with residual jobs for operation and maintenance extending far into the future.” The Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management are currently studying two sites off the Central Coast, one west of Diablo Canyon and the other west of Morro Bay, according to a press release from Cunningham’s office. If approved, the bureau would hold an auction for the rights to develop the sites sometime next year.
• At the Feb. 23 Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel’s public workshop, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) provided a legislative update and received input on ways to store spent fuel from the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. A media advisory from Carbajal’s office said that as Diablo prepares to close, PG&E is accepting proposals from dry cask storage vendors to store and transport spent fuel. The Central Coast representative sent a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Feb. 6 asking the commission to host a public meeting in San Luis Obispo to help inform its work on identifying best practices for the establishment and operation of local community advisory boards.
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) signed on as an original co-sponsor of the Green New Deal, introduced by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) in February, because he believes “that climate change is one of the critical issues of our times,” according to a form letter response to constituents. “Now is the time for action, as evidenced by the fact that 16 of the warmest years on record have occurred since 2001, as well as the increase in wildfires, drought, and significant storm events. Our country cannot afford to ignore these issues any longer.”
This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 7, 2019.