• Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) wrote a letter to Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo and Deputy Director Gina Haspel on March 15, calling on the agency to release documents on Haspel, who is President Donald Trump’s hopeful to serve as CIA Director after Pompeo leaves to replace Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. Feinstein’s letter presses for documents related to the CIA’s “torture program” during the George W. Bush administration, in which Haspel reportedly had involvement. “As we move forward with the nomination process for Ms. Haspel, my fellow Senators and I must have the complete picture of Ms. Haspel’s involvement in the program in order to fully and fairly review her record and qualifications,” Feinstein wrote. “I also believe the American people deserve to know the actual role the person nominated to be director of the CIA played in what I consider to be one of the darkest chapters in American history.”
• State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) saw a piece of legislation approved by the Senate Education Committee on March 14, Senate Bill 947, which would teach California students “how to read media sources critically, and act ethically, responsibly, and safely online,” according to a release from Jackson’s office. The legislation would help establish a process for students, parents, and educators to ensure that internet safety, digital citizenship, and media literacy become a part of the state’s education goals. “The recent proliferation of fake news online is extremely concerning,” Jackson said in a statement. “As we witnessed in the 2016 election, fake news can serve as an intentional tool to manipulate the public and undermine our basic values. In this era of cyberbullying, internet trolls, and rampant misinformation, it is our responsibility to equip young people with the knowledge and tools they need to stay informed and safe online.” The bill would establish a state-based advisory committee of educators, administrators, researchers, and parents, according to Jackson’s office.
• Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-Templeton) and State Sen. Bill Monning (D-Santa Cruz) introduced co-authored legislation on March 16, Senate Bill 1090, which would give SLO County the full $85 million settlement proposed by PG&E for economic stimulus following the closure of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in 2025. The bill also includes fully funding a proposed employee retention and retraining program, requiring $350 million from PG&E. “We have an opportunity with SB 1090 to ensure a smooth transition to a post-Diablo future,” Cunningham said. “SB 1090 will protect our schools, our people. It will protect our economy and it will safeguard critical assets.” At the March 16 presentation, PG&E spokesperson Blair Jones thanked Monning and Cunningham for their “leadership and the attention they are placing on helping California meet its clean energy goals. … The Diablo Canyon joint proposal represented a significant milestone in the planning to meet California’s bold clean energy vision and it’s important to ensure that the remaining goals of this transition strategy are enacted.”
• Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) named KEYT News Anchor Tracy Lehr as the Woman of the Year for District 37 in a ceremony at the State Assembly on March 12. “In a time where journalists are being critiqued for their information, I wanted to highlight journalists who are going and doing their work every single day and literally saving lives,” Limón said. “Tracy Lehr was at the scene of the Thomas Fire—California’s largest fire—and also the Montecito debris flow incident. She was one of the first individuals there, first women there, giving us information that saved lives, that helped our community.”
This article appears in Mar 22-29, 2018.