• Federal Judge Neil Gorsuch was confirmed as an associate justice to the Supreme Court on April 7. Gorsuch was nominated by President Donald Trump to replace Antonin Scalia, who died in 2016. Among those in the Democratic minority who voted “no” was California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who was troubled by Gorsuch’s judicial history and by what she said is the “unprecedented” spending of dark money supporting his nomination. “In the time I have been on this committee, I have never seen this before,” Feinstein said during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that took place before final confirmation. Feinstein also expressed concern regarding some of the answers Gorsuch gave to her questions, particularly the one about his work at the Department of Justice during the Bush administration, which included defending the use of torture. Gorsuch replied that his “memory is what it is, and it isn’t great on this end,” and that his position on torture “was the position that clients were telling him.” “Not only did he not answer my questions, he raised an additional concern,” Feinstein said. “I strongly believe that when you work for the government, either as a lawyer or a policymaker, it’s important to comment on the legality of the issue you advise or write. To say, ‘I did what they wanted’ is not enough.” Some Senate Democrats signaled their intentions to filibuster—or give a prolonged speech meant to block legislative action—Gorsuch’s confirmation vote, but the Republican-controlled Senate initiated the “nuclear option,” or a parliamentary procedure that would end a filibuster and require only a simple majority of votes to nominate Gorsuch. Gorsuch’s vote wasn’t entirely partisan as three Democrats voted for him—Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Joe Donnelly of Indiana. Both Independent senators—Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine—voted against Gorsuch’s nomination. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) didn’t vote.
• California Sen. Kamala Harris joined her fellow Democrats on April 5 to introduce a bill that would prevent federal immigration officers from taking enforcement actions at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and religious institutions without prior approval and exigent circumstances. The Department of Homeland Security already has such a policy, however the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act would codify and expand this policy. “This administration’s targeting of facilities that provide public health, public safety, and public education runs contrary to our values,” Harris said in a statement. “We must act to ensure that the schools, hospitals, courthouses, and churches in our communities are safe areas—not places of fear.”
• Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) joined his colleague Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) on April 4 to co-sponsor equal pay legislation on April 4. The Paycheck Fairness Act would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963, guaranteeing women the right to challenge pay discrimination from their employers. “Over 50 years after the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, the wage gap persists, harming not only women, but also the families they support,” said Carbajal, who also formally recognized Equal Pay Day on the floor of the House of Representatives the same day. “Equal Pay Day is a stark reminder of the significant inequality that exists in the workforce,” he said. Carbajal represents California’s 24th Congressional District.
• Santa Maria will transition from an at-large to district-based election system this year. To facilitate this process, officials plan to hold a series of public meetings to collect input from citizens in different parts of the city. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 20, at 6 p.m. at the Edwards Community Center, 808 Panther Drive, Santa Maria.
This article appears in Apr 13-20, 2017.
