• U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced the first-ever congressional resolution to celebrate National Farmers Market Week from Aug. 6 to 12, according to a statement from Padilla’s office. The bipartisan resolution recognizes the vital role that farmers markets play in bringing communities together, supporting livelihoods, and enriching the lives of millions of Americans—from farmers and food producers to consumers. The resolution was adopted unanimously by the U.S. Senate. Farmers markets build community, bolster local agricultural economies, and improve consumer health and wellness, including low-income Americans who receive federal nutrition benefits. They also help bridge urban and rural communities, contributing to a better public understanding of farming and ranching. Farmers markets have grown across the country over the past few decades, rising from 1,755 markets in 1994 to 8,771 in 2019. In 2020, they accounted for $1.7 billion in income for American farmers. “Our farmers markets nourish our neighborhoods, strengthen our local economies, and help cultivate relationships between growers and consumers,” Padilla said in the statement. “We cherish these spaces as a vibrant and dependable source of nutrition and community. I am proud to celebrate National Farmers Market Week and to support our local farmers, who feed our families and bring us together.”
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) was scheduled on Aug. 14 to hold a press conference with local chambers of commerce and advocates at First 5 Santa Barbara to promote his new bipartisan child care affordability legislation designed to lower the cost of child care for middle-class families and build new pathways to creating child care providers for small businesses, according to an Aug. 9 statement from Carbajal’s office. The Child Care Investment Act would improve a tax credit geared toward helping employers provide child care options to their employees, allow multiple businesses to partner to create a new child care option, and expand federal tax write-offs that already exist to offset child care expenses. This includes updating caps on tax-exempt child care spending accounts to reflect the current cost of care. The bill’s inspiration came from roundtables held by Carbajal in July 2022 discussing the impacts of inflation with local small business owners, who conveyed that child care was one of their top concerns when it came to current business and hiring conditions. The bill has support from the South Coast Chamber of Commerce, Ventura Chamber of Commerce, Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce, the Bipartisan Policy Center, First Five Years Fund (FFYF), Save the Children, and the Early Care Education Consortium.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the deployment of resources and urban search and rescue personnel to assist in the coordination and support of operations in Maui, Hawaii, according to an Aug. 10 statement from Newsom’s office. In close coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Newsom directed California’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to deploy 11 members of California’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces to help in the recovery operations and the search for survivors. In addition, state personnel from Cal OES specializing in urban search and rescue and mass fatality management have been deployed to Hawaii. The governor spoke with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green on Wednesday to discuss support for the state as it responds to and recovers from the wildfires. “California stands with the people of Maui and all Hawaiians amid these horrific wildfires that have claimed lives and destroyed the historic town of Lahaina,” Newsom said. “Californians know firsthand the devastating toll of catastrophic wildfires fueled by climate change, capable of wiping out entire communities and centuries of irreplaceable history and heritage. Our state is sending resources to support our Pacific neighbors during their time of need.”
This article appears in Aug 17-27, 2023.