• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) joined members of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments and other state and local officials to highlight more than $70 million in federal funding that his work in Congress helped deliver for improvements to U.S. Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County, boosting the more than 17-year effort to improve safety and reduce congestion, according to a July 24 statement from Carbajal’s office. “The 101 is truly the backbone of our community. It is what gets our working families to their jobs, it moves the Central Coast’s products out into the world, it takes us to our gorgeous beaches and incredible public lands,” Carbajal said in the statement. “In Washington, I have worked to secure funding for this project in any way that I can. I was successful in securing $7 million in direct funding from the 2023 federal budget … and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law supplied $67 million. We’re basking in the glow of a ‘summer of infrastructure’ that is happening across our region.” Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding delivered more than $67 million for the project, more than half of the $132.4 million award announced earlier this month by the California Transportation Commission.
• U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada) announced the Asunción Valdivia Heat, Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act to protect the safety and health of workers who are exposed to dangerous heat conditions in the workplace, according to a statement from Padilla’s office. The legislation is named in honor of Asunción Valdivia, who died in 2004 after picking grapes for 10 hours straight in 105-degree temperatures. Valdivia fell unconscious, and instead of calling an ambulance, his employer told Valdivia’s son to drive his father home. On his way home, he died of heat stroke at the age of 53. The legislation will protect workers against occupational exposure to excessive heat by requiring the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish an enforceable standard to protect workers in high-heat environments, with measures like paid breaks in cool spaces, access to water, limitations on time exposed to heat, and emergency response for workers with heat-related illness. The bill also directs employers to provide training for their employees on the risk factors that can lead to heat illness and guidance on the proper procedures for responding to symptoms. The bill requires an interim final rule be in place within one year of the bill’s passage. “Asunción Valdivia tragically lost his life to heatstroke picking grapes in 105-degree heat under the Central Valley sun. Nearly 20 years later, millions of Americans are facing record-breaking extreme heat conditions that put the health and safety of our workers at risk,” Padilla said in the statement. “This critical legislation will hold employers accountable and ensure enforceable workplace protections.”
• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new investments that will “ramp up” defenses around homes, reduce overgrown vegetation, and improve evacuation routes for rural communities, according to a July 27 statement from the governor’s office. The $113 million in new funding, made possible by the $52 billion California Climate Commitment budget, will support 96 wildfire prevention projects across the state—with more than 8 in 10 grants directed toward vulnerable or underserved communities. “These kinds of projects save lives and livelihoods, and we’re scaling it up. It was work like this that helped communities like South Lake Tahoe and Pollock Pines avert unknowable destruction,” Newsom said in the statement. “Our goal is to stop devastation before it happens—to keep Californians safe and preserve our communities and shared history.” Cal Fire’s Wildfire Prevention Grants Program funds programs to protect people, structures, and communities. This year’s investment adds to the 144 ongoing projects funded last year and includes hazardous fuels reduction and wildfire prevention planning and education. These projects support the goals and objectives of California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan, as well as the Strategic Fire Plan for California.
This article appears in Aug 3-13, 2023.