• The House of Representatives recently passed U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal’s (D-Santa Barbara) legislation to rename a post office in Goleta for Frederick Lopez, a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Marine Corps with a 30-year career of distinguished service. “General Lopez represents the best of the Central Coast and of our nation’s armed forces,” Carbajal said in a Dec. 10 statement. “I’m proud that the House has voted to honor his legacy by renaming the South Patterson Avenue Post Office in Goleta in his name, ensuring that future generations will be reminded of his extraordinary contributions to our community and our country.” A Santa Barbara County native, Lopez joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967 following his graduation from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His service as a platoon commander during the Vietnam War earned him a Bronze Star and Combat Action Ribbon. Throughout the course of his three decades as a Marine, Lopez also earned a Distinguished Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and other decorations prior to his retirement in 1998.
• On Dec. 12, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) issued a statement in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order to preempt state laws that establish guardrails on AI technology. “The president has the power to help develop this technology while protecting a state’s right to protect its own citizens. Instead, he has chosen to try and preempt state laws that are establishing meaningful safeguards around AI and replace them with nothing,” Schiff stated. “It’s no wonder leaders from both parties, including Republican governors, have spoken out against this policy.” While Congress and the federal government “should certainly take the lead on crafting the rules of the road for this revolutionary technology,” Schiff added, “in the absence of federal legislative action, the states can and must exercise the power they have to protect their residents.”
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) recently urged the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) to move forward with its investigation into Hatch Act violations committed by senior Trump administration officials at the White House and U.S. Department of Justice who have repeatedly pressured states to redistrict for partisan gain. In a Dec. 9 letter, Padilla noted that it is illegal under the Hatch Act for executive branch officials to use their public office to advance partisan political activities, which could include a partisan mid-cycle redistricting effort to advantage a political party. “Throughout the year, White House senior officials and others in the Trump administration have been clearly and openly engaged in a political campaign to gain seats for the Republican Party in Congress via a rare and controversial mid-decade redistricting efforts in Texas and many other states,” Padilla wrote. “Your offices have a duty to act, not only to ensure that administration officials follow the law, but to protect these public servants across the country from bearing the brunt of this apparently illegal activity in the current heighted political threat environment.” The letter is a follow-up to Padilla’s original inquiry to the OSC about an investigation in July. In response to Padilla’s previous letter, the Hatch Act Unit at the OSC confirmed in July that it would open a file to address this potential violation. However, the OSC had yet to provide an update as of Dec. 9, according to Padilla’s office. Padilla’s latest letter highlights recent evidence that White House officials are illegally using encrypted, private messaging services like Signal that automatically delete conversations in their partisan redistricting pressure campaign, which violates federal records laws.
This article appears in Dec 18 – Dec 25, 2025.