• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) joined U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and 11 of their colleagues in a letter to Meta—previously referred to as Facebook—CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressing concern regarding Meta’s response to the rise of online election-related misinformation on its platforms, including Facebook, according to a Dec. 23 statement. The letter comes in advance of the anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection and follows reports and Senate testimony indicating that the company ended its misinformation safeguards too soon after the 2020 election. Senators argued that it enabled misinformation and violent rhetoric to return to Facebook immediately following Election Day and lead to the Jan. 6 insurrection. “While efforts to delegitimize election results and undermine our democracy continued and even intensified following Election Day, reports indicate that Facebook turned off election-related safeguards because the company was concerned that they could be limiting the growth of the platform,” the letter stated. “The controls demonstrate that Facebook clearly knew that its platform could be used to sow and promote discord, division, and incendiary content.” The senators asked Meta to justify its decision to dial back controls post-election and to explain its current work to guard against misinformation and violence on its platforms.
• Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) added Santa Barbara County to its membership, bringing the total number of RCRC member counties to 38, according to a Dec. 14 statement. “The voice of rural California is strengthened in its collective impact when we unite to advance the important and unique interests of our communities,” RCRC Board Chair and Mono County Supervisor Stacy Corless said in the statement. “We are excited to welcome Santa Barbara County as the newest member of RCRC and look forward to working together to promote the health and wellbeing of rural counties.” The addition was approved at the RCHC’s Dec. 9 meeting, and 4th District Santa Barbara County Supervisor Bob Nelson will serve as the county representative on the board of directors. “I’m honored to serve as the representative for Santa Barbara County, and I’ve long been aware of the great work that RCRC does on both the local and state levels. The values in our county, especially the North County, align with the principles of the organization. Our residents and businesses will benefit greatly from this relationship,” Nelson said in a statement. Founded in 1972, RCRC works with its membership to advocate on behalf of rural issues at the state and federal levels.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new actions to protect Californians from COVID-19, which were supported by health, education, and state leaders across California, according to a Dec. 23 statement. The state is requiring health care workers to get boosters by Feb. 1, 2022, distributing at-home test kits statewide for students returning to public school, and extending hours at testing sites with increased demand. These actions intend to give everyone in California access to testing throughout the holiday season and ensure safety as public school students return to school. “I’m grateful to see the governor’s continued leadership as he takes proactive steps to ensure that California kids can continue to learn safely in person and keep our schools open,” Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis said in a statement. Since the beginning of the pandemic, California has taken actions designed to stem the spread of the virus, including requiring that workers in health care settings be fully vaccinated, announcing that the COVID-19 vaccine will be added to the list of required vaccinations to attend in-person school when fully authorized for applicable grade spans, requiring masking in schools, and implementing a standard that all school staff and state workers either show proof of full vaccination or be tested.
This article appears in Dec 30, 2021 – Jan 6, 2022.