• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) celebrated the official designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, which took place on Nov. 30, according to a Dec. 2 statement from Carbajal’s office. “Nearly a decade after the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary was first proposed to the federal government, the Biden-Harris administration has now officially taken what began as a twinkle in the eye of the Central Coast and made it a reality,” Carbajal said in the statement. “I’m proud to have stood with a generation of advocates and Indigenous leaders to see this critical protection implemented for the Central Coast.” The sanctuary covers 4,543 square miles off the Central Coast from Gaviota and Point Conception to Pismo Beach and southern San Luis Obispo County, making it the third-largest marine sanctuary in U.S. history. The sanctuary covers 116 miles of coastline and is the first ever to be nominated by an Indigenous group. The management plan for the sanctuary lays the groundwork for a later expansion of the marine sanctuary boundaries to cover Avila Beach and Morro Bay, connecting the new sanctuary with the southernmost border of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This framework mirrors the approach endorsed earlier this year by local Indigenous communities and the leaseholders of the proposed offshore wind sites off Morro Bay.
• The Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court program is now open in every county across California to help the most seriously ill people with untreated or undertreated schizophrenia get life-saving treatment and the housing they need to stabilize, recover, and thrive, according to a Dec. 2 statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. CARE Court was rolled out statewide through a phased-in approach that began last October. More than 1,400 people have been connected to CARE Courts or to county services directly, based on preliminary data. Initial results from CARE Court’s early implementation demonstrate the program is making a significant impact by addressing some of the most serious cases of mental health crises on California’s streets. In the nine counties where CARE Court has already opened, the program is providing hundreds of people with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders with crucial treatment and housing plans. “Finding treatment, housing, and support for Californians with the most serious mental illness has been a top priority of my administration, and I’m proud to see early achievements from this innovative new model,” Newsom said in the statement. “With every county’s CARE Court program now up and running, I am eager to see even more successes for our most seriously ill Californians, and continued progress in our state’s behavioral health transformation for all Californians.”
• U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-California) secured the confirmation of Judge Anne Hwang to the Central District of California, according to a Dec. 2 statement from Butler’s office. By a 48-43 vote, Hwang was confirmed as the first Korean American to serve as an Article III judge in California’s Central District. Before her appointment, Hwang served on the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2019 and was a deputy federal public defender for the Central District of California from 2006 to 2018. The Central District of California is currently home to 330,000 Californians of Korean heritage. “One of the most critical duties in representing the people of California in the Senate is ensuring access to fair and equitable justice,” Butler said in the statement. “I commend President Biden for his nomination of Judge Anne Hwang and applaud her confirmation today. By confirming this exceptional jurist, the Senate has worked to advance a fundamental American promise.”
This article appears in Dec 5-15, 2024.
