• Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham’s (R-San Luis Obispo) bill to increase transparency surrounding police sexual assault investigations (Assembly Bill 1599) passed the Assembly on Jan. 27. The bill moves into the state Senate and is supposed to be heard by Senate committees over the summer, according to a press release from Cunningham’s office. “We passed a landmark police transparency measure in 2018, but a glaring loophole lets bad actors who commit sexual assault under color of law keep records hidden,” Cunningham said in the release. “The public deserves access to investigative records into sexual assault under color of law under tight parameters. AB 1599 will bring transparency to government and help restore the public trust.” In 2018, the state passed Senate Bill 1421, which allows certain police misconduct records to be released to the public if an investigation results in a sustained finding. According to the press release, some police departments don’t complete those investigations if the officer resigns in the middle of it, making the records ineligible for release. AB 1599 would close that loophole by making those records eligible for release.
• Cal Fire completed 34 of the 35 emergency projects identified in 2019 to help reduce risk in fire prone areas across the state, according to a Jan. 29 announcement from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. The projects collectively treated 90,000 acres, removing dead trees, clearing vegetation, and creating fuel breaks and community defensible spaces. The final project is slated for completion in the spring. “California isn’t just waiting around for next fire season. We are acting quickly—with emergency pace—to protect communities most at risk and save lives before the wildfire starts,” Newsom said in the announcement. “These projects are part of California’s all-of-the-above and all-hands-on-deck approach to preventing and fighting wildfires.” The announcement claims that two of the projects successfully protected Santa Barbara residents during the Cave Fire, which started in the Santa Ynez Mountains at the end of November 2019, burning a little more than 3,120 acres. Los Padres National Forest spokesperson Andrew Madsen said the fire was declared out on Jan. 28, 2020.
• Los Padres National Forest is seeking public comment on proposals for the California Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) grant program. Los Padres is proposing to submit grant applications supporting OHV management activities on the national forest, according to a press release, including projects for operations and maintenance, restoration, and law enforcement. Preliminary applications are due March 2 and will open a two-month-long public review and comment period from March 3 to May 4. Final applications are due June 1. A meeting will be held on Feb. 13 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Santa Lucia Ranger Station in Santa Maria so the public can provide input and ask questions about the applications. For more information, visit ohv.parks.ca.gov.
• State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) received the Sylvia Siegel Champion award from the The Utility Reform Network (TURN) on Jan. 29 for her work to protect utility ratepayers, safeguard consumer privacy, and ensure corporate accountability, according to a post on Jackson’s Facebook page. “Such an honor to be associated with Sylvia Siegel, the tenacious consumer advocate who founded TURN and spent decades fighting on behalf of California ratepayers,” the post stated. TURN called Jackson “as fearless and effective as our legendary founder in challenging corporate power and standing up for consumers,” in a post on the organization’s Facebook page. “It is thanks to her that equal pay for equal work is the law in California. And she’s got more up her sleeve.”
This article appears in Feb 6-13, 2020.
