• On Dec. 23, President Joe Biden signed legislation inspired by the 2019 Conception boat fire near Santa Barbara. The Small Passenger Vessel Liability Act proposed by U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) changes an 1851 law that can prevent victims of maritime accidents from receiving compensation from those responsible for the accident. The new law requires small passenger vessel owners to be held legally responsible for damages in future boating accidents and incidents and also increases the period of time during which victims can file a claim from six months to two years. “This is an important change, inspired by the families of the 34 precious lives lost on the Conception in 2019, that will ensure families of future maritime disasters do not face the same antiquated laws when seeking the support they deserve,” Carbajal said in a statement. The measure was part of the final fiscal year 2023 defense policy bill, which Congress passed in December.
• In 2022, law enforcement with the help of the California National Guard seized 28,765 pounds of fentanyl across the state, an estimated value of more than $230 million, according to a press release from the governor’s office. That’s 594 percent more seized in 2022 than in 2021. “California is cracking down on the fentanyl crisis—increasing seizures, making resources more available to Californians, and ensuring communities have what they need to combat the immeasurable harm opioids have caused our society, our communities, and our loved ones,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in the release. The administration has invested more than $1 billion to address the opioid crisis since 2019, according to the release, including hiring, training and imbedding 166 new California National Guard members in 2023 to support Newsom’s intiative to reduce fentanyl in communities. On Dec. 20, the Department of Health Care Services announced that millions of dollars in new grants are available to tackle youth opioid use, including for schools and nonprofits.
• Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022 as part of the omnibus spending package for 2023, which President Joe Biden signed into law prior to the end of the year. The act co-sponsored by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) modernizes the Electoral Count Act of 1887 to ensure that the electoral vote tallied by Congress accurately reflects each state’s vote for president. It also helps promote the orderly transfer of power by providing clear guidelines for when eligible candidates for president or vice president may receive federal resources to support their transition into office. Padilla said the act strengthens the foundation of our democracy and the peaceful transfer of power. “Free and fair elections are the bedrock of our democracy. … This bill reaffirms the power of the people and their right to a representative government by ensuring we count every single vote cast by an eligible voter,” Padilla said in a statement after the Senate passed the package. “The Electoral Count Reform Act will update our election laws to ensure the partisan power grab we witnessed on Jan. 6 no longer threatens our democracy. No individual, party, or state government should have the power to override the will of the people, and this bill represents a strong step toward restoring Americans’ faith in our elections.”
This article appears in Jan 5-12, 2023.