• President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2022 fiscal year into law, which includes proposals from U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) to address Central Coast priorities and meet its national security needs. “Each year, Congress comes together to pass a bipartisan bill that enhances our national security and keeps Americans safe. The bill—which was negotiated across party lines and both chambers of Congress—reflects our nation’s shared values, and I am proud to have secured several measures that will directly benefit Central Coast families,” Carbajal said in a Dec. 28 statement. “The bill includes my amendment to extend the FireGuard program for five years, which will give long-term certainty to the emergency responders in our state who rely on the program to detect and monitor wildfires. It also gives our service members a well-deserved pay raise and institutes reforms to prevent and prosecute sexual assault in the military. This bill is a major win for our troops, our communities, and our country.” The bill also includes a measure that provides a basic needs allowance for military families to fight food insecurity, secures $4 million for local military-university partnerships, and advances Vandenberg Space Force Base’s space capabilities.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the launch of a new California program to compensate survivors of state-sponsored sterilization, according to a Dec. 31 statement. Administered by the California Victim Compensation Board, survivors of state-sponsored sterilization can apply for compensation through California’s Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation program starting Jan. 1. “California is committed to confronting this dark chapter in the state’s past and addressing the impacts of this shameful history still being felt by Californians today,” Newsom said in a statement. “While we can never fully make amends for what they’ve endured, the state will do all it can to ensure survivors of wrongful sterilization receive compensation.” Between 1909 and 1979, about 20,000 women who were incarcerated or in state institutions for disabilities were forcibly sterilized under California eugenics laws in place at the time. Now, California is providing $4.5 million to be split evenly among all eligible individuals who apply, plus $2 million for the program’s administration and outreach, and an additional $1 million to establish markers or plaques at designated sites to acknowledge the wrongful sterilization of people. It is estimated that at least 600 survivors will be eligible for compensation.
• The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department extended the mask requirement in public settings, according to a Dec. 30 statement. Regardless of vaccination status, all county residents must wear face coverings when in public indoor settings. The order became effective on Jan. 2 and continues until Feb. 1 at 5 p.m.—or until it is extended, rescinded, superseded, or amended. The COVID-19 community transmission level is categorized as “high” in California—and in Santa Barbara County—by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of Dec. 25, the county had a case rate of 33.5 per 100,000 and a test positivity rate of 9.5 percent. To consider rescinding the mask mandate, the county case rate should be 7 per 100,000 people or lower for three consecutive weeks, and hospitalization rates should be low and stable for at least three days. “We are heading into the winter season facing a very different virus compared to last year. Already omicron makes up over 60 percent of new infections in Santa Barbara County,” County Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg said in a statement. “We need a layered approach of protective measures to reduce transmission and severe illness. In addition to vaccination including the booster, wearing a well-fitted mask in public indoor spaces does give additional protection to the wearer and limits transmission of COVID to others. We are asking everyone to help reduce unnecessary illness and suffering by following this order.”
This article appears in Jan 6-13, 2022.