• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) hosted a virtual roundtable discussion with community leaders on addressing gun violence in communities across California, according to a July 7 statement from Padilla’s office. The conversation follows the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act’s passage—which President Joe Biden signed into law in June. “The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is a meaningful and necessary first step towards ending gun violence in America. Today, I spoke with those who know this issue the best and their message is clear: Our work is far from over,” Padilla said in a statement. “Californians and all Americans deserve to live free from the persistent threat of gun violence, and we must continue fighting to secure that future.” Everytown for Gun Safety, Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, and the California Wellness Foundation joined the roundtable on how the legislation will help support local, community-based efforts to make communities safer. “The passage and enactment of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act marks the first significant federal gun safety law in nearly three decades. As the conversation today showed, the key to ensuring the law is as effective as possible at reducing gun violence is engaging with key stakeholders, especially community organizations,” Yasmín Fletcher Braithwaite from Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence said in a statement.
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) applauded the Biden-Harris administration’s announcement to restrict new offshore oil drilling on the California coast for the next five years, according to a July 1 statement from Carbajal’s office. However, the proposal—which is now open for public comment—includes plans for new offshore leases off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, something Carbajal said he opposes. “The Central Coast knows the devastation that oil spills can bring to our community, our wildlife, and our local economies,” Carbajal said in the statement. “I’m disappointed, however, that similar limitations are not in place for other U.S. coastlines like the Gulf Coast. Oil spills pose too great a risk, and while I understand the pressing need to bring down gas prices for Central Coast families, leases approved even tomorrow will do nothing to bring down the price at the pump for years and years to come. And as Big Oil continues to underutilize current leases that they’ve held for years, there is no reason to continue putting our coastlines and marine life at risk.”
• In the wake of escalating violence, California awarded $30.3 million to 12 organizations to address hate crimes by providing services to survivors and facilitating prevention measures, according to a July 7 statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office. A recent report from the California attorney general shows that hate crimes increased by 89 percent over the past decade. In particular, the report noted that anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 177 percent in 2021. “It comes as no surprise that as the flames of hatred and bigotry have been stoked in our society, acts of cowardice and violence have increased at an alarming rate. In California, we are investing millions to prevent this hate from taking hold in our communities. We simply will not tolerate intolerance,” Newsom said in a statement. This increases the $14.3 million in grants given to 80 organizations for prevention intervention services in March. The grants will provide direct mental health and wellness services, legal assistance, case management, and prevention services to deepen understanding and empathy through youth development.
This article appears in Jul 14-21, 2022.
