• Disaster Loan Outreach Centers opened at the Solvang Superior Court offices and at the Orcutt Union School District office to help meet the ongoing needs of businesses and community members impacted by the January storms, according to the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) established the centers to provide disaster loan assistance, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) individual assistance representatives will be available as well. SBA encourages businesses of all sizes, nonprofit organizations, homeowners, and renters to visit the loan center for one-on-one assistance with SBA customer service representatives, who will answer questions about the disaster loan program and assist in completing their loan applications. The loans available are low interest, with rates during the initial deferment period at 0 percent for 12 months from the date of initial payment. Homeowners can apply for up to $200,000 to replace or repair their primary residence, and renters may borrow up to $40,000 to replace or repair personal property damaged by the storms. Qualified businesses and most private nonprofit organizations can get physical disaster loans of up to $2 million, which may be used to replace or repair property, machinery, equipment, fixtures, inventory, and leasehold improvements.
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) joined several of his colleagues to introduce the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2023, a comprehensive proposal to protect workers’ rights to come together and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces, according to a March 1 statement from the senator’s office. “Every worker deserves access to the protections offered by unions, which help level the playing field and fight corporate greed,” Padilla said in a statement. “Unions help workers achieve improved working conditions, living wages, and broader benefits. I am committed to ensuring Congress does its part to protect workers and make it easier for them to bargain for fair compensation for their work—that starts with passing the PRO Act.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that nonunion workers earn just 85 percent of what unionized workers earn. Public support for labor unions is also surging—approval of labor unions is at its highest point since 1965, with 71 percent of Americans now supporting unions, according to a 2022 Gallup poll. Despite growing support for unions, union membership has fallen to a new low of 10.1 percent in 2022. Padilla said that the PRO Act would restore fairness to the economy by strengthening the federal laws that protect workers’ rights to join a union and bargain for higher pay, better benefits, and safer workplaces.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the Diablo Canyon Power Plant to tour its facilities and highlight how this source of carbon-free electricity will support energy reliability during California’s clean energy transition, according to a March 2 statement from the governor’s office. On Feb. 28, the California Energy Commission approved a staff analysis recommending the state pursue extending Diablo’s operations through 2030 to ensure electric grid reliability, and on March 2 the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that the Diablo Canyon Power Plant may continue operating beyond its current license expiration dates while the federal agency considers its license renewal application. “As we experienced during the record heat wave last September, climate change-driven extreme events are causing unprecedented stress on our power grid—the Diablo Canyon Power Plant is important to support energy reliability as we accelerate progress toward achieving our clean energy and climate goals,” Newsom said in the statement. “I look forward to our continued work with the Biden-Harris administration and the Legislature to build a reliable and resilient clean electric system.”
This article appears in Mar 9-16, 2023.