Political Watch: May 22, 2025

Your weekly dose of local news, arts, and culture. Our News Wire newsletter lands every Thursday with the stories shaping Northern Santa Barbara County

SEND ME THE HEADLINES!

• On May 14, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined immigration advocates and some of his colleagues at a press conference to speak out against anti-immigrant provisions in Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill—such as increased funding for the border wall and immigrant detention centers, according to Padilla’s office. The National Immigration Law Center hosted the conference. “I know we still believe that real reform is still possible,” Padilla said at the event. “Because, yes, we all know we need a secure and orderly and humane border, but we also need to create the pathways to citizenship for the millions that have earned it and deserve it. And we will get there. We will get there together. But the next steps in this effort begin with fighting back on the cruelty of the proposed reconciliation plan put forth by Republicans.” Padilla concluded his remarks by calling on Republicans to work with Democrats to modernize the United States’ immigration system, according to Padilla’s office.

• U.S. Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) and Mike Ezell (R-Mississippi) introduced the Mariner Exam Modernization Act, which directs the U.S. Coast Guard to develop and implement a plan to modernize the Merchant Mariner Credentialing exam, aiming to eliminate redundancies and improve efficiency. “The men and women pursuing careers in the maritime industry shouldn’t be held back by an antiquated credentialing system,” Carbajal said in a statement. “The Mariner Exam Modernization Act is a common-sense step to ensure our licensing process reflects the skills mariners actually need on the job—eliminating redundancy, updating outdated requirements, and making the path to certification more efficient. This legislation is about strengthening our maritime workforce and ensuring the Coast Guard’s processes keep pace with the needs of the 21st century.” On behalf of USA Maritime, Chairman Brian Schoeneman stated that the maritime industry “continues to evolve and change, but the Coast Guard’s licensing exam hasn’t.” The Mariner Exam Modernization Act will “remove redundancies, ensure testing isn’t duplicative with other licensing requirements,” Schoeneman added. “We look forward to working with Congress to pass this bill and remove one more impediment to creating new Merchant Marine officers.”

• U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) took part in his first hearing as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property on Foreign Threats to American Innovation and Economic Leadership on May 14. In his opening remarks, Schiff highlighted the need for American goods and intellectual property to be protected from foreign counterfeits, piracy, and infringement, according to Schiff’s office. “Business owners from California to North Carolina, from Tennessee to Hawaii, and everywhere in between should have the confidence that their patents, copyrights, and trademarks are not being infringed by copycat companies overseas,” Schiff stated. “American consumers should have confidence when they buy a product advertised as coming from an American company, that they are getting the real deal—not a counterfeit version from overseas that does not comply with the same safety or manufacturing standards as required in the United States.” The country’s leading tech companies “must be confident that they can innovate without worrying about their trade secrets being stolen by foreign competitors,” Schiff added, “especially companies that are developing artificial intelligence models that are so important to our national security. When companies abroad steal detailed information about American firms, … it makes it easier to surpass us in the global race to develop AI and so many other innovations.”

This article appears in May 22 – Jun 1, 2025.