• U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barabara) spoke out against President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria calling it “foolish, shortsighted, and not really the right course of action to take.” The comments, posted on Carbajal’s Facebook page Oct. 16, were given in an interview to Cheddar News. Carbajal, a former Marine, joined a chorus of other politicians in decrying the order both on national security and moral grounds. The decision leaves the Kurds, considered by many to be a key ally in the region, alone guarding ISIS prisoners. Shortly after Trump’s decision to withdraw troops, Turkish forces marched on the Syrian Kurds, whom Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan considers terrorists. “This is yet another example of another crisis he has created,” Carbajal said. “This president disregarded the contributions and the support that we have with this ally of the Kurds, which has been instrumental in our fight against ISIS.” Carbajal also sits on the House Armed Services Committee.
• Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) and U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) attended a college affordability town hall meeting on Oct. 11. The event was held at the UC Santa Barbara campus with a panel of five that also included 3rd District Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann. On her Facebook page, Limón wrote: “Thank you to Supervisor Hartmann’s office and Associated Students for organizing the town hall and to all the students present that shared their concerns.”
• Third District Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann announced on Oct. 12 that there’s now a new community center in Isla Vista. “After decades of work, Isla Vista finally has a community center to call its own,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “Thanks to the work of generations of students, residents, activists, county supervisors, the IVCSD [Isla Vista Community Services District], IVYP [Isla Vista Youth Projects Inc.], and County General Services who have all contributed bringing to Isla Vista a community gathering space.” She also thanked her predecessor, Supervisor Doreen Farr.
• Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) announced Oct. 11 plans to introduce a bill that would keep the Diablo Canyon Power Plant operational. “Californians deserve an all-of-the-above approach to fighting climate change. Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, an emission-free source of electricity that supplies the state with 9 percent of its power, needs to be a part of the answer,” Cunningham said. The bill would classify nuclear power as a renewable energy. It would also include provisions on electric provider PG&E that would not approve a bankruptcy or settlement plan that doesn’t include a contingency for continued operation of Diablo Canyon. The bill would also mandate that any sale of the power plant would include $1 billion of the proceeds go to fire victims.
• Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) continued his fight to keep funding for Highway 46 with a post on Facebook. “Last week, my office delivered a letter to the California Transportation Commission opposing a plan to divert money away from the Highway 46 widening along Antelope Grade. The corridor, otherwise known as ‘Blood Alley,’ has a fatality rate three times the statewide average.” He summed up his post by writing, “We need this funding now. Sign my petition today and let’s save lives along this dangerous stretch of highway.”
This article appears in Oct 24-31, 2019.