• Awaiting consideration from the House of Representatives and Senate, the proposed Water Resources Development Act of 2026 would allocate $66 million in new federal funds for multiple Central Coast-based water projects, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced on July 14. “As a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I’m proud to have secured federal funding in this committee-passed bill to strengthen water infrastructure throughout the Central Coast,” Carbajal stated. “Like many communities across the nation, the Central Coast has some water systems that are aging beyond their intended service life or must be upgraded to accommodate our region’s growth. … As the bill moves toward final consideration, I will continue working to ensure this essential investment is delivered to our communities.” Carbajal listed the cities of Lompoc, Solvang, Morro Bay, and Ojai as beneficiaries, as well as the Los Olivos Community Services District and Summerland Sanitary District. If passed, the Water Resources Development Act will provide $30 million to the Los Olivos Community Services District to complete a proposed septic-to-sewer project that would send wastewater approximately 3.5 miles to a connection point with the city of Solvang for treatment and disposal. “Building a sewer system to solve a problem that has persisted for more than 50 years isn’t glamorous, and it certainly is not easy,” Los Olivos Community Services District President Julie Kennedy said in a July 14 statement. “This investment gives Los Olivos a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build the solution our community has long supported while ensuring that local decisions remain in local hands.” The proposed bill would also provide $2 million to the city of Solvang for water infrastructure improvements, as well as $6.3 million to the city of Lompoc to support its water treatment plant and the construction of a stormwater treatment and flood control system.
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) and six other senators led the reintroduction of the Mamas First Act on July 17. This proposed legislation would amend the Social Security Act to allow doulas, midwives, tribal midwives, and lactation support providers to be reimbursed by Medicaid, according to Padilla’s office. Alongside Padilla, the co-sponsors of the Mamas First Act in the U.S. Senate are U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois). The bill’s endorsers include the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice, the National Health Law Program, the National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community, Black Mamas Matter Alliance Incorporated, the American Association of Birth Centers, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, and several other organizations.
• On July 16, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) sent a letter to U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche demanding that the U.S. Department of Justice launch a federal investigation into potential price gouging by big oil companies and to publicly report its findings. “In April 2026, at the height of the war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, West Texas Intermediate [WTI] crude peaked at $112 per barrel. The price of WTI has since collapsed to as low as $68 per barrel,” Schiff wrote. “While the price of crude has declined by nearly 40 percent, consumers have not seen a commensurate decline in the price of gasoline. … Rather than pass along savings from falling crude oil prices to consumers, oil companies are maintaining high prices and raking billions in profits in the process.”
This article appears in July 23 – July 30, 2026.
