• After the U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of Russian national Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova for interfering in the 2018 midterm elections, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) released a statement, saying it was "yet another example of ongoing Russian efforts to interfere in our electoral process." "Russia continues to use social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to sow division and spread propaganda," Feinstein said. "In particular, the indictment alleges that Russia sought to spread false information about widespread voter fraud in California. Dangerous lies about voter fraud have also been spread by President [Donald] Trump and conservative commentators. There is no widespread voter fraud in California, or any other state."
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California) announced new legislation called the LIFT (Livable Incomes for Families Today) the Middle Class Act, which would give middle-class and working families a tax credit of up to $6,000 a year, or up to $500 a month, for cost of living relief. A release from Harris' office sited a survey that found that 57 percent of Americans "do not have enough cash to cover a $500 unexpected expense." "Americans are working harder than ever, but stagnant wages mean they can't keep up with cost of living increases," Harris stated. "We should put money back into the pockets of American families to address rising costs of child care, housing, tuition, and other expenses. Our tax code should reflect our values instead of more tax breaks for the top 1 percent and corporations, we should be lifting up millions of American families."
• Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) faced Republican challenger Justin Fareed in a candidates forum event on Oct. 21, debating immigration, sanctuary policies, and President Donald Trump. Both are facing off for the 24th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Carbajal won out the seat over Fareed in 2016. According to realclearpolitics.com, a website that tracks polling and various political races, the 24th District is projected as "Likely Democratic." According a July poll from Olive Tree Strategies, a partisan pollster commissioned by Fareed's campaign, the race was neck and neck.
• Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill authored by Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) in September, AB 2178, which aims to establish a new category of feeding operation for limited charitable food operations. The goal of the bill was to "give local charitable food donors and regulators flexibility" to lawfully donate food that's "served safely," according to a legislative update from Limón's office. An Oct. 16 article in the East Bay Express spoke with Keith McHenry of the organization Food Not Bombs, which has seen multiple members arrested for feeding people in the Bay Area. McHenry said the legislation wasn't helpful to his organization or the homeless they serve due to packaging requirements and restrictions. "We'd end up in a situation where we're trying to raise money ... to buy packaged food to give out, which would be wholly inadequate to people living on the streets," he said.
• Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) visited the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant on Oct. 19, sharing photos from his visit on his official Facebook page and writing about the importance of the plant for the Central Coast's energy and employment opportunities. The plant is scheduled to close nuclear operations in 2024. In September of this year, Gov. Jerry Grown signed a bill authored by Cunningham and state Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) that directs the California Public Utilities Commission to approve an $85 million settlement with PG&E to help offset effects of the closure. "Passing legislation that will mitigate the closure of the plant, support our local economy, and ensure that the plant remains open until the end of the operating license is my proudest legislative achievement," Cunningham wrote in the Facebook post.
