Another election season is behind us now, with all of the ballots tallied up. All of Long Beach’s state and federal representatives won their reelection campaigns and will be remaining in office.
While it may be tempting to ignore politics for a while now that the elections are over, it is always important for constituents to pay attention to what their elected officials are doing.
Robert Garcia – U.S. Representative for California’s 42nd Congressional District
Translation Requirements for Immigrants: Garcia led Latino members of Congress in urging the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to begin handling translations for documents submitted by congressional offices.
Congressional offices assist their constituents with their immigration cases. Currently, the congressional offices are required to provide translated versions of any non-English documents they receive from their constituents before submitting them to USCIS. Congressional offices are also required to provide the certification of the translator that worked on the document.
“Our limited staff are often forced to spend hours translating constituents’ documentation and outreach into English on our constituents’ behalf before submitting these materials to your agency,” said the Congress members in a letter to USCIS. “ […] The current translation requirement creates an undue and unnecessary barrier and casts doubt on our commitment to equity and equal protection.”
USCIS has not yet publicly responded to the lawmakers’ letter.
Marjorie Taylor Greene: On Feb. 6, U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene stormed out of a congressional hearing on crime in Washington D.C., after Garcia criticized her and accused her of hypocrisy due to her support of inmates charged with breaking into the capital on Jan. 6.
Garcia later called Taylor Greene insane on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
On Feb. 15., during a hearing about the public’s trust in vaccines, Garcia came prepared with large printed versions of some of Greene’s statements about the COVID-19 vaccine, including a tweet in which she likened vaccinated workers to Jews during the Holocaust.
During a House hearing last month, Garcia came with an image depicting border solutions suggested by Donald Trump and other Republican lawmakers, including an alligator moat, electrified fence, armed soldiers and fighter jets.
On Feb. 15, Garcia tweeted that Taylor Greene had reprinted the image and hung it outside her office. The tweet included a picture of Garcia standing between the image and Taylor Greene’s office plaque on the wall behind him.
Garcia called the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas a “political sham” orchestrated by Taylor Greene. Mayorkas was impeached for enacting the Biden administration’s border policy, following a resolution brought forward by Taylor Greene.
Lena Gonzalez – California State Senator for the 33rd District
Bill to Address Health Disparities for Latino and Indigenous Communities: Gonzalez introduced Senate Bill 1016, The Latino and Indigenous Health Disparities Reduction Act on Feb. 5. If passed, the bill would require that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Department of Social Services (DSS) collect and analyze comprehensive health data focusing on Latino and Indigenous communities.
This initiative is influenced by the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on these communities, with Latinos and Indigenous Mesoamericans experiencing higher rates of infections and deaths in California compared to the general public.
“It behooves us to build the infrastructure needed to better reach and serve our Latine and Indigenous Mesoamerican communities. Without the data, it’s nearly impossible for decision-makers to adequately prioritize equitable funding for solutions to new and ongoing health crises,” Gonzalez said in a public statement.
Appointment to California Senate Majority Leader: Gonzalez was appointed to the role of Senate Majority Leader on Feb. 8. Her new responsibilities will include keeping the rest of the democratic caucus abreast of legislative tasks for each day, as well as scheduling business on the senate floor.
Climate Resilient Schools Act: Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) has put forth Senate Bill 1182, known as the Climate Resilient Schools Act, aiming to fortify California’s schools against climate change impacts, while lowering their greenhouse gas emissions.
The bill mandates the California Energy Commission (CEC) to craft a comprehensive Master Plan, addressing sustainability and resilience in school infrastructures. This initiative seeks to engage stakeholders, tackle policy gaps and ensure equitable resource allocation. In a public statement, Gonzalez said the bill is influenced by the disproportionate impact of climate change on low-income communities and students of color.
The proposed legislation is set for further deliberation in upcoming committee hearings.
Opportunity 4 All Act: Gonzalez stated her support for Assembly Bill 2586, which would allow all students, regardless of immigration status to work on-campus jobs while enrolled in the University of California, California State University, and California Community College systems.
“I proudly stand in support of AB 2586 Opportunity for All, alongside the thousands of students enrolled across our state’s higher education public campuses who are still left out and told they have no right to gainful employment,” said Gonzalez in a public statement.
“Every student should have equitable access to employment opportunities at California’s public college campuses, regardless of their immigration status. The Golden State’s robust economic position as the fifth largest economy in the world is significantly shaped by the remarkable skills and dedication of a diverse workforce, which includes our undocumented students.”
Nanette Díaz Barragán – U.S. representative for California’s 44th Congressional District
Creating Hope Reauthorization Act: U.S. Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (CA-44) and fellow legislators have introduced the Creating Hope Reauthorization Act of 2024, aiming to renew the Creating Hope Act of 2011. This act extends an FDA program that encourages pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs for children with rare pediatric diseases.
Under this program, the FDA would take six months to review a new medication rather than the usual ten months. The program was originally slated to last until September 2024, but if this bill passes it will be extended to September 2028.
“The majority of rare diseases do not have an FDA-approved treatment, and children are disproportionately represented among the rare disease patient population. The Creating Hope Act has incentivized the development of new drugs to treat childhood cancers and other rare pediatric diseases,” Barragán said. “I am proud to join my colleagues to reauthorize this critical program and ensure children have access to innovative, FDA-approved treatments.”
Letter to EPA: Barragán and other lawmakers wrote a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Feb. 22 urging it to prioritize the approval of pending California Clean Air Act waiver requests. If accepted, these requests would establish stricter air quality regulations than what is required by the federal government.
These requests encompass regulations covering various aspects of air pollution, like clean fleets and locomotives. The letter emphasizes the importance of California’s authority to establish stringent air quality standards, especially considering transportation’s significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
Stakeholder analysis suggests these regulations could save lives and generate substantial health benefits, according to a public statement by Barragán.
Senate Border Deal Statement: As chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Barragán criticized the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024, which tied funding for border security to military aid to Israel and Ukraine.
In a public statement, Barragán said the bill would “gut asylum and could set back real bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform ten to fifteen years, for temporary aid.”
Barragán also said it was a mistake to combine immigration and border security issues with foreign aid.
“The Congressional Hispanic Caucus was not invited, included, or consulted on the provisions and compromises that were made in this bill,” Barragán said in a public statement. “Imagine a civil rights or criminal justice bill negotiated without the Congressional Black Caucus at the table. That would not happen – rightfully so.”
Liquified Natural Gas Exports: Barragán expressed her opposition to House Bill 7176, which if passed would end the requirement for Liquid National Gas exporters to obtain permission from the Department of Energy before shipping their product to other nations.
Barragán tweeted that the bill “would strip away the Dept. of Energy’s ability to examine the full impacts of Liquified Natural Gas exports on our climate, consumer energy costs, & our communities.”
Josh Lowenthal – U.S. Representative for California’s 69th Assembly District
PANS/PANDAS: Lowenthal introduced Assembly Bill 2105, aiming to provide health insurance coverage for children suffering from Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS). These inflammatory brain diseases are often misdiagnosed, and families often have to wait months until the proper treatment is approved by health insurance providers.
AB 2105 seeks to increase awareness and access to treatment for PANS and PANDAS. The bill would require insurance providers to pay for the treatment of PANS and PANDAS ordered by a physician, and would prohibit insurance providers from delaying or denying coverage for PANS and PANDAS treatment.
This comes after Governor Gavin Newsom’s veto of a similar bill initiated by Lowenthal, AB 907, in October.
Bill to Expand Access to Opt-Out Preference Signals: Lowenthal introduced AB 3048 in an effort to enhance consumer privacy rights online. The bill would mandate browsers and devices to allow consumers to exercise their privacy preferences through opt-out signals, which enable consumers to choose not to sell or share their personal data when surfing the web.
Despite California’s Consumer Privacy Act granting consumers the right to halt the sale and sharing of personal information via opt-out signals, major browsers like Google Chrome and Apple Safari lack technical support for users who want to opt-out of sharing their data.
Online consumers are already familiar with being asked to allow cookies and share data upon visiting a new website. If passed, major web browsers such as Google would be forced to allow consumers to set blanket privacy settings through the browser, rather than having to individually opt-out of sharing data for each website visited.
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