Political Watch

• U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) announced via social media that she would seek re-election for California’s open Senate seat in the 2018 election. “I am running for re-election to the Senate,” Feinstein posted on Twitter. “Lots more to do: ending gun violence, combating climate change, access to health care. I’m all in!”

• U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California) introduced an amendment to the 2018 Budget Resolution during a Budget Committee hearing on Oct. 5, which was unanimously approved by the committee. The amendment would prioritize funding for worker training programs, according to a release from Harris’ office. She also introduced amendments that focused on fighting against cuts to Medicare and protecting middle class families from unfair tax increases, according to the release. “This fund would invest in training programs to help employers upskill their current workers to fill positions that need filling and it would also invest in apprenticeships, allowing workers to retrain for new industries while learning on the job so there will be no loss of income,” Harris said in the release. “I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. There’s a moment in time right now where the workers of America need help transitioning to the economies of the 21st century.”

• U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Kamala Harris (D-California) introduced the St. Francis Dam Disaster Memorial Act to the Senate floor on Oct. 5, which would establish a national memorial to honor the lives lost in the 1928 St. Francis Dam disaster that killed 431 Californians. According to a release from Harris’ office, the St. Francis Dam disaster was California’s second largest tragedy in terms of lives lost. “We should not forget the hundreds of lives lost during one of the worst tragedies in California’s history,” Harris said in the statement. “And while this monument will serve as a reminder of the consequences of a failure of infrastructure, it offers a lesson going forward.” The bill would also establish a 440-acre national monument around the area that would be managed by the U.S. Forest Service, according to the release.

• Santa Barbara businessman Justin Fareed (R-Santa Barbara) filed papers with the Federal Election Commission on Aug. 16 for his third run for Congress. Fareed, 29, ran against Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) in 2016 for California’s 24th Congressional District and lost by 6.6 percent of the vote. Fareed isn’t the only Republican eyeing the Carbajal’s seat. Michael Erin Woody (R-Morro Bay) announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 16. Woody, 50, owns a construction company in San Luis Obispo.

• California Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) launched a new contest called “There Oughta Be a Law,” which calls on constituents for ideas for legislation. According to a release from Limón’s office, constituents are invited to submit ideas or proposals for new state laws, which can cover any issue regarding anything local or statewide. “Some of the best ideas of our state have come from students, veterans, and just regular folks who saw a problem and had a solution. If you have ever thought to yourself, ‘There oughta be a law,’ or even, ‘That should not be a law,’ this contest is for you,” Limón said in a statement. “I want you to share your bill ideas with me, inspired by your daily experiences, ideas that will make California better.” If selected, the release said, winners of the contest may be able to travel to Sacramento to testify before the Assembly Committee on the merits of the bill. Submissions are accepted through Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. and can be submitted at asmdc.org/limon.