• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) joined a bipartisan group of 20 senators in calling on President Joe Biden to establish a White House Task Force on Global Sporting Events in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (which will include matches held in California), the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 2031 Rugby World Cup, and the 2034 Salt Lake City Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to an Aug. 15 statement from Padilla’s office. The task force would oversee the preparation and security of the games, including efforts to improve international visa processing. “We urge the White House to establish a White House Task Force on Global Sporting Events to oversee preparation and securing the games, specifically through international visa processing, security scenario training, incident response, transportation, diplomatic security, intelligence gathering and dissemination, and securing critical protective assets,” the senators wrote in their letter to Biden. “To ensure the success of these events, preparations must be made to facilitate smooth and secure travel to the United States for our international guests. … Similarly, the success of these events is dependent on the ability of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to work together to ensure the safety of the games and, if necessary, respond to critical incidents.”
• Cal Fire announced grants for 94 local wildfire prevention projects across California, supported by $90.8 million in state funding, according to an Aug. 20 statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. Over the last five years, Cal Fire has awarded more than $450 million in its Wildfire Prevention Grants Program to more than 450 projects across the state. “In addition to huge investments in personnel, equipment, and technology, proactively building community resilience to wildfires is another key part of California’s strategy to reduce the impact of catastrophic wildfires,” Newsom said in the statement. “These investments support local fuel reduction, forest health and other projects that build natural resilience and protect lives and property in at-risk communities from the intensifying impacts of climate change.” Wildfire Prevention Grant projects include hazardous fuels reduction and wildfire prevention planning and education, with an emphasis on improving public health and safety while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. More than two-thirds of the awards were distributed to low-income and disadvantaged communities. San Luis Obispo County received grant funding for 19 wildfire prevention projects in nine wildland urban interface communities, treating hazardous vegetation through prescribed grazing, shaded fuel breaks, roadside clearance, forest thinning, and prescribed fire.
• State Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) held a rally in support of her legislation to remove medical debt from credit reports on Aug. 15, according to Limón’s office. The California Nurses Association, Health Access California, Consumer Federation of America, California Public Interest Research group, and the National Consumer Law Center joined Limón in the rally. “SB 1061 is the strongest legislation in the nation to protect consumers from the ruinous effects of damaged credit simply because they sought out necessary medical care,” according to the statement from Limón’s office. “Recently Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would move to prohibit medical bills from being included on credit reports, but this proposed rule does not include debt accumulated on medical credit cards or specialty loans. SB 1061 fills in that gap.” Additionally, SB 1061 will provide California consumers relief starting in January, while the proposed federal rule remains under consideration.
