• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) announced that he recently secured several top water infrastructure priorities for California through the unanimous U.S. Senate passage of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024, according to an Aug. 2 statement from Padilla’s office. The legislation includes provisions Padilla fought for to address the Tijuana River transboundary sewage crisis, to invest in salmon recovery and habitat restoration around the Sacramento River Basin, and to provide the Army Corps of Engineers with enhanced drought and flood control authorities. The Senate and House of Representatives have each passed their respective versions of the Water Resources Development Act, which will now be conferenced to produce final legislation. “California communities are bearing the brunt of climate catastrophes, from toxic sewage jeopardizing public health, to the plummeting Chinook salmon populations threatening fishery livelihoods, to devastating atmospheric river storms coming on the heels of extreme drought,” Padilla said in the statement. “The provisions I secured in this bill will bolster California’s water infrastructure resilience in the face of increasingly extreme weather. I look forward to working with my House and Senate colleagues to make sure these critical California priorities become law.”
• Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Clean California initiative celebrated three years of service in statewide beautification and cleanup projects, according to a July 30 statement from Newsom’s office. “For decades, trash piled up on California’s highways and in our communities without a concerted, comprehensive effort to clean it up,” Newsom said in a statement. “Three years ago, Clean California became our answer. Countless neighborhoods in every corner of our state are cleaner and healthier thanks to Clean California.” Launched in July 2021, the $1.2 billion initiative has hauled away more than 2.6 million cubic yards of litter—enough to cover nine lanes of Interstate 5 with an inch of trash from San Diego to the Canadian border—hosted more than 500 free dump days in communities across the state, enlisted nearly 60,000 community cleanup volunteers, created more than 18,000 jobs, and collected more than 12,000 mattresses and 50,000 tires. So far, 94 of 312 projects have been completed, and another 171 are expected to be finished in the next 12 months, according to the governor’s office.
• U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-California) recently visited Mexico where she joined discussions with several of her Senate colleagues on the root causes of migration, the impact of U.S.-supported economic development programs in the region, the U.S.’s trade relationship with Mexico, joint security initiatives in action, and how the country can build its existing relationship with Mexico, according to a July 24 statement from Butler’s office. Mexico is a key U.S. partner in addressing irregular migration and tackling security concerns including human and drug trafficking. As the largest goods trading partner with the U.S., Mexico also plays a vital role in the U.S. economy. Throughout the trip, the delegation met with a wide variety of public officials in order to better understand the factors at play in stemming migration flows across the Western Hemisphere and supporting our mutual economic prosperity. “I was glad to have joined a bipartisan, bicameral delegation to Mexico deepening the relationship with our biggest trading partners and celebrating President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum,” Butler said in the statement. “Our conversations reinforced the partnership between our nations as both countries work to ensure the human rights and prosperity of our peoples. This timely visit underscored the importance of addressing the root causes of migration, border security, and economic development opportunities.”