Politics & Government
Legislative Wrap-Up: What Elected Officials Were Doing This Week
Some of the action involving East Bay politicians in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Napa) introduced legislation to deal with environmental damage caused by illegal marijuana cultivation.
The Protecting Lands Against Narcotics Trafficking (PLANT) act would establish new penalties for damage caused by marijuana growers who trespass onto federal land or private property.
Thompson, who represents northern Contra Costa County, introduced the legislation along with Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and two Republican congressmen.
“There should be stiff penalties for the people whose reckless and illegal actions are causing this environmental damage," said Thompson. "Our legislation will make sure these criminals are held fully responsible for the harm they cause.”
State Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla (D-Concord) will take part in a girls' soccer camp designed to build self-confidence and leadership skills.
The 3rd Annual Taking The World By Storm will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Tesoro Soccer Fields in Concord.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) announced that Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will receive a $2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.
The lab will use the funds to partner with Architecture 2030 to develop a program and technical took kit to help small commercial projects reduce energy costs.
The Department of Energy has taken special interest in addressing energy usage in the commercial sector, which consumes about 20 percent of the nation’s energy.
Rep. Lee also announced $1.2 million in federal funding through the Affordable Care Act for six East Bay community health centers.
The facilities will help uninsured Californians enroll for health care benefits.
“Health care is a human right and this funding goes a long way in ensuring that everyone has unfettered access to health care. As a long-time advocate for universal access to health care and a strong backer of the Affordable Care Act, I am proud to support local efforts to enroll the millions of uninsured Californians into affordable health care plans,” said Lee.
The six grant recipients are the County of Alameda ($138,552), Asian Health Services ($165,645), Children’s Hospital and Research Center ($68,152), La Clinica de la Raza ($473,612), Lifelong Medical Care ($236,826) and the West Oakland Health Council ($176,909).
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