By Renée Owens, President, Wild Zone Conservation League

“Be aware that if any of my students made the statements you are erroneously posing as fact they would fail the course…”—Reneé Owens, environmental science instructor

February 19, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- Yesterday I sent my Congressional Representative, Duncan Hunter Jr., a message urging him not to weaken or dismantle our Environmental Protection Agency, as the 2017 Congress is threatening to do. If anything the agency needs strengthening and more funds to do their jobs. Today he responded, telling me the EPA is a big problem. I know something about the EPA in my line of work, so I felt obligated to respond:

By Miriam Raftery

February 17, 2017 (Washington  D.C.) – President Donald Trump has announced a new nominee to head up the Department of Labor, following  fast food executive Andrew Puzder’s withdrawal of his nomination.  The new nominee, Alexander Acosta, has extensive experience in labor and the law.  If confirmed by the Senate,  Acosta will also be the first Hispanic in Trump’s cabinet.

East County News Service

Rep. Vargas denounces exclusion as “unacceptable”, says Trump actions are creating “chaos around the nation”

February 16, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – Several Hispanic members of Congress including Congressman Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) were booted out of a bipartisan meeting with the acting director of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by Speaker Paul Ryan’s staff, reportedly on orders from President Donald Trump.

Legislators grapple with options to plug gap left by falling gas tax revenues

By Miriam Raftery

February 16, 2017 (Sacramento) – The California Transportation Commission last week approved a 38% decrease in funding for road and transit projects, a drop of $754 million over the next five years. The cut is due to falling gasoline tax revenues, the Los Angeles Times reports.  That’s left legislators scrambling for proposals to find alternative ways to fund transportation projects impacting counties statewide, which have been asked to list projects to delay or delete completely.

AB 568, AB 569, & AB 570 Would Add Strong New Legal Protection for Women in the Workplace

East County News Service

February 16, 2017 (Sacramento) – On Valentine’s Day, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) introduced a trio of heartfelt bills to protect working women who become pregnant.

By Miriam Raftery

February 15, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – CNN reports that President Donald Trump’s nominee for Labor Secretary, Andrew Puzder, has been withdrawn due to growing opposition in Congress as well as from organized labor.

By Jonathan Goetz

February 14, 2017 (Lemon Grove) -- Newly elected Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez forwarded to a list of committee assignments for Council members to a dramatically altered City Council following the November elections.

Protesters storm town halls, march on Wall Street and call for national strike Feb. 17

By May Strong

February 11, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) - It’s been a rough week for some Republican Congressional members backing the Trump agenda, as well as for a cabinet appointee.  They’ve been dogged by vocal protests at airports, town hall meetings, schools and even their own homes. Meanwhile a national strike is being organized on February 17 for all who seek to resist Trump.

By Miriam Raftery

February 11, 2017 (Washington D.C.) — An estimated 42,000 eligible voters, most of them minorities, were denied their right to vote in George due to minor typos and data entry errors. In a landmark settlement for voting rights advocates, the state of Georgia has agreed it will no longer use the “exact match” system. The suit had contended that the system violated voters’ constitutional rights.

By Miriam Raftery

February 11, 2017 (El Cajon) – As we reported Friday morning, a group of constituents presented Rep. Duncan Hunter’s office in El Cajon with a petition signed by 500 voters asking the Congressman to hold a public town hall meeting where they could share concerns on various issues.  Hunter aide Joe Kasper told the Los Angeles Times that Hunter has held town hall meetings in the past, including telephone town halls.

By Miriam Raftery

February 10, 2017 (El Cajon) – Across the nation,  members of Congress are drawing large overflow crowds at town hall meetings since the election of President Donald Trump, with many people voicing concerns over various policies.  But Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) has refused  a request from constituents who presented a petition Tuesday with 500 signatures asking for a town hall meeting with their Congressman.

By Miriam Raftery

February 9, 2017 (Seattle) – In a unanimous verdict in State of Washington v. Trump, a three-judge panel on the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against President Donald Trump and refused to reinstate a travel ban on refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim nations.  That means admission to the U.S. will resume for refugees  and for immigrants who are citizens of of Iran, Iraq, Libya Sudan, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, as well as green card holders with permanent residency in the U.S.

In their decision, the judges wrote, “The Government has pointed to no evidence that any alien from any of the countries named in the Order has perpetrated a terrorist attack in the United States. Rather than present evidence to explain the need for the Executive Order, the Government has taken the position that we must not review its decision at all. We disagree…”

By Miriam Raftery

February 7, 2017 (El Cajon) – A protest outside the El Cajon office of Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) today drew about 50 to 60 constituents, undaunted by rainy weather.

Several met with Hunter’s staff inside while others rallied on the street outside.

By Miriam Raftery

February 7, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – For the first time in history, the Vice President had to cast the deciding vote on a cabinet nominee.  Betsy DeVos was confirmed 51-50 as Secretary of Education, with all Democrats voting no, along with two Republicans (Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska). 

By Miriam Raftery

February 3, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – Decisions made this week are drawing criticisms over President Donald Trump’s handling of sensitive foreign policy and military decisions—and who is involved in making those decisions.

Top officials for past Republican and Democratic presidents have spoken out against Trump’s executive order giving political advisor Steve Bannon a full seat on the principals committee of the National Security Council, while limiting the Director of National Intelligence and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from attending National Security Council meetings except when it considers issues in their direct areas of responsibilities, the New York Times reports.

Bannon’s last job was publishing Brietbart news, a mouthpiece for alt-right, white supremacist, anti-immigrant and conspiracy theory stories as well as conservative news.  Bannon is also an ex-Navy surface warfare officer who has  worked as an investment banker and Hollywood producer.