In Your Neighborhood...

Dear Friend,

I just finished up an exciting August, traveling up and down the Central and South Coasts - from Oxnard to San Luis Obispo and points in between - meeting with local residents from all walks of life. We had great discussions on everything from the economy, to progress on women’s equality, to offshore oil drilling. Here are just a few highlights of a very busy month.

I kicked off the month discussing the future of offshore oil drilling with the Environmental Defense Center and Citizens Planning Association in Santa Barbara. People on the Central Coast know all too well the high costs of oil spills, and we discussed legislation recently passed by the House of Representatives to improve the safety of drilling activities across the country in light of the Gulf Oil Spill disaster. Later in the month, I discussed this issue with the head of the new federal agency charged with regulating offshore drilling. He was in Santa Barbara to hear from local experts about ways to prevent future oil spills, like the one in the Gulf.

Also in August, I met with City Corps Youth in Oxnard to discuss the importance of job training programs and education. The City Corps Volunteers and their supervisors do incredible work in our local communities and I was pleased to have the opportunity to thank them for their service.

I also toured UCSB’s Sanford-Burnham Nanomedicine Center. The Center is home to cutting edge medical research, and it was exciting to hear about this work firsthand from the researchers. UCSB has been awarded $37 million in Recovery Act funding to search for the cures of tomorrow, creating jobs at our local university now and setting the groundwork for university-related spinoff businesses in our community.

In Santa Maria, I met with local school officials to discuss how federal education funding has helped keep teachers in the classroom and how we can reform our education system going forward. Children on the Central and South Coasts will grow up in a world competing for jobs with students from China and India. We need to ensure our children get the best possible education both for their future and our country’s.

Finally, after years of hard work, the County of San Luis Obispo was awarded an $87 million dollar Recovery Act grant and loan package to construct a much needed sewer system in Los Osos. The new wastewater system will provide safer, cleaner and more reliable water to Los Osos residents. It will also protect the beautiful Morro Bay National Estuary and create 2,900 jobs in the process.

As always, I welcome your input so please don’t hesitate to contact my offices, visit my website, or "Like" my Facebook page. You will have access to everything from interesting articles to information about how health care reform will benefit you.