House passage of the GOP's American Health Care Act on Thursday drew criticism locally from major health care providers, though most said the best plan is to stay calm and see what happens.
Bob Freeman, CEO of CenCal Health, a nonprofit community-based health care organization that contracts with the state to administer Medi-Cal benefits through local care providers in Santa Barbara and… Read more »
Congressman Salud Carbajal introduced a bill to increase the maximum award amount for Pell Grants to the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday.
As of now, the maximum award amount the federal college grant offers is $5,920. Carbajal’s bill, named the Middle Class Creating Higher Education Affordability Necessary to Compete Economically (C.H.A.N.C.E.) Act, aims to increase… Read more »
President Donald Trump’s April 28 executive order seeking new offshore oil and gas drilling leases in the Outer Continental Shelf omitted waters in the Pacific region—at least, for now.
The order, called the America-First Offshore Energy Strategy, directs Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to review and consider revising the current five-year moratorium on new drilling… Read more »
The U.S. military's top Pacific chief was in the hot seat Wednesday at a House hearing and took the blame for apparent miscommunication over the USS Carl Vinson carrier's movements amid the rising tensions with North Korea.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said in an interview the military was sending "an armada" to the Korean Peninsula and reports at the time… Read more »
The Pentagon’s top commander in the Pacific accepted full responsibility on Wednesday for a bewildering chain of events this month that mistakenly left the impression that the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson was rushing to confront an increasingly belligerent North Korea, when it was not.
“That’s my fault for the confusion,” the officer, Adm. Harry B. Harris… Read more »
Hundreds of people filled El Chorro Regional Park in San Luis Obispo Saturday to celebrate Earth Day.
It was the 27th Annual San Luis Obispo County Earth Day Fair. The event included March for Science activities, a green car show, eco-marketplace, and kid's zone.
"Hopefully all the children and all the adults realize this is a day of celebrating the earth," said Sandra Marshall, the… Read more »
Congressman Salud Carbajal addressed issues concerning health care, the federal government, veterans’ services, and even the not-so-popular Western Snowy Plover during a discussion Thursday with Lompoc residents and community leaders.
Carbajal, a Democrat who represents the 24th District, was in Lompoc for a full day of activities that kicked off with a presentation and then… Read more »
Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) has introduced legislation that would make it easier for tens of thousands of federal firefighters, many of them in California, to get disability benefits.
Firefighters for the federal departments of Defense, Interior, and Agriculture have to prove exactly what job-related experience made them sick to get coverage from the federal government. For… Read more »
Several local law enforcement and fire department professionals were honored Thursday night at the annual Public Safety Awards banquet put on by the Lompoc Elks Lodge.
There were more than 200 people in attendance, including several elected officials, as the Elks Lodge honored representatives from nine agencies, including the Lompoc Police and Fire departments, the Santa Barbara… Read more »
- Firefighters who work for federal agencies including Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department do not have the same disability and workers compensation benefits as their colleagues in other state and local agencies.
They chose the Allan Hancock College Public Safety Academy in Lompoc Thursday afternoon to draw attention to the disparity in federal firefighter health benefits and the… Read more »
