Santa Clarita Congressman Garcia Secures Federal Funding To Support CA25
Congressman Mike Garcia, (R-Santa Clarita) secured the allocation of funds to support programs for community advancement in the areas of science, health priorities, law enforcement and commerce, among others.
Among other issues, the funding is meant to be used to help prevent wildfires, support workforce readiness programs and support law enforcement within California’s 25th District, including the Santa Clarita Valley.
Announced Friday, the funding for the 25th Congressional district is included in the FY2022 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill, and the FY2022 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill, according to Garcia’s office.
Garcia Calls For Pay Raise For Military Personnel
Congressman Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, called for a military pay raise Tuesday.
Garcia argued for an amendment to a Department of Defense bill increasing military base pay to $15 an hour during a House Appropriations Committee meeting on July 13.
“I personally think it is a travesty and an insult to our military members and their families that they have to serve approximately three years and gain the rank of E4 before they are at or above what many states consider to be minimum wage,” Garcia said. “And that assumes they are working 40 hours a week, which we know most of our junior enlisted members are actually not. They are usually working anywhere from 50 – 60 hours a week given the operational tempo.”
Garcia Discusses Bill Supporting Santa Clarita Residents Affected By PSPS
This week Congressman Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, spoke to the House Appropriations Committee on his added language to a new bill that could reportedly lead to reimbursing generator costs by victims of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).
A new bill that could end up supporting victims of power shut-offs was contributed to by Garcia, and this week the congressman spoke on his additions to the legislation.
“In California, the public utilities shut off our power any time the wind is above 25 miles per hour, or humidity falls below 20 percent,” Garcia said. “These conditions, in any case, last for several days and we’ve had constituents without power who are on well water, effectively without water, for up to four days at a time.”
Congressman Garcia Raises Concerns In President Biden’s Issue Of Cyber Attacks On U.S. Companies
Congressman Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, and other lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe Biden last week regarding Biden’s inactivity in resolving several cyberattacks on U.S. companies.
The highest concern Garcia and other lawmakers had mentioned in the letter involving the cyberattacks are the attacks upon José Batista Sobrinho (JBS), USA-North America’s largest meatpacker, according to officials.
“We cannot allow American companies and infrastructure to become vulnerable to cyberthreats,” Garcia said. “America is the leader of the Free World and our lack of action in addressing these attacks sets a dangerous precedent for the future.”
Garcia cited an increase in violent crime attributed to the illegal growers.
“These operations are putting our constituents and our residents in harm’s way, they’re threatening them on a daily basis,” Garcia said. “We’re getting testimony daily from our constituents about how they’re being threatened, in many cases with firearms and extreme violence.”
Additionally, the growers have unlawfully drained the Antelope Valley’s water resources by knocking over fire hydrants and stealing water from farmers in the area during the night, according to Villanueva.
He also said pesticides from the grows contaminate the local water supply, and that waste from the grows has filled parts of the desert that used to be clear.