Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today, high school students got up from their desks and walked out of their classes to take a stand against gun violence and for school safety. From the east coast of Florida to the central coast of California, students left their classrooms for 17 minutes to remember the 17 lives lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and to demand that Congress take action on gun violence.

Now, today, Mr. Speaker, I commend you. We acted together to pass the STOP School Violence Act for school safety and security, but with all due respect, Mr. Speaker, that is not enough, and it is time we come together to pass commonsense reforms that have broad support across our Nation, from banning bump stocks to repealing the Dickey amendment, to fixing our system of background checks.

We all appreciate the emotion and passion by the high school students all across our country, but we realize, as they do, that thoughts and prayers only go so far. So now it is up to Congress to govern not just by crisis, but actually by leadership to make our schools, our communities, and our country safer.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a lifelong LULAC member and community activist of the Central Coast community, Crecencio Cruz Padilla.

Born in Mexico City, Mr. Padilla arrived in Monterey County in 1953 and worked as a farmworker for Driscoll's Berries. During the 1960's, Castroville's Head Start Program hired Mr. Padilla as a Community Liaison where he had an opportunity to work with farmworker families. Education was very important to Mr. Padilla, and he decided to take part-time classes at Hartnell College focusing on criminal law. That experience led him to advocate

for community members accused of committing crimes. Mr. Padilla went on to become an investigator at the Monterey County Public Defender's Office in 1974 where he worked until his retirement in 1997.

Mr. Padilla was also a pioneering civil-rights activist in Monterey County. In 1972, he founded the North Monterey County Chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a civil rights advocacy organization. Mr. Padilla, alongside Cesar Chavez, was also a strong supporter of the United Farm Workers in their fight for unionization.

Mr. Padilla spent his life fighting to help those in the community of little means. In one account, Mr. Padilla demanded that the city of Salinas form a police review board after a string of officer involved incidents. Mr. Padilla also helped community members in generous ways that did not make headlines. He defended a countless number of people and was known to take in families he found without shelter at the courthouse. In 2012, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the La Raza Lawyers Association, and the Alisal Betterment Association dedicated a Lady Justice statue at the National Steinbeck Center in honor of Mr. Padilla's work. Mr. Padilla's legacy as a passionate advocate for his community will stand the test of time.

Crecencio Padilla's legacy is defined by his dedication to his family as well. His children remember him as ``an amazing father and husband,'' who gave love and support to all his family. He was a role model for his family and the Central Coast community. His legacy will live on in the memories of those of us who had the honor to know him. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the House join me in honoring Crecencio Padilla.

Mr. Speaker, for 40 years, Congress has funded the bipartisan Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

For close to 42 million Americans, SNAP provides food security and the freedom to choose what you want to eat, from fresh fruits and vegetables to milk and meat, to sandwich bread and even ice cream sandwiches.

But last week, the Trump administration released a budget proposal that would gut this critical lifeline by a third and completely change what food they get and how they get it.

Instead of being able to go to the store and select fresh food at the supermarket, the corner market, the rural market, or even the farmer's market, half the benefits would now come in a periodic delivery of a cardboard box filled with cheap peanut butter, canned goods, uncooked pasta, dry cereal, and something called shelf-stable milk.

I get that we want to get people who can work to work, but on the central coast of California, 63,000 people rely on over $127 million worth of SNAP benefits to meet their own family's needs.

Those same benefits provide local businesses with over $227 million in economic activity. That is why the administration's proposal to change SNAP won't work for the families and the store owners that I represent, and it will not work for many of the Americans that you represent.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a couple of Olympic athletes from my district on the central coast of California.

Brita Sigourney and Nick Cunningham will be representing Team USA at the Olympics in South Korea.

Brita attended the same schools I went to, Carmel High and UC Davis. She is a freestyle skier, and she is the first woman to land a 1080 in competition at the halfpipe run, and she is one of the top female freestyle skiers in the world.

Nick is a bobsledder. He also went to one of the schools I went to: Monterey Peninsula College. He is a sergeant in the Army National Guard and a member of the Army's World Class Athlete Program.

Starting this Friday, Brita and Nick will compete on the world stage under the stars and stripes of our flag.

As we know, the Olympics is an event where many different people from different places come together and compete with one another for the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, and in doing so, they provide their opponents with dignity and respect.

Hopefully we here in Washington will not only watch the Olympics, but we will learn from Olympians like Brita and Nick, because it is our hometown athletes who not only understand what it takes to win, they know what it takes to represent the best team at the Olympics and the best country in the world.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and remember Darby Worth, an activist, a community member of my hometown, and most importantly, she was one of the teachers at my elementary school.

Mrs. Worth, as I knew her, worked 20 years at Tularcitos Elementary School, the school where I went and my daughters go today. Now, I didn't know that at the time, but many years ago before she was a teacher, she was well versed in environmental and social activism.

By the time she did take up teaching, she had already traveled to San Francisco many times to protest the Vietnam war. Well after she retired from Tularcitos, Darby was unrelenting in her commitment to social justice, women's rights, challenging corporate power, and, yes, fighting climate change.

She had many movements that she was behind, and it is understandable considering that she felt strongly that everything is interconnected. That is why, at 90, she was already planning and fighting the county to be buried in her front yard.

Madam Speaker, I am not sure if she was laid to rest in that location, but I do know that Mrs. Worth will always be remembered not for just being a teacher to children, but because of her interconnectivity to all of us. She was somebody that we all learned from.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Gerald Brown on his retirement after forty-four years of distinguished service to his country and community as a Professor of Operations Research at the Naval Postgraduate School, located in my district on the central coast of California.

Throughout his long and distinguished career, Dr. Brown has demonstrated deep commitment to our nation and its values. After receiving his M.B.A. in Quantitative Methods from California State University, Fullerton in 1969, he went on to complete a Ph.D. in Mathematical Methods at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1974. While working on his doctorate, he concurrently completed Naval Officer Candidate School, graduating with the rank of Ensign in 1973.

After his education and training, Dr. Brown began to work as an Assistant Professor of Operations Research at the Naval Postgraduate School. He has committed his entire teaching career to training the next generation of our nation's naval officers at the Naval Postgraduate School, earning countless awards and accolades that reflect his dedication. Over the past forty-four years, Dr. Brown has taught the principles of operations research and computer science to thousands of officers from the U.S. military and allied nations. Former students include astronauts, Admirals, and even former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen.

The accolades earned by Dr. Brown include the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, the highest honor that the Secretary of the Navy can bestow upon a civilian who demonstrates extraordinary service in their post. Dr. Brown also has three patents under his name owned by the federal government, and was the first professor from the Naval Postgraduate School to be accepted into the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Gerald Brown's devotion to his work and impressive accomplishments will be remembered by all who have worked with him at the Naval Postgraduate School, and the work of his students will serve as an enduring legacy. I ask my colleagues to join me in commemorating Dr. Brown's body of work, and congratulating him on a well-earned retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call upon my colleagues to set up and extend funding for community health clinics.

Community health centers are a vital resource for millions of Americans, providing more coverage at a lower cost. These healthcare providers serve our underserved communities. In rural districts like mine on the central coast of California, they are sometimes the only healthcare provider close enough for patients to receive immediate or long-term care. They provide prenatal care, annual checkups, and lifesaving screenings.

In my district, there are nine federally funded health centers serving approximately 190,000 patients from Santa Cruz to Seaside and from the Salinas Valley to San Benito County. They have dedicated staff that serve the unique and multilingual and multicultural needs of the patients in my district. Without proper funding, these vital community health centers may be forced to reduce their hours of operation, lay off staff, or even close their doors.

We must support our community health centers not just on the central coast of California, but across this Nation. These clinics, their patients, and the people we serve deserve our support. I ask Congress to support our community health clinics.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak against this administration's choice to end the temporary protective status designation for El Salvador. Because of this disheartening and potentially dangerous decision, 200,000 people who have been legally living and working in the United States will be forced to go back to a country they don't know, a country that still hasn't fully recovered from the devastating earthquakes but is in the grips of widespread gang violence with one of the world's highest murder rates. These families have chosen to stay here.

In my district, the TPS recipients from El Salvador have become ingrained and embedded in our communities. They are longtime loyal employees; they have started families; they have started businesses; and yes, they pay taxes. If they are removed, our country would lose over $100 billion over the next decade, billions would be lost from Social Security and Medicare contributions, and employers would experience hundreds of millions in turnover costs.

Congress should right this wrong and pass the American Promise Act so that these TPS recipients can continue to work and live in our communities and contribute to our country.

Mr. Speaker, last week, the Trump administration announced a proposal to open our Nation's Federal waters to potential oil and gas exploration.

Immediately, leaders and lawmakers from the West Coast to the East Coast, and Republicans and Democrats from the leftwing to the rightwing came out against such a proposal for offshore oil drilling.

Being from the central coast of California, I know how important our oceans and our coastlines are for our economy, our businesses, our communities, and our families. That is why we have long fought to protect our coast from drilling with zoning laws and limiting onshore oil infrastructure to the designation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and legislation to protect our oceans and coasts.

I believe that, in Congress, we will work to uphold those laws and legacy of protection and preservation, but the Trump administration needs to hear from you. So I ask my constituents and all Americans to share why they also oppose this proposal for oil drilling off our coast. Participate in the public comment period that is now open until March 9, for it is your opportunity to speak directly to the administration, to stand up for your community, and to protect our environment and our future.

Mr. Speaker, in California, wildfires have become a year-round threat. Because of these fires, communities across our great State have suffered devastating loss of life and property.

Last year, in my district on the central coast of California, we had the most expensive fire in United States history, the Soberanes fire. This year, we have had some of the deadliest and costliest fires in California history in Napa and Sonoma. This week, we watch fires burn in the hills from Los Angeles and Santa Barbara to Oakland and Big Sur.

Governor Jerry Brown calls this ``the new normal.'' We should call it unacceptable, and we must do something. We must fully fund the cost of fire suppression. We must include California fire relief in this year's disaster package. We must think outside the box when it comes to fire prevention and focus our efforts to better manage our forests in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Farm Bureaus of Monterey County and Santa Cruz County.

This year, those farm bureaus will mark 100 years of serving our agriculture communities across the central coast of California. We know that those in agriculture are consistently evolving as they constantly contend with Mother Nature, mandates, immigration, and the ever- changing market.

Fortunately, the local farm bureaus' leadership and consultation has always been there to help our over 600 farmers stay competitive and keep our communities strong. The farm bureaus are an essential ingredient as to why our number one industry on the central coast is agriculture and why my home can claim the title of being the berry bowl and salad bowl of the world.

I thank and recognize the Santa Cruz County and Monterey County Farm Bureaus for their past, present, and future work for our agriculture industry and for our communities that feed our families throughout our Nation and the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Chief Gary Craft for his retirement from the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.

Chief Craft began his career in 1976 as a reserve police officer for the Seaside Police Department. From there, he transferred to the Pacific Grove Police Department, where he spent the next four years as a uniformed patrol officer. In 1980, he took the knowledge that he gained from these two departments to the Monterey County Sheriff's Department, where he would spend the next fourteen years. During his tenure at the Sheriff's Office he served in various roles to protect the residents of Monterey County. Some of these roles included narcotics team member, special enforcement team member, and special unit and tactics team member. The Monterey County Sheriff's Office went on to name him ``Lawman of the Year.'' Chief Craft later received an executive certificate from the California Peace Officers Standards and Training. The executive certificate is the highest level of certification that is given by the State of California.

In 1994, Chief Craft left the Monterey County Sheriff's Office and began the next phase of his career in public service. Chief Craft chose to bring his knowledge and experience to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office, where he would spend the next twenty-three years. During his tenure there, he held in many leaderships roles including ten years as chief DA investigator. During his time at the District Attorney's Office, Chief Craft received numerous accolades including Investigator of the Year. In 2016, Chief Craft attended and graduated from the FBI National Academy. The FBI National Academy is a prestigious law enforcement education program that provides training to the top 1 percent of law enforcement executives. Classes include, amongst other subjects, psychology of communication, topics in contemporary law, and physical training. The grueling courses demand a sharp intellect, strong interpersonal skills, and perseverance. Chief Craft is also the first sworn peace officer from the Monterey County District Attorney's office to attend the FBI Academy.

Chief Craft's dedication to keeping the people of Monterey County safe deserves our highest commendation. His actions have demonstrated a deep commitment to public service and an eagerness to go the extra mile. As the Representative for the 20th Congressional District of California, I am deeply grateful for his service to our community. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the House join me in congratulating Chief Gary Craft and wishing him a happy retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Lance Linares on the occasion of his retirement as CEO of the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County after twenty-two years in the position. Lance's career began at KUSP, a Christian music broadcasting station in the area. Following his time at KUSP, Lance found his home at the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County. The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County helps non-profit agencies establish the funds they need in order to serve their communities. Under his leadership, the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County's work has supported the arts, education, health, human services, environmental advocacy, and disaster relief.

Under Lance's leadership, the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County grew from $6 million in assets at the start of his tenure to over $100 million in assets. Lance's ability to connect charitable and community oriented organizations with funds is just one example of his successes. He maintains that his efforts would not have been possible without the Santa Cruz community's support and charitable character. Many local philanthropic organizations who benefit from this support, such as the Jack and Peggy Baskin Center for Philanthropy, Healthy Kids Initiative, and Second Harvest Food Bank stand as a testament to these efforts. Lance's support of impact investment also helps support small businesses which ultimately expand and foster economic growth in the community. As the representative for the 20th Congressional District of California, I am deeply grateful for Lance's commitment to serving our communities.

I would like to personally congratulate Mr. Linares on his well- earned retirement and wish him the best with his future endeavors. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the House join me in congratulating Mr. Lance Linares for his twenty-two years of service to the community of Santa Cruz and for bettering the lives of numerous individuals through the projects he has supported during his tenure.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against the Senate's version of the tax reform bill because this bill will hurt the central coast in California.

By fully repealing the State and local tax deduction, 177,000 households in my district that deduct an average of $23,000 each year will be hurt.

By repealing the student loan interest deduction, low- and middle- income students in my district will find college further out of reach and will be hurt.

By allowing individual tax cuts to expire on people earning less than $75,000, over 140,000 households in my district will see their taxes go up and they will be hurt.

Now, with confirmation that the tax cuts will not pay for themselves but will add over $1 trillion to our debt, this tax reform bill will be a tax burden bill not only for my constituents in my district, but for all of our constituents in our Nation. Worse, this bill will hurt

not only my two daughters, but all of our sons and daughters.

That is why I oppose the Senate bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday this House took a step to establish and maintain an environment where sexual harassment and discrimination is neither tolerated nor swept under the rug.

When I got here a year ago, I was surprised that there was no antisexual harassment training that was mandated. In every professional position that I have held, there always was this type of training. In the Navy, as a law student, and as a prosecutor, antisexual harassment training was a given.

So this month--before yesterday--I had an ethics attorney come into my office and conduct that type of training with my entire D.C. staff. I am proud to have done that. I am proud to be an original cosponsor, and I voted for the legislation yesterday which makes antisexual harassment training mandatory in all offices for all Members and their employees.

Although this bill should have been passed a long time ago, it is a small step in the right direction in the large fight against sexual harassment, and I look forward to being a part of that fight.