Op-Eds

The past year has been filled with tremendous challenges, tragic loss of life, and unprecedented economic upheaval. Ventura County has faced many crises over the years, and through each one, we’ve come together as a community to overcome them and emerge better and more resilient than before. While the pandemic has been one of the greatest challenges our nation has ever faced, I believe we can come out of it stronger by targeting our recovery with our future in mind.

As we make strides on the path to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the aviation industry is set for a comeback. That’s a good thing for an industry that has suffered tremendously, including losing tens of thousands of jobs. In fact, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has reported that more than 1 million passengers have been screened at U.S. airports in recent days. While I am cheering on the industry and hope that it recovers quickly, part of that recovery will include returning to pre-pandemic levels of carbon emissions.

On Jan. 6, a joint session of Congress convened to certify the electoral votes of the 2020 presidential election and the decisive victory of Joe Biden over Donald Trump. The certification by Congress is always considered ceremonial, but one of the critical mechanisms we use to show a peaceful transfer of power, which is absolutely essential to a functioning democracy.

Across California, members of our communities are no strangers to the catastrophic impacts of the climate crisis, particularly the devastation wrought by wildfires. In 2018, when over 1.8 million acres in the state burned, the Camp Fire in Northern California officially became the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in our state’s history, breaking a record set only a year before with the Tubbs Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties.

In the past days, Ventura County, much like the rest of the country, has been reminded of the somber reality of so many Black Americans: Justice is not always just, the law is not always applied equally, and too often, those meant to serve and protect end up doing the opposite.

The first female combat veteran was wounded in action in 1782 while serving in George Washington’s army during the Revolutionary War. Deborah Sampson, disguised as a man, was shot twice in the leg. Terrified she would be discovered, she removed one of the bullets herself. Her leg never fully healed. After the war, she married and became a mother. While Congress granted her a pension in 1805, Deborah Sampson continued to struggle with the long-term health impacts of her combat wounds for the rest of her life.

This community was tested during the Thomas Fire – but from first responders and emergency personnel, to the many organizations and volunteers who supported the evacuation and relief effort, Ventura County came together to support friends and neighbors in need. While this area is on the road to recovery, we must remain vigilant and start planning ahead because we don’t know when another disaster may strike. But we need the Senate’s help to do that.

We have now seen the President of the United States — not once, but twice — use children as hostages to extort immigration legislation from Congress that is contrary to our values, and therefore destructive to our democracy.

Our men and women in uniform undertake enormous sacrifices every day to keep us safe. In return, we promise that they will have a fair shot at a good-paying job when they come home.

We as a nation have made a promise to the heroes who put on the uniform. Small-business ownership must be accessible to all the men and women who have sacrificed on our behalf. The Veteran Entrepreneurs Act is one idea, among many, that can tear down the barriers to help veterans fulfill their dream of becoming entrepreneurs.

Jan, Larry, and Veronika. I carry their memories with me everyday, alongside those of the countless other victims of senseless gun violence who are being slaughtered across the country — day after day, week after week, year after year.

Federal budgets are about federal priorities, and they impact every man, woman and child in the country. They have always required bipartisan votes to move forward, and since I’ve been elected, Republicans and Democrats — no matter which party controlled the White House or the houses of Congress — have had to work together to fund the government.

Last week, Republicans in Congress used a procedural gimmick to force through one of the most unpopular tax bills in history, without an iota of Democratic input. They robbed the middle class to give more to the uber-rich and corporations that outsource jobs — just in time for the holidays.

President Trump said the tax cuts would be huge. They would go straight to the middle-class, and everyone would get a $4,000 raise. The plan would create jobs and spur growth. And all of this would be done without adding any more money to the national debt. Listening to the rhetoric, the plan sounded quite glorious.

On Veterans Day, we recognize the courageous sacrifice of those who chose to fight on behalf of our nation, and honor the legacy of those we lost.

In the current political environment, it often feels like there is more that divides us than unites. In reality, there is broad, bipartisan agreement among Americans on many important issues facing our nation. We just see no action on them in Congress.

Sunday marks the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, when the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed the constitutional right of women to make decisions about their own health care without interference from the government.

The election may have passed, but I join millions of Americans across the country who stand firm in the resolve that our nation will be one that works for everyone — a stronger, inclusive America built around uplifting and empowering all of its citizens.