In the News

Congressman Jimmy Panetta, the Democrat who represents San Benito County in the U.S. House of Representatives, released a statement on reports Homeland Security will more frequently separate families seeking asylum at the border.

The statement is as follows:

Eight California congressional representatives sent a bipartisan letter to the Trump administration Monday urging a second look at imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

Monterey Bay Community Power is on track to start service to residential customers in three counties in July; non-residential customers began service on March 1 of this year. But the project is still reaching out to customers through letters, meetings, and social media in an effort not to catch anyone by surprise.

In collaboration with the City of Salinas, Interim has started new outreach efforts to work with homeless people in Salinas. Last year, the City of Salinas approached Interim to help them resolve issues surrounding the high number of homeless people using the Steinbeck Library in Salinas as a refuge. The neighboring Salinas First United Methodist Church operates a day center for homeless people and people tend to go back and forth between the two locations.

On Aug. 8, 2017, students and community members wearing brightly colored shirts that read "#SchoolsNotPrisons" filled rows of chairs at a Salinas Union High School District board meeting. In the back row, a handful of Salinas police officers and Chief Adele Fresé sat together. It quickly became standing room only.

On the agenda that night: whether or not Salinas Union High School District would put Salinas police officers on their campuses, as school resource officers.

San Benito High School senior Jasmine Ulloa was named the winner of the 2018 Congressional Art Competition, as announced by Congressman Jimmy Panetta on May 2. Catherine Nordstrom, another SBHS senior, took second place in the competition and Baler student Tyler Oelrich was among the honorable mention winners.

Salinas >> Congressman Jimmy Panetta said he had no clue as he grew up what he wanted to do, until finally one day it just clicked.

A little more than 300 high school students from 11 different schools throughout Monterey County got a chance to hear Panetta's life story during Monterey County Law Day at Hartnell College on Tuesday.

Panetta, who was the keynote speaker at the event, also talked to the students about the importance of the separation of powers built into the Constitution and the power of the citizen voice through the election process.

Salinas >> Congressman Jimmy Panetta said he had no clue as he grew up what he wanted to do, until finally one day it just clicked.

A little more than 300 high school students from 11 different schools throughout Monterey County got a chance to hear Panetta's life story during Monterey County Law Day at Hartnell College on Tuesday.

Panetta, who was the keynote speaker at the event, also talked to the students about the importance of the separation of powers built into the Constitution and the power of the citizen voice through the election process.