Skip to main content

In the News

April 18, 2017

SALINAS -- Congressman Jimmy Panetta said amending the work visa process and focusing on pushing legislation such as the BRIDGE Act through the pipeline are critical components of immigration reform.

At an immigration forum in Salinas on Monday night, Panetta shared his thoughts and potential solutions to the immigration challenges that many – including those in the agriculture industry – say has been going on for years.

Issues:Immigration

April 17, 2017

SALINAS, Calif. - The City of Salinas held a special meeting Monday night.

The topic of discussion, how the federal government's actions on immigration can affect the Central Coast.

City officials say forums like this are important to keeping the community informed of their rights and responsibilities when it comes to immigration.

Issues:Immigration

April 12, 2017

Fifty members of Congress have asked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to publicly criticize the arrest of gay men in Chechnya.

They note in an April 7 letter to Tillerson that they are "greatly disturbed by reports of arrests, disappearances and extrajudicial murders of gay men in Chechnya."


April 12, 2017
Congressman to meet one-on-one at Mars Hill on April 21.

April 7, 2017
U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta attended the ceremony Friday. Before being elected to office, he prosecuted cases as part of the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office. He handled numerous homicide cases in the area, and the last one he prosecuted was the murder case of 6-year-old Azahel Cruz who was killed by a drive-by stray bullet in 2010. The case was not solved until 2013 and didn’t come to a conclusion until 2015. Citing cases like this, Panetta encouraged crime survivors to not give up hope. “What it proves is no matter where you are from, no matter what family you’re from, no matter what country you come from, law enforcement is always going to work hard to be that bridge, to provide victims and victims' families with that sense of justice... You’re never alone,” he said.

April 6, 2017
Panetta is a co-sponsor, along with dozens of other lawmakers, of the Bridge Act. It would extend provisions of Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals order for up to three years at a time, in the event Trump repeals DACA, though Panetta is betting against that: “Right now, from what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, I would be surprised if Donald Trump revoked that and actually pulled President Obama’s executive order when it comes to DACA,” Panetta says. “He has made statements alluding to the fact that he actually has sympathy.“However: If he does, that’s why the House and Senate are working on the Bridge Act.” “Any time where there is an executive order that may deter people from coming to this country, I think harm is done,” Panetta says. “Even though these orders were halted by the courts and we’re seeing our checks and balances being exercised, you can’t quantify this fear we’re seeing right now.”

April 4, 2017
U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, spoke with a Spanish-language translator by his side. “I invited Trump to come visit the fertile Salinas Valley,” Panetta told the crowd. “Then he would see how important immigrants are.”

April 1, 2017

I grew up on a small walnut ranch in a home built by my Italian immigrant grandparents in Carmel Valley, California. It is a modest piece of land with a very small harvest. It is, however, where I obtained an appreciation of the work necessary to nurture crops and a connection with the land and our country's values.


March 31, 2017
The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary will not be directly affected by President Donald Trump’s executive order that dismantles environmental protections, say Central Coast leaders, but they are ready to address any moves to reverse the sanctuary’s protections if it comes to that. Reversing those protections “would be absolutely devastating to the Monterey Bay and our coastline,” said Rep. Jimmy Panetta. Panetta said he would fight any decision to reverse protections in the sanctuary while continuing to advocate for renewable energy.

March 31, 2017
As keynote speaker of the event, Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, thanked those sworn in for the commitment it takes to wade through the naturalization process. He also spoke of his own family’s history of immigration. “Thank you for taking this pledge, thank you for wanting to be American and most of all, for your willingness for accepting those obligations of wanting to be American,” said Panetta, noting his grandfather’s journey to America and specifically, his arrival at Ellis Island in 1921. Panetta also credited Cesar Chavez with helping others exercise their rights as Americans. “The more you give, the more you get involved, the more you and your children will get back from this nation,” said Panetta. “And the more you will shape the future of their country that is for and by ‘We the people.’ ”