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WATSONVILLE >> Soquel resident Nelson Membreno, 44, fled to the U.S. 22 years ago from El Salvador, to escape a bloody civil war.

In 2001, along with other Salvadorans, he became eligible for Temporary Protected Status. The federal program was created under in 1990 under President George H. W. Bush to serve refugees and immigrants whose homeland was deemed unsafe.

The status allows people to stay working and living in the U.S.as long as their country is deemed too dangerous to return to.

Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley) knows that his description of the State Capitol sounds a lot like middle school.

"The cliques and the cool kids, and the geeks and the nerds," he says. "I'm not a popular kid, so I don't hang out with those guys."

It's the kind of environment in which sexism can go completely unchecked.

"The macho guy who is trying to pick up on the young interns, amongst our peers is seen as ‘that's really cool,'" Stone says. "And there's not really a consequence for that."

Rep. Jimmy Panetta, (D-Carmel) voted against the bill.
“I voted against this tax bill because it would have a negative impact on too many families on the central coast of California and our nation,” Panetta said in a release. “The bill lowers taxes for the wealthy, while raising taxes on many working and middle-class families. The bill would leave millions without health insurance or with increased premiums. It sets the stage for massive cuts to critical services and entitlements to my constituents and support for our communities. It will add $1.5 trillion to the national debt.”
Panetta said the bill caps the state and local tax deduction at $10,000, far below the average $23,000 deduction claimed by more than 177,000 households in California’s 20th Congressional District each year.
The plan also reduces the limit on the mortgage interest deduction, which will have a detrimental impact on high-cost housing markets in our district, Panetta said.

CONGRESSMAN JIMMY Panetta Wednesday joined most of his Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives — and every GOP member — in rejecting an attempt to impeach President Donald Trump.

Panetta told The Pine Cone Wednesday that the articles of impeachment — which were brought to the House floor by Democratic Texas Congressman Al Green — must be considered with the utmost seriousness, regardless of political party, and he explained the reasoning behind his vote.

The president's 16-year-long blank check to wage the war on terrorism should end, a small bipartisan group of combat veterans is saying as its members seek to persuade House colleagues to reassert their constitutional war-making powers.