By Los Angeles County Politics (LACP)
Whitesides returns over $15M to constituents in 2025
U.S. Rep. George Whitesides (D-Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster, portions of San Fernando Valley) announced this week that he had returned $15.4 million to constituents in his first year in office.
Additionally, the Congressman’s team responded to more than 24,000 emails, calls, and letters; attended more than 1,000 community events; and presented over 20,000 Congressional certificates recognizing the work and achievements of students and local leaders.
“It’s the honor of my life to represent our area in Congress, and my top priority this year was putting money back in the pockets of my constituents,” said Whitesides. “My team and I spent the year cutting through red tape and making sure everyone could access their hard-earned benefits, all while showing up in every corner of the district to share resources, uplift local businesses, and connect with the community that we are so lucky to serve. As we head into next year, my focus remains on fighting for you, and I will do everything I can to make government work better and more efficiently.”
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Whitesides was instrumental in passing the National Defense Authorization Act, and helped secure a number of provisions that will bring thousands of jobs and billions in federal funding home to California’s 27th District. Those include:
- Over $5.7 billion for the B-21 Raider, Northrop Grumman’s next-generation stealth bomber for the U.S. Air Force, which is built at Plant 42 in Palmdale.
- Over $4 billion for the Lockheed Martin F-35, whose center fuselage is built by Northrop at Plant 42.
- Over $120 million for the F-15 Eagle, aspects of which have been upgraded at Plant 42.
- Over $95 million for Northrop Grumman’s B-2 Spirit, the current strategic stealth bomber in the United States Air Force, which was built in Palmdale and is now upgraded and tested at Plant 42.
Friedman announces 2025 Congressional App Challenge winner
U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Burbank, Glendale, West Hollywood, Hollywood) this week announced that high school students Andrew Oh, Hannah Lee, Ginna Kim, and Aaron Kim who represent Crescenta Valley High School, Village Christian School, The Peddie School, and Loyola High School as the first-place winners in the 2025 Congressional App Challenge.
The Congressional App Challenge is an annual contest that encourages middle and high school students in particular Congressional districts to design, code, and present a mobile or desktop app on any theme or topic.
The aforementioned winners created a mobile app called SyncRide. Inspired by the inconvenience of being able to find affordable and efficient rideshares, they coded an app that helps users plan rides with friends or even strangers who are going towards the same event or locations – with the aim of saving time, money, and the environment.
“We had so many wonderful submissions this year but all of them had one thing in common — the students who created each app wanted to find a way to better their community,” said Friedman. “Thank you to all of the students who participated. Each of you makes this district very proud, and you’ve reminded us that the future of helpful technology is in very good hands.”
The winner of the Congressional App Challenge from each district will be featured on Congressional App Challenge and House.gov website.
In the spring, the winning team will be invited to the prestigious #HouseofCode event on Capitol Hill, where they will have the chance to present their apps to Members of Congress.
Other winners in Friedman’s district include:
- Second-place winner: EatGreen, by Priscilla Ho
- Third-place winner: FixMyBlock, by Vladimir Hovhannisyan
- Honorable Mention: Crystal, by David Hadi
Brownley condemns VA decision to reinstate near-total abortion ban
U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Calabasas), Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, this week ripped into the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for using the cover of the holiday season to issue an internal memorandum reinstating a near-total ban on abortions and abortion counseling, ripping away access to healthcare from thousands of veterans.
Brownley said this cruel and dangerous move will harm veterans and damages trust in the very system that is supposed to protect them and serve their healthcare needs. Rather than waiting to finalize a proposed regulation on abortion care, VA took this action after receiving a December 18, 2025, Department of Justice legal opinion.
Democratic members of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs are calling on the Trump administration to reverse this cruel decision and preserve veterans’ access to a full range of reproductive healthcare, including abortion and abortion counseling, through the VA.
“The Trump administration’s dangerous decision to roll back VA’s already limited abortion access is clearly driven by politics, not patient care,” said Brownley.“Denying women veterans access to essential reproductive care leaves doctors constrained from acting in their patients’ best interests, and patients at risk of preventable and health-threatening complications.
“Veterans’ access to health care should not shift with each administration, and women veterans should never be treated as collateral damage in political fights. To stop political interference in critical, life-saving medical care, I introduced the Reproductive Freedom for Veterans Act to safeguard women veterans’ access to reproductive health services. My Democratic colleagues and I are committed to ensuring that the VA delivers consistent, comprehensive care to all veterans — based on medical need, not political ideology.”
