Lieu introduces bill ensuring congressional caseworkers for ICE detainees
U.S. Rep. Ted W. Lieu (D-Santa Monica, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Manhattan Beach) yesterday co-introduced legislation that guarantees individuals held at immigration detention centers have access to congressional constituent casework services upon request.
The Fairness and Access for Immigrant Rights (FAIR) Act would establish a clear, enforceable process for detainees in immigration detention centers to obtain the necessary privacy release forms (PRFs) and require detention center facilities to notify the appropriate congressional office within 7 days of a detainee’s request for assistance.
“Constituent casework is an essential part of every congressional office’s representational duties because it enables us to advocate for and on behalf of constituents having problems with the federal government,” said Lieu.
“Casework has become an incredibly important tool during the Trump Administration’s extreme ICE raids, where we have seen innocent people and children, including American citizens, being inappropriately detained. Creating a clear and enforceable way for detainees to access the services of their congressional office is critical in protecting detainees’ rights,” he added.
The measure comes as the constituent side of congressmember offices involves work with constituents to navigate issues within the federal government wheelhouse, such as passports, foreign travel and military matters involving family.
Valladares named CA’s top senator for business votes
State Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares (R-Lancaster, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, portions of the Antelope Valley) has been recognized by the California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) for having the strongest pro-business and economic growth voting records in the State Senate.
“CalChamber is grateful to Senator Valladares for her partnership this year on issues of major importance to the business community. Our review of relevant votes taken by the Legislature shows she was more aligned with CalChamber’s positions than any other member of the Senate,” said CalChamber Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff for Policy.
“Californians deserve a state where they can pursue their own American dream, where families can thrive and where businesses can afford to grow,” said Valladares. “I’m grateful for this recognition from CalChamber and I’m just getting started fighting for more affordability and expanding opportunities for hard-working Californians.”
Since taking office, Valladares said she has prioritized improving affordability and expanding opportunities for all Californians. She has also been laser-focused on increasing public safety and making communities safer for California families.
Hernandez introduces motion for emergency rental assistance funding
Los Angeles City Council member Eunisses Hernandez (D- Glassell Park, Highland Park, Chinatown, Mount Washington, Echo Park, Elysian Park, Westlake, Pico-Union, Koreatown, Angelino Heights, Lincoln Heights, MacArthur Park) last Friday introduced a motion to invest $300,000 in emergency rental assistance through the Central City Neighborhood Partners (CCNP) FamilySource Center in Westlake.
The motion comes as the Los Angeles City Council is poised to vote on having the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance (LARSO) set a new rent increase range of 1–4% for rent stabilized units.
Since launching her District 1 Emergency Rental Assistance Program earlier this year, Hernandez’s office has already distributed over $100,000 in direct aid, helping nearly 70 families, the majority of them living in Westlake and MacArthur Park, two neighborhoods with some of the highest immigrant populations in Los Angeles.
“Our communities are being priced out by corporations, harassed by landlords, starved by the federal government, and terrorized by ICE all at once – and we have a responsibility to step up and fight back however we can,” said Hernandez. “Last week’s vote helped move the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance into the 21st century, capping rent increases at 4%. But we can—and must—go further. Expanding rental assistance is part of that fight: keeping our people housed and our neighborhoods whole.”
In 2025, District 1 has seen an average of 99 eviction notices per week, with tenants owing an average of $3,656 in unpaid rent per notice. But Hernandez’s proactive tenant protection efforts are already delivering results. Over the past two years, evictions in Council District 1 have dropped 10%—more than twice the citywide rate of just 4%—thanks to her office’s work to strengthen the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance (TAHO) and build one of the most robust tenant defense operations in the city.
Sherman’s first post-shutdown telephone town hall draws 2,500
U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks, Encino, Studio City, Valley Village) this week saw more than 2,500 residents sign onto his live Telephone Town Hall — his first since the federal government reopened after the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
Sherman used the call to outline why he opposed the deal to reopen the government, warning that it failed to secure protections for the 24 million Americans whose health insurance premiums are poised to spike at the end of the year.
“I’m grateful that thousands of residents always join these town halls,” Sherman said. “Now that the government has finally reopened, there’s a tremendous amount of work ahead and that’s why I hold these town halls — to keep people informed and ensure they have a direct line into what’s happening every step of the way.”
During the call, Sherman reiterated why he voted against the agreement to reopen the government, emphasizing that the deal “protected virtually no one” and failed to extend critical Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at year’s end. He warned that millions of Americans now face steep premium increases and stressed the need to push back against what he described as President Trump’s increasingly reckless and authoritarian actions.
Sherman also updated constituents on California’s Proposition 50, explaining that even though a federal court struck down the Texas redistricting plan that initially triggered the measure, Prop 50 remains in force unless overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Throughout the event, Sherman answered questions on major national concerns — including health care affordability, aggressive immigration actions, election integrity, presidential overreach, and the importance of safeguarding Social Security and Medicare from proposed cuts.
The Town Hall also featured Las Virgenes Unified School District Board Member Alan Lazar as a special guest. Lazar highlighted encouraging trends in local public education, including strong UC acceptance rates and improvements in post-pandemic test scores, while noting the challenges of rising costs, teacher retention, math achievement, and managing cell-phone use in schools.
