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Dear friend,
I hope you and your loved ones continue to stay safe and well. This week, I traveled back to Washington, D.C. to pass critical legislation related to San Diego's long-term water supply, veterans' issues, foreign policy and a national plan to invest in apprenticeships, among other bills.
San Diego County health officials' most recent COVID-19 update pointed to a continued increase in coronavirus cases.
I know we are all experiencing levels of "pandemic fatigue." However, as some grow tired of safety precautions, others' lives are forever upended by this deadly virus. I urge you to be vigilant about your safety and the safety of those around you. Please continue to wash your hands frequently, wear a mask, practice social distance and do what you can to avoid large gatherings this Thanksgiving season.
Below is another update on some of the work my staff and I have done this week to serve you.
Legislative Work
House Passes the Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II (OPRA II)
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The City of San Diego has treated the region’s sewage water through the PLWTP for over 57 years, purifying wastewater to a level that can be discharged into the ocean without harming the environment. To increase the region's water supply and further cut the amount of discharge released from the facility, the city recently adopted the Pure Water Program to produce 83 million gallons of purified drinking water per day.
Under OPRA II, the City of San Diego must demonstrate that its new Pure Water Program is able to produce 83 million gallons of water a day, one-third of the City’s water supply demand, by 2036. Over the same period, the program is predicted to reduce discharge from PLWTP by over 100 million gallons, which will be continuously monitored and subjected to ongoing research by academic, city, state, and national entities. If these conditions are met, the City can forgo the expensive secondary treatment waiver application and can instead apply for its five-year permit through a simpler process.
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Click HERE to watch my full floor remarks.
Legislation Passed to Support and Improve Care for Our Veterans
This week, I also voted to pass four bills to improve various aspects of veterans’ health, security and well-being. The bipartisan bills involve increased oversight for patient safety and care at Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, care for Native American veterans, free and lifetime entry to U.S. national parks and federal lands for all veterans with service-related disabilities, and VA websites accessibility for individuals with disabilities. We continue to support veterans in San Diego and throughout our country, fixing problems we learn along the way and will keep working to identify and eliminate the hurdles in the way of veterans' quality of life.
As we look ahead to next week, I want to wish you and yours a happy, thoughtful, and safe Thanksgiving. Many celebrations and traditions this year will look different because of COVID-19 and I want to thank you for the sacrifices you've made to help stop the spread. We will get through this together.
Please be aware that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises Americans to avoid travel this Thanksgiving holiday and to only gather with people within your same household. Click here for more on holiday safety guidelines.
Frederick contacted my office in August to request assistance with an IRS amount due notice. He mailed the payment in time, but due to COVID-related delays, the IRS had yet to credit his payment. As a result, he was mailed an amount due notice, which included late fees and interest. My office staff worked with Frederick to gather information from his bank, including the cancelled check and USPS delivery confirmation for the old check and new check. This week, IRS confirmed receipt of his payment dated back to July and removed all late fees and interest for a total accounting change of $8,336.51.
Stand Down Event
This Sunday, Veterans Village of San Diego is hosting its annual intervention program to support homeless veterans and their families. My staff will be running a booth at the event to offer casework services, and there is still a chance to donate clothing and underwear to help veterans in need. For more information, click here.
To stay up to date on my work throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or need assistance with a federal agency, reach out to us through our website or by calling the district office at 858-455-5550.
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