Rep. Barragán’s Community Projects Advance in House

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On July 21 Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) voted to pass House of Representatives 8373, the Right to Contraception Act, legislation that would make access to contraception a right protected by federal law.

This bill is a preventative measure in light of Justice Thomas’ concurrence in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which called into question the constitutionality of the right to contraception established in Griswold v. Connecticut.

“Republicans across the country are moving aggressively to restrict access to family planning services. We already see the terrible impact the loss of access to abortion has had on women and in one case a 10-year-old rape victim. These laws and proposed laws will disproportionately impact Latinas, Black and other women of color — as well as low-income women. We cannot allow women’s access to reproductive care to move backward,” said Rep. Barragán. “Contraception is a critical part of preventative healthcare. The Right to Contraception Act will ensure women across the country are able to continue to utilize this essential healthcare resource.”

Barragán also said she is urging the Senate to end the filibuster and pass the Judiciary Act to expand the Supreme Court to ensure that citizens maintain the rights they have now and that any laws which are passed are protected from the ideological and extreme current Supreme Court majority.

The Right to Contraception Act would establish a statutory right to obtain contraceptives, engage in contraception, and for providers to provide contraceptives and contraception resources. It would also prohibit state laws from restricting contraceptive access and establish a private right of action for individuals to enforce their right to contraceptives.

H.R. 8373 now goes to the Senate, where it will require the support of 10 Republicans needed to pass it.

Further, the congresswoman July 20, voted to pass the first six bills in the government funding legislation for fiscal year 2023, which includes more than $13 million in investments for California’s 44th District.

The funding will help create new green spaces and parks, expand vocational training and combat climate change by investing in green energy alternatives.

Barragán said these projects will help reduce pollution by creating more green spaces and investing in green energy, create new education opportunities for children, and fund services for those experiencing homelessness.

The congresswoman added she is urging the Senate to keep these community projects in the bill as they negotiate with the House on the fiscal year 2023 budget.

Below is a list of funding for projects Barragán submitted to the appropriators that were included in the first three appropriations bills that passed July 20. The Senate still needs to pass its own appropriations bills and the differences in the bills need to be negotiated, agreed to, and passed before the funds would be available.

New Cheryl Green Club Building for Harbor Gateway – Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor ($4,000,000)

This funding will enable the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor to purchase land and build a permanent clubhouse to replace a temporary site of two modular portals that currently sit on contaminated soil. This will provide a modern, safe facility to serve youth in the lowincome, gang violence-impacted community of Harbor Gateway, where students will have access to academic mentoring, recreational activities and supportive services.

Veterans Park and Sports Complex Energy Resiliency Solar Panel & Battery Storage Installation – City of Carson ($2,000,000)

This funding would allow the City of Carson to enhance energy efficiency and reliability at Veterans Park by installing carport and roofmounted solar panels, as well as a battery energy storage system. Veterans Park is an essential facility which provides a wealth of recreational opportunities and public meeting space, while also serving as a regional cooling center during extreme heat events. In the event of a grid outage, this project will enable the facility to remain open and operational.

San Pedro Family Shelter Modernization – Harbor Interfaith Services ($375,000)

Harbor Interfaith’s Family Shelter provides

shelter to 21 families experiencing homelessness. Families are enrolled in the shelter for 90 days while staff work with them to find permanent housing solutions and address their other immediate needs. 90% of the families at this shelter are single mothers with children. The funding requested will allow Harbor Interfaith to modernize the facility with new exterior windows, refrigerators, and paint the exterior of the shelter, and temporarily relocate the families during the capital improvements.

This funding would provide for the installation of public chargers capable of fully charging a battery electric drayage truck in less than 30 minutes. The goods movement is the largest source of air pollution in the Los Angeles region. It is of critical importance to families living adjacent to the heavily trafficked corridors and facilities that the thousands of diesel drayage trucks be replaced with zero emissions trucks. The presence of public chargers near the Port of Los

Angeles will address drayage fleet operators’ need for charging infrastructure away from home facilities, which will further encourage the transition to zeroemission trucks.

This funding would transform nearly one acre of undeveloped land in a dense, park-poor, community of color into a thriving greenbelt for multigenerational users that improves water and air quality, increases tree canopy and new park acreage, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The project will add a natural walking path and bioswales with native, drought tolerant plants.

This funding would provide for the building of a new community center for vocational training, STEM research, and evaluation of green technologies. To simultaneously combat toxic air pollution and unemployment, the center will focus on workforce development for local residents to gain the skills needed to support emerging, clean energy technologies utilized in and around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.