In the News
California Farm Bureau Federation President Paul Wenger speaks at a state Capitol news conference, during which he and other speakers urged action to end a labor dispute at West Coast ports.
Emphasizing the hardship that the slowdown at West Coast ports is having on California agriculture, several members of the state Legislature called on President Obama to intervene in the ongoing labor dispute between dockworkers and shippers that has crippled the movement of goods.
Fresno Democrat Jim Costa last November had his second close race in his past three congressional reelection bids, barely beating underfunded and unheralded Republican Johnny Tacherra.
Still, it appears national Republicans don't think Costa is vulnerable in 2016.
On Wednesday, the National Republican Congressional Committee released a list of 19 Democrats it will target in next year's elections. There are six Californians on the list, but Costa isn't among them.
How did Costa — who beat Tacherra by just 1.4-percentage points — escape the NRCC's 2016 crosshairs?
United States Trade Representative Michael Froman announced today that the United States has pursued dispute settlement consultations with the Government of China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) concerning China's "Demonstration Bases-Common Service Platform" export subsidy program.
By several accounts, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is considering a U.S. Senate run, taking his time and weighing whether he wants to jump into an election battle that already includes state Attorney General Kamala Harris.
Villaraigosa's deliberations have not gone unnoticed in the central San Joaquin Valley, where Latinos — who are both allies and detractors — are eagerly awaiting a decision in the race to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer.
A labor standoff at ports along the West Coast is threatening the flow of cargo as docks are being closed to incoming ships.
Twenty-nine ports in states from Washington to California that normally process 340 million tons of cargo packages per year that are later shipped via truck and rail to cities across the country are shutting down for the weekend due to labor unrest.
Lawmakers are calling for the White House to intervene to prevent the shutdown from continuing past Monday.
The United States on Wednesday launched a legal challenge to Chinese export subsidies supporting billions of dollars of exports across a wide swathe of industries from steel to shrimp.
US trade representative Michael Froman said Chinese companies in designated export hubs benefited from free or subsidised services, cash grants and other incentives which gave their products an unfair advantage.
A bipartisan coalition of members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation on Feb. 4 to overhaul the current Renewable Fuel Standard regulations and its outdated ethanol mandates.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and 40 co-sponsors introduced the Renewable Fuel Standard Reform Act of 2015, which includes provisions to recognize that fuel usage has changed since the original legislation was passed in 2005 and the provisions in the bill, especially those requiring higher concentrations of ethanol, are outdated.
WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to put the House on record urging President Obama to step in and end a labor dispute snarling West Coast ports if there isn't an agreement soon.
"This is one of the gravest threats to our nation right now," said four House members who have drafted a bipartisan resolution. "We are seeing businesses, farmers,and manufacturers affected all across the country. The slowdown is not just a West Coast problem, but a national problem."
WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans and Democrats are working together to reach a rapid resolution of a labor dispute that's clogging West Coast ports.
With crop exports from regions like the Pacific Northwest and California's Central Valley particularly at risk, more than a dozen lawmakers united Thursday in support of port peace. If nothing else, the rare show of bipartisanship underscored the enduring importance of maritime trade.
WASHINGTON--The U.S. opened a new front in the long-running trade conflict with China, challenging a broad program Beijing uses to subsidize export businesses.
The new challenge at the World Trade Organization is part of the Obama administration's efforts to step up enforcement of trade rules to win support for its efforts to conclude a new trade agreement with Pacific countries.
President Barack Obama last month warned that the new bloc under negotiation, which includes Japan but not China, is important to prevent Beijing from writing the rules of trade in the Pacific area.
California lawmakers met Monday with Central Valley immigration advocates and community organizations to discuss concerns about immigration enforcement, detention facility conditions and access to legal services following an unannounced visit to an ICE detention facility in Kern County.
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and U.S. Rep. Jim Costa made an unannounced visit Monday to Golden State Annex in McFarland, saying they wanted to inspect conditions inside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility amid what they described as a surge in immigration enforcement across California.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Rep. Jim Costa and several California lawmakers have sent a letter to Acting ICE Director David Venturella seeking greater transparency about ongoing immigration enforcement operations they say have been carried out across the state.