In the News
Valley ag wants action on U.S. farm bill
By Robert Rodriguez - The Fresno Bee
Friday, Jul. 13, 2012 | 09:16 PM Modified Fri, Jul 13, 2012 09:17 PM
Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, and a group of Valley agricultural leaders urged leaders of the House of Representatives on Friday to bring the 2012 farm bill to a vote before Congress recesses in August.
Love of country -- and mom
By Camille Gavin
Sarah Fanucchi didn't have to search far for inspiration when she received an assignment called "Faces of War" for her South High art class: She just looked into the face of her mother, who was about the same age as Sarah when she enlisted in the Air Force 30 years ago.
The acrylic painting now hangs in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., where it will be on display for one year.
ABC 23 Bakersfield
Over $2M Awarded to Bakersfield, McFarland, Delano Police Departments
June 27, 2012
Rep. Jim Costa announced that $2 million has been awarded to the police departments in Bakersfield, Delano, and McFarland from the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).
The funds from the COPS Hiring Program (CHP) will allow the 3 police departments to hire 14 officers.
Federal funds pay for new Mendota cop
The Fresno Bee
Monday, Jun. 25, 2012
Congressman Jim Costa announced Monday that the Mendota Police Department has been awarded $125,000 to hire an additional officer.
The grant, presented by the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, has previously helped police departments maintain forces.
Costa said this year the grant specifies that new hires must have served in the military in order to utilize veterans' skills learned while on active duty.
David Mas Masumoto named to National Council on the Arts
By Michael Doyle - Bee Washington Bureau
Wednesday, Jun. 20, 2012
WASHINGTON -- The White House on Wednesday named Del Rey farmer and writer David Mas Masumoto to the National Council on the Arts, a prestigious position that combines high honors with some good, honest work.
LOIS HENRY: Charity helps veteran gain a new smile, set of choppers
The Bakersfield Californian | Wednesday, May 30 2012 04:30 AM
Last Updated Wednesday, May 30 2012 04:30 AM
The military gave George Kinney a lot. It gave him a career and a sense of pride. And it's given him medical benefits he wouldn't otherwise have.
He has no complaints against the Veterans Administration, which he praised for all it has done for him.
Even so, it couldn't give the Bakersfield Air Force veteran something most of us take for granted: his smile.
Rep. Jim Costa, D-CA, has announced a $5.3 million award for five Central Valley water districts to improve efficiency in water delivery, storage and management.
Four of the five are in Central California: Tulare Irrigation District, Firebaugh Canal Water District, Central California Irrigation District and Henry Miller Reclamation District. The fifth is Rancho California Water District in Southern California.
The funds were part of a cooperative program between the agencies of the Department of the Interior and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Nearly every member of the House Democratic Caucus signed onto a letter demanding an independent investigation into two fatal shootings carried out in the span of a week by officers at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“We are calling for immediate independent investigations into both of these deaths, without interference,” the lawmakers wrote, referring to the killings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Joan Guerrero in Maine.