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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)

Aptos, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) convened education, housing, health care, food assistance, and law enforcement professionals from Santa Cruz and Monterey counties for a roundtable discussion at Cabrillo College on the local impacts of the Administration’s mass deportation policies. Participants discussed how federal enforcement actions are affecting access to and use of essential services, trust in law enforcement, and the daily lives of families throughout the Monterey Bay region.

The discussion also focused on the more than $200 billion increase in federal funding for immigration enforcement, the need for commonsense guardrails and accountability, and the Administration’s continued attacks on constitutional rights and lawful immigration programs. Rep. Panetta addressed his opposition to unchecked funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and his support for demands to reform federal immigration enforcement and commonsensical immigration reform. He also highlighted his efforts to protect Dreamers, oppose the potential ICE facility near Gilroy, and safeguard birthright citizenship.

“Our discussion made clear that this Administration’s mass deportation policies are affecting our communities, from schools, health care, and housing to public safety and the rule of law,” said Rep. Panetta. “I support a strong and secure border, but that does not require mass deportations, unchecked funding for immigration enforcement, unaccountable federal agents, or unconstitutional attacks on Americans. Congress must impose guardrails, oversight, and accountability while pursuing commonsense reforms to improve our asylum system, protect Dreamers, and provide earned legalization for hardworking immigrants. I will continue working in Congress and with our local partners to protect those who contribute so much to our communities.”

“Cabrillo College stands firmly with all of our students and we will continue to prioritize safety, support and access to education. We want every family in Santa Cruz County to know that Cabrillo campuses in Aptos and Watsonville remain safe and welcoming where student privacy is protected,” said Jenn Capps, Ph.D., President/Superintendent, Cabrillo College.

“Every child, regardless of immigration status, has a fundamental right to a free public education in an environment where they feel safe, protected, and supported. Our schools are sanctuaries of learning and stability, and immigration enforcement concerns should never compromise a student’s ability to attend class, grow, and thrive. We are proud to stand with Representative Panetta to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to keeping our campuses safe, protecting our students, and ensuring our schools remain places of hope and opportunity for every family,” said Deneen Guss, Ed.D., Monterey County Superintendent of Schools, Monterey County Office of Education.

“Every student deserves to come to school feeling safe, welcomed, and supported. Our schools remain committed to creating environments where every child can learn without fear or distraction. We will continue to provide our students, families, and staff with accurate information and timely resources regarding immigration enforcement activities in and around our school communities, while ensuring that our focus remains on the safety, well-being, and success of every student,” said Dr. Ernesto Vela, Assistant Superintendent, Monterey County Office of Education.

“Public safety depends on trust. Whether someone is experiencing domestic violence, a child is missing, or a family is facing a crisis, no one should be afraid to call for help because of their immigration status. Our undocumented residents are part of our communities, and when they call for help, we are here to help them. Our public safety professionals are here to protect everyone we serve. I appreciate Congressman Panetta bringing us together to strengthen that trust,” said Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto.

“HUD’s proposal to require every resident in federally assisted housing to establish citizenship or eligible immigration status would be devastating for families and could have profound consequences for housing stability in our communities. Mixed-status families are families, and when we put one member of a household at risk of losing access to housing assistance because of their immigration status, we put the stability of the entire family at risk, including U.S. citizen children. At a time when housing is already out of reach for far too many families, we should not be creating additional barriers that could push people into displacement and homelessness. Housing is the foundation of family and community stability, and our policies should reflect that,” said Elaine Johnson, Executive Director, Housing Santa Cruz County.

“At Santa Cruz Community Health, we care for everyone who walks through our doors, regardless of language spoken, personal identity, or ability to pay,” said Anita Aguirre, CEO, Santa Cruz Community Health.

Last year, Rep. Panetta opposed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which provided more than $75 billion to ICE and $65 billion to CBP. In June, the Secure America Act provided nearly $70 billion more for ICE, CBP, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) immigration enforcement operations through Fiscal Year 2029. Rep. Panetta voted against the Secure America Act and has voted at least seven separate times this Congress against providing ICE and CBP with additional funding without meaningful guardrails, oversight, or accountability.

Rep. Panetta has supported Democratic demands to require federal immigration agents to wear body cameras and clearly display identification, prohibit non-tactical masks that conceal their identities, strengthen warrant requirements, establish enforceable standards for the use of force and de-escalation, and ensure independent investigations of serious incidents, among other reforms. He is supporting the No Secret Police Act and the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, which would restrict immigration enforcement at schools, hospitals, houses of worship, courthouses, and other sensitive locations.

In July, DHS briefly paused most vehicle stops by ICE deportation officers after agents fatally shot two men during separate operations in Houston, Texas, and Biddeford, Maine, while searching for other individuals. The White House overturned that pause the following day before the agency completed its review and additional training. Rep. Panetta joined nearly 200 House lawmakers in calling for independent investigations into both deaths, protection for witnesses, and the immediate deployment of body cameras to ICE and CBP agents. The three men traveling with Lorenzo Salgado Araujo when he was shot and killed in Houston each filed for U Visa protection. Rep. Panetta’s Immigrant Witness and Victim Protection Act would strengthen the U Visa program for immigrant survivors and witnesses of serious crimes who cooperate with law enforcement. The legislation would lift the cap on U Visas, protect eligible applicants from detention and deportation while their cases are pending, and allow them to work during the application process.

Earlier this year, Rep. Panetta joined Bay Area lawmakers in a letter to DHS and ICE opposing the proposed immigration detention and processing facility near Gilroy and demanding information about the project. Following the lawmakers’ calls, construction at the site was temporarily paused while legal challenges proceed. Rep. Panetta also joined a letter to DHS and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services demanding an explanation for the spike in delays affecting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal applications and urging the agencies to accelerate processing. The delays have caused Dreamers to lose employment authorization, miss work, and face disruptions to their income and daily lives despite filing timely renewal requests.

In February, after the Department of Housing and Urban Development attempted to override the intent of Congress by taking federal housing benefits away from mixed-status homes, Rep. Panetta joined his colleagues from the Congressional Asian, Black, and Hispanic Caucuses to assert Congressional intent and oppose this misguided rule. Congress has made it clear that federal housing benefits should be prorated for any eligible residents in a unit, and forcing people to choose between their eligible benefits and their loved ones would only cause further turmoil in California’s 19th District.

Photos from the media availability are available here.

To watch Rep. Panetta’s full remarks, click here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – CongresswomenDoris Matsui (D-CA-07) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02), along with Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), announced the reintroduction of their Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act.

To tackle staffing-related challenges, nurses are often forced to work mandatory overtime beyond their scheduled shift, which can endanger the safety of both patients and nurses. To address these challenges, the bicameral, bipartisan Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act would provide nurses with stronger federal workplace safeguards.

“Nurses perform lifesaving work every day, providing patients with the care, comfort and support they need during their most vulnerable moments,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “But persistent staffing shortages have forced too many nurses to work excessive hours, contributing to exhaustion and burnout while putting patient safety at risk. California and 17 other states have already acted to limit mandatory overtime. The Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act would establish commonsense protections nationwide so nurses can provide the highest quality care without being pushed beyond safe limits.”

“We can’t solve America’s nursing shortage until we address the workplace challenges driving talented nurses away from this important field. These workforce shortages have left many nurses working excessive overtime, leading to fatigue and less time with their families. As a nurse practitioner, I recognize the importance of fostering a work environment that is beneficial for both our caregivers and their patients. I’m proud to join Senator Merkley and Congresswoman Matsui to introduce the Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act to establish much-needed overtime regulations in place to limit burnout and improve access to quality healthcare,” said Congresswoman Kiggans.

“We know that when truck drivers or pilots are pushed past the point of exhaustion, lives are put at risk. The same is true for nurses, and they should not be forced to work to the point that patient safety is jeopardized,” said Senator Merkley. “As the husband of a nurse, I know these heroes take care of us when we are in need, and we need to take care of them. Our bipartisan Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act would protect lives by limiting mandatory overtime and ensuring nurses have the support, respect, and working conditions they need and deserve.”

To date, 18 states have passed legislation or issued regulations restricting mandatory overtime for nurses. The Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act would provide strong protections at the federal level for the 5.2 million registered nurses in the United States—the single largest group of health care professionals in the nation, as well as nearly 1 million licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses. 

The bicameral, bipartisan Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act would:

• Limit mandatory overtime for nurses by prohibiting health care facilities from requiring nurses to work with certain exceptions;
• Adopt whistleblower and nondiscrimination protections to protect nurses against retaliation; and 
• Impose civil penalties for each known violation.

The bill is endorsed by over 50 organizations. A full list of supporting organizations can be found HERE.

Full text of the bill can be found HERE.

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)

Monterey, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) convened local officials, environmental advocates, and business leaders at the Monterey Bay Aquarium to reaffirm their united opposition to the Administration’s proposal to expand offshore oil and gas leasing. Rep. Panetta and local leaders highlighted the potential threats that offshore drilling poses to the marine environment, coastal economy, and communities on California’s Central Coast.

The Administration’s current Draft Proposed Program includes 34 potential lease sales nationwide, including two in the Central California Planning Area in 2027 and 2029. Rep. Panetta encouraged Central Coast residents and stakeholders to remain engaged when the Administration releases the next version of the proposal, which will be subject to a required 90-day public comment period.

“When it comes to protecting our coastline from offshore oil and gas drilling, we must stand united in the face of the chaos or craziness coming out of this Administration,” said Rep. Panetta. “We stand here as stewards of our ocean as we stand for an economy and a community built on our beauty and our bounty. When the Administration releases its updated plan for public comment, we must make our voices heard, stay united, and stand ready to go toe-to-toe for our coastline and our way of life in California’s 19th Congressional District.”

The waters off the Central Coast support one of the most biologically diverse marine ecosystems in the world, as well as vibrant hospitality, tourism, recreation, fishing, and other coastal industries. Local officials, environmental advocates, and business leaders emphasized that the region’s economy and identity depend on a healthy coastline and that expanded offshore drilling would put both at risk.

“California is a leader in the protection of the ocean, this community has worked tirelessly to make sure we’re keeping the coastline safe so that kids growing up here know they can live in an environment with whales and dolphins and sea otters. That doesn’t happen by chance, now is an important time to come together for the health of the beautiful Monterey Bay, our ocean and its amazing marine life, and our thriving coastal communities,” said Dr. Jenny Gray, Chief Executive Officer, Monterey Bay Aquarium.

“Drilling for oil and gas off the Central Coast is reckless, unnecessary, and out of step with our community’s values. We should be investing in the future of our coastline—not putting the Monterey Bay, our economy, and our way of life at risk. From repairing Wharf 2 to preparing for sea level rise, we have real infrastructure challenges that demand our attention and investment. I’m proud that our community is standing together to protect the Monterey Bay for generations to come,” said Tyller Williamson, Mayor, City of Monterey.

“The Central Coast has a long history of standing up to offshore oil drilling, and that fight continues today. Community members, environmental organizations, businesses, and elected leaders are once again coming together to protect the coast from new drilling threats,” said Katie Thompson, Executive Director, Save Our Shores.

Rep. Panetta has worked throughout the federal planning process to organize and amplify the Central Coast’s opposition to offshore drilling. Following the leak of the Administration’s draft proposal in October 2025, he joined several of his colleagues in calling on the Administration to halt its plans to drill along the California coastline. In February 2026, he convened local community and environmental leaders to discuss ways to oppose the proposal and protect the Central Coast. Rep. Panetta also mobilized constituents throughout the 19th Congressional District and hosted a telephone town hall during the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) first public comment period to help residents submit comments opposing the Administration’s leasing plan.

Rep. Panetta also continues to carefully monitor the Administration’s involvement in oil drilling off California’s coast. In 2019, after the Trump Administration’s first attempt to open up oil drilling on the Central Coast, he introduced the Central Coast of California Conservation Act to prevent new leasing for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in the Central California Planning Area, spanning the entire coastline of California’s 19th Congressional District. He also led his colleagues in a multistate effort to ban offshore drilling along thousands of miles of U.S. coastline, citing the negative impacts of oil-related disasters and accidents on climate change and natural ecosystems.

For photos from today’s press conference, click here.

To watch Rep. Panetta’s remarks, click here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)

Capitola, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) joined Capitola city officials for a tour of intersections along Bay Avenue where the city is planning improvements to protect pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. Rep. Panetta secured $250,000 in federal funding for the Capitola Traffic Safety Project through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process.

During the tour, city officials highlighted long-standing congestion and collision concerns at several locations along Bay Avenue. The federal funding will support improvements at the intersection of Bay Avenue and Center Street, where the city is planning an enhanced pedestrian crossing with safety features that could include improved curb extensions and a pedestrian refuge median. In addition, plans include improved lighting at other intersections along Bay Avenue. The project is part of a broader effort to improve safety and traffic flow at three key intersections throughout Capitola.

“In Capitola, people love to walk, bike, and drive around town. However, there have been accidents along Bay Avenue which demonstrate that we can improve safety for pedestrians, riders, and drivers,” said Rep. Panetta. “I’m proud to have secured a $250,000 federal investment to help Capitola with an enhanced pedestrian crossing and other critical upgrades that will put protections in place for people in and out of their cars. I’ll continue making sure that Congress’s power of the purse is felt right here in the 19th Congressional District to help make communities like Capitola safer.”

“We’re incredibly grateful to Congressman Panetta for securing this funding to help improve pedestrian safety along the Bay Avenue corridor,” said Capitola Mayor Margaux Morgan. “This investment will help the City make it safer and easier for people of all ages to walk through one of our community’s most important transportation corridors.”

The Bay Avenue corridor has repeatedly experienced collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists. A serious collision involving a pedestrian in summer 2025 marked at least the sixth incident in which a pedestrian had been injured or killed in the area since 2017. In 2023, Capitola resident Debra Towne was tragically killed in a hit-and-run while walking near the crosswalk at Crossroads Loop and Bay Avenue.

The funding announced today is what Rep. Panetta worked for to be included in the most recent appropriations package. Rep. Panetta secured over $5.9 million in community project funding for local projects across Santa Cruz County, and a total of over $15 million to fund 14 local projects in California’s 19th Congressional District.

Additional photos of the tour are available here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)

Rep. Panetta delivers remarks in front of the Cambria Fire Station.

To watch his full remarks, click HERE or on the above photo.

For additional photos and b-roll, click HERE.

Cambria, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) announced $935,000 in federal funding that he secured for the Cambria Fire Department. The funding will support the purchase of a new Type 1 fire engine and essential firefighting equipment, including extrication tools, self-contained breathing apparatus units, hoses, and radios. Rep. Panetta was joined at the announcement by Cambria firefighters, members of the Cambria Community Services District, and local public safety officials.

“As the threat of devastating wildfires grows throughout the region, communities like Cambria must be prepared at all times of the year,” said Rep. Panetta. “The least that the federal government can do is ensure that our dedicated and devoted firefighters have the dependable, state-of-the-art equipment to respond quickly, operate safely, and stay ahead of danger. Amid all the division and dysfunction in Congress, I’m proud to have worked in a bipartisan fashion to secure this $935,000 investment to help our firefighters prevent wildfires and protect our communities and homes.”

“Today’s event was a great reminder of what strong partnerships can accomplish. We are grateful to Congressman Jimmy Panetta for visiting Cambria and for his leadership in securing this critical Community Project Funding,” said Matthew McElhenie, General Manager of the Cambria Community Services District. “For a small, revenue-constrained district like ours, investments like this ensure we can continue providing the highest level of fire protection while remaining responsible stewards of our community’s resources. We appreciate everyone who joined us today in recognizing the importance of this investment in Cambria’s future.”

As the sole provider of emergency services within its district, the Cambria Fire Department serves a high fire hazard community with limited evacuation routes and responds to structural and wildland fires, medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, technical rescues, and natural disasters. The Department protects Cambria’s approximately 5,500 residents, the many visitors who travel to the community each year, and neighboring communities through automatic and mutual aid.

In 2024, both of Cambria’s Type 1 engines were taken out of service simultaneously because of mechanical failures. The district spent approximately $60,000 on repairs and borrowed an engine from the Paso Robles City Fire Department to maintain its emergency response capabilities. The new frontline engine will provide more dependable structural fire response, help the department meet current safety standards, and strengthen its ability to support San Simeon and other communities across northern San Luis Obispo County. 

Rep. Panetta meets regularly with first responders throughout the 19th Congressional District. After hearing about the threats faced by the Cambria community, he requested, advocated for, and was able to secure this significant federal grant for the Cambria Fire Department. This funding adds to the millions of dollars of funding Rep. Panetta has secured for emergency services across California’s 19th Congressional District, including $2.5 million for the design and construction of a fire and emergency services training facility in Paso Robles and $1.245 million for a new fire engine and equipment for the Templeton Fire Department.

The funding secured for the Cambria Community Services District is part of a grant that Rep. Panetta advocated for the inclusion of in a recent appropriations package. The funds come through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development’s Community Facilities Program, which helps increase the competitiveness of rural communities in attracting and retaining businesses that provide employment and services for their residents.

For FY 2026, Rep. Panetta secured $2.6 million in community project funding for local projects across northern San Luis Obispo (SLO) County, and a total of over $15 million to fund 14 local projects in California’s 19th Congressional District.

For additional photos and b-roll, click HERE.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

Washington D.C. – In an exclusive cover story for The Advocate, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi reflected on nearly four decades of advocacy alongside the LGBTQ community, from confronting the HIV/AIDS crisis and advancing landmark civil rights protections to the ongoing fight for transgender Americans.

As she prepares to conclude her historic tenure in Congress, Pelosi discussed the grassroots activism that powered decades of progress, her belief in the dignity and worth of every person and the work still ahead to defend LGBTQ rights and our Democracy.

Read the full story below:

The Advocate: Nancy Pelosi on AIDS, trans rights, the legacy she resists claiming — and why Democrats must ‘win big’

[By Christopher Wiggins, 8/18/26]

Tourists are already taking photographs outside Nancy Pelosi’s office when I arrive at the Longworth House Office Building at 10:30 on a Thursday morning with photographer Mike Nelson.

Inside, a staff member conducting a Zoom job interview asks an applicant, “Why are you interested in working in this office specifically?”

A framed display shows the men who had served as speaker of the House before Pelosi, their portraits arranged around the woman who broke the sequence.

“Speaker Pelosi, Christopher Wiggins with The Advocate is here to see you,” communications director Ian Krager says as he invites us inside her spacious office with a view of the Capitol dome.

Pelosi would speak with me for more than an hour, and would then keep talking through the photo session. She dislikes having her picture taken but had agreed to sit for a portrait.

Before my first question, Pelosi describes the tributes accompanying her final year in Congress. That morning, she had told Krager she wanted to discuss the future. But there is no talking to Pelosi about the future without touching on the recent past, if only so she can redistribute the credit. She announced in November that she would retire after nearly four decades in the House and two separate stints as speaker.

“I’ve got so many accolades, I’m embarrassed by it,” she confesses.

A month earlier, I had watched her at the Equality PAC National Pride Gala as a tribute video to her allyship played. Pelosi stood facing the screen, absorbed.

“Yes, I am,” she says when asked whether she is allowing herself a victory lap. “As long as it shows collaboration,” and “the courage of the members, the activism of outside groups,” she adds.

“It’s fun to see,” she admits. “But it is kind of embarrassing. Like, come on, all right, enough.”

Pelosi has spent her career in superlatives: the first woman speaker and one of her generation’s most effective legislative tacticians. Her job, as she sees it, is to make the government machinery answer the movement’s demand.

That understanding was forged in death.

“BECAUSE I DID”

Pelosi entered Congress in June 1987 after winning a special election to succeed Democratic Rep. Sala Burton, a San Francisco organizer who took office after the 1983 death of her husband, the liberal power broker Phillip Burton. The widow-turned-congresswoman died of colon cancer on February 1, 1987, but not before urging Pelosi to seek the seat.

Pelosi, then 47, faced Harry Britt, a gay former San Francisco supervisor and Harvey Milk ally, in a fierce runoff during the AIDS catastrophe. She won on June 2.

One week later, in her first House floor speech, she said she had come to Congress to fight AIDS.

“Why’d you say you came here to fight AIDS?” Pelosi recalled people asking.

“Because I did,” she answered.

Pelosi, now 86, speaks of those years not as distant policy history, but as an emergency she can still enter at will. People were dying. Activists were accused of being too aggressive.

“Too aggressive when people are dying?” she asks, her voice sharpening.

“When we talk about HIV/AIDS, this was a matter of life and death,” Pelosi says. “I saw my role as one that could say to people: ‘You’re wrong. This is appropriate.’”

The AIDS movement became a model. People learned they could not wait quietly for institutions to notice them. They had to organize and make inaction politically impossible.

Conceived by activist Cleve Jones, the AIDS Memorial Quilt transformed an epidemic into individual lives rendered in fabric, photographs, lettering, and love.

However, Pelosi initially doubted Jones’s vision.

“Who sews anymore?” she remembers thinking. People did. They sewed by the thousands.

Once the quilt came alive, Pelosi fought to place the full display on the National Mall. The National Park Service had proposed only a few panels along a street.

“They didn’t know,” she says, smiling.

“Don’t mess with Nancy Pelosi,” I offer.

“The grassroots,” she corrects gently.

Pelosi also recalls the effort to bring the 1984 Democratic National Convention to San Francisco, when competing cities exploited fears of gay people and the emerging epidemic. Some warned that delegates could not safely eat the city’s food.

When members from the DNC site selection committee visited, Pelosi hosted them alongside representatives from the city’s Black, Asian, Latino, and gay and lesbian communities at her home. She instructed her children to make antigay prejudice visible — then disarm it.

“On the table, there’ll be the guacamole and the dip and all this stuff,” she recalls telling them. “When these people come up to the table, make sure — and I did myself — that you have a gay person right with you and both of you dip into the stuff at the same time.”

This act challenged fears that AIDS spread through shared food or casual contact. Pelosi also remembered physicians touching patients without gloves in front of reporters, turning human contact into an intervention against panic.

Pelosi helped secure billions of dollars of federal support for research, treatment, housing, and prevention. “We’re not talking about money,” she says. “We’re talking about saving lives.” She remembers monthly meetings in which people with AIDS initially asked for help making wills or finding medicine overseas. Then science advanced, and the requests changed.

THE RULES ARE YOUR PROTECTION

Pelosi’s reverence for mobilization is only matched by her institutional competence.

As chair of the California Democratic Party, she urged activists to attend meetings where rules were written — and to learn those rules before declaring themselves mistreated.

“You were out of order,” she remembers telling people who complained that a chair had ruled against them. “The rules are your best protection.”

In Congress, that meant understanding procedure and legislation’s full path. A triumphant floor amendment could disappear in conference. “Anticipation, anticipation, anticipation,” she says.

Pelosi distinguishes the power she once held from the influence she retains. Power, in her telling, is executive and urgent. A speaker must balance competing concerns and act within the available window.

“If you hesitate, you’ll lose your opportunities,” she says.

Influence is a suggestion, a “gentler touch,” wisdom exercised by someone who no longer controls the votes or calendar.

“I have given up power,” Pelosi says, “but I have not given up influence.”

As if to illustrate the point, her cellphone rings. Rahm Emanuel — the former congressman, Obama White House chief of staff, Chicago mayor, and U.S. ambassador to Japan — was calling. Pelosi chuckles and hands the phone to Krager, who silences it. Later, it rings again, though I could not see the caller. Even without the gavel, the political world still has Nancy Pelosi on speed dial.

Her mentorship follows a simple principle. She asks younger people to identify their “why,” devise a strategy, and show why the objective serves others.

“It has to be their thing,” she says. “What is your passion? What is your mission?”

That philosophy will shape the Nancy Pelosi Institute for Representative Democracy at the University of California, Berkeley, scheduled to launch in January. Pelosi is expected to help teach a course there on Congress.

“THEY PICK TRANS”

Pelosi’s LGBTQ+ record includes the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the rescinding of a ban on gay people serving openly in the military through the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010, the federal recognition of same-sex marriage through the Respect for Marriage Act, and the repeated House passage of the Equality Act.

She uses those victories to explain the right’s fixation on transgender people.

“They know that there’s no argument about LGBT,” she says. “So they pick trans.”

Decades of organizing, she argues, made broad attacks on gay and lesbian people less useful. Republicans identified transgender people — and bathrooms, sports, and military service — as terrain where unfamiliarity could become fear.

“They lost the battle on HIV/AIDS, on anti-discrimination and everything,” Pelosi says. “Now what they’re doing to the military is harmful to our national security.”

Since returning to office, the Trump administration has sought to exclude transgender people from military service, restricted passport gender markers, and targeted federal support for gender-affirming care.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Pelosi says. “These are people’s children.”

She has a transgender grandniece whom she loves dearly. She has met homeless transgender youth rejected by their relatives, and families who embraced their children “and took pride” in them.

“That’s where we want everyone to be,” she says. Pelosi rejects the idea that San Francisco is merely tolerant.

“That’s a condescending word,” she says as she often does. “We have respect, and we take pride.”

In 2019, during Trump’s first attempt to restrict transgender military service, Pelosi invited transgender Army officers Jennifer Peace and Ian Brown to the State of the Union. When I call them her guests, she corrects me.

“They’re my friends,” she says.

The current policy is a bitter reversal after “don’t ask, don’t tell” — another demand that some people serve by concealing themselves. Pelosi sees unfinished work as proof that progress creates new expectations.

“The successes have bred more challenges,” she says.

“I’M NOT AN INCREMENTALIST”

Pelosi bristles when I ask what she had learned about incrementalism.

“I’m not an incrementalist,” she says. “It’s just not my thing.”

The assertion collides with a defining dispute. In 2007, Pelosi supported an Employment Non-Discrimination Act protecting sexual orientation but not gender identity. It passed the House but died in the Senate. Many transgender people remember the exclusion as a betrayal.

When pressed, she points to her approach to passing the Hate Crimes Prevention Act just two years later. During that fight, she says, members warned that the bill could not advance with gender identity protections intact.

“They came back to me and said, ‘We can’t get it out of committee with trans in there,’” Pelosi recalls. “‘But you could pass it in a minute if you take out trans.’”

Her answer, she says, was categorical. “We won’t pass it in a hundred years if we take out trans,” she remembers saying. “We’re never bringing that bill to the floor. It’s all-inclusive.”

The legislation remained inclusive and became law in 2009. Judy Shepard came to Washington to lobby for it, accompanied, Pelosi recalls, by the sheriff from the Wyoming county where her son, Matthew, was murdered. He told lawmakers he might once have opposed them but had “seen the light.”

The following year, Congress repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Pelosi remembers promising at a Harvey Milk commemoration that the work would be finished by Christmas. President Barack Obama signed the repeal on December 22, 2010.

In 2022, Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act, requiring federal and interstate recognition of valid same-sex and interracial marriages. It became the final enrolled bill Pelosi signed as speaker.

When I ask whether she ever sits alone and thinks, Damn, look at what I’ve done,Pelosi permits herself a moment.

“I may soon do that,” she says with a smile.

A SPARK OF DIVINITY

When I ask what she hopes the LGBTQ+ community would remember about her, Pelosi resists the premise.

“I don’t really think it’s about me,” she says.

I ask her to indulge me. “I would be glad it is not the opposite — that I stood in the way of anything,” she says. “Because of everything we did, I would want the story to be that I was part of something. That it was a collaboration, a wedding of inside maneuvering, outside mobilization, and respect.”

Then she remembers an awards ceremony honoring Jones, who had opposed her in her first congressional campaign before becoming a close friend. The activist told the audience that in 100 years, nobody would remember the people in the room or what they had done — with one exception.

He turned and bowed toward Pelosi.

“Oh my God,” she recalls thinking. “Why did he do that?”

It brought her to tears.

Pelosi wants history to remember a movement, while history insists on assigning a face. Accepting her place in it seems perilously close to diminishing everyone else’s.

Pelosi describes herself as a devout Catholic. San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone directed priests in 2022 not to admit her to communion because she supported abortion rights. The archdiocese said the action was not excommunication, though Pelosi uses that word colloquially in our conversation.

“That’s the archbishop’s problem, not mine,” she says.

Her faith begins with the belief that every person carries a “spark of divinity.” Christ’s participation in humanity, she says, lets people participate in the divine. Dignity cannot depend on nationality, housing status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

“How can they not believe that if they have the spark of divinity, so does everybody else, no matter how different we may be?” she asks.

Pelosi, who takes issue with “un-Christian Christians,” searches for a description of religious figures who claim faith while excluding whole categories of people.

“Partners in inhumanity,” she says.

“All God’s children,” she adds, describing their apparent creed, “except we’ll decide who.”

She connects the idea to civil rights icon John Lewis, whose moral authority ended a caucus dispute over adding LGBTQ+ protections to the Civil Rights Act via the Equality Act.

“John Lewis just said, ‘This is what we’re doing,’” Pelosi recalls. That ended the discussion.

“A MOBILIZATION OF LOVE”

Pelosi is leaving Congress amid a second Trump administration she regards with disgust. She avoids saying the president’s name whenever possible, referring to him as “you know who.”

“Any time spent on him is just repulsive to me,” she says.

She accuses congressional Republicans of surrendering the legislative branch’s independence. “They have surrendered Article One,” Pelosi says.

She lists what she believes is under strain: free and fair elections, an independent judiciary, the rule of law, due process, and freedom of the press.

“All of these things chilled, if not destroyed,” she says, then retreats slightly. “Chilled.”

Pelosi predicts Democrats will win the House in November and hopes they will capture the Senate. But she returns to the source of political change: public sentiment awakened by personal connection.

People are busy with work and family, she says. Movements must pierce that noise and make the stakes legible.

She remembers people who questioned her AIDS work changing when someone in their family became sick or came out. “It was a mobilization of love too,” she says.

Movements, in Pelosi’s telling, turn the person labeled “other” into someone already loved. They make abstraction impossible. The same process, she believes, will undermine anti-transgender attacks.

Near the end of our conversation, Pelosi distills the legacy she has spent nearly the entire interview trying not to claim.

“If I’m remembered,” she says, she hopes HIV and AIDS advocacy would be “one of the main reasons.”

Her service, she says, was grounded in “respect for the dignity and worth of every person.” And that she was “especially honored to be associated with the LGBTQ community.”

Then come the photographs.

She says she has disliked taking pictures since childhood when her father was the mayor of Baltimore. Nelson coaxes her toward the window.

“They usually say to me, ‘Don’t smile,’” she tells him. “That’s impossible.”

Even during the photo session, she returns to the next generation. The victories of her era, Pelosi says, should already be “in the dustbin of history” — settled questions rather than recurring emergencies. Instead, transgender people remain targets.

Nelson asks her to look toward the window, where the early-afternoon light falls across the former speaker, who has spent a career recognizing openings.

The camera clicks.

As the office resumes its schedule, Pelosi prepares to travel again. New York. Missouri. Chicago. More politics. The midterm elections loom.

And the woman at the center of the frame — the one surrounded in the reception room by all the men who came before her — is still thinking about what comes next.

“We have to win,” she says. “We have to win big.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Today, U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), and Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.), a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, hosted a Democratic shadow hearing examining Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) use of force and abuse of power following the tragic killing of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford.

The hearing, titled “Seeking Justice in Biddeford: Oversight of ICE’s Use of Force in the Death of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero,” brought Members of Congress to Maine to hear directly from the Durán Guerrero family’s legal representation, local officials, and immigrant rights advocates about the investigation, the need for accountability, and the effects of ICE operations on communities across the state.

Click here to watch the full hearing.

“Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero should be alive today. His family deserves answers, and the people of Biddeford deserve to know how an ICE operation in their community ended in an innocent man’s death. Today’s testimony laid bare the devastating human cost of allowing ICE to operate with impunity in our communities and underscored the urgent need for transparency and accountability,” said Pingree. “As demonstrated today by their absence and utter ambivalence to the terror ICE is inflicting across the country, Republicans refuse to hold this Administration accountable for the atrocities committed using Americans’ tax dollars. My Democratic colleagues and I will keep fighting for the truth, for justice for Johan and his loved ones, and for safeguards to ensure no other family has to endure a tragedy like this.”

“Today’s hearing made clear that the Durán family deserves accountability and justice for Johan’s Sebastian’s death. ICE cannot continue using reckless and deadly force without consequence,” said Ranking Member Thompson. “Congress must hold this agency accountable before another family is forced to endure this kind of tragedy.”

“While Republicans continue to fund, greenlight, and cover up for ICE, Democrats are shining a light on the truth. And the truth is these are not protectors. This is a masked, secret police force that has terrorized children, trampled on our Constitution, and wielded violence as a political weapon,” said Democratic Whip Katherine Clark. “We will continue fighting to secure justice for Johan, for his family, and for every American who has been targeted by this unhinged administration.”

“We must hold the line against the Trump administration’s reckless, unaccountable immigration enforcement. The killing of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero is not an isolated incident. It fits a pattern of ICE agents operating with impunity in communities across the country, from Louisiana to Maine. Democrats are stepping up when Republicans in Congress have failed to act, demanding the transparency and accountability that ICE and the Trump administration have refused to provide. The rule of law must still mean something in America, and that means no person, whether a mother detained without warning, a student punished for speaking out, or a man killed by the very agents meant to protect and serve, should be denied justice. Congress has a constitutional duty to conduct oversight, and we intend to fulfill it until ICE is held accountable,” said Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (LA-02).

Witnesses included Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain; Ben Gideon, legal representative for the Durán Guerrero family; Sue Roche, Executive Director of the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project; Mufalo Chitam, Executive Director of the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition; and Crystal Cron, Executive Director of Presente! Maine.

“A federal force came into my city, exercised one of the most extraordinary powers the government possesses—the use of deadly force—and left the consequences for Johan’s family and our small community to carry,” said Mayor Liam LaFountain. “An arrest can be challenged. A removal order can be reviewed. A death, however, cannot be reversed—not by Congress, not by a court, not by this Committee. That is why the safeguards around deadly force should be the strongest we have. And yet in Biddeford on the morning of July 13, they were the weakest.Biddeford is a city of 23,000 people. We were left to absorb the aftermath of that federal law-enforcement operation without federal support.”

“[…] What happened in Biddeford, Maine, in the early morning hours of July 13, was the result of intentional policies and decisions—at the highest levels of our government-that treat the killing of innocent people as acceptable collateral damage,” said Gideon. “We know it’s not an unintended, random occurrence, because it keeps happening, over and over again, in Minnesota, and Houston, and now in Biddeford. We know it’s not an unintended, random occurrence because there is no remorse, no apology or even the slightest concern shown to those whose lives have been destroyed. And we know it’s not an unintended, random occurrence because there has been no effort to investigate the causes of what happened, or to change anything to stop it from happening again.”

“People come for our mountains, coast, and small towns. But people stay because of something deeper: community. Maine is a place where neighbors shovel each other’s driveways, bring food when a family is struggling, and check in on each other,” said Chitam. “For immigrant families, that is part of what makes Maine home.VAnd on July 13, something about that sense of home was shattered. Before Johan Sebastián Guerrero was killed in Biddeford, people feared what an encounter with ICE could mean. After July 13, their reality became all too clear—an encounter could mean they may never return home. A father left for an ordinary day and did not come home.”

“Johan’s death is not an isolated tragedy. It is part of a system that has inflicted fear, separation, detention, and death on immigrant communities. The responsibility for his death, and the many deaths by immigration police and in ICE detention this year, is a collective one,” said Cron. “Maine people have been clear about what is needed. ICE out of Maine, ICE out from everywhere. The abolishment of ICE and all immigration policing is one of many steps toward repair. It is not the last. Today, Presente! Maine is calling on Congress to pass Congresswoman Ramirez and Congresswoman Clarke’s Melt ICE Act to end DHS’s funding to detain and monitor immigrants and reinvest those funds into services that support life. We ask you to mourn and grieve Johan Sebastián’s life by abolishing ICE and ending all funding for immigration policing. Our healing and future depend on it.”

“Johan Sebastián’s death is a devastating tragedy, felt by his family, the Biddeford community, and all of Maine. It is also not an isolated incident, and it was not an accident. It is the direct and foreseeable result of deliberate federal policy choices, rooted in racism and dehumanization,” said Roche. “ICE is an imminent public safety threat and must get out of our communities now. The billions of dollars that have been appropriated to immigration enforcement are wholly unjustifiable. Congress should take all steps to defund and dismantle ICE and put those taxpayer dollars towards the public good.”

Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero’s father, Omar Durán Plata, and Maine Governor Janet Mills delivered remarks to open the hearing. Their statements, as well as those who testified, will be entered into the Congressional record. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA)

LAFAYETTE, LA – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump respectfully urging him to direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to execute spot dredging of the Vermilion River, a statutorily authorized project since 1956. In the letter, Congressman Higgins details the continued work his office has done to ensure spot dredging the Vermilion can be executed despite the Corps’ continued inaction. Read the full letter here. 

Congressman Higgins wrote: 

“In October 2025, my office delivered a white paper to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought outlining reforms to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Civil Works mission to improve the efficiency and execution of federal construction efforts. The history of the Vermilion River in Louisiana’s 3rd District demonstrates why these reforms are necessary.”

“After I delivered my white paper… the Corps approached my office with its ‘Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork Initiative.’ This initiative was largely informed from my white paper. I personally met with Assistant Secretary Telle where a shared vision of execution on delayed projects and the necessity of spot dredging the Vermilion River was discussed.” Read the white paper here. 

The letter details the technical foundation Congressman Higgins built between the Corps and researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette following the historic 2016 flood: 

“After the historic 2016 flood that impacted more than 7,000 structures across Acadiana, I facilitated the Corps and top researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to develop an objective hydrologic and hydraulic analysis of spot dredging the Vermilion River. In over nine years of official well-documented engagement, my office has worked consistently with the Corps to support the execution of spot dredging the Vermilion River.” 

Congressman Higgins closes by urging President Trump to address the barriers holding back the dredging of the Vermilion River:

“After years of study, congressional direction, and $50 million in taxpayer funding, the Corps has yet to remove a single bucket of sediment from the Vermilion River in over 25 years. I urge your full and fair consideration of all factors to address bureaucratic barriers that have prevented spot dredging the Vermilion River from moving forward.”

Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, President of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, also submitted a letter to the President in support of moving the project forward:

“Given the importance of the Vermilion River and its watershed to our region, I support Congressman Clay Higgins and the Lafayette Consolidated Government in their request that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers address the dredging needs of the Vermilion River. I also encourage continued federal, state, local, and regional collaboration to evaluate and advance other flood-mitigation opportunities as part of a comprehensive strategy to support a healthy, functional, and resilient Vermilion River and watershed.”  Read President Kolluru’s full letter here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

San Francisco — Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement on the passing of beloved San Francisco community leader and restaurateur Philip De Andrade:

“Paul and I are heartbroken by the passing of our dear friend Philip De Andrade, whose joyful spirit, generous heart and deep love of San Francisco enriched the lives of all who knew him.

“For decades, Philip was a treasured member of our extended Pelosi family. From my first campaign for Congress, his friendship, kindness and dedication were gifts that we all deeply cherished. Philip served on my staff both in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., always bringing his warmth and generosity to our work on behalf of our constituents, who loved him dearly.

“Through his beloved Goat Hill Pizza, Philip helped create a gathering place that became woven into the fabric of both Potrero Hill and our City. May it be a comfort to Philip’s family and his many friends that so many join them in mourning during this sad time.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

Rep. Don Beyer today issued the following statement on recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) encounters in Northern Virginia:

“The injuries to Jose Mejia Hernandez and his account of how he received them are extremely disturbing, and I am seeking further details about what happened to him in Arlington. It essential to establish the facts in this case, and, if this is another instance of unjustified violence by ICE agents, to hold them accountable.

“My office has received reports of several other ICE encounters in Northern Virginia in the past 10 days that featured unjustified violence or apparently warrantless detention. The pattern that emerges in the descriptions is of ICE agents stopping people outside or on the street, asking for ID, and often responding with violence when their orders are questioned, regardless of whether those orders violate individuals’ rights.

“In the case of Carolina Molina, ICE agents were filmed pointing a gun at a citizen because she verbally challenged and filmed them, activities which are protected by the First Amendment. I look forward to meeting with Ms. Molina soon to hear her perspective on these events and discuss next steps.

“I urge Northern Virginians to exercise extreme caution. ICE agents are here, they are regularly ignoring their training and departmental regulations that call for deescalation, they are disappearing people, and they are all too frequently becoming out of control or violent. I thank constituents who have alerted my office to these activities, and encourage all residents to review and remember their constitutional rights. Our community is diverse and inclusive, and we must work together to ensure that our neighbors are safe and that peace, law, and order can prevail.”

Northern Virginians are reminded to Know Their Rights.