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 Congresswoman Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, was the keynote speaker during a naturalization ceremony on Jan. 29, 2025, in Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium. 

As Vanh Chanthavong wiped away tears and recited the U.S. oath of allegiance, her mind was on the past 44 years.

In 1981, at just 8, she immigrated from her home country of Laos. She spent the next few decades living unlawfully in the U.S. For reasons unknown to her, her citizenship application was previously denied twice.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today released the following statement from SIA President and CEO John Neuffer commending the introduction in the U.S. House of Representatives of the bipartisan Semiconductor Technology Advancement and Research (STAR) Act. The STAR Act extends the duration of the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit (AMIC)—a 25% tax credit for chip production—and expands eligibility of the credit to include investments in semiconductor design, the research-intensive mapping of a chip’s intricate circuitry and functionality. Reps.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) on January 10, 2025, announced that Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) has been award $9.5 million from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. The grant provides the final funding needed to construct the Dos Rios Station, a new light rail station on SacRT’s Blue Line. The station will serve the Mirasol Village housing development and Sacramento’s River District, just north of downtown Sacramento.

As fires in the Los Angeles area continue to rage, California could see more activity aimed at reducing wildfire risks in the future under legislation passed with strong Democratic and Republican support in the House Thursday.

By 279 to 141 vote, lawmakers approved a bill that could lead to increased activities such as forest thinning. But the measure also raised concern among state environmental groups about potential adverse effects on ecosystems and vulnerable species. The Senate will now consider the bill.

A House Democratic caucus pilloried President Donald Trump’s first set of executive actions, accusing him of working to “gut our bedrock pollution and environmental protections.”
But in a multipage letter filled with both bullet points and outrage, the leaders of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition offered something of an olive branch.
 

"We are committed to working with your Administration" to "protect Americans from harm, to grow the middle class, and to make our government work for the average American," they wrote.