In an open letter to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy that was printed this morning in the Bakersfield Californian, Catholic leaders in California urged Rep. McCarthy to allow a House vote on critical legislation that would prevent the deportation of young people who were brought into this country as minors, but who lack formal permission to remain in the United States.

The letter was signed by Bishop Armando Ochoa of the Diocese of Fresno (whose territory includes Bakersfield) ; Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto, president of the California Catholic Conference of Bishops; and Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, Vice President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Three major hurricanes. Hailstorms. Drought. Flooding. Tornadoes. And the largest wildfires on record in California history, burning several hundreds of thousands of acres and killing dozens of people in Northern and Southern California.

These natural disasters in 2017 all caused widespread destruction and claimed hundreds of lives. They added up to the most expensive year on record for natural disasters in the United States, with $306 billion in damage. In 1980, there were three natural disasters that caused more than $1 billion in damage in today’s dollars. In 2017 there were 16.

The following statement issued May 16 is from Edward ‘Ned” Dolejsi, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, on the ruling by a Riverside Superior Court judge that the End-of-Life Options Act is unconstitutional.

“We are encouraged by yesterday’s ruling by a Superior Court judge in Riverside County overturning the state’s assisted suicide law. Our opposition to assisted suicide is no secret, but this legislation was also opposed by a broad coalition of doctors, nurses, seniors and the disabled community, who fought this bill for many, many reasons.