Sam T. Liccardo · TranslatePolitics.com

House of Representatives

Liberty and Justice for All

2026-09-01

“I am sad that some people died. I think the other party did this. They had power. They used it wrong. I want this to stop. I want people to be okay. I don't want people to be in a bad place. The government did this wrong. They must change. They must be good to people. They must follow the law. The other party is bad. They hurt people. They make people scared. They are mean. Our country should be better. We should be good to everyone. That is our promise. I want us to keep it. I want the other party to change. I want them to be good to people. I want them to follow the law. I want them to stop hurting people. I want the government to help people. I want the government to be nice to people. I want the government to follow the law. I don't want the government to put people in jail. Jail is bad. Jail hurts people. Jail makes people sad. I want the government to help people be free. Free is good. Free makes people happy. Free makes people strong. Free makes people proud. I want people to be proud of our country. I want people to love our country. I want people to trust our country. I want our country to be good.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Torres for her leadership. Mr. Speaker, a graveyard of living people, is how Lorenzo described Camp East Montana, the ICE detention facility where guards denied him sunlight and fresh air for a full month. Lorenzo persevered. Mr. Speaker, 52 others would never feel the sun upon their face again. Fifty-two people have died in ICE custody since Donald Trump took office. They were mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, daughters and sons, every one someone's child. Every one a child of God. Someone loves us. Someone mourns us. When we die, grief takes part of them with us. My heart aches for the families who never got the chance to say good- bye, who never held their loved one's hand before they died alone behind barbed wire and concrete. I have undocumented neighbors in San Jose who have lived there for more than two decades. They have built lives there. They have built families there. Some coach for youth sports teams and others volunteer at their church. Several have built businesses, employing U.S. citizens. All have built our community. This is not the first time our country has put the most ambitious of our Dreamers and doers behind bars. In 1942, my father came home telling my grandfather that his friend was missing from their weekly pick-up baseball game. It turned out his friend, Norm, had been taken with his family from their home on 5th Street in San Jose and incarcerated in Heart Mountain, Wyoming. Norm was Japanese American. That young boy returned to San Jose and grew up. Decades later, I had the honor of working for him as his intern. His name is Norm Mineta, and he served in this Congress for two decades. The incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans left an indelible stain on our country. The last of those who endured it still walk among us, and the ghosts of those who did not endure it still haunt our national conscience. History will harshly judge us also for the abusive and inhuman treatment of our undocumented neighbors. Too many of us have declined to speak out, or perhaps only when ICE's chaotic cruelty takes the life of an American citizen as in Minneapolis. Yet the deaths in our DHS detention centers continue unabated, accompanied only by the incriminating silence of the quietly complicit. I am proud that in my own Bay Area region: San Mateo County, the city of San Jose, Santa Clara County, and Napa County have all taken steps to obstruct the construction of new detention centers in our communities. We are helping them and others with a toolkit that includes a model ordinance, but local leaders should never have to fight this battle alone. Congress must act. We must defend human dignity. We must uphold our Constitution, and we must stop digging graveyards for the living.

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House of Representatives

Recognizing Larry "the Grinch" Stone

2026-07-20

“A man named Arthur did important work in World War II. He helped crack secret codes. That helped our side win the war. He also worked for the government. He made our country safer. He did important work to help national security. He built a community. I want to thank him. May his memory be a blessing.”

Official Congressional Record

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Arthur Herbert Hausman, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 102. Our Nation owes Arthur a profound debt of gratitude for his lifetime of service. During World War II, Arthur served at Bletchley Park on Project ULTRA, helping decrypt enemy communications alongside Alan Turing and other legends of the era. Their work proved instrumental in securing the Allied victory in World War II. Arthur later served as an electronic scientist with the Department of Defense and helped lay the foundation for the National Security Agency. His groundbreaking work in cryptography, secure communications, and technological innovation left an indelible mark on our national security institutions and made us all safer. Arthur's greatest legacy lives through his family and the community that he helped build, including Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills. His integrity, ingenuity, and patriotism will endure in the hearts of his children, grandchildren, and a grateful nation. Madam Speaker, may his memory be a blessing.

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“Larry Stone worked for the government for a long time. He was a good citizen and helped people in our city. People liked him. I want to say thank you to him.”

Official Congressional Record

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of myself and on behalf of my colleagues, Representatives Zoe Lofgren, Ro Khanna, and Jimmy Panetta, to recognize Larry Stone, who retired a few months ago as Santa Clara County's longest serving elected official. Larry has been an extraordinary public servant, ethical role model, a mentor to many of us, and a friend to all. Larry served in elected office for 46 years, 30 as Santa Clara County's assessor. He made the most of his notorious role as tax leveler, humorously egging on everyone to boo him at every civic and political event. He even wore a Grinch costume for many years in our annual Santa Run, sitting in the pace car with thousands of runners dressed up as Santas with beards on chasing him through the streets of downtown San Jose. Larry's work was serious, however. He leaves behind an assessor's office that has become a national model for efficiency, responsiveness, and trustworthiness. Larry's signature forthrightness made him the first phone call for local reporters looking for someone quotable. His willingness to call out malfeasance by the powerful made him a reliable advocate for good government. His prescient political sense--gathering Silicon Valley support for everyone from his successor, Neysa Fligor, to a little known southerner by the name of Bill Clinton--made him a local kingmaker. In his retirement, Larry and his much-beloved wife, Carmen, will continue to generously support local nonprofits and the arts. Larry's example, however, continues to inspire the next generation of leaders. Madam Speaker, on behalf of many, I thank Larry for his leadership, his mentorship, and his friendship.

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