Caucus News

SACRAMENTO – With the demand for reliable, high-speed internet service higher than ever, the California Senate today overwhelmingly approved legislation from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would improve connectivity -- especially for low-income and underrepresented communities -- by removing local government roadblocks to the expansion of improved broadband service.

Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), author of SB 739, The Universal Basic Income for Transition Age Foster Youth Act, issued the following statement regarding Governor Newsom’s recently announced plans to provide low-income students minimum base deposits for their college savings.

Sacramento, CA – Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Quirk-Silva released the following statement regarding Governor Newsom’s announcement that the state will invest $95 million to fund SB 285, pending final budget approval, which will get California’s tourism economy back up and running – an initiative that Senator McGuire has championed for the past year and a half.

State Senator Josh Becker called today to use the state’s historic surplus to attack economic inequality and for the Legislature to embrace a moonshot investment to break the cycle of generational poverty. “We have a historic $75 billion surplus. Now is the time to be bold: Let’s start with babies. A Baby Bond program would put money into a publicly funded trust account for every child at birth -- with more for lower income families"

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) released the following statement after Governor Newsom announced partial funding of her SB 559 – the State Water Resiliency Act – and the extension of drought emergency status to Fresno, Kern, Tulare and Kings Counties:

“My Senate Bill 591 enables creation of housing for seniors and youth so they can live, learn and thrive together while sharing a living space that provides vulnerable individuals a safe place to live,” said Senator Becker. “The benefits of such intergenerational living environments are proven. These living spaces create a dynamic and supportive community that traditional forms of age-restricted housing cannot match.”

SACRAMENTO – The California Senate today unanimously approved legislation from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, to assist restaurants struggling to recover from the pandemic by allowing them to sell to-go cocktails.

“If allowing restaurants to sell carry-out cocktails helps keep their doors open, we must do it,” Sen. Dodd said. “This is about preserving jobs and getting our economy back on track. I appreciate my Senate colleagues for their support.”

SACRAMENTO – With two bills of his own on water access and equity pending in the Legislature, Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, issued the following statement today in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement that he would invest $1 billion to assist Californians struggling with water bills.

A bill authored by Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) to reform California’s “felony murder special circumstance” law is moving forward.
SB 300, The Sentencing Reform Act of 2021, has passed the Senate Public Safety Committee and will now be heard in the Senate Committee on Appropriations. 

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) submitted a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom requesting relief for the state’s vital fire protection, healthcare, utility, and other special districts that, unlike other areas of local government, have been uniquely excluded from access to COVID relief funding.

Hurtado– along with a bipartisan coalition of legislators –join the California Special Districts Association (CSDA) and more than 700 individuals and organizations urging relief for special districts and the communities they support.  To view the letter, click here.