Caucus News

SACRAMENTO – After meeting with Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Ángeles) announced today that she will keep Senate Bill 29 in the Assembly with the commitment from him to work with the legislature to address the Medi-Cal expansion to low-income undocumented immigrants age 65 or older next year.

Sacramento, California – Today, the State Legislature passed SB 328 authored by State Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – La Cañada Flintridge).  If signed by Governor Newsom, California would become the first state in the country to mandate that high schools and middle schools start later in the morning.  The bill is based on over three decades worth of research on teen health, sleep patterns and brain chemistry that occurs when school start times are aligned with the biology of teens.

Sacramento, California – Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D- La Cañada Flintridge) proudly announced today that SB 7 has passed the California State Legislature and is now at the Governor’s desk.  This final legislative outcome is the culmination of over 20 years of dedication the Senator brought to fighting the freeway and helping the 710 corridor.  It follows through on a promise that the Senator made to the activists, non-profits, and tenants in the 710 corridor when he helped negotiate the end of the 710 tunnel in December of 2016.

This past 2018-2019 legislative session I focused on health and economic justice with an emphasis on equity and access. My legislative package is reflective of my commitment to address housing discrimination, economic inequity, and bias in health access. It has been a very successful legislative year with the majority of my bills below having already been signed or waiting on the governor's signature. I am looking forward to continuing our work on SB 555, SB 144 and SB 361 into to the new year.

SACRAMENTO – The Legislature today approved a plan from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, to enable collaboration and innovation between the state Department of Parks and Recreation, universities and researchers.

“I commend my fellow lawmakers for passing this commonsense bill, which will allow researchers to better utilize scientific discoveries made in state parks,” Sen. Dodd said. “This will encourage discovery while allowing California to realize substantial social, ecological and economic benefits.”

SACRAMENTO – The Legislature today approved a plan from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would allow the construction of low-income housing under the Napa Pipe mixed-use development.

“Napa is now a step closer to getting this long-sought project, which will help bring affordable and market-rate housing for our workforce and reduce commute traffic,” Sen. Dodd said. “The bill lets the county and city work together to address our housing shortage.”

SACRAMENTO – As access to abortion and reproductive health care is under attack in states across our country, the California State Legislature gave final approval to legislation authored by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) that will ensure access to medication abortion services on California public university campuses for students who seek to end their pregnancy up to 10 weeks.

SACRAMENTO – Stronger oversight of elections in California’s more than 50,000 homeowner associations (HOAs) is one step closer to taking effect after the state Assembly approved SB 323 by Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont).  The bill will go to the Senate today for a concurrence vote.

Sacramento, CA— Dr. Richard Pan, a pediatrician and Senator representing the Sacramento area, made the following statement strongly condemning the violence that has been ramping up in the last few weeks of the legislation session and since the passage of Senate Bill 276:

SACRAMENTO – The California State Senate on Friday passed amendments to the state budget that will generate $1.7 billion to fund Medi-Cal, create financing tools local municipalities can use for housing and infrastructure projects, ratify collective bargaining agreements with several of the state’s largest labor unions, and make important technical updates, such as allocating funds to keep patients and providers safe at health centers that provide abortion services.