Jerry Hill

Governor Gavin Newsom today signed two bills as part of his worker protection package, SB 1159 by Senator Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) and AB 685 by Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-San Bernardino). SB 1159 expands access to workers’ compensation and makes it easier for first responders, health care workers and people who test positive due to an outbreak at work to get the support they need, including necessary medical care and wage replacement benefits. 

For at least another five years, all-volunteer fire departments will be able to hang onto all money they earn in pancake breakfasts, T-shirt sales and other efforts to raise cash to help fund their operations, under a bill by Senator Jerry Hill that Governor Gavin Newsom signed Friday.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network holds its awards ceremony and a panel discussion on legislative efforts to restrict flavored tobacco sales on Thursday.

California Fights Flavors: Black leaders across the state came together to denounce a new ad campaign Big Tobacco is using to desperately strong-arm legislators into opposing SB 793. “Big Tobacco is snatching up ad space on TV and online, spending millions, all in an effort to deceive legislators,” said Assemblymember Kevin McCarty. “They market flavors that gets kids hooked on tobacco from an early age and have no place in CA Health Care policy."

California Fights Flavors: Today, the coalition of organizations who have come together to pass SB 793 (Hill), a bill that would end the sale of flavored tobacco products in California, unveiled a new TV ad to respond to Big Tobacco’s record-breaking million-dollar deceitful media blitz that is swamping legislators in Sacramento. Featuring spoken-word art from SixFootah the Poet, the breakthrough piece shows the devastating toll menthol cigarettes take on Black lives. 

The Assembly Appropriations Committee passed Senate Bill 793 today, sending the bill to restrict store sales of flavored tobacco products to the full Assembly for consideration. “Thanks to Appropriations Chair Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez and my colleagues on her committee, we are closer than ever before to saving lives and protecting our kids and our communities with Senate Bill 793,” said Senator Hill.

In a strong vote for public health, the Assembly passed Senate Bill 793, the measure that would impose the country’s most stringent state restrictions on retail sales of flavored tobacco products. “The California Assembly stood strong to protect our youth and our communities from Big Tobacco. The assemblymembers who passed SB 793 are the heroes of the day,” said Senator Hill.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 793 today, making California the leader in state policy on sales of flavored tobacco products. The new law, which imposes the toughest state restrictions in the country thus far, takes effect on January 1, 2021. The governor’s signature came just a few hours after the Senate’s 34-0 vote to pass the legislation. The Assembly voted 58-1 on Monday..

News Release: State Senator Jerry Hill and Assemblymembers Jim Wood and Kevin McCarty sent a letter of complaint to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and urged the agency to prohibit Swedish Match North America from making misleading claims about its snus and ZYN products. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, the Stanford pediatrics professor who is founder and executive director of Tobacco Prevention Toolkit, UCSF professor of medicine Stanton Glantz, and law and policy expert Lauren K.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network honored Senator Hill for his work to ban retail sales of flavored tobacco products. The organization also recognized Senator Lena Gonzalez and Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Hansen for their efforts to fight cancer with strong tobacco policy.