Senator Anthony J. Portantino

Sacramento, CA – Senate Bill 941, authored by State Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) seeks to address California’s teacher shortages and to improve student learning environments, was signed by Governor Newsom.  SB 974 would authorize school districts to locally determine inter-district collaboration for courses related to STEM and dual language immersion.  The bill was inspired by comments the Senator received from parents in the Pasadena Unified School District during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sacramento, CA - Senate Bill 932, authored by State Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) to prioritize pedestrian and cyclist safety, was signed into law by Governor Newsom.  The bill requires all California cities to take concrete steps to reduce traffic collisions and fatalities and has garnered an impressive list of supporters, including Streets For All, ActiveSGV, CalBike, and Streets Are For Everyone.   

Sacramento, CA – Senate Bill 987, a measure authored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) that provides access to lifesaving cancer treatments, was signed into law by Governor Newsom.  SB 987 aims to address significant disparities in cancer patient access by expanding Medi-Cal patient eligibility for necessary clinical expertise and resources.

Sacramento, CA – Senate Bill 1002, a measure authored by State Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank), seeks to address California’s mental health provider shortage.  SB 1002 authorizes qualified social workers to offer assessment and psychotherapy for mental or behavioral health issues in order to provide additional resources to injured workers in need of immediate care.  Governor Newsom has signed the measure into law

Sacramento, CA - State Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) announced that his budget request of $150,000 for Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR) was approved in the 2022-2023 State Budget.  The funds will help with conservation efforts in order to restore the natural and historic heritage of the important Los Angeles River.

Sacramento, CA – Senate Bill 883, jointly authored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) and Senator Richard D. Roth (D – Riverside), was signed into law by Governor Newsom.  The measure extends the sunset date on the Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program (UCBCP) for an additional five years.  Umbilical cord blood stem cells have achieved remarkable success in curing leukemia.  The University of California Davis has administered the UCBCP since its inception.

Sacramento, CA – Senate Bill 1016, authored by State Senator Anthony J. Portantino, (D – Burbank) was signed into law by Governor Newsom.  The measure will enhance special education services for students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). 

Sacramento, CA – Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 1207, a measure authored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) which improves maternal mental health support by providing women with outreach services, education and access to mental health treatment.  SB 1207 was supported by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists District IX (ACOG), Association of California Health Districts, California Catholic Conference and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.

Sacramento, CA - Senate Bill 959, authored by State Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank), was signed into law today by Governor Newsom.  With the SR 710 freeway gap between Alhambra and Pasadena no longer on the table, the City of Pasadena expressed a need for legislative changes to the current property sales process.

Sacramento, CA - Senate Bill 1079, a measure authored by State Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) to help decrease noise pollution by using sound activated devices, was signed into law by Governor Newsom today.   Streets for All, a nonprofit organization that advocates for street safety, was the sponsor of the measure.