Senator Benjamin Allen

Sacramento, CA – Legislation authored by Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica) to

improve the mitigation of methane gas leaks from underground storage facilities passed the state Senate on a vote of 28—10 today.  SB 888 requires gas leak emissions to be fully mitigated and paid for through the fines and penalties assessed against the responsible gas company, not rate payer funds. It also will improve the state’s response to similar gas leaks in the future by designating the Office of Emergency Services as the lead point of contact for the government.

Sacramento, CA – Legislation authored by Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica) was approved on a unanimous, bi-partisan vote in the Senate Education Committee today on a vote of 9 – 0.  SB 916, the Theatre and Dance Act (TADA), will establish single-subject teaching credentials for theatre and for dance.  Four-time Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner, Annette Bening, testified in support of the bill.

Sacramento, CA – Legislation authored by Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica) and Senator Mark Leno (D – San Francisco) passed the Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee today, moving one step closer to placement on the November 2016 ballot.  Senate Bill (SB) 254 is an advisory measure which urges the United States Congress to overturn the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court ruling.  It passed the committee on a vote of 5 – 2.

Santa Monica, CA – Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica), will honor Amy Ziering as Senate District 26’s Woman of the Year at a community reception in Santa Monica. Ms. Ziering is the award-winning film producer of “The Invisible War” and “The Hunting Ground” and a resident of the Westside. Her work has helped catalyze a national conversation around issues of sexual assault.

Who:  Senator Ben Allen, Amy Ziering

Sacramento, CA – The legislature’s Joint Committee on the Arts, chaired by Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica) will hold a hearing to review the findings of the latest statewide data in this year's Otis Report on the Creative Economy.  Now in its third year, the Otis Report on the Creative Economy of California features an expansion highlighting local creative industries via eight regional snapshots, developed with support from the California Arts Council.

Sacramento, CA –The legislature’s Joint Committee on the Arts, chaired by Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica), today reviewed the findings of a new report on the $217 billion impact of creative industries on the California economy.  The hearing coincided with the release of the “2015 Otis Report on the Creative Economy of California,” an annual report by the Otis College of Art and Design, which for the first time contained a regional analysis of creative industries within eight geographic areas of the state.

Sacramento, CA – Legislation authored by Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica) and Senator Mark Leno (D – San Francisco) passed the state Assembly today on a vote of 48 – 26.  Senate Bill (SB) 254 would place an instructional measure on the November 2016 ballot which, if passed, would urge California’s elected officials to use all of their constitutional authority, including, but not limited to, proposing and ratifying one or more amendments to the United States Constitution, to overturn Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

Sacramento, CA – Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica), chair of the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee, issued a statement today addressing confusion among some voters who have received a vote-by-mail ballot, or a sample ballot, that have no presidential candidates listed on it.

By way of clarification, Senator Allen gave the following explanation:

Sacramento, CA – Today Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) recognized the dental practice of Dr. Jay Grossman and Associates as Senate District 26’s Small Business of the Year.  The award was presented to Dr. Grossman at a luncheon in Sacramento honoring outstanding small businesses from legislative districts across the state.

 
Sacramento, CA – Urgency legislation authored by Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica) passed the legislature and was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown today decriminalizing organ donations by HIV-positive persons to HIV-positive persons in need of an organ transplant.  The bill, SB 1408, will improve the life expectancies of people with HIV who need organ transplants by removing California’s prohibition on donating organs while HIV positive.