Senator Bill Dodd

SACRAMENTO – Leaders of the California Assembly and Senate select committees on the state’s $57 billion wine industry will hold a joint informational hearing Oct. 31 in Lodi.

Sens. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, and Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, and Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, chair their respective select committees. They will lead a pair of panel discussions, starting with an overview of Central Valley grape production followed by a talk on wine fermentation emissions and related air quality rules under consideration.

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, announced today the completion of a busy 2019 legislative session with 16 bills signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom – the highest number from any single California lawmaker this year.

“We’ve tackled some important issues but the work goes on,” Sen. Dodd said. “They key is to maintain our progress on making California a better place to live and work. And we have plenty of challenges left to address.”

NAPA – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, issued the following statement today regarding responses to last week’s PG&E power shutoff from Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Public Utilities President Marybel Batjer:

NAPA – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, announced today that Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed his legislation to allow the construction of low-income housing under the Napa Pipe mixed-use development.

“Thanks to Gov. Newsom for signing this bill, which allows the county and city to work together to address our housing shortage,” Sen. Dodd said. “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.”

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed a law authored by Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, to reduce the cost of road projects using federal transportation funds, allowing more improvements with the same amount of money.

“My bill would streamline an often duplicative and bureaucratic process, making every transportation dollar count,” Sen. Dodd said. “We can use that savings to expand both the number and quality of projects, providing Californians with the good roads they deserve.”

NAPA, CA – Senator Bill Dodd, D-Napa, released the following statement on the massive PG&E power shutoff:

“It’s beyond frustrating that we’re in this situation. Public safety power shutoffs have a role to play when they’re needed to prevent massive wildfires and the huge human and economic costs we’ve seen in recent years. However, many of my constituents are disturbed that the power was shut down before the winds started to pick up in the North Bay.

SACRAMENTO – In recognition of society’s growing dependence on the internet and computer technology – as well as the risks they pose to our finances, identities and privacy -- Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, has passed a resolution designating October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in the state of California.

SACRAMENTO –Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, announced today that Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed his legislation to eliminate the confusion and delays caused by uninformed, out-of-state or multiple insurance adjusters during the 2017 North Bay wildfires.

Senate Bill 240 requires the California Department of Insurance to produce information on the most significant state insurance laws related to disasters and set training standards for agents handling catastrophic events. It also mandates that insurers provide a single point of contact for customers to make processing claims easier.

NAPA – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, issued the following statement today regarding the second anniversary of the Oct. 8, 2017 wildfires:

“After the toughest times, it’s heartening to see our community come together and work so hard to rebuild,” Sen. Dodd said. “At the same time, we can’t overlook the people who are still struggling to recover. Helping our neighbors and protecting California from future infernos must to be our focus going forward. It’s been my focus for the past two years, and we’ve made considerable progress that we must continue building upon.”

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed legislation from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, to enable collaboration and innovation between the state Department of Parks and Recreation, universities and researchers.

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