Caucus News

The California state Senate voted 23-11 today to approve Sen. Nancy Skinner’s SB 81, which would establish judicial guidance on the use of sentencing enhancements. SB 81 won approval yesterday in the state Assembly on a 46-24 vote. The legislation now goes to Gov. Gavin Newsom for consideration.

SB 81 is designed to address the proliferation of sentence enhancements in California, which can often double the length of years of a prison term and have been disproportionately applied to people of color and those suffering from mental illness.

SACRAMENTO – Senate Majority Leader Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) issued the following statement on the Safe and Resilient Communities Act (SB 262) becoming a two-year bill:

SACRAMENTO – The Legislature today approved a bill from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, to assist restaurants struggling to recover from the pandemic by permanently allowing the sale of to-go cocktails as part of take-out food orders.

“Restaurants have been hit hard by the pandemic and the ability to sell carry-out cocktails has been critical to ensuring they can survive,” Sen. Dodd said. “Making this permanent will ensure their recovery, protecting jobs and our economy. I thank my fellow legislators for supporting this important proposal.”

SACRAMENTO –Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) has appointed three top leaders to serve on the governing board of the Cradle-to-Career Data System, which links information across spectrums like education and social services in an effort to better equip policymakers, educators, and the public to address disparities and improve student outcomes.

SACRAMENTO – The Legislature has approved a bill from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would help train law enforcement officers in their criminal investigations and public interactions, ensuring they uphold civil rights and treat people with dignity and respect.

SACRAMENTO, CA – the California State Senate passed Senator Bob Archuleta’s (D-Pico Rivera) Joint Resolution No. 3, urging support for the Battleship USS Iowa Museum and National Museum of the Surface Navy Act of 2021. The joint resolution passed unanimously through both houses of the state legislature and urges the United States Congress to pass, and the President of the United States to sign, the Act, which calls for construction of the National Museum of the Surface Navy aboard the Battleship USS Iowa at the Port of Los Angeles.

SACRAMENTO, CA – the California State Senate passed Senator Bob Archuleta’s (D-Pico Rivera) Joint Resolution No. 3, urging support for the Battleship USS Iowa Museum and National Museum of the Surface Navy Act of 2021. The joint resolution passed unanimously through both houses of the state legislature and urges the United States Congress to pass, and the President of the United States to sign, the Act, which calls for construction of the National Museum of the Surface Navy aboard the Battleship USS Iowa at the Port of Los Angeles.

SACRAMENTO, CA – The California State Assembly today passed a bill by Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) that strengthens reading instruction and ensures teacher candidates are qualified and prepared to teach students based on best practices.

Sacramento, Calif. – On September 8, 2021, Senator Lena A. Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) and Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-San Bernardino) celebrated progress in plans to modernize the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program that boasts incredible support from relevant stakeholders and community members.

Today, California State Assemblymembers voted overwhelmingly on Concurrence in favor of modernizing and equalizing California’s spousal rape law. The bill, AB 1171, that has Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley) and Senator Dave Cortese (D-Silicon Valley) as principal co-authors, was passed out of the California Assembly and the Senate with wide bipartisan support.