Caucus News

SACRAMENTO - Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Senator Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) released the following statement regarding SB 467. The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee voted 4-3 against SB 467 (with the bill needing 5 votes to pass), which would ban fracking and other destructive oil extraction methods, as well as require 2,500 buffer zones for oil drilling near homes, schools, and playgrounds.

(Sacramento, CA) – Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D – Orange County) is denouncing online attacks to his social media pages, in particular, that surfaced overnight. His Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts have all been “spammed” with lies perpetuated and directed by the Vietnamese Communist Government under the guise of Học viện phòng chống phẚn động (the Anti-Reactionary Academy).

SACRAMENTO – Senate Majority Leader Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) released the following statement in response to today’s vote on SB 467:

“As a lifelong advocate for California’s environment, I believe our world must transition away from fossil fuels and address the looming threat of climate change,” says Senator Hertzberg. “But the bill before us today does nothing to foster that transition by reducing demand for oil in our state or in the global marketplace.”

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) released the following statement after her bill, SCR 14, which will honor the lives of Captain Ramon “Ray” Figueroa and Firefighter Patrick Jones was approved by the Transportation Committee on consent:
 

“Fire Captain Figueroa and Firefighter Jones made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community,” said Senator Hurtado. “I am proud to honor their memory, by recognizing their heroic actions, and the sacrifice that they made on behalf of Porterville.”

SACRAMENTO - Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco)’s legislation Senate Bill 339, the Gas Tax Alternative Pilot, passed the Senate Transportation Committee by a vote of 10-4. This pilot program, which allows California to study a road user charge based on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) instead of relying on gas taxes, is a critical strategy as the state transitions away from fossil fuels. Gas taxes fund California’s roads, highway system, and public transportation systems.

SACRAMENTO – Legislation from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, to help hundreds of thousands of Californians who have fallen behind on their water bills – a problem worsened by the coronavirus pandemic – has cleared a key committee hurdle.

SACRAMENTO, CA – Senator Susan Rubio (D – Baldwin Park) helped secure a landmark investment today targeting early wildfire prevention, including $12 million for the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy

Sacramento, Calif. — A bill to establish a statewide system for automatic voter registration (AVR) passed the Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments on Monday. SB 583, Secure Voter Verification and Enrollment, authored by Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), passed by a 3-2 vote.
The legislation will create an AVR system in which adults who have provided proof of U.S. citizenship during a DMV transaction will have their information provided automatically to the Secretary of State. Citizens who do not wish to register to vote may opt-out. 

Sacramento, Calif. –The Senate Environmental Quality Committee today passed Senate Bill No. 342 (SB 342) out of committee and is now headed to the Senate Governance and Finance Committee. The bill adding two environmental justice representatives to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) was introduced by Senator Lena Gonzalez and sponsored by San Diego County Board of Supervisors’ Chair Nathan Fletcher and  Communities for a Better Environment.

Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) issued the following statement during today’s Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee about the Legislature’s $536 million wildfire prevention package, (details can be found in budget bills SB 85 and AB 79):