Caucus News

SACRAMENTO – Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco)’s legislation to create more diverse and representative juries, Senate Bill 271, passed the Senate Governance and Finance Committee by a vote of 3-1. SB 271, the Fair Federal Juries Act, will expand jury pools in federal courts in California by allowing them to summon jurors using state tax filing lists.

SACRAMENTO - Today, Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced Senate Bill 834, a first-in-the-nation bill that authorizes the suspension of the California tax-exempt status of nonprofit organizations that participated in or aided the insurrection of January 6, 2021, or that support current and future efforts to overthrow our democratically elected government.

SACRAMENTO – As the first week of the 2022 legislative year unfolded, the Senate today approved four bills from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would address a range of issues important to Californians.

“From encouraging conservation to getting support for those facing student hunger, we are rolling up our sleeves for the people of this state,” Sen. Dodd said. “There is still much to work to be done but I’m happy to say we’re off to a good start.”

WHAT:     Important Legislative Update for AB 1400, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act and unveiling progressive taxation to fund Single-Payer Health Care System
WHEN:     Thursday, January 6, 2022, 10:00 am; contingent upon adjournment of Session

SACRAMENTO – Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced Senate Bill 271, the Fair Federal Juries Act. This legislation will expand jury pools in federal courts in California by allowing them to summon jurors using state tax filing lists. This will help create more diverse and demographically representative juries in federal courts, as jurors are currently selected from narrower lists that are more likely to skew wealthier, whiter and generally less diverse. This legislation builds on SB 592 (Wiener, 2020), which expanded state jury pools.

SACRAMENTO - Today, Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) announced he will not be moving forward with Senate Bill 225: the Intersex Bodily Autonomy, Dignity and Choice Act. This civil rights legislation would ban medically unnecessary, irreversible genital surgeries on intersex infants and other young children, thus providing children and their families with a chance to make informed decisions about major, life-altering genital reconstruction surgeries.

SACRAMENTO - Today, Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced new criminal justice reform legislation, Senate Bill 467. The text of this legislation will be available online tonight. This bill would amend the standards used for evaluating expert testimony and forensics in court pre- and post-conviction. Faulty forensic and scientific evidence, provided by expert witnesses, is the second most common reason that individuals are wrongfully convicted. Today, courts have discretion over which expert testimony is admissible.

SACRAMENTO – With global warming triggering longer and more frequent droughts, making California’s water supply more precious than ever, Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, announced today he has introduced legislation authorizing the remote sensing of water diversions, creating more accurate measurement of available resources and encouraging the most efficient use of water possible.

North Coast, CA – Senator Mike McGuire’s legislation to stop one of the largest environmental threats the North Coast has seen in decades — a proposal from a secret, clandestine operation that wants to ship millions of tons of coal through Northern California — passed with bipartisan support in the Senate Transportation Committee today.

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, introduced a bill today to help California reduce its reliance on carbon-emitting generators during disaster-driven power outages by empowering local governments to more strategically plan for the use of clean, distributed energy resources, with a priority on low-income communities.