Caucus News

(SACRAMENTO) – Today, Senator Richard D. Roth’s Senate Bill 461 received unanimous, bipartisan support in the Senate Education Committee. Offering college students financial flexibility, SB 461 expands the Cal Grant program, allowing students to receive an additional Summer Cal Grant award.

SACRAMENTO – Legislation from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would allow the long-sought Napa Pipe mixed-use development to proceed, creating much-needed low-income housing, has cleared a key committee.

“This critical housing project must move forward so that we can create more affordable and market-rate housing in our community,” Sen. Dodd said. “This bill allows the city and county to address our workforce needs while helping to reduce commuter traffic.”

San Francisco –  Today, Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) Senate Bill 50 — the More HOMES Act (Housing, Opportunity, Mobility, Equity, and Stability) — cleared its first committee, the Senate Housing Committee, with a vote of 9-1. It will now head for a hearing in the Senate Governance and Finance Committee in the coming weeks. SB 50 creates new zoning standards for the construction of housing near job centers and public transportation, while protecting against the displacement of renters and vulnerable communities living in those areas.

Senate Bill 310, “The Right to be on a Jury,” by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, won approval today in the Senate Public Safety Committee on a 5-1 vote. SB 310 would allow Californians who have prior felony convictions to serve on juries. The legislation is designed to expand California’s jury pool so that defendants, particularly those of color, have a better chance of having their criminal cases decided by a jury of their peers.

SACRAMENTO – Recognizing that accessory dwelling units (ADUs), also known as granny flats, are an increasingly popular way to provide more affordable housing in California, the state Senate’s Housing Committee approved SB 13 today, the latest legislation authored by Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont), one of the Legislature’s strongest advocates for the smaller homes.

Sacramento, California–Today, the Senate Public Safety Committee passed SB 61, SB 172, and SB 376 all authored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D–La Cañada Flintridge). The three bills further establish Portantino’s leadership as one of California’s sensible gun control advocates and enhance public safety.

What would happen if working women just stayed home until there was pay equity, asked Sen. Holly J. Mitchell during a press conference by the Legislative Women's Caucus to announce family-friendly bills they support for the year.

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Today, Senate Bill (SB) 189 authored by Senator Bill Monning (D-Carmel), was amended to assist the Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA) to effectively execute the FORA Transition Plan.

SACRAMENTO – Senator Henry Stern’s proposal to lower California’s pre-registration age to 15 and enfranchise tens of thousands more voters the day they turn 18 (SB 727) today passed through the Senate Elections & Constitutional Amendments Committee.

The parents of a 15-month-old boy who was killed by a drunk driver and the parents of a Naval Academy midshipman who died when a drunk motorist plowed into the family’s car join other DUI crash survivors, MADD, national road safety advocates, Senator Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, and Assemblymember Autumn Burke, D-Marina del Rey, at a news conference Wednesday on 2019 legislation that adds more muscle to California’s drunk driving laws.