Caucus News

SACRAMENTO – The Senate today approved a pair of wildfire safety bills from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that will help prevent and prepare for future blazes by encouraging people to clear brush around homes and by creating an early warning system to tell Californians when conditions are ripe for fires.

Senate today OKs Sen. Holly J. Mitchell’s SB 716 to establish a “juvenile hall-to-career pipeline." Measure now goes to the Assembly.

Senate today OKs Sen. Holly J. Mitchell’s SB 716 to establish a “juvenile hall-to-career pipeline." Measure now goes to the Assembly.

The California Senate today approved Sen. Holly J. Mitchell’s efforts to fight homelessness wither her low-income housing bill , Senate Bill 329. Measure now goes to the Assembly.

The California Senate today approved Sen. Holly J. Mitchell’s efforts to fight homelessness wither her low-income housing bill , Senate Bill 329. Measure now goes to the Assembly.

SACRAMENTO – Legislation from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would allow senior and low-income people with disabilities to transition from skilled nursing facilities to in-home care, all while saving taxpayer dollars, cleared the Senate today by unanimous vote.

SACRAMENTO – As the challenges confronting California on climate change continue to mount, the state Senate today approved with bipartisan support a bill by Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) to establish the position of chief resilience officer to coordinate work on climate resiliency issues.  Under SB 168, the Governor would appoint the chief resilience officer, who would be subject to a Senate confirmation vote.  The officer would be based in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research.

Sacramento–  Today, the Senate passed Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) legislation requiring that incarcerated transgender individuals in the custody of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) be classified and housed based on their gender identity - absent specific security concerns - on a 29-6 vote. It will now head to the Assembly for committee hearings in the coming weeks. When transgender people are housed according to their birth-assigned gender, which is currently the typical practice, they are at heightened risk of violence, including sexual violence.

SACRAMENTO – In order to address the quickly escalating total costs of attending community college, the California State Senate approved legislation earlier today that establishes the California Community College Student Financial Aid Program that would base financial aid on not only the cost of tuition, but rather on the total cost of attendance—including the cost of housing, transportation and textbooks.

Sacramento, California – This week, SB 61, SB 172, and SB 376 all authored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D–La Cañada Flintridge) passed the California State Senate. The three bills further establish Portantino’s leadership as one of California’s strongest sensible gun control advocates.  His efforts over the past decade have significantly improved California’s gun control efforts and have enhance public safety in neighborhoods and main streets across our state.