Caucus News

California Cooling Act (SB 1013) would restore rules threatened by legal attack by foreign companies

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Today California took a bold step in the global fight against super-pollutants in refrigeration as the Senate passed the California Cooling Act, Senate Bill 1013, authored by Senator Lara (D-Bell Gardens).

SACRAMENTO – The California Senate today approved Senate Bill 1391, which prohibits 14- and 15-year-olds from being tried as adults in criminal court and subsequently sent to adult prison.

SB 1391 is part of the #EquityAndJustice2018 package jointly authored by Senators Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) and Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles).

The bill reverses laws passed in the 1990s that allowed for sentencing the youngest teens to the adult criminal justice system.  

SACRAMENTO – A bill from Senator Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would help reduce the risk of devastating wildfires by requiring electric utility companies to upgrade infrastructure, hardening the grid to be more resistant to extreme weather and bringing it into compliance with new safety standards, was approved by the Senate Wednesday in a bipartisan vote.

Latest step forward for #EquityAndJustice2018 package

SACRAMENTO – The California Senate today approved Senate Bill 1391, which prohibits 14- and 15-year-olds from being tried as adults in criminal court and subsequently sent to adult prison.

SB 1391 is part of the #EquityAndJustice2018 package jointly authored by Senators Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) and Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles).

SACRAMENTO – The California State Senate today passed legislation authored by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) that will ensure that state prisons in California promptly inform an inmate’s listed family member or contact person following the inmate’s serious illness/injury or death, including attempted suicide.

SACRAMENTO – Senator Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, announced today that SB 1001, a bill he authored with the support of Common Sense Kids Action to require social media companies to label automated accounts on their sites, passed the Senate Floor and is now headed to the Assembly.

SACRAMENTO – Action to bolster mental health services in schools and help students was approved by the Senate today. By a 32-0 vote, Senator Jim Beall’s legislation to fund children’s crisis mental health services at equal levels to adult services, advanced to the Assembly for consideration.

Today, with bipartisan support, the California Senate passed Senator Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) bill that establishes new protections to give consumers full access to information related to dental insurance policies. The legislation, SB 1008, ensures that dental insurance providers are subject to similar disclosure requirements as health insurance. SB 1008 is now on its way to the Assembly.

SACRAMENTO – Senator Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, announced today that his bill to establish a limited purpose state charter bank for use by licensed cannabis businesses passed on the Senate Floor.

Though Proposition 64 legalized adult-use cannabis in California, cannabis related businesses remain unable to deposit their income with federally-insured financial institutions, leading this $10 billion industry to operate mostly in cash.

Sacramento –  Today the Senate approved Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) bill to allow – but not require – cities to extend sales of alcohol at bars, nightclubs, and restaurants (but not liquor stores) to as late as 4 a.m.