Caucus News

SACRAMENTO – The Senate Transportation and Housing Committee today passed legislation by Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, to prevent the automatic suspension of driver’s licenses for people who are unable to pay fines or fees for minor traffic tickets and require courts to determine violators’ ability to pay before setting fine amounts.

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Today, the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee passed Senate Bill (SB) 158 by Senator Bill Monning (D-Carmel), which will improve road safety by implementing new federal commercial truck driving regulations, as well as adding additional truck driver safety requirements.  

Sacramento – The Senate Judiciary Committee today approved a bill by Sen. Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) to improve  privacy protections for victims of cyber retaliation (revenge porn) so they can maintain their privacy in all court proceedings and documents when their intimate images are distributed without their consent.  Senate Bill 157 now goes before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Sacramento, CA – The month of April marks the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. It's also a time when the California legislature appropriately adds its voice in recognition of these tragic events.   This year, The Promise, the first major motion picture about the Armenian Genocide, is premiering across the countryon April 21st.

First six of seven reform measures pass initial policy tests

SACRAMENTO – Supporters of sweeping reforms of how California’s criminal justice system treats youths and young adults won another round today as the sixth measure in a seven-bill package that has passed its initial policy review.

In addition, a companion measure that had been referred to a second policy committee for review won approval for the second time in as many weeks.

CONTACT: Shrujal.Joseph@sen.ca.gov, (916) 651-4031 (Roth)

Senate Bill 65, introduced by Senator Jerry Hill and co-authored by Assemblymember Evan Low, will be heard by the Senate Public Transportation and Housing Committee. The bill closes a loophole in the law, which now permits recreational use of marijuana but does not make smoking or consuming it while driving illegal.

SACRAMENTO – The Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee today voted in favor of Senate Bill 57 an urgency measure by State Senator Henry Stern to stop the reopening of the Aliso Canyon Gas Storage Facility until state regulators have completed an investigation to determine the root cause of the massive methane leak which took months to plug and displaced more than 8,000 families from their homes.

SACRAMENTO – The Senate Public Safety Committee today passed legislation by Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, to reform California’s cash bail system and replace a pretrial process that often forces people of modest means to remain in jail until a court can determine their innocence or guilt but allows the wealthy to go free.

SACRAMENTO – The Senate Public Safety Committee today passed legislation authored by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) that would criminalize sexual extortion (“sextortion”) and provide prosecutors with an important tool to combat this serious crime.

Passed with bipartisan support, Senate Bill 500 updates California’s outdated extortion laws to not only include the coercion of a victim to hand over money or property, but also coercion involving sexual acts and sexually explicit images.