Caucus News

SACRAMENTO – California Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) released the following statement on the election of Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) to serve as the new Senate Minority Leader:

“California is lucky to have a Legislature that gets important work done for the people of our great state. While hyper-partisan acrimony overtakes and paralyzes our nation’s capital, under our Capitol dome, Republicans and Democrats work together to confront major challenges that need to be addressed.

SACRAMENTO (March 13, 2017) -- Sen. Holly J. Mitchell of Los Angeles, chair of the powerful Senate Budget Committee, took to the Senate Floor in support of Senate Resolution 26 to warn residents about the potential impact pending GOP-backed cuts may have  on health insurance nationwide. Watch, listen to Mitchell by clicking on the YouTube link in the center of the screen above.

Sacramento, CA – On December 2, 36 people perished in a warehouse fire at an unpermitted live-work space known as the “Ghost Ship” in Oakland. This Wednesday, Senator Mike McGuire will chair an oversight hearing of the Senate Governance and Finance Committee, which will discuss this horrific and tragic event. The hearing will be focused on how to prevent another tragic incident from happening again in any of the hundreds to thousands of similar live-work structures that exist throughout the Golden State.

~~As a Cal Alum and the Senator who represents UC Berkeley, I am very pleased that Carol Christ has been nominated, and is willing to serve, as UC Berkeley’s 11th Chancellor.

Having spent 30 years at UC Berkeley as a faculty member, Dean, Provost and Vice Chancellor, as well as Christ’s service as the President of Smith College, I cannot think of a more appropriate or experienced leader to hold this post. I hope the Regents in their deliberations this coming Thursday agree.

Sacramento, CA – In response to the dangerous effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, jeopardizing the health of millions of Americans, the California State Senate today passed Senate Resolution 26, calling on Congress to reject the ACA repeal unless it’s replaced with a plan that ensures that not one American will lose coverage and that coverage will be more affordable and of higher quality for all Americans.

Senate Resolution 26 also calls on Congress to allow comprehensive public review before a vote on the Republican plan  

The DMV’s proposed regulations for driverless vehicles send a strong signal that California is serious about encouraging the development, testing and deployment of safe autonomous vehicles,” said Senator Hill, D-San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. “The completion of the regulations is important so our state can maintain its leading edge in this competitive field. I will continue to work with Transportation Secretary Brian Kelly, the DMV and other key stakeholders to ensure that California remains a leader in autonomous vehicle technology.”

Sacramento – With several media outlets reporting that President Trump’s administration might revoke California’s long-standing ability to enforce tougher motor vehicle emission standards, State Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) has introduced a resolution to put the California Senate on record opposing “any efforts by the current administration and Congress of the United States to deny, roll back, or otherwise undermine the waiver authority.” 
SR 27 was introduced late yesterday. 

SACRAMENTO – Legislation by California Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) to head off a Trump Administration plan to enlist state and local police as immigration enforcement agents has been amended to make it stronger and has picked up a key supporter.