Caucus News

Announces Series of Informational Hearings on Skyrocketing Drug Prices

In the final days of the California State Legislative session, Senator Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) has introduced Senate Joint Resolution 29 (SJR 29), urging Congress to take action against the company Mylan, which manufactures the EpiPen.

Bill Closes Loophole in Sentencing of Sexual Assault Crimes

Sacramento, CA – A measure authored by Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica) and Senator Robert Hertzberg (D – Van Nuys) to transform the way elections are conducted passed the legislature today.  The bill, SB 450, was approved on a bipartisan, final vote of 26 - 11in the state Senate.

SACRAMENTO – A measure authored by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and sponsored by the City of San Francisco to expand affordable housing options for teachers passed the State Legislature today. SB 1413 will help California retain quality educators by allowing school districts to establish housing for teachers and employees on district-owned property.

Governor Brown has signed legislation by Senator Jerry Hill into law to pull the plug on excessive water use by households that flout mandatory reductions during drought emergencies.

SACRAMENTO – Advancing the vision of a private blue-ribbon commission to reinvigorate the California state park experience for generations to come, the Legislature has sent to Gov. Jerry Brown a bill to enable the Department of Parks and Recreation to enter into partnership with a nonprofit entity to conduct such functions as raising private funds to improve parks and marketing the parks to promote increased public visitation.

BURLINGAME -- Senator Jim Beall was honored today as Legislator of the Year by National Alliance of Mental Illness California at its annual conference. 

Beall, the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Mental Health, was commended by NAMI California for his work to improve mental illness response training provided to law enforcement and for working to bolster mental health parity. 

BURLINGAME -- Senator Jim Beall was honored today as Legislator of the Year by National Alliance of Mental Illness / California at its annual conference. 

Beall, the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Mental Health, was commended by NAMI California for his work to improve mental illness response training provided to law enforcement and for working to bolster mental health parity. 

SACRAMENTO – Responding to lessons learned from the massive Aliso Canyon natural gas leak, the Senate on Friday sent to Gov. Jerry Brown a bill to establish proactive safety standards for natural gas storage wells.

Among other provisions in SB 887 by Senator Fran Pavley are requirements for  continuous monitoring for leaks, regular inspections of wells to test their mechanical integrity, and that all wells be equipped with safeguards to ensure that no single point of failure can result in a leak.

SACRAMENTO – Women in California will have more reliable and effective access to birth control under a bill approved by the Senate on Friday and sent to Gov. Jerry Brown.

SB 999, by Senator Fran Pavley, would require public and private health plans to cover the dispensation of hormonal birth control for a period of up to 12 months – a change that would eliminate the need to obtain refills every 30 or 90 days.