Caucus News

Sacramento, CA – Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica), chair of the state legislature’s Joint Committee on the Arts, will convene an oversight hearing to examine the state of arts education in California schools on Friday, November 6, 2015.  Current state law requires all schools to provide arts education to students, but many schools are not doing so.  The lack of arts education is particularly prevalent in disadvantaged communities.  The hearing will delve into why there is a high rate of noncompliance with the arts education mandate, and what steps can be taken to compel more schools to

SACRAMENTO – All Senate hearings are open for the public to attend, and now every Capitol hearing is viewable via livestream on the Senate homepage http://senate.ca.gov. A video archive of hearings going back to 2005 is available via http://senate.ca.gov/media-archive.Keeping California Ports Competitive - Trucking

Select Committee on Ports and Goods Movement (Lara)

State Senator Jerry Hill will renew his legislative effort to require schools and local governments to consider using non-toxic infill alternatives to used tires when installing artificial turf fields.

SACRAMENTO – A delegation of state lawmakers led by Pro Tem Kevin de León recently returned from a successful week-long trip to Australia, where they learned from a nation recently plagued by severe drought, and shared lessons learned from California’s climate leadership.

Sacramento, CA - Every year, in a rich tradition dating back to 1987, the California State Senate celebrates Women’s History Month by recognizing remarkable women throughout the state who make a positive difference in their communities.  On Friday, October 30th, it was “standing room only” as Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica) honored Stacey Anne Armato in Hermosa Beach as this year’s Senate District 26 Woman of the Year.

Governor Jerry Brown signed six bills authored by Senator Mark Leno into law in 2015. The bills all take effect on January 1, 2016.

LOS ANGELES – A recently enacted statewide traffic-ticket amnesty program spearheaded by Senate Democrats is bringing relief to thousands of low-income California drivers who have been dogged for years by outstanding traffic-ticket fines and “failure to appear” citations.

LOS ANGELES – A recently enacted statewide traffic-ticket amnesty program spearheaded by Senate Democrats is bringing relief to thousands of low-income California drivers who have been dogged for years by outstanding traffic-ticket fines and “failure to appear” citations.

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bob Hertzberg’s outside-the-box ideas for bills on taxes and energy have earned him a spot as one of 18 finalists in a nationwide search called the 2015 New Ideas Challenge.

SACRAMENTO – In an effort to better serve Californians and improve government operations, Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León today announced the California Digital Nudge Initiative, a new collaboration with UCLA Professor Shlomo Benartzi, a leading academic in behavioral economics to improve government efficiency, shape policy, and solve societal problems through digital technology. Digital nudging is an emerging field that combines behavioral insights and new technologies to help individuals make better decisions.