As COVID-19 slammed into California a half-year ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a partial shutdown of what had been a high-flying economy to combat the deadly virus, plunging the state into its worst recession since the Great Depression. In turn, the pandemic and the recession spawned a flurry of legislative...
Newsom Vetoes SB 1 Environmental Bill Criticized as "Job Killer"
Gov. Gavin Newsom angered some allies on Friday by vetoing a bill aimed at blunting federal rollbacks of clean air and endangered species regulations in the state. The governor's action comes two weeks after the passage of SB 1 in the final hours of the state's legislative session. The bill...
Feinstein Joins Effort for SB1 Changes Protecting Valley Water
Five federal legislators have submitted a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom asking for amendments to a proposed state law that would empower state agencies to adopt rules and regulations more stringent than their federal counterparts set after Jan. 19, 2017. Listen to this article: That is one day before Donald Trump...
'Job Killer' Bill Nears Final Vote. Who Supports, Who's Opposed.
The California Chamber of Commerce calls it a "job killer" bill. State water and agriculture interests have lined up solidly against it. Still, Senate Bill 1 is moving through the California Legislature despite concerns that it threatens water supplies and will result in a flurry of lawsuits. It passed the Senate in...
SB 1: Insurance Policy Against Trump Rollbacks or Job Killer?
The state Legislature wants to hedge its bets against the Trump administration rolling back environmental and labor laws. Called an “insurance policy against the exploitation of our natural resources and our people” by Senate Leader Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), SB 1 would strengthen state environmental and workplace regulations in case...
Walters: Who's an Employee and Who's Not?
Lorena Gonzalez finds herself in an unusual political position this year — and clearly relishes it. Gonzalez, a Democratic assemblywoman from San Diego, is best known as a fierce warrior for worker rights and benefits, and carries a heavy load of legislation, usually on behalf of unions and other advocacy...
California May Broaden Far-Reaching Data Privacy Law
SACRAMENTO — California consumers would have more power to sue corporations for misusing their data under a proposal announced Monday to expand what already is the nation's most far-reaching law protecting personal information. The revision to the law passed last year is among several sought by Attorney General Xavier Becerra...
Cal Chamber Has Best Year Yet Steamrolling 'Job Killer' Bills
As CALmatters columnist Dan Walters notes in his Sept. 10 analysis, the California Chamber of Commerce quite often prevails in getting the Legislature to kill or quietly abandon bills that the pro-business lobby deems "job killers." But in the recently concluded legislative cycle, the chamber was even more effective than...