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...
Legislature Approves Contentious Environmental Bill SB 1. Newsom Signals Veto.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has indicated he will veto a bill aimed at countering rollbacks of environmental rules by the Trump Administration. The California legislature passed the controversial environmental bill SB 1 on Saturday and sent it to Newsom's desk. The measure was strongly opposed by Central Valley farming and water...
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...
Editorial: SB 1 Is the Same Bad Legislation in a New Dress
Bad legislation is bad legislation. It doesn't matter how many times you try to dress it up. Or bring it back with a new number. We're talking about Senate Bill 1, which is officially titled the California Environmental, Public Health, and Workers Defense Act of 2019. Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins...
'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...