Lead Authors: Mark Stone, Lorena Gonzalez, Reyes
Summary: Many California employers settle threatened claims or lawsuits with agreements that includes a no re-hire provision, preventing the aggrieved employee from ever applying for a job within the company or its subsidiaries again. No re-hire provisions do nothing more than punish an employee who has been harmed. AB749 prohibits these provisions from being included in settlement agreements. This bill passed and was signed into law.
Oppose
AB1215
Lead Author: Ting
Summary: Facial recognition technology is a nascent technology, both invasive and prone to systematic errors when used on women and people of color. As privacy concerns grow around personal privacy and our increasing surveillance state, AB1215 prohibits police departments across the state from using this harmful technology until 2023. This bill passed and has been signed into law.
Oppose
AB1505
Lead Authors: O’Donnell, Bonta, McCarty, Smith
Summary: California has over a 1300 charter schools, many of which siphon resources from public education, disproportionately harming low-income families and accelerating the wealth gap. AB1505 would give local districts more power to evaluate charter applications based on the charter’s projected fiscal impact on the district as well as a potential school’s redundancy with other nearby charters. This bill passed and was signed into law.
Oppose
AB1600
Lead Author: Kalra
Summary: A defendant facing trial should have every opportunity to know if an officer involved in their case has any instances of documented police misconduct. AB1600 helps to expedite this process by shortening the notice requirement from 16 days to 10 days after the defendant has filed a motion to obtain these records. This bill passed and was signed into law.
Oppose
AB290
Lead Author: Wood
Summary: The American Kidney Fund (AKF) is primarily funded by the two largest dialysis providers in the US -- DaVita and Fresenius. AKF steers dialysis patients from Medi-Cal and toward private insurance, where the reimbursement rates they receive are much higher. This practice has helped enable these two companies to make profits exceeding four billion dollars since 2017. AB290 stops this heinous, price-gouging practice and will benefit both patients and taxpayers. This bill passed and was signed into law.
Oppose
AB51
Lead Author: Lorena Gonzalez
Summary: Employers make common practice of forcing workers, as a condition of employment, to sign mandatory arbitration agreements -- in effect, demanding they waive their full legal right to pursue damages in a potential dispute -- to get a job. This practice is unethical and protects offending companies from being held fully accountable for causing injury -- especially in cases made more visible through the #MeToo movement. AB51 ends the practice of forced arbitration and has been passed and signed into law.
Oppose
AB1328
Lead Author: Holden
Summary: Over 30,000 abandoned or idle oil and gas wells are scattered across California, and in many cases, nearby highly residential areas. A recent Los Angeles County report found many wells capable of leaking toxic chemicals, putting people and wildlife at risk. AB1328 requires two state agencies to study defunct wells to determine if greenhouse gases, volatile compounds, toxic contaminants and other pollutants are escaping into the air. This bill passed and has been signed into law.
Oppose
AB1360
Lead Author: Ting
Summary: One devastating component of what we call the gig economy -- from driving to task apps -- has been the lack of critical training and oversight apps like Uber and DoorDash provide their employees. AB1360 mandates that third-party food delivery platforms require employees to take food safety training and carry insurance for these drivers, protecting consumers, as well as the low-wage employees who do the work. This bill did not receive a floor vote in the Senate.
Oppose
AB362
Lead Author: Eggman
Summary: Safe-injection sites offer protected space and clean supplies for people to use drugs with assistance from trained medical staff. Far from enabling drug use, safe-injection sites have played a role in reducing overdose mentality and improving public health in Canada. AB362 would allow California to establish contracts with safe-injection site operators in the Bay Area. It has yet to be considered by the Senate.
Oppose
AB403
Lead Author: Kalra
Summary: Workplace retaliation claims -- where an employer takes adverse action against an employee as retaliation for exercising their rights under the Labor Code -- increased by 22% in 2016, and immigration-specific retaliation claims increased by 90% in 2017. Immigrant workers are often afraid or unable to quickly come forward with a claim for a number of reasons. AB403 lengthens the statute of limitations for filing a claim from 6 months to 3 years. It passed, but was vetoed by the Governor.
