author: Allen co-authors: Hill, Stern   Every year, state and local governments spend millions of dollars cleaning 'styrofoam' (polystyrene) from parks, beaches, and drains. Polystyrene collects by the ton in California waterways, and in the stomachs of animals who eat it. SB 705 would prohibit food vendors from using polystyrene take-out containers, helping to protect our environment for future generations. (This bill died.)

Authors: De León, Wiener Co-authors: Santiago, Bonta   After the Trump administration moved to slash net neutrality’s protections for consumers, California legislators attempted to protect net neutrality with state legislation. SB 460 would reinstate net neutrality in CA and prohibit broadband providers from charging website access fees.

Author: Monning Co-author: Vidak   Under current law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act requires the California Water Resources Control Board to ensure people across the state have access to safe, clean drinking water. The Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Package (SB 844 and SB 845) would establish a fund in the state treasury to ensure that the Water Resources Control Board has the money to continue to operate and safeguard public health.

Author: Monning Co-author: Vidak   Under current law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act requires the California Water Resources Control Board to ensure people across the state have access to safe, clean drinking water. The Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Package (SB 844 and SB 845) would establish a fund in the state treasury to ensure that the Water Resources Control Board has the money to continue to operate and safeguard public health.

Author: Beall Co-authors: Chiu, Atkins, Bonta, Cunningham, Galgiani, Hill, Kalra, Levya, Low, Mitchell, Mullin, Rodriguez, Wieckowski, Wiener   The California Homeowner Bill of Rights has prevented avoidable foreclosures since 2012, but certain elements of the bill recently expired, putting homeowners at risk. SB 818 would restore important protections for homeowners facing foreclosure, including protections that have not only helped homeowners stay in their homes, but also included tools for the Department of Business Oversight to regulate and prevent predatory behavior from mortgage lenders.

Authors: Mitchell, Lara Co-authors: Kalra, Beall, Bradford, Carrillo, Jones-Sawyer, Quirk, Skinner, Weber   California’s severe sentence enhancements for prior convictions keeps inmates imprisoned for much longer than they should have to serve time. SB 1393 would restore the court’s discretion to slash the five-year sentence enhancements for prior serious felony convictions.

Author: Wiener Coauthors: Atkins, Gabriel   Prescription drug costs continue to skyrocket even as consumers face price increases for the cost of healthcare. Extending regulations enacted through AB339 in 2015, SB 1021 would continue to cap co-pays for prescription drug costs at $250 for a 30-day supply.

Author: Portantino Co-authors: Bonta, Gipson, Gonzalez, Wiener, Skinner   Despite having some of the strongest gun safety legislation in the country, California still suffered from over 300 mass shootings in 2018. Existing law prohibits the sale or transfer of a handgun to anyone under 21 years old. SB 1100 raises the minimum age to purchase a long-gun to 21 years old, making both the law concerning handguns and long-guns consistent.

Authors: Mitchell, Lara Co-authors: Kalra, Beall, Bradford, Skinner, Carrillo, Jones-Sawyer, Quirk, Weber   California has some of the most severe sentence enhancements for prior convictions in the entire country. SB 1392 would repeal California’s one-year sentencing enhancement for each prior prison or felony jail term.

Author: Leyva   Harassment continues to permeate the workplace, and many workers are at risk of retaliation -- from verbal abuse to demotion to being fired -- from employers and fellow employees. SB 1038 clarifies that individuals can be held personally liable for retaliating against an employee for exercising their legal rights against workplace harassment and other forms of discrimination, ensuring that individuals are held accountable for their actions.

Author: Dodd Co-authors: Chau, Hertzberg   With increased concern for personal, private information, SB 1121 modernizes the Info Practices Act to align the original 1977 legislation with the Confidentiality of Medical Info Act by adding damages for failure to take reasonable security measures, thus discouraging privacy breaches and protecting consumers. By aligning the old legislation with current law, consumers’ medical records would be further protected from digital threats such as cybersecurity breaches.

Author: Skinner Co-authors: Lara, Bradford, Glazer, Hill, Jones-Sawyer, McCarty, Mitchell, Moorlach, M. Stone, Weber, Wieckowski   Police departments across the state have traditionally acted with little accountability and transparency, especially in cases of sexual assault, planting evidence and lying, and racist uses of lethal force. SB 1421 provides the public access to records regarding police misconduct, deadly and serious uses of force, and sexual assault.

Authors: Wiener, de Leon Co-authors: Allen, Bloom, Bonta, Chiu, Dodd, Friedman, Hill, Kalra, McGuire, Monning, Mullin, Santiago, Skinner, Cervantes, Leyva, Limon, McCarty, Nazarian, M. Stone, Ting, Wood   After the Trump administration moved to slash net neutrality’s protections for consumers, California legislators attempted to protect net neutrality with state legislation. SB 822 would reinstate net neutrality in CA and prohibit broadband providers from charging website access fees.

Authors: Jackson, Lara Co-authors: McGuire, Muratsuchi, Allen, Bloom, Stern, Wiener   The Trump administration has been actively attempting to increase offshore drilling efforts across the American coastline -- including off California’s shores. SB 834 and AB 1775 would protect California’s coastline, environment, and economy by putting a stop to new offshore oil and gas drilling and production and making it nearly impossible to transport oil from offshore facilities.

Author: Lara Co-authors: Beall, Bradford, De León, Galgiani, Hernandez, Hertzberg, Hueso, Leyva, Mitchell, Monning, Pan, Skinner, Wiener   Currently, undocumented Californians are not eligible for Medi-Cal, leaving thousands of residents uninsured and without adequate health care. AB 2965 and SB 974 would extend eligibility for full-scope Medi-Cal benefits to low-income adults ages 19-25 and 65 and over who are otherwise eligible, regardless of their immigration status.

Author: Hill   The increased policing and surveillance of California communities has previously gone without public input and accountability. SB 1186 requires public debate and a vote by local elected leaders prior to law enforcement’s acquisition of new surveillance technology. The bill also requires written rules for existing surveillance technology in order to curtail the possibility of civil liberties and civil rights abuses by local law enforcement.

Author: Jackson Co-author: Gonzalez   Despite the progress made in recent years to combat cultures of harassment and abuse, workplace harassment remains a pervasive issue. SB 1300 amends existing state law to strengthen training requirements and other employer obligations to prevent workplace harassment, requires employers provide employees with information on how to file harassment complaints, and removes barriers to workers bringing claims and speaking out against harassment and abuse.

Authors: Mitchell, Lara Co-authors: Kalra, Beall, Bradford, Skinner, Carrillo, Jones-Sawyer, Quirk, Weber   California has some of the most severe sentence enhancements for prior convictions in the entire country. SB 1392 would repeal California’s one-year sentencing enhancement for each prior prison or felony jail term.

Author: Talamantes Eggman Co-authors: Wiener, Friedman, Lara   4,654 people died of drug overdoses in 2016 in California alone, according to the Center for Disease Control. AB 186 would authorize local governments to operate safe, hygienic, and secure injection sites for IV drug users and protect users and staff from prosecution. Permitting local governments to start these pilot programs would also prevent needless overdoses by managing dosages and prevent the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis B and C by assuring access to clean needles. Additionally, the sites would refer people to treatment and housing services.

Author: Wood   The negative impacts health insurance mergers have on consumers -- such as spikes in premium costs -- are serious but can be mitigated by increasing oversight and accountability. AB 595 would provide that accountability by improving and expanding state oversight over health plan mergers by requiring insurance companies to receive authorization from the California Department of Managed Healthcare before a merger.

Authors: Ting, Muratsuchi, Reyes Co-author: Allen   Currently, family members and law enforcement may make a request to the court when they believe someone is a danger to themselves or others. If a judge agrees, that person must temporarily give up possession of their firearms and is banned from buying new ones, generally for 21 days. AB 2888 would add employers, coworkers, high school and college staff, and mental health workers to the list of individuals who can seek this type of restraining order.

Author: Ting Co-authors: Carrillo, Jones-Sawyer   AB 748 would mandate that, if requested, law enforcement agencies publicly provide audio and visual recordings of incidents in which lethal force was used. With so many jurisdictions and departments all over California, transparency and accountability would increase dramatically if body camera footage were made more available to the public.

Author: Reyes Co-author: Lara   Communities deserve the right to know when new pollution sources are proposed to be built in their neighborhoods. AB 2447 would protect environmentally vulnerable and economically disadvantaged communities from further degradation by mandating that land use notices be provided in the languages spoken by local residents.

Authors: Gloria, Chiu Co-author: Hill   The increased militarization of local law enforcement has made of our neighborhoods feel like warzones. AB 3131 would restore transparency and accountability by making sure that law enforcement agencies provide notice to the public before they decide to acquire military equipment.

authors: Caballero, Gonzalez co-authors: Gipson, Wiener   Many immigrants are often prone to fraud when obtaining services from unqualified immigration consultants. AB 638 would protect immigrants by only allowing state-authorized lawyers and paralegals or federally-authorized representatives from engaging in immigration consultation.

Authors: Mitchell, Lara Co-author: Kamlager-Dove   Currently, California lacks any law to prevent young children from being prosecuted as adults, leaving young children within the criminal justice system particularly vulnerable to prosecution and unfair convictions. SB 439 establishes 12 years as the minimum age for prosecution in juvenile court unless a minor younger than 12 has committed murder or rape.

author: Gipson co-authors: Portantino, Wiener   Over 33,000 Americans are killed each year by firearms, and the public display of weapons is increasingly used as an intimidation tactic, as it was during white supremacist, Neo-Nazi rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. AB 7 expands the range of public places in which it is a crime to openly carry an unloaded long gun. (This bill is now law.)

Author: Talamantes Eggman Co-authors: Wiener, Friedman, Lara   4,654 people died of drug overdoses in 2016 in California alone, according to the Center for Disease Control. AB 186 would authorize local governments to operate safe, hygienic, and secure injection sites for IV drug users and protect users and staff from prosecution. Permitting local governments to start these pilot programs would also prevent needless overdoses by managing dosages and prevent the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis B and C by assuring access to clean needles. Additionally, the sites would refer people to treatment and housing services.

author: Eggman In 2016, 13% of elder care facilities in California were reported for exploitation, abuse, and neglect — twice as high as the national average of 5%. Hundreds of thousands of California’s elderly residents live in these care facilities. Previously, the burden of clear and convincing proof lied on the abused in these cases. AB 859 would have reduced that burden if it was found that the facility had destroyed evidence of abuse. (This bill was vetoed by Governor Brown.)

author: Medina co-author: Gonzalez Fletcher   Housing developments that are approved by voters via ballot initiatives are allowed to skip the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process. CEQA is a key step in evaluating the environmental impact of large construction projects. AB 890 would require developers to undergo full CEQA review and bans local governments from approving such projects outright. (This bill was vetoed by Governor Brown.)

author: Stone Current law in California requires the consideration of release for certain offenders whose crimes were committed when they were 23 or younger. AB 1308 will extend that mandate to offenders whose crimes were committed at age 25 or younger, giving more people who made mistakes in early adulthood the chance to rehabilitate themselves and return to society and their families. (This bill is now law.)

author: Low co-authors: Bloom, Chiu, Wiener   Current law requires every city and county to maintain an inventory of land suitable for low-income residential development, but does not require that the land actually be available for development. This discrepancy limits residential housing construction and further exacerbates the California housing crisis. To address this inefficiency, AB 1397 requires that land listed in the inventory be fully available for development, and have water, sewer, and other utilities sufficient to support a housing development. (This bill is now law.)

author: Thurmond The recent rise of food delivery and subscription services has created public health concerns that employees working in these businesses aren't being forced to meet the same health standards as those in more traditional restaurants. AB 1461 would require all employees at businesses that offer 'meal subscription plans' to obtain Food Handler Cards and take food preparation safety training. (This bill was vetoed by Governor Brown.)

authors: Bloom, Chiu, Gloria co-authors: Bradford, Wiener, Allen, Gonzalez Fletcher, Mullin, Ting   Housing costs throughout California have surged in recent years, with the median home now costing over $500,000. This unfettered market has increased homelessness and has created serious barriers in sustaining a healthy middle class. AB 1505 restores the authority of local government to require that new rental housing developments include 15% of units that are affordable to households earning 80% or less of the area’s median income. (This bill is now law.)

author: Lara The Trump administration has persistently pursued the erection of a border wall. Building this structure would be incredibly wasteful, in resources and federal dollars, and would do grave damage to families across the nation as well as the ecosystems in California and Texas. To deter participation in this misguided effort, SB 30 would prohibit the state from awarding or renewing any contract with any person who has provided goods or services to the federal government for the construction of the wall. (This bill is now law.)

Authors: De León, Stern Co-authors: Beall, Chiu, Dababneh, Friedman, Levine, McCarty, Skinner   The Trump administration has targeted environmental protections across the country. For example, the administration lifted some restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants and eased drilling regulations in protected habitats across eleven western states. SB 49 would protect many federal environmental protection regulations and other rules by including similar protections within California state law.

author: de León   co-authors: Atkins, Beall, Bonta, Chiu, Cooper, Gomez, Levine, Pan, Reyes, Santiago, Skinner, Wiener   In recent months, deportations have surged throughout the country, creating a culture of fear that has resulted in the separation of families, the terrorization of undocumented workers, and division in communities. SB 54 makes California a sanctuary state -- ensuring that state funds will not be used to tear apart families and that law enforcement does not participate in mass deportations. (This bill is now law.)

author: de León   co-authors: Atkins, Beall, Bonta, Chiu, Cooper, Gomez, Levine, Pan, Reyes, Santiago, Skinner, Wiener   In recent months, deportations have surged throughout the country, creating a culture of fear that has resulted in the separation of families, the terrorization of undocumented workers, and division in communities. SB 54 makes California a sanctuary state -- ensuring that state funds will not be used to tear apart families and that law enforcement does not participate in mass deportations. (This bill is now law.)

author: Skinner co-author: Gloria   Housing shortages have led to dramatically rising rents and aggressive gentrification all over California. SB 166 addresses the problem by ensuring that cities maintain an ongoing supply of identified sites for housing construction at each income level, which will help reduce housing costs and lower the rates of eviction and homelessness. (This bill is now law.)

authors: Mitchell, Lara co-authors: Bradford, Skinner, Wieckowski, Wiener   One of the many legacies of the War on Drugs was that a person convicted of drug possession (or a similar offense) is sentenced to an additional three years for each prior conviction, leading to exorbitantly long jail sentences. The prosecution of these cases disproportionately impacts low-income communities of color, the homeless, and the mentally ill. SB 180 reforms the sentence enhancement to be based only on prior convictions involving the use of a minor as a seller or buyer. (This bill is now law.)

author: Wiener co-authors: Gloria, Atkins, Chiu, Eggman, Gipson, Mitchell, Skinner   Several California laws target individuals living with HIV by criminalizing their sexual relationships. These laws further stigmatize individuals living with the disease and are not up-to-date with what we currently know about HIV. Enacting SB 239 eliminates one form of HIV discrimination by eliminating criminal punishment for people living with HIV who engage in consensual sexual activity. (This bill is now law.)

author: Lara Unlike cosmetics or packaged food, no federal requirements exist for disclosing ingredients in cleaning products, even though some chemicals in these products have been found to cause cancer, birth defects, asthma, and other serious health risks. SB 258 requires known hazardous chemicals in these products to be listed on the label, as well as online, keeping consumers all over California safer. (This bill is now law.)

Author: Wieckowski   Currently, individuals such as farm laborers, substitute teachers, janitors, and others who work seasonally are at risk of losing their savings to creditors during the off-season. SB 298 would protect two months’ worth of savings at the amount of the hourly minimum wage from being taken by debt collectors so that seasonal workers are not left bankrupt.

author: Bradford During recent years, when many unarmed citizens have been seriously injured or killed by police, public interest in police procedure and training has increased. With so many jurisdictions and departments all over California, transparency and accountability would increase dramatically if their policies and procedures were visible to the public. SB 345 would mandate that every law enforcement agency in the state publish on its website all “current standards, policies, practices, operating procedures, and education and training materials” by January 1, 2019. (This bill was vetoed by Governor Brown.)

Authors: Mitchell, Lara Co-author: Kamlager-Dove   Currently, California lacks any law to prevent young children from being prosecuted as adults, leaving young children within the criminal justice system particularly vulnerable to prosecution and unfair convictions. SB 439 establishes 12 years as the minimum age for prosecution in juvenile court unless a minor younger than 12 has committed murder or rape.

author: Hill co-authors: McCarty, Wiener   Over 33,000 Americans are killed each year by firearms, many of them stolen. SB 464 would increase the storage and security requirements of all firearms in the inventory of a licensed firearms dealer to help prevent theft. (This bill was vetoed by Governor Brown.)

author: Monning Service consolidations among multi-billion dollar hospital chains have contributed to skyrocketing health care costs in California and across the country. SB 538 would stop certain anti-competitive practices, many of which prevent employer groups from sharing pricing data that could encourage more cost-effective care for employees. (This bill died.)

authors: Lara, Atkins co-authors: Bonta, Galgiani, Gomez, Wiener, Allen, Chiu, Friedman, Kalra, McCarty, McGuire, Nazarian, Skinner, Stone, Thurmond   Despite moderate progress under the Affordable Care Act, our healthcare system remains deeply immoral and inefficient. Health care for ALL should be a human right. SB 562 would create a comprehensive universal single-payer health care coverage system for all California residents provided by the state. It would incorporate current federally mandated programs. (This bill died.)

author: Bradford In California, criminal sentences are often lengthened if the crime was committed with the use of a firearm. Judges often have little discretion due to mandatory sentence enhancements, and can sometimes be forced to levy unfairly long sentences on people who were not the ones carrying or using a firearm. SB 620 will grant judges more leeway to make determinations on sentence enhancements on a case-by-case basis, ensuring a more thoughtful, empowered approach to justice. (This bill is now law.)

author: Bradford In California, criminal sentences are often lengthened if the crime was committed with the use of a firearm. Judges often have little discretion due to mandatory sentence enhancements, and can sometimes be forced to levy unfairly long sentences on people who were not the ones carrying or using a firearm. SB 620 will grant judges more leeway to make determinations on sentence enhancements on a case-by-case basis, ensuring a more thoughtful, empowered approach to justice. (This bill is now law.)

author: Allen co-authors: Hill, Stern   Every year, state and local governments spend millions of dollars cleaning 'styrofoam' (polystyrene) from parks, beaches, and drains. Polystyrene collects by the ton in California waterways, and in the stomachs of animals who eat it. SB 705 would prohibit food vendors from using polystyrene take-out containers, helping to protect our environment for future generations. (This bill died.)

author: McGuire co-author: Monning   Studies reveal that doctors who receive gifts from Big Pharma are up to three times as likely to prescribe costly name-brand drugs than the equivalent lower-priced generic drugs. SB 790 would ensure there are fewer financial incentives in place for doctors to serve Big Pharma instead of their patients, keeping the cost of health care lower for everyone. (This bill is now law.)

author: Allen co-authors: Hill, Stern   Every year, state and local governments spend millions of dollars cleaning 'styrofoam' (polystyrene) from parks, beaches, and drains. Polystyrene collects by the ton in California waterways, and in the stomachs of animals who eat it. SB 705 would prohibit food vendors from using polystyrene take-out containers, helping to protect our environment for future generations. (This bill died.)

Author: Talamantes Eggman Co-authors: Wiener, Friedman, Lara   4,654 people died of drug overdoses in 2016 in California alone, according to the Center for Disease Control. AB 186 would authorize local governments to operate safe, hygienic, and secure injection sites for IV drug users and protect users and staff from prosecution. Permitting local governments to start these pilot programs would also prevent needless overdoses by managing dosages and prevent the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis B and C by assuring access to clean needles. Additionally, the sites would refer people to treatment and housing services.

Authors: Mitchell, Lara Co-author: Kamlager-Dove   Currently, California lacks any law to prevent young children from being prosecuted as adults, leaving young children within the criminal justice system particularly vulnerable to prosecution and unfair convictions. SB 439 establishes 12 years as the minimum age for prosecution in juvenile court unless a minor younger than 12 has committed murder or rape.