Don't Get Too Distracted By Trump - State and Local Government Actions You Should Know About
It is easy to fixate on the train wreck passing for everyday activity in Washington DC.
Trump’s nuts. Congress is gridlocked. The judiciary is being stacked with neanderthals. And various executive branch appointees are busy looting the national treasury as they shred the constitution.
Nonetheless, there are things happening at the state and local level we should all be concerned with. It’s the time of year when the finalizing of the state budget sets off a cascade of actions in cities and counties.
Today I’ll take a quick look around at some of the things catching my attention. (There are simply too many to list in one posting.)
The California legislature is just one week away from a deadline to move bills for this year.
Corporate lobbyists have already killed measures on soft drinks, flavored tobacco, along with prohibiting new oil and gas operations within 2,500 feet of homes, schools, playgrounds and healthcare facilities.
Sacramento: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Assembly Bill 392, legislation restricting police use of force is poised to make it into law this year.
A compromise in wording, authorizing lethal force when “an officer reasonably believes, based on the totality of the circumstances, that deadly force is necessary to defend against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to the officer or to another person” was enough to move law enforcement opponents to assume a neutral position on the bill.
Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon signed on as co-sponsors of the Shirley Weber’s measure, Assembly Bill 392, all but ensuring it will win passage in both houses. Gov. Gavin Newsom is also on board, issuing a statement saying it would “help restore community trust in our criminal justice system.”
A bill cracking down on medical exemptions for mandatory vaccines is one step closer to becoming law.
California Senate Bill 276, would require the Department of Public Health to create a form that doctors must fill out to grant a medical exemption, has passed 24-10 on Senate floor.
More than a thousand parents and family members lined up to offer nearly six hours of testimony and protest against the bill before it made it through a Senate Health committee last month. Vaccine-skeptics raised concerns over whether immunizations are healthy for children, and say it infringes on the parent-child-doctor relationship.
State Senator Richard Pan, author of the legislation, said it targets “unscrupulous physicians” who are administering “fake” medical exemptions for children who should be vaccinated.
SB 276 now heads to the Assembly before reaching Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
The California Senate approved legislation by a 35 to 1 margin allowing private banks or credit unions to apply for a limited-purpose state charter so they can provide depository services to licensed cannabis businesses.
The measure, Senate Bill 51, still requires approval of the Assembly and California Gov. Gavin Newsom to become law. Currently, cannabis producers and merchants are restricted to cash only transactions, due to federal law.
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On the negative side of things, lobbyists with soda, dirty energy, and tobacco companies have managed to kill legislation aimed at their industries.
The soda industry spent millions on lobbying and campaign donations this year, hiring well-connected former Capitol aides and forming alliances with labor unions for additional political muscle.
Measures proposing a tax on soda, banning Big Gulps, and banishing them from the front of convenience stores are all dead. Bills mandating warning labels on sugary beverages and prohibiting in-store discounts on soft drinks are still alive, but face tough floor votes and are unlikely to survive.
Legislation prohibiting new oil and gas operations within 2,500 feet of homes, schools, playgrounds and healthcare facilities is on hold until next year.
Opponents of AB 345 claimed the bill would put an end to the oil business, putting tens of thousands of workers on the unemployment line.
Chevron reported spending more than $2.3 million in lobbying in the first three months 2019. The Western States Petroleum Association, was the second-highest spender, dishing out nearly $2 million hoping to sway lawmakers on many of the same issues as Chevron.
The oil and gas operational restriction bill was one of several measures focused on by industry lobbyists.
Legislation to curb e-cigarettes favored by teenagers died Thursday after a Senate committee agreed to industry-backed amendments. The measure’s main backers—the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Lung Association in California and the American Heart Association—withdrew their support, leading Senate Democrat Jerry Hill to pull Senate Bill 38 from consideration.
Juul Labs of San Francisco, the largest maker of e-cigarettes, and other tobacco industry groups—waged a high-powered Capitol lobby effort and donated significantly to state lawmakers. The industry, insisting it does not target young people, killed a similar measure in the Assembly earlier this year.
The amendments, which all but gutted the bill, included one permitting flavored hookah tobacco at hookah lounges and another allowing any product patented before 2000, except menthol cigarettes.
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Hey folks, it’s local budget time. And the folks at the Center on Policy Initiatives want you to know that you still have time to make a difference. That’s why I’m cribbing the following from yesterday’s email.
The City Budget
On May 14, Mayor Kevin Faulconer released his revisions to the City's fiscal year 2020 budget. The proposed budget and recent additions show that he does not prioritize low-income workers and communities.
Specifically, he failed to:
invest in protecting workers from wage theft,
include protections for renters facing evictions and possible houselessness,
fund language access for all residents through interpretation at Community Planning Group meetings, and
prioritize environmental justice communities when addressing mobility and climate change.
This is your city and your budget—fight for the San Diego you want to see! There's still time for you to get involved before the budget is finalized on June 10. Call (619-236-6330), email (kevinfaulconer@sandiego.gov), and contact Mayor Faulconer on social media!
Tell Faulconer you stand with the Community Budget Alliance and want a budget that reflects the needs of your community. Use the hashtag #OurCityOurBudget and tag @CPIsd on Twitter and @CommunityBudgetAlliance on Facebook.
The County Budget
The County Board of Supervisors is finalizing its budget for fiscal year 2020.
While Supervisor Nathan Fletcher has hosted community forums, the evening budget hearing on June 13 is your opportunity to speak to the entire Board of Supervisors.
Their proposed budget does not fund many services our communities need. To begin to meet those needs, the Board of Supervisors must fund the following:
a continuum of prevention, early intervention and treatment programming for youth and young adults instead of more incarceration;
a racial impact report to assess racial bias by the Sheriff’s Department;
increased access to housing units and rental assistance for extremely low- to low-income individuals, families and houseless individuals;
an Office of Immigrant Affairs and Services to promote pathways to citizenship and civic engagement, and a Universal Representation Program that provides legal assistance for individuals facing deportation;
an Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement to fight wage theft across the county.
Join us at 5:30 p.m. for the public’s evening budget hearing on June 13. The hearing will take place at the County Administration building (1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego). It’s our last opportunity before the budget is adopted to have our concerns and priorities heard by the County’s highest governing body.
Let us know you’re coming by RSVPing on the Invest in San Diego Families’ Facebook event page. If you can’t join us in person on June 13, you can still let the supervisors know your concerns and priorities through their Facebook and Twitter. Or you can find out their individual contact info here.
Privilege Can Be Deadly
https://twitter.com/HomelessnessSD/status/1131927773306544129
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Email me at DougPorter@WordsAndDeedsBlog.com
Lead graphic by Max Pixel