SEE YA: California’s twin appropriations committees sank dozens of bills and gutted others today without so much as a goodbye — including first-in-nation tech and pay disclosure measures fought by business interests.
By the end of the afternoon, unprecedented proposals to publish how big companies pay their workers and to make social media companies liable for addicting kids had run aground:
- PAY TRANSPARENCY: California was on the verge of cracking open large businesses’ books, publicizing the pay scales of thousands of temp agencies and other companies. But state Sen. Monique Limón’s (D-Santa Barbara) SB 1162 is now a shell of its former self, after an appropriations committee stripped it of its mandate that companies publish pay data. Originally, the bill would have publicized a range of data, including breakdowns by gender, race and ethnicity. And it would have applied to California employees of companies based in other states, making it the farthest-reaching pay transparency proposal in the nation.
- KIDS ONLINE: A bill to hold social media platforms legally accountable for addicting children is dead — a win for industry opponents and First Amendment groups. The bipartisan proposal from Assemblymembers Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) and Jordan Cunningham (R-Templeton) would have allowed government attorneys to sue social media companies if their platforms were found to addict children. After the vote, Cunningham was quick to point to a “junket” last week in which tech lobbyists and lawmakers mingled at a Napa Valley winery. The bill’s now off the table for the year. Another bill by the bipartisan duo — to require safety and privacy design features for children — survived, but with significant changes.
And two environmental proposals flamed out in the state known for its focus on sustainability.
A climate bill that would have set ambitious goals for how much carbon California should sequester over the next decade — storing it in public lands through methods like increasing plant growth — was scuttled despite widespread support from environmental groups. And a bill to add 1,000 firefighters to help with wildfires fell, even though it had no recorded opposition.
But not all progressive bills fell by the wayside. Legislation to decriminalize hallucinogens, allow legislative staffers to unionize and let bars stay open until 4 a.m. in Palm Springs, San Francisco and West Hollywood all survived — albeit with some amendments.
Some of those wins for progressives could force Gov. Gavin Newsom into a tough political calculus as he prepares to sign and veto bills under a national spotlight. POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White reports today that what the governor decides to do about proposals such as drug decriminalization and allowing safe-injection sites could grow the governor’s political profile – or alienate factions within his own party.
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WHY CAN’T WE BE FRIENDS?: California Gov. Gavin Newsom today named one-time rival and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as an infrastructure czar and adviser, POLITICO’s Christopher Cadelago scooped. The former Los Angeles mayor ran against Newsom for governor in 2018 in what became an at-times bitter race. But he finished a distant third — bowing out while calling for Democratic unity.
Since then, the two have talked occasionally about whether there was a role for Villaraigosa in the administration. There was some buzz in 2021 that Villaraigosa would make another run at the gig as a Democratic alternative during the Republican-led effort to recall Newsom. But he didn’t throw his hat in the ring and Newsom ultimately prevailed. POLITICO first reported the news this morning.
THIRSTY FUTURE: Newsom picked a desalination plant in Antioch today as the backdrop to unveil a plan to save, reuse and store water in a hotter and drier world. The plan relies largely on wastewater recycling and desalination, storing more water in above-ground reservoirs and in groundwater aquifers, and reducing water waste. The new targets require billions in additional funding, new regulations and permitting changes.
The announcement comes as the state is gripped by drought and more than two thirds of Californians are worried about their water supply, according to a recent poll. Long-term climate trends suggest the situation will get worse: The state could lose 10 percent of its water by 2040. — Camille von Kaenel
WHEELS ON THE BUS: California doesn’t provide home-to-school transportation to most of its students, and that’s not about to change. State Sen. Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) SB 878 would have required schools to provide transportation to all students by 2027, but the meat of the bill was gutted during today’s committee action. The measure would have been a significant — and costly — step for the state, drawing at least $1.8 billion each year. That’s a substantial loss for the many school boards, administrators and a laundry list of other groups calling for the change.
“Do Gavin Newsom’s appointees reflect California? Study shows Latinos under-represented,” by the Sacramento Bee’s Mathew Miranda: “The report found that Latinos make up 18% of appointees from the governor and legislative leaders despite accounting for more than 39% of the state population. Whites are over-represented at 36% of the state population but 48% of all appointees.”
“‘Parity in executive branch appointments is critical to ensuring representation at key regulatory and agenda-setting tables,” said Sonja Diaz, director of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute. “Without representation in these bodies, the myriad of policy reforms necessitating a Latino lens evolve into a universal approach that can leave Latinos worse off. Our elected leaders have an obligation to do more to ensure the state’s diverse Latino population is truly represented as architects of state policy and rulemaking.’”
“‘I am not Chesa Boudin’: John Hamasaki, firebrand former S.F. police commissioner, plans to run for D.A.,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Megan Cassidy: “Hamasaki’s decision to run for office comes after Chesa Boudin announced he would not seek his former post in the November race. Boudin was recalled from the DA’s office last June following a bitter citywide debate over crime and criminal justice in San Francisco, but still commands a large contingency of loyalists who support his reform-minded policies.”
“In an interview with The Chronicle, Hamasaki said he made the decision to run after becoming increasingly disheartened by Jenkins’ drug policies, and what he views as a deference to Mayor London Breed, who appointed her.”
— “Nutanix, Bay Area unicorn tech startup once valued at $2B, laying off 270 employees,” by SFGate’s Joshua Bote.
— “Petition To Block Health Care Workers’ Minimum Wage Is ‘Misleading,’ Union Says,” by LAist’s Camila Thur de Koos and Arantza Peña Popo.
— “A Bay Area councilman had a 14-year-old as his campaign treasurer. Regulators want to put a kibosh on that.” by the Mercury News’ Gabriel Greschler.
