We hope you enjoyed a refreshing long weekend.
With hundreds of bills awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature or veto, our policy team didn't unplug completely. The governor decided the fate of nearly 500 bills since our last Action Alert on Friday. Here's what you need to know about key BizFed bills that Newsom signed or vetoed over the weekend – and how you can still speak up to protect jobs and our economy ahead of his October 14 deadline.
- Business leaders scored a critical victory with Newsom's signing of AB 965 (Carrillo), which will expedite broadband projects, enabling communities to get connected to high-speed internet in months instead of years. Remember when our Sarah Wiltfong testified in support of this bill to allow batch broadband permitting? Thank you to all who amplified her testimony and our relentless advocacy.
- You've likely already seen headlines about Newsom's decision to sign SB 253 (Wiener) and SB 261 (Stern), a package of first-in-nation climate disclosure bills opposed by BizFed. Both bills failed last year in the Assembly. Their passage means large publicly traded and privately held corporations doing business in California will be required to disclose environmental impacts, including indirect "Scope 3" emissions generated through a company's supply chain.
- Newsom also signed SB 389 (Allen), which was opposed by BizFed. It allows the California Water Board to investigate water rights claims and take action against unauthorized water users.
STILL ON THE GOVERNOR'S DESK
BizFed-supported bills to sign
- AB 1217 (Gabriel): Business pandemic relief.
- SB 4 (Wiener): "Yes in God's backyard" housing production on religious and higher education land.
BizFed-opposed bills to veto
- AB 1048 (Wicks): Dental benefits and rate review.
- SB 525 (Durazo): Health care minimum wage hike.
Submit your advocacy letters ASAP to leg.unit@gov.ca.gov.
Newsom prefers letters formatted in 12-point Century Gothic font due to his dyslexia.
VICTORIES
- AB 6 (Friedman): Regional transportation plans for congested corridors. Oppose.
- AB 7 (Friedman): Project selection for transportation planning. Oppose.
- AB 9 (Muratsuchi): Market-baed compliance mechanism for emissions reduction. Oppose.
- AB 68 (Ward): Streamlined housing approvals. Oppose.
- AB 236 (Holden): Provider directories for health care coverage. Oppose.
- AB 316 (Aguiar-Curry): Human safety operators in self-driving vehicles. Oppose.
- AB 460 (Bauer-Kahan): Interim relief procedures for water rights. Oppose.
- AB 627 (Jackson): Operating requirements for heavy-duty trucks. Oppose.
- AB 650 (Arambula): San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District board. Oppose.
- AB 965 (Carrillo): Local broadband batch permitting. Support.
- AB 985 (Arambula): San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District emissions reduction credit system. Oppose.
- AB 1000 (Reyes): Warehouse restrictions. Oppose.
- AB 1333 (Ward): Residential real estate bundling. Oppose.
- AB 1337 (Wicks): Water diversion curtailment. Oppose.
- AB 1614 (Gabriel): Phaseout of gas stations. Oppose.
- ACA 6 (Haney): University of California labor standards. Oppose.
- SB 12 (Stern): Emissions limits. Oppose.
- SB 41 (Cortese): Airline meal and rest breaks. Support.
- SB 220 (Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Committee): Minimum franchise tax. Oppose.
- SB 252 (Gonzalez): Fossil fuels divestment. Oppose.
- SB 466 (Wahab): Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act rates. Oppose.
- SB 556 (Gonzalez): Civil liability for oil and gas wells. Oppose.
- SB 571 (Allen): Emergency preparedness for development sites. Oppose.
- SB 584 (Limón): Short-Term Rental Tax Law for workforce housing. Oppose.
- SB 674 (Gonzalez): Fence-line monitoring systems for refineries. Oppose.
- SB 799 (Portantino): Unemployment benefits for striking workers. Oppose.
- SB 849 (Stern): Ports emissions reduction. Oppose.
- SCA 7 (Umberg): Workers' rights to organize and negotiate. Oppose.
LOSSES
- AB 52 (Grayson): Manufacturing income tax credit. Support.
- AB 376 (Villapudua): Student financial aid for Cal Grant C driver training programs. Support.
- AB 717 (Villapudua): Living trust education. Support.
- AB 838 (Connolly): California Water Affordability and Infrastructure Transparency Act. Support.
- AB 914 (Friedman): CEQA streamlining for electrical infrastructure. Support.
- AB 1228 (Holden): Fast Food Council. Oppose.
- AB 1505 (Rodriguez): Seismic retrofitting. Support.
- AB 1708 (Muratsuchi): Proposition 47 amendment to prevent retail theft. Support.
- ACA 13 (Ward): Voting thresholds. Oppose.
- SB 253 (Wiener): Corporate greenhouse gas emissions reporting. Oppose.
- SB 261 (Stern): Climate-related financial risk reporting. Oppose.
- SB 301 (Portantino): Vehicular air pollution. Support.
- SB 316 (Niello): Increased penalties for retail theft. Support.
- SB 366 (Caballero): Long-term water supply targets. Support.
- SB 389 (Allen): State Water Resources Control Board investigation of water rights. Oppose.
- SB 430 (Dodd): Tied-house exceptions for advertising. Support.
- SB 553 (Cortese): Workplace violence rules. Oppose.
- SB 581 (Caballero): Third-party litigation financing. Support.
- SB 585 (Niello): Statutory damages for construction-related claims. Support.
- SB 767 (Rubio): Mandatory kindergarten. Support.
Please contact sarah.wiltfong@bizfed.org with questions.
Onward!
Tracy Hernandez
BizFed Founding CEO
