Sacramento – Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) today announced a new bill, AB 642, the Facial Recognition Privacy Act, which sets comprehensive, statewide parameters around law enforcement use of facial recognition technology (FRT). The legislation aims to protect people’s privacy and due process rights, while also helping to keep communities safe with a valuable public safety tool.

“Facial recognition technology accuracy has markedly improved in recent years and can help law enforcement solve cases. With proper regulations, we can strike a balance between using this technology and concerns about protecting people’s privacy,” said Ting. “Independent, substantial evidence - beyond an FRT match - will still be necessary for an arrest and conviction.”

Sacramento, CA – Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) today re-introduced AB 1347, bringing back Skip the Slip legislation that encourages greater adoption of electronic receipts in California. Paper receipts have become obsolete in the digital age. Consequently, there’s no need to use up valuable natural resources and risk the health of consumers and retail workers who are exposed to the toxic chemicals that coat paper receipts.

“When we get coffee to-go or a pack of gum, most of us don’t want or need a physical receipt. It’s time we provide customers with the option to get no receipt or a digital receipt. It doesn’t make sense to kill so many trees and produce billions pounds of carbon emissions,” said Ting. “AB 1347 gives customers a choice and still provides for customers to request a paper receipt when they need it.”

Today, Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) announced on the steps of the Hall of Justice in San Francisco that he has introduced a new state bill—Be The Jury CA (AB 881)—that would raise juror pay to $100 a day for low-to-moderate-income jurors in criminal cases across California. Ting, along with San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, San Francisco Treasurer José Cisneros, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods, spoke about how the bill will ensure that all Californians have access to a jury of their peers, as promised by the U.S. Constitution. Due to the steep financial hardship facing potential jurors, stakeholders agree that juries have become increasingly less diverse.

California’s Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are trying to process and heal from the tragedies of Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park. On top of that, they are still dealing with the hate incidents against AAPIs over the last three years brought on by COVID. All of these incidents have highlighted the lack of resources available to AAPIs and the need for greater state investment.

In an effort to address the continuing crisis in AAPI communities, Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) today announced $6.5 million from the state budget for Richmond Area Multi-Services Inc. (RAMS). The funding allows the nonprofit to pursue a permanent space that will centralize their outpatient clinic and wellness centers into one location. Among the culturally competent programs they offer, RAMS specializes in mental health services.