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Wednesday, June 9, 2021

EV Charging StationNew analysis from the California Energy Commission (CEC) shows the state will need nearly 1.2 million public and shared chargers by 2030 to meet the fueling demands of the 7.5 million passenger plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) anticipated to be on California roads.

More than 73,000 public and shared chargers have been installed to date, with an additional 123,000 planned by 2025. These numbers fall short of the state’s goal of 250,000 chargers by 54,000 installations. The Governor’s proposed 2021–22 budget includes $500 million to help fill the gap and ensure essential infrastructure arrives as more Californians go electric.

“To make the evolution to zero-emission vehicles successful, California must have a robust charging infrastructure. The assessment shows we must now scale up our installation efforts, building out our charging network in order for electric vehicle adoption to be as seamless as possible. With our mission set, I’m committed to keep our state marching toward a greener future,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee and author of AB 2127.

To read more from the CEC's press release, click here.

Read the full report here: AB 2127 EV Charging Infrastructure Assessment 

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

SACRAMENTO — Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee Chair Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), and Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) issued the following statement regarding the Legislative Version of the 2021-22 State Budget:

“Guided by the vision of our colleagues and the values of the Californians who sent us here, we are pleased to announce that the Senate and the Assembly have reached historic early agreement on the state budget. It didn’t take long for us to find common ground because we built on common sense—the responsible budgets that Democratic Legislators and Governors have been enacting for a decade. This budget is a once-in-a-generation chance to make transformational change in California, including major investments in tax relief for millions of Californians, grants and unemployment mitigation for small business, child care and education, higher education, public health and Medi-Cal, justice reform, homelessness, aging and developmental services, and historic levels of funding to address climate change, wildfires, and drought. We’re encouraged by this early, united approach and look forward to working with Governor Newsom, who shares so many of our goals and values, to reach a three-party agreement on a historic budget for California.”

The Legislative summary of the 2021-22 proposed budget is here: CALeg Version of 2021-22 Budget Summary

Assembly Budget Committee's Agenda for June 2: June 2 Budget Agenda.pdf

Subcommittee Analysis of the proposal is here.

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Monday, May 24, 2021

In a letter to State Controller Betty Yee and State Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond, Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and members of the San Francisco delegation urged the withholding of $12M in state school reopening funds from San Francisco Unified because their reopening plan does not meet the requirements spelled out in AB 86. Read the full letter: Letter Regarding SFUSD Reopening 

Friday, May 14, 2021
Friday, May 14, 2021

California Flag

Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, released the following statement about the Governor’s May Revision for the 2021-22 state budget:

“California is in a unique position. We need to think big! Not only can we keep helping Californians who are still struggling, but there’s also an opportunity to build a foundation for the next century. I’m eager to invest in priorities like infrastructure, university expansion, affordable housing supply and climate resilience – all of which will keep the state strong for generations.

To help us get there, we must first address the challenges of today. We need to stabilize working families by getting them back to work and school, while also ensuring they have a roof over their heads. We’ve already taken early budget action that sent stimulus checks to individuals and small businesses, ramped up wildfire protection and extended eviction safeguards. We can now do so much more. The Assembly Budget Blueprint unveiled last month outlines a vision that includes providing additional cash assistance, reversing budget cuts made last year, expanding critical support services, and stimulating the economy. This roadmap allows our state to emerge from the pandemic better than ever.

The Governor’s May Revise explores similar ambitions, and I look forward to spending the next month working with legislators and the Governor to deliver a balanced, on-time budget by the June 15th deadline.”

To view budget comments Assemblymember Ting made on May 10th, prior to May Revise, please watch here.

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Wednesday, May 12, 2021

APILC Budget Proposal

Proposal to Address Hate Crimes in the AAPI Community
The California Asian Pacific Islander population has faced increased attacks against members of their community since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than one year ago. Racist rhetoric coming from the previous White House has mobilized and emboldened individuals who wish to sow hate against AAPIs by attacking them. California must take a strong stance against this violence and provide community support, services, prevention against these attacks, and cultural and economic development for the community. This proposal requests $200 million over a three-year period to address hate crimes against the AAPI community. (Click headline to see entire list.)

Direct Response – $159.5 million

  • Victims Services & Prevention – $109.5 million

Nonprofit or CBOs that are providing necessary services to victims of hate crimes, such as legal services, health care, mental health, victim’s compensation, or counseling will receive grant funding so that these services may be provided free of charge. Grantees that are service providers should be within the database that the hotline provides referrals to.

Nonprofits or CBOs providing services to protect and prevent attacks against API individuals (such as senior escort programs) will also receive grants to continue this work. Nonprofits or CBOs that provide educational or healing programs about the historic harms caused by structural and systemic racism across different communities of color will receive grants to continue or start this work.

Statewide Hate Crimes Hotline – $10 million

California lacks a single location for individuals to report hate crimes and incidents that can also connect callers with necessary services. This proposal seeks to provide a hotline run by a nonprofit entity that serves as a centralized hub that would connect caller’s in-language to the appropriate local resources, whether they be legal, health care, mental health, or law enforcement if they choose to report. The hotline will also collect data on these calls about the hate crimes and incidents occurring, which will be reported to the Legislature on July 1, 2024. This program may be eligible for federal funding.

Culture and Economic Development – $20 million
Hate rhetoric and the COVID-19 pandemic has caused rippling economic effects to ethnic hubs across the state. In order to rebuild these communities and recognize the important cultural role they provide to California, the state shall provide grants to local ethnic hubs to revitalize Chinatowns, Japantowns, Koreatowns, Little Manilas, etc. Local nonprofits or CBOs would receive grant funding to beautify ethnic corridors, create cultural monuments, revitalize community centers, notify local business owners about existing grant programs to assist small businesses, and provide direct assistance to businesses if necessary.

Friday, May 7, 2021

For the fourth consecutive year, more Californians and law enforcement agencies have turned to the courts to prevent senseless shootings. Judges approved 1,285 gun violence restraining orders (GVROs) last year, mandating the temporary removal of an individual’s firearms because they pose a danger to themselves or others. That brings the total number of GVROs issued in California to 3,008 since the red flag law began in 2016.

“The closure of our courts for periods of time during the pandemic may have contributed to the slow growth in GVRO usage. Still, nearly 1,300 orders were issued, with San Diego County leading the way. I’m glad that Californians have a tool to intervene to save lives and prevent tragedies,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), the author of AB 61, which took effect September 1, 2020. The bill expanded the pool of people who can ask for a GVRO, allowing educators, employers and co-workers to file for one when coordinating with school administrators or human resources departments. Prior to Ting’s law, only family members and law enforcement could obtain a GVRO by going to the courts directly.

In California, there are two ways GVROs can be granted:

  • For a duration of 21 days, immediately (which can be extended to one year with a court hearing); or,
  • For a duration of up to five years, after a court hearing

The release of gun violence data is later than usual this year because the California Attorney General’s (AG) Office began withholding firearms records. This also made it difficult for researchers to continue studying the effectiveness of the state’s gun policies. But the newly sworn-in Attorney General Rob Bonta made the vital information available as soon as he took office. However, to ensure state data regarding firearms remain accessible for years, Ting will continue to pursue AB 1237 this session - his bill reiterating the duty of the AG’s Office to release these materials to California research centers.

“We’re very glad to have received the information we need to continue our detailed evaluation of California’s pioneering GVRO policy. Research on many other violence prevention policies and programs also depends on data from the Department of Justice; we and our colleagues at other universities are hopeful that the legislature will act to preserve that access, for the sake of all Californians,” said Garen Wintemute, Director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at U.C. Davis Health.

AB 1237 is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Publication: Los Angeles Times

State lawmakers on Tuesday rejected a proposal by the governor to create a new state agency to improve working conditions in California, with opponents saying the state should first resolve serious problems that have delayed payment of unemployment benefits to many of those left jobless by the COVID-19 pandemic.

An Assembly panel recommended against creating the new department at a hearing where lawmakers noted that a backlog of delayed claims has grown in the last month. 

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Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), the Assembly’s Budget Committee chair, agreed the time wasn’t right to create “a new bureaucracy” in the labor agency.

“Given the multitude of ongoing problems at EDD, now is not the time to transfer numerous employees from the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to a newly created department,” Ting said. “They’re desperately needed to resolve the tremendous backlog in unemployment claims, prevent fraud and implement job training programs to get people back to work.” 

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Monday, May 3, 2021

Publication: San Francisco Chronicle

California’s main rebate program to coax more drivers to buy electric cars has run out of money — and there’s no guarantee that buyers on the waiting list will get checks later.

The program, one of the largest electric-car rebate efforts in the world, is destined to end unless the Legislature goes against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to cut funding for it next fiscal year, starting July 1.

Newsom wants to redirect money that has gone to most buyers of new electric cars, spending it instead to increase incentives for lower-income buyers. He also wants to install more public charging stations.

But he faces resistance from some legislators and electric-car advocates, who say cutting rebates could undermine the state’s climate goals.

Money for the rebate program ran out last month. Electric vehicle sales surged in the first few months of this year, after plummeting in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

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“Without rebates, it would be a significant step backwards in this struggle to transform our vehicles into clean cars,” said Assembly Member Phil Ting, the San Francisco Democrat who chairs the Budget Committee.

Ting said Assembly Democrats will propose restoring funding for the program, though they have yet to set an amount. In the Senate, Democrats have proposed to spend $525 million on rebates over the next three years.

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Thursday, April 29, 2021

Publication: San Jose Mercury

Bay Area mayors push for historic five-year investment

Bay Area mayors on Thursday urged the state to do something unprecedented — spend $20 billion in a multi-year effort to combat California’s massive homelessness crisis.

Their proposal would dedicate $4 billion every year for five years to continue the historic efforts California has made to house and shelter people during the pandemic. That sum would be roughly half of the state’s projected 2021 budget surplus, when factoring in $26 billion California was allocated in federal stimulus money.

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Democrats in both the state Assembly and Senate also are backing the proposal, and called for the $20 billion, five-year investment when they released their 2021 budget priorities earlier this month.

“Since the pandemic began, we’ve invested even more state money for homelessness and prevention,” Assembly Budget Committee Chair Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, wrote in an emailed statement. “But to have meaningful and ongoing impact, the Legislative Analyst Office says we need a long-term strategy.”

If approved, it would be the largest allocation of funds dedicated to fighting homelessness in U.S. history, according to the mayors.

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