As of June 1, 2019, Californians who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are also eligible to receive food benefits through CalFresh. Vulnerable residents, such as seniors and people living with disabilities, should not go hungry.
Locking up criminals and throwing the away the key can be cruel and inhumane, especially when offenders committed their offenses as minors. Second chances are possible under a new law by Assemblymember Phil Ting that took effect on January 1, 2019. AB 2942 gives local prosecutors the discretion to review the cases of inmates whose prison sentences are excessively long and whose continued incarceration is no longer in the interest of justice.
Starting October 2020, a Real ID will be required to board a domestic flight without a passport or enter a federal facility. In order to apply for one, you must physically visit a DMV field office and bring two proofs of residency documents with you.
Traffic relief, safer roads and better air quality are on the way. The Bay Area received great news from the California Transportation Commission (CTC) recently when it announced $660 million for thirteen projects in our region. Close to home, the funding includes improvements to Jefferson Street in San Francisco and the addition of express lanes on Highway 101 from SFO to Mountain View.
U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) has begun a large scale enforcement program in Northern California. It is clear this is retaliation against California because we stood up for our values. We defended our immigrant communities with legislation to help keep families together. It's important to know that, even if you are not a citizen of the United States, you have rights.
Access to fresh, healthy food is a problem for many Californians, particularly those who live in food deserts where no grocery stores or supermarkets are located. But help is on the way! Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) announces the availability of $1.7 million in state grants to enable corner stores and small markets to purchase energy efficient refrigeration units. In return, beneficiaries of the Healthy Stores Refrigeration Grant Program agree to carry California-grown...
San Francisco is hoping to launch a three-year mobile recycling program to offset the impacts of the widespread closure of facilities where people can redeem bottles and cans for cash.
The City has submitted a plan to state officials that calls for launching a mobile service initially using two trucks that would visit 16 sites in eight supervisorial districts — Districts 1 through 8 — with the fewest available places to redeem cans.
The application includes a list of 39 potential sites, including the parking lots of grocery stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, churches, schools and others. Department of the Environment spokesman Charles Sheehan said the proposed locations are not final and could change.
Most residents in these neighborhoods have to travel at least three miles to reach any of the handful of recycling centers that remain in operation to cash in on the 5- or 10-cent California Redemption Value that consumers pay when buying bottled or canned beverages.
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The City could also stand to benefit from Assembly Bill 54, which was introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week. It provides up to $5 million in state funding for such pilot programs from the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund.
Ting introduced the bill after rePlanet shuttered 284 California recycling centers in August. The closures also impacted San Francisco, further reducing its recycling centers from six in operation this year to four, according to the Department of Environment’s application.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a San Francisco assemblyman's urgency measure providing funding to bolster the dwindling presence of recycling centers in California Friday.
Assembly Bill 54, by Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), allocates $5 million to implement a mobile recycling pilot program administered by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, known as CalRecycle.
As an urgency measure, the bill takes effect immediately.
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"AB 54 provides short-term relief to the thousands of Californians who need their container deposits refunded. Now the hard work begins. I will spend the next few months working on a more comprehensive solution that can start moving through the legislative process when we reconvene in January," Ting said in a statement. "We can't put off this reform any longer now that recycling programs are in a crisis."
New law is in response to the recent shut down of rePlanet recycling centers
Sacramento, CA – Help is on the way for areas in the state that no longer have California Redemption Value (CRV) recycling centers. Governor Newsom today signed AB 54 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), which allocates $5 million to implement a mobile recycling pilot program administered by CalRecycle. The urgency measure takes effect immediately.
“AB 54 provides short-term relief to the thousands of Californians who need their container deposits refunded. Now the hard work begins. I will spend the next few months working on a more comprehensive solution that can start moving through the legislative process when we reconvene in January,” said Ting. “We can’t put off this reform any longer now that recycling programs are in a crisis.”
Ting’s bill is necessary after rePlanet shuttered its remaining 284 California recycling centers in August. AB 54 aims to relieve the long lines at remaining redemption sites and fill the void in areas that no longer have any. rePlanet was once California’s largest recycling company, operating about 20% of the redemption centers in the state. But a significant decrease in the scrap value of aluminum and recycled plastics has hampered their ability to stay open - even after the firm closed 191 centers in 2016 to cut costs. Exacerbating this problem are international market conditions, as countries around the world, most notably China, have imposed stricter standards on the types of waste materials they will purchase.
Under the mobile pilot program, local governments, non-profits and others can apply for one of five grants to expand recycling opportunities in areas severely impacted by the rePlanet closures. At least one pilot location must be in a rural area, and the roving redemption centers must be open at least eight hours during the weekend when demand for services is high. AB 54 also temporarily suspends, through March 2020, the fines assessed on grocers required to take back beverage containers in-store when there are no recycling centers nearby, as they are not prepared to assume the responsibility of providing redemption services.
In addition to AB 54, the 2019-20 state budget previously included another $5 million to help more than 400 low-volume recycling centers stay open.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTVU) - California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a law that will make the state the first to allow employers, co-workers and teachers to seek gun violence restraining orders against other people.
The bill was vetoed twice by former governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, and goes beyond a measure that he signed allowing only law enforcement officers and immediate family members to ask judges to temporarily take away peoples’ guns when they are deemed a danger to themselves or others.
They were among 15 gun-related laws Newsom approved as the state strengthens what the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence calls the nation’s toughest restrictions.
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“With school and workplace shootings on the rise, it’s common sense to give the people we see every day the power to intervene and prevent tragedies,” said the bill’s author, Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting of San Francisco. The existing law has mostly been used by police officers, but Ting said the expansion should allow more awareness and more opportunity for others to act.
(Sacramento, CA) – California is expanding its red flag gun law. Governor Newsom signed AB 61, a bill by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), which gives more people access to a court process that could temporarily take away someone’s firearms through a Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO), if they pose a danger to themselves or others. Ting’s law enables educators, employers and co-workers to also use the tool. Current law only allows law enforcement and immediate family members to file a GVRO.
“Thoughts and prayers are no longer enough. GVROs are a proven gun violence prevention tool that can help save lives. With school and workplace shootings on the rise, it’s common sense to give the people we see every day the power to intervene and prevent tragedies,” said Ting.
The Governor’s approval comes just a few months after researchers at the Violence Prevention Research Program at UC Davis closely examined a sample of individuals who were subjected to a GVRO and found none were involved in subsequent gun-related violence. While the study cited how difficult it is to say how many incidents were prevented, it is reasonable to conclude GVROs play a role in reducing the chance of gun-related violence. From 2016 (when California’s red flag law took effect) through 2018, more than 600 people had weapons removed from their possession via GVROs.
Seventeen states have a version of red flag laws on the books. Twelve enacted their measures after the 2018 Parkland, FL shooting. In California, there are two ways a GVRO can be granted:
For a duration of 21 days, immediately, which can be extended for up to one year after a court hearing; or,
For a duration of one year, after a court hearing.
For GVRO requests in the latter category, Ting has a companion bill, AB 1493, which the Governor also approved. It allows the subject of a GVRO to surrender their firearms to authorities without contesting the order. Under current law, even a subject who agrees guns should not be in their possession must still go through a court hearing, wasting time and resources.
AB 61 & AB 1493 will take effect September 1, 2020.
Today is World Mental Health Day. Just this week, the California Peer-Run Warm Line launched to provide free emotional support all year long to those not in crisis, but still in need of help. It's peer-run, meaning the person on the other end of the line has experienced similar challenges.The number 1-855-845-7455. Please reach out if you need to.
Los Angeles – Backyards and surplus government land are now prime real estate for the development of more housing units in California, thanks to two proposals by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) signed by Governor Newsom today. AB 68 eases local red tape to encourage a greater number of homeowners to build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), commonly known as backyard cottages, “in-law units” or “granny flats,” on their properties. The other bill, AB 1486, prioritizes construction of affordable housing projects when local public land is no longer needed.
“One of the quickest ways to ramp up our housing supply is to build more Accessory Dwelling Units. They also enable homeowners to be part of the solution in helping us address California’s unprecedented housing crisis,” said Ting. “Regarding surplus land, I can’t think of a better use for property the government no longer needs than to build affordable housing on it.”
By some estimates, California is nearly four million units short of meeting its housing demand. After the state relaxed some barriers to ADU construction in 2017, there was an immediate boost to their numbers. Los Angeles, for example, has approved more than 10,500 ADUs since the change, compared to only a few hundred ADUs in years prior. But some obstacles remain. Ting’s bill would:
Speed up the approval process to 60 days;
Prohibit restrictive local requirements pertaining to lot size and parking; and,
Allow more types of units, such as units in multi-family dwellings, to be approved with less bureaucratic review.
The Governor also signed other ADU bills that:
Reduce local government construction fees;
Suspend local rules for five years requiring the homeowner to live on site; and,
Forbid homeowners associations from banning ADUs.
“California YIMBY is proud to have sponsored AB 68, which will create many thousands of new homes each year,” said Brian Hanlon, President and CEO of California YIMBY. “This bill empowers homeowners to help end the housing crisis by building Accessory Dwelling Units, which fit seamlessly into existing neighborhoods. These granny flats help keep multi-generational families together, and enable homeowners to make some extra money while providing more affordable homes for people who need them. We’re grateful to Asm. Ting for his strong leadership on this issue.”
According to the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley, applications for ADU permits have jumped significantly since the Legislature eased some regulations a few years ago, but homeowners still face challenges when it comes to building codes, limiting the full potential of ADUs.
Under AB 1486, Ting’s surplus land legislation gives more affordable housing projects the first right of refusal to build on public surplus land, taking advantage of strategically located sites next to transit, schools and jobs that have remained dormant for decades.
Sacramento, CA – California has become the largest state to ban facial recognition software in police body cameras, in a move to protect civil liberties over use of technology prone to mistakes. Governor Newsom today signed AB 1215, a proposal by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) that prohibits law enforcement from equipping body cameras with facial recognition software and other biometric scanners for three years.
“The public wanted their officers and deputies to use body cameras to provide accountability and transparency for the community. The addition of facial recognition technology essentially turns them into 24-hour surveillance tools, giving law enforcement the ability to track our every move. We cannot become a police state,” said Ting.
To prove that facial recognition isn’t ready for prime time, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently put the technology to the test, running photos of all 120 members of the state Legislature through a mugshot database. It falsely matched 26 lawmakers, including Ting. More than half of those falsely identified are lawmakers of color, illustrating the biases and risks associated with the technology’s dangerous inaccuracies if allowed to subject people to perpetual police line-ups. A similar test conducted on members of Congress last year also produced 28 mismatches.
“Face-scanning police body cameras have no place on our streets, where they can be used for dragnet surveillance of Californians, our locations, and our personal associations,” said Matt Cagle, Technology and Civil Liberties Attorney for the ACLU of Northern California. “AB 1215 helps ensure Californians don’t become test subjects for an invasive and dangerous tracking technology that undermines our most fundamental civil liberties and human rights.”
False matches led Axon, one of the largest manufacturers of police body cameras, to bar facial recognition programs in its products. Microsoft also had the same concerns, particularly the high error rate among women and people of color, when it declined to sell facial recognition software to a California law enforcement agency.
Sacramento, CA – Clean slate legislation signed by the Governor today will give hundreds of thousands of Californians a second chance in life after they have served their time and successfully completed probation. Even after rehabilitation, a criminal record typically prevents people from getting jobs and housing, or attending school. AB 1076 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), uses technology to automate arrest and conviction relief for those already entitled to record clearance under existing law. The current paper system is burdensome and expensive, and it discourages individuals from going through the process.
“People shouldn’t have to pay for their mistakes for the rest of their lives. A fresh start improves an individual’s chances of succeeding and reduces the likelihood of recidivism. Automating the record clearance process will enable former offenders to get back on their feet and lead productive lives,” said Ting. “Our economy and society pay the price when job-seeking workers are shut out.”
In its amended form, AB 1076 would automate record clearance for individuals whose arrest occurs after January 1, 2021. A new California Policy Lab analysis found that of the estimated 1.1 million people who will have a new detention, arrest, or conviction during the first five years of the law’s implementation, about 44% will be eligible to have one or more cases automatically cleared. Studies show that lack of access to jobs and housing are primary factors that drive individuals to reoffend.
The obstacles to successful re-entry also disproportionately impact communities of color and those who are socio-economically disadvantaged. By requiring no additional action by petitioners, AB 1076 can make the records clearance system more fair and equitable.
LATEST NEWS
(Sacramento, CA) – California is expanding its red flag gun law. Governor Newsom signed AB 61, a bill by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), which gives more people access to a court process that could temporarily take away someone’s firearms through a Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO), if they pose a danger to themselves or others. Ting’s law enables educators, employers and co-workers to also use the tool. Current law only allows law enforcement and immediate family members to file a GVRO.
By some estimates, California is nearly four million units short of meeting its housing demand. After the state relaxed some barriers to ADU construction in 2017, there was an immediate boost to their numbers. Los Angeles, for example, has approved more than 10,500 ADUs since the change, compared to only a few hundred ADUs in years prior. But some obstacles remain. Ting’s bill would:
To prove that facial recognition isn’t ready for prime time, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently put the technology to the test, running photos of all 120 members of the state Legislature through a mugshot database. It falsely matched 26 lawmakers, including Ting. More than half of those falsely identified are lawmakers of color, illustrating the biases and risks associated with the technology’s dangerous inaccuracies if allowed to subject people to perpetual police line-ups. A similar test conducted on members of Congress last year also produced 28 mismatches.
Sacramento, CA – Clean slate legislation signed by the Governor today will give hundreds of thousands of Californians a second chance in life after they have served their time and successfully completed probation. Even after rehabilitation, a criminal record typically prevents people from getting jobs and housing, or attending school. AB 1076 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), uses technology to automate arrest and conviction relief for those already entitled to record clearance under existing law. The current paper system is burdensome and expensive, and it discourages individuals from going through the process.