The California Legislature on Monday approved a $100-million plan to bolster California’s legal marijuana industry, which continues to struggle to compete with the large illicit pot market nearly five years after voters approved sales for recreational use.
Los Angeles will be the biggest beneficiary of the money, which was proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to be provided as grants to cities and counties to help cannabis businesses transition from provisional to regular licenses.
Shortly after a gunman in San Jose killed nine people and himself at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority rail yard on May 26, local and state officials put a renewed focus on California's "red flag" law, asking if it could have prevented the massacre.
Formally known as a gun violence restraining orders (GVRO), the law is designed to allow courts to take guns away from people who are deemed a danger to themselves or others. In 2014, California became one of the first states in the country to enact such legislation.
In April 2017, Nandi Cain Jr., who is Black, was beaten by a Sacramento police officer. Following a verbal altercation, Officer Anthony Figueroa threw Cain to the ground and punched him repeatedly.
If California wants drivers to switch to electric cars en masse over the next decade, it must prepare by building charging stations at a much faster pace — or risk drivers not having enough places to plug in away from home.
New 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.
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:
Plans for California’s skyrocketing tax revenues came into focus Tuesday as Democratic lawmakers unveiled their “historic” vision for the state’s next budget.
Though the total spending mirrors Governor Gavin Newsom’s May budget proposal, the Legislature’s plan includes more money for big-ticket items like climate change, wildfire prevention, affordable housing and expanded health care coverage for undocumented residents.
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.”
Five years ago, the Department of Homeland Security investigated the now-dead VTA gunman Sam Cassidy, turning up noted about the hatred he had for workplace, but nothing was done.
State Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) said that had that happened under state authority, Cassidy would have "more than qualified" for a gun violence restraining order.
Many people have been left asking if anything could have been done to prevent mass shootings after nine people were killed in San Jose Wednesday. There are so-called "red flag" laws in place across the country aimed at heeding possible warning signs, but are they being used often enough?
