Sacramento – In an effort to quickly increase the number of housing and shelter units in California, state lawmakers today sent two bills by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) to the Governor, encouraging more Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in backyards and for rent within communities governed by homeowners associations (HOAs). A third bill sent yesterday would expedite the construction of emergency housing to address the state’s homelessness crisis.

“Californians need affordable housing options right now. We don’t have the years it usually takes for a new complex or subdivision to be built. While we wait for those larger projects to be completed, my legislation will help address our housing shortages in the interim by immediately adding more localized supply,” said Ting.

AB 69 would create a new state loan program for homeowners who don’t qualify for traditional financing avenues to build ADUs, commonly known as in-law units, granny flats or casitas. After state laws eased these property additions in recent years, they have grown in popularity as a way to house aging parents or other family members, especially during the pandemic, as well as provide rental income. Because units can be up and running within a few months, ultimately, AB 69 aims to build 50,000 homes over five years.

“AB 69 creates a unique tool in our toolkit to combat the housing crisis in California, and with the aging population of California set to double by 2030 the time is now to ensure California is ready when the ‘Silver Tsunami’ hits,“ says State Treasurer Fiona Ma, “ADUs allow homeowners in the ‘sandwich generation’ to take care of their children and their aging loved ones while allowing seniors to age in place. With COVID-19 exacerbating the housing crisis, I commend the author and the Legislature for their leadership and collaboration on this important issue.”

AB 3182 would also bolster the state’s housing supply by restricting an HOA’s ability to ban ADU rentals. For too long, HOAs have been allowed to shut out certain groups, such as people of color, that disproportionately tend to be renters. This legislation requires HOAs to allow rentals, while permitting them to cap the total number within a community to 25% in order to remain eligible for many federal loan and insurance programs.

A third housing bill by Ting empowers local jurisdictions to get people off the streets faster to address homelessness. Upon declaration of a “shelter crisis,” AB 2553 gives cities and counties the authority to temporarily suspend some roadblocks that typically slow or prevent the construction of emergency housing. This proposal builds upon the success of a pilot program created under Ting’s AB 932 in 2017, which similarly enabled Berkeley, Emeryville, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, the County of Santa Clara, and the City and County of San Francisco to swiftly increase their shelter capacity.

The Governor has until September 30^th to act on bills sent to him in the remaining days of the 2020 legislative session. If signed, AB 69 and AB 3182 will take effect January 1, 2021; AB 2553 will take effect immediately.

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Proposal aims to reduce prison population & associated costs during COVID-19

Sacramento – With California’s prisons at about 111% of capacity, state lawmakers are taking more steps to reduce overcrowding during a pandemic without sacrificing public safety. After Legislative approval today, AB 3234 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) is headed to the Governor, giving judges the discretion to put first-time misdemeanor offenders through a diversion program and allowing more elderly prisoners to be eligible for parole.

“California’s criminal justice system should offer more flexibility and compassion. Time after time, we’ve seen that a second chance is all someone needs to turn their life around. When we do, we often get better rehabilitative and reintegration results,” said Ting.

AB 3234 builds off a successful diversion pilot program in Los Angeles County where the number of jury trials decreased by more than 2,000 over a two-year period, saving the courts $12,000 per day, per trial. Additionally, when first-time offenders charged with low-level crimes successfully completed a diversion program, recidivism rates were lower when compared to those who were prosecuted. Diversion program graduates who never reoffend also avoid having a criminal record that can prevent them from getting jobs and housing.

Ting’s legislation further eases prison overcrowding by making changes to the Elderly Parole Program. The geriatric population can cost California up to $300,000 per year, per person in medical costs. Currently, inmates are eligible for a parole hearing if they are at least 60 years old and have served a minimum of 25 years. AB 3234 safely lowers the age to 50 and minimum sentence to 20 years. Estimates suggest this can be done without great risk to public safety because fewer than 240 individuals would be eligible for this expanded review – although their release, if granted, would result in millions of dollars in cost-savings

Provisions of AB 3234 were originally introduced as part of budget deliberations and championed by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), Chair of the Senate Subcommittee No. 5 on Corrections, Public Safety, and the Judiciary. “Diversion programs rather than jail for those charged with misdemeanors are highly effective. AB 3234 gives judges the authority to expand diversion and recognizes that those who have been incarcerated for 20 years or more have a low risk of recidivism, and thus should be eligible to be considered for parole,” said Skinner.

As with all bills sent to the Governor this month by the August 31 deadline, he has until September 30 to act. 

Mandate would be higher than the European Union; highest in world

Sacramento – California has another opportunity to take the lead on environmental issues by enacting the country’s first law requiring manufacturers to include recycled materials when making plastic beverage bottles. After Legislative approval tonight, AB 793 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) was sent to the Governor and sets a phased-in timeline of when companies must meet minimum content standards, ultimately achieving 50% - the highest in the world - and surpassing the 30% mandate in the European Union (EU).

“The time has come for shared responsibility. Our environment suffers when companies keep making new plastic every time they need a drink container. They need to reuse what they’ve already made,” said Ting. “If we don’t make this shift, we will have more plastic than fish in our oceans by 2050.”

The dwindling U.S. demand for recycled plastic has led, in part, to the tidal wave of recycling center closures in California, leaving consumers with fewer places to take their bottles and cans. Additionally, China and other overseas markets stopped buying much of California’s recycled waste. The result? Recyclable plastic is stacking up in warehouses, flooding our landfills, and polluting our environment. AB 793 creates a different path by bolstering the market for recycled plastic in the state, so reusable waste doesn’t contaminate the earth. If signed, manufacturers must meet the following deadlines:

“Assemblymember Ting and I worked extensively with the industry stakeholders to ensure that this bill is both bold and workable. The result is the most aggressive recycled content mandate in the world for plastic bottles,” said Irwin.

Naked Juice has been using plastic bottles made with 100% post-consumer recycled content since 2010, proving the change can be done. Nestle Waters North America and Coca-Cola have also committed to using more recycled plastic over the next few years.

AB 793 is Ting’s second attempt to ensure that plastic waste actually gets recycled. The Governor vetoed a similar bill last year because of cost concerns, which have been addressed this year.

As with all bills sent to the Governor this month by the August 31 deadline, he has until September 30 to act. 

The California State Legislature gave the greenlight to a resolution designating a portion of State Route 35 in Daly City as the Alice Peña Bulos Memorial Highway, honoring the legacy of a local Filipina leader. The Senate’s approval of ACR 165 today was the final step needed to allow supporters to raise private funds for the cost of signs bearing the new name.

“We see the influence of Alice Peña Bulos throughout our communities, as well as in elected local and state government leadership. That’s why she’s considered the Godmother of Filipino American politics and empowerment. It’s my honor to carry the legislation that celebrates her legacy,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), author of ACR 165.

Bulos was born in the Philippines on March 31, 1930. After earning her degrees at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, she became Professor of Sociology, then Chair of the department. In 1972, she moved to California, where her activism began.

Over the span of four decades, Bulos – affectionately known as “Tita Alice” – empowered and mentored generations of Filipino Americans, encouraging them to amplify their voices through civic participation & public office. In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton appointed her to the National Council on Aging, becoming the first Fil-Am selected by a sitting president to serve on a federal post. She also served on the Filipino American Caucus for the California Democratic Party, the National Filipino Women’s Network, and the National Asian Pacific Democratic Council. Bulos passed away in 2016 at the age of 86.

“Throughout her life, ‘Tita Alice’ was committed to opening doors for young Fil-Ams who wanted to enter public service and politics, but did not see themselves represented in those places of power. Tita Alice has left an everlasting mark in commuters all over California and especially here in the Bay Area where she called home. While she is no longer with us, her memory lives on in her family and the numerous friends, supporters, and pupils she inspired over her decades of service,” said the Filipino American Democratic Club of San Mateo County, whose members include Daly City and South San Francisco Council members, as well as other prominent San Mateo County Filipino American leaders.

The highway signs are expected to be installed next year.

(Sacramento, CA) – Next month, California is giving more people access to a court process that could lead to the temporary removal of someone’s firearms when they pose a danger to themselves or others. AB 61 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) adds educators, employers and co-workers to the list of people who can file a Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO). Under California’s current red flag gun law, only law enforcement and immediate family members can do so.

“Before COVID-19, we saw school and workplace shootings on the rise. The trend could continue once classrooms and offices are back in use again. It makes sense to give the people we see every day the power to intervene and prevent tragedies,” said Ting.

To prevent possible misuse, teachers and other staff must go through school administrators to file a GVRO; and co-workers must seek the assistance of their Human Resources Department.

In California, there are two ways a GVRO can be granted by a judge:

• For a duration of one to five years, after a court hearing; or,
• For a duration of 21 days, immediately (can also be extended after a court hearing).

Since the original GVRO law took effect in 2016, more than 1,700 removal orders have been issued – the bulk of which came last year:

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announces four projects have been selected to receive $300,000 in total grant awards as part of the California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Expansion. The projects were selected through a competitive process in which CDFA received applications for more than 2.5 times the available funding.

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and Visalia, the new CNIP grantees are:

• The Model Neighborhood Program
• Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association
• Sustainable Economic Enterprises of LA & Hunger Action LA
• Visalia Farmers’ Market Association

The four grantees will utilize CNIP funds to double the amount of fruit and vegetables able to be purchased at participating farmers’ markets by shoppers using the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. The WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program provides participants with $28 worth of vouchers. CNIP funds will double that amount to $56 of benefits to be spent on healthy, California-grown fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers’ markets.

The California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) goals are to address food insecurity and access to fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts among low-income Californians while simultaneously supporting and expanding markets for California farmers. CNIP currently offers nutrition incentives to CalFresh (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) shoppers at more than 300 locations throughout the state, including Certified Farmers’ Markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs and retail outlets.

CNIP was created by Assembly Bill 1321, authored by Assembly Member Phil Ting in 2015. CNIP is administered by CDFA’s Office of Farm to Fork, which leads CDFA’s food access work.

**Photo from August 2018