Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, released the following statement about the resignation of UC President Janet Napolitano. Ting’s statement is as follows:

"On behalf of all Californians, especially those in the UC family, I want to thank President Napolitano for her service to our country and our state. She took over the University of California system during one of its most fiscally challenging times. She worked with the Legislature to increase funding and enrollment and deserves recognition for her contributions. UC continues to be one of the best public university systems in the world."

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

California is poised to continue its environmental leadership by passing the world’s strongest recycling requirement that will help reduce litter and boost demand for used plastic materials. The California State Assembly today sent AB 792 to the Governor - a first-in-the-nation proposal by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) that phases-in the minimum amount of recycled materials plastic beverage bottles must contain, at a standard higher than that mandated in the European Union (EU).

“There’s a terrible cost to our environment if manufacturers are allowed to continue making new plastic every time they need a beverage container. They should reuse what they’ve already made,” said Ting. “If we don’t change now, we will have more plastic than fish in our oceans by 2050.”

The recent closure of the state’s remaining rePlanet recycling centers was, in part, due to dwindling domestic demand for recycled plastic. Additionally, China and other overseas markets stopped buying much of California’s recycled waste last year. Now, a crisis is mounting as recyclable plastic stacks up in warehouses or is sent to landfills. AB 792 bolsters demand for recycled plastic and ensures what has already been made does not contaminate our earth.

The EU has already set a goal of 25% recycled content in their plastic bottles by 2025 and 30% by 2030. California’s standards would be higher than the EU’s, establishing an even more aggressive timeframe for minimum recycled content in plastic beverage bottles:

• January 2021  - 10% minimum content
• January 2025  - 25% minimum content
• January 2030  - 50% minimum content

Under a compromise reached with stakeholders, AB 792 imposes penalties for non-compliance but grants CalRecycle the authority to adjust minimum content percentages in the event market conditions prevent companies from fulfilling the requirements. Although higher percentages were originally sought under the bill, including a 100% minimum content requirement by 2035, the proposal still represents a major step towards meeting California’s recycling and waste reduction goals

As with all bills sent to the Governor this month by the September 13 deadline, he has until October 13 to act.  If signed into law, AB 792 takes effect on January 1, 2020.

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Proposal is in response to the recent shut down of rePlanet recycling centers

After rePlanet shuttered its remaining 284 recycling centers in California last month, the State Assembly today sent Governor Newsom a temporary emergency solution proposed by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco). AB 54 aims to relieve the long lines at remaining redemption sites and fill the void in areas that no longer have a center.

“We’ve been trying to solve California’s recycling problem for years. Now that it has turned into a crisis, the Legislature must act. AB 54 provides short-term relief while we work over the fall toward a more comprehensive fix that can start moving through the legislative process when we reconvene in January,” said Ting.

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.

AB 54 allocates $5 million to implement a mobile recycling pilot program administered by CalRecycle. Under the 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. Ting’s bill also ensures roving redemption centers are open at least eight hours during the weekend when demand for services is highest, while relaxing other administrative requirements to streamline operations. 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.

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. Due to the sudden closure of hundreds of centers, stores and staff across California are not prepared to assume the responsibility of providing redemption services at certain stores.

As with all bills sent to the Governor this month by the September 13 deadline, he has until October 13 to act.  If signed into law, AB 54 is an urgency measure that takes effect immediately.

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More housing units in the state could be on the way after the State Assembly approved two proposals by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), sending them to the Governor. AB 68 encourages greater adoption of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), commonly known as secondary homes, “in-law units” or “granny flats.” The other proposal, AB 1486, prioritizes construction of affordable housing projects when surplus public land becomes available.

“Accessory Dwelling Units provide a key piece of the puzzle in helping us address California’s unprecedented housing crisis. I support ADUs because they enable homeowners to be part of the solution, and we need to do more to spur widespread adoption,” 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. Building ADUs is one of the quickest ways to increase affordable housing supply. After the state relaxed some barriers to 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. Ting’s bill would make it even easier and faster for homeowners to build livable space on their properties by:

• Speeding up the approval process to 60 days;
• Prohibiting restrictive local requirements pertaining to lot size and parking; and,
• Allowing more types of units, such as units in multi-family dwellings, to be approved with less bureaucratic review.

Other bills in the Legislature also seek to spur ADU development by reducing certain local government fees and suspending for five years any local rules that require the homeowner lives on their property if it has an ADU. Governor Newsom recently signed AB 670, which forbids homeowners associations from banning ADUs.

California could become the largest state to protect civil liberties by banning facial recognition technology in police body cameras. The California State Assembly today sent Governor Newsom 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.

“Without my bill, facial recognition technology essentially turns body cameras into a 24-hour surveillance tool, giving law enforcement the ability to track our every movement. Let’s not become a police state and keep body cameras as they were originally intended – to provide police accountability and transparency,” said Ting.

In addition, facial recognition systems are prone to mistakes. 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.

Under a proposal by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), California is on the verge of giving people a second chance in life after they’ve served their time. The State Assembly today sent Governor Newsom AB 1076, which 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 discourages individuals from going through the process.

“A clean slate opens the doors to employment, housing and educational opportunities that help can individuals succeed and reduce the chance of recidivism. We must automate the records clearance process so former offenders can get back on their feet and lead productive lives,” said Ting. “Otherwise, our economy and society pay the price when job-seeking workers are shut out.”

“We advance public safety by removing barriers to employment, housing and educational opportunities,” said District Attorney George Gascón, who worked with Ting on this legislation. “That is why this landmark bill is so important and why we are working hard to be the first state in the country to enact it into law.”

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, while also improving public safety through reduced recidivism. 

Amendments adopted during the legislative process now only apply automatic record clearance to individuals whose arrest occurs after January 1, 2021. AB 1076 originally included prior cases. Still, supporters say it’s a step in the right direction and will continue working to expand the process to past convictions.