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California Lawmakers Make Renewed Push for Gun Control Under Gavin Newsom

Publication: San Francisco Chronicle

California has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, but even as they passed measures in the aftermath of mass shootings, legislators occasionally found themselves frustrated by former Gov. Jerry Brown and his veto pen.

Now they sense fresh opportunity under Gov. Gavin Newsom, a supporter of tightening gun laws who sponsored a successful ballot initiative in 2016 to institute background checks for ammunition sales.

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Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, has also brought back his 2018 bill to allow more people to seek a gun violence restraining order against someone they believe poses a danger to themselves or others. Brown vetoed the measure, which would have permitted co-workers and school personnel to petition a court to temporarily remove firearms from a person. Current law allows only family members, roommates and law enforcement to seek such orders.

Expanded California Earned Income Tax Credit Means More Californians Qualify for a Refund

Claim your money through CalEITC(Sacramento, CA) - The tax season is underway! As many as one million more Californians may be eligible for a state refund under the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC), which was expanded again for the 2018 tax year. Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, championed the effort during negotiations in 2018. Research has shown that EITCs are an effective anti-poverty tool. CalEITC put nearly $350 million directly in the hands of 1.4 million people last year, tripling the number of households that claimed the credit when compared to the prior year.

“California’s strong economy enables us to give a modest income boost to the families that need it the most,” said Ting. “The majority of Californians eligible for the state Earned Income Tax Credit are single-income households headed by women with children, and a refund can be life-changing for them. Adding self-employed workers for the first time in the 2017 tax year, particularly those in the gig economy, was especially impactful.”

Workers must file an income tax return in order to get the refund, even if they don’t owe anything. Every year, California leaves $2 billion of unclaimed state and federal EITC money on the table.  Help us spread the word! Numerous non-profits can connect workers with free tax preparation services. This year, taxes are due by Monday, April 15th.

SENATOR MITCHELL, ASSEMBLYMEMBER TING, JLBC MEMBERS ANNOUNCE NEW LEGISLATIVE ANALYST: GABRIEL PETEK

Gabriel Petek Named New Legislative AnalystSenator Holly Mitchell, Chair, Assemblymember Phil Ting, Vice-Chair, and the members of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) today announced that Gabriel Petek has been selected to be the next Legislative Analyst for the California Legislature.

Petek, who currently serves as a Managing Director and the San Francisco Office Head, as well as the Primary Credit Analyst for California, for S & P Global Ratings, will assume the job February 4, 2018. He succeeds Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor, who assumed the post in 2008 and retired at the end of 2018. Petek will be only the sixth person to lead the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) since the office was established in 1941.

The selection of Petek concludes a bipartisan, bicameral, nationwide search conducted by a Subcommittee on the Selection of the Legislative Analyst, which came to a close with official action by the full Joint Legislative Budget Committee. The JLBC’s selection of Petek on January 16 was approved on a unanimous 14-0 vote.

“One of my key priorities throughout this bipartisan process was to identify a new Legislative Analyst who will help the legislature achieve its policy and oversight goals by providing thoughtful analysis and support. Gabriel Petek brings strong credentials and experience to the job. I look forward to engaging him in the budget process, so we can make the smartest fiscal decisions for California,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco).

TING STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR’S BUDGET RELEASE

TING STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR’S BUDGET RELEASEAssemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, released the statement below following Governor Gavin Newsom’s budget release:

“We clearly share the same values with the Governor. I’m excited to see priorities outlined in our Assembly Budget Blueprint, Funding Progress | Protecting Tomorrow, included in his budget, especially:

  • Strong reserves in the Rainy Day Fund and Resiliency Fund ($18.5 billion total);
  • One-time investments, which ensure the State keeps a structural operating surplus in future years;
  • Paying down state debts and unfunded retirement liabilities;
  • Helping school districts with retirement costs;
  • Investments in early education, including full-day kindergarten;
  • Support for higher education students, including expanding financial aid;
  • Expanding access to health care, including help with coverage affordability;
  • Increasing CalWORKs grant levels and growing our existing home visit program;
  • Critical funding to expand affordable housing and prevent homelessness; and,
  • A dramatic expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit for working poor families.

I look forward to working with the Governor to craft a progressive, yet prudent, fiscal plan that will benefit all Californians. Hearings will begin in a few weeks so the public can help us shape this proposal into a final state budget. Together, we will invest in California’s future while also ensuring that the progress made is protected with healthy financial reserves in case of an economic downturn.”

For more information about the Assembly Budget Blueprint, Funding Progress | Protecting Tomorrow, please click here.

Bay Area Lawmaker Seeks Elimination of Paper Receipts

Publication: CBS SF Bay Area

Calling paper receipts a waste, a Bay Area lawmaker has introduced a measure that would require California businesses to issue receipts to consumers electronically.

Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) has introduced AB 161, also known as the “Skip the Slip” bill. If approved, the measure would require businesses to issue e-receipts by 2022, unless a customer specifically requests a hard copy. Electronic receipts would be issued by email or by text.

Ting unveiled his proposal at a news conference at the Capitol on Tuesday. A staffer wore a large receipt that detailed why the bill was needed.

“Most of us don’t need a physical receipt for every transaction. It doesn’t make sense to kill so many trees and produce 12 billion pounds of carbon emissions, the equivalent of one million cars on the road, to make something we don’t often need,” Ting said in a statement.

California Bill Would Require Businesses To Offer E-Receipts

Publication: Capital Public Radio

California would become the first state to require businesses to offer electronic receipts unless customers ask for paper copies under legislation proposed on Tuesday.

Many businesses and consumers already are moving toward e-receipts, said Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting of San Francisco.

But he said a law still is needed because many consumers don't realize most paper receipts are coated with chemicals prohibited in baby bottles, can't be recycled and can contaminate other recycled paper because of the chemicals known as Bisphenol-A (BPA) and Bisphenol-S (BPS).

His bill, AB161, would require all businesses to provide proof of purchase receipts electronically starting in 2022 unless the customer asks for a printed copy.

It comes days after another first-in-the-nation California law took effect requiring dine-in restaurants to provide drinking straws only at customers' request.

California Bill Would Curb Use of Paper Receipts to Reduce Waste, Push Digital Alternative

Publication: CNBC

A California lawmaker introduced legislation this week that would make the state the first to bar retailers from giving out printed receipts unless a customer requests them.

The proposed measure — Assembly Bill 161 — would require stores to use electronic receipts as the default option. Stores that give out printed receipts without first being asked by the customer could be subject to fines. If passed, the bill could have implications far beyond California, according to experts.

"There's a negative impact on the environment with these receipts and the inability to recycle them," said Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, who introduced the legislation.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Sacramento, the lawmaker said there are health concerns for consumers and store employees with some of the chemicals used in paper receipts. He acknowledged that some retailers — both large and small — have already started offering consumers the option to receive a digital receipt as an alternative.

Ting Introduces “Skip the Slip” Legislation To Phase-Out Paper Receipts in California

First state in the country to mandate a move toward e-receipts

Sacramento - Paper receipts have become obsolete in the digital age, wasting valuable natural resources and putting the health of consumers and retail workers at potential risk when exposed to their chemical contents. Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) today introduced AB 161, Skip the Slip legislation that makes electronic receipts the default practice when making a purchase. Businesses in the state would have to provide customers e-receipts by 2022, unless a hard copy is specifically requested.

“Most of us don’t need a physical receipt for every transaction. It doesn’t make sense to kill so many trees and produce 12 billion pounds of carbon emissions, the equivalent of one million cars on the road, to make something we don’t often need,” said Ting.

California Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Penalize Companies That Test Self-Driving Cars Without Permits in Response to Uber

Publication: KTLA 5

Three weeks after ride-hailing company Uber illegally debuted self-driving cars on San Francisco’s streets, a state lawmaker has introduced legislation to boost penalties on companies that defy the law.

The bill from Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) would fine any company that illegally operates such cars up to $25,000 per vehicle per day and prohibit the company from applying for a Department of Motor Vehicles permit to test the technology for two years.

“I applaud our innovation economy and all the companies developing autonomous vehicle technology, but no community should face what we did in San Francisco,” Ting said in a release. “The pursuit of innovation does not include a license to put innocent lives at risk.”

Several Ting Bills To Become California State Law on January 1

Several Ting Bills To Become California State Law on January 1(Sacramento) – After another successful legislative year, several bills authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) will take effect on January 1, 2019. They include:

AB 87-Autonomous Vehicles: Allows law enforcement to impound autonomous vehicles operating without proper permits to ensure road safety.

AB 1184 - TNC Tax: Affirms San Francisco’s authority to place a ride-hailing tax on the local ballot to fund much-needed transportation projects.

AB 1985-Hate Crime: Sets minimum standards for hate crime policies adopted by local law enforcement agencies, using the Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) framework.

AB 2127-Electric Vehicle Infrastructure: Requires the California Energy Commission to assess the state’s current and future electric vehicle infrastructure needs, preparing us for the move toward cleaner cars.

AB 2219-Third Party Rent: Helps keep families in their homes by requiring landlords to take rent payments for a third party, such as a relative or non-profit organization.

AB 2620-Car Rental Theft: Enables rental car companies to recover stolen vehicles by allowing them to turn on the location feature of a GPS three days after the due date

AB 2832 - Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling (co-author with Assemblymember Dahle): Establishes the Lithium-Ion Car Battery Recycling Advisory Group at CalEPA to recommend best practices for the recovery and recycling of lithium-ion vehicle batteries sold with electric vehicles.

AB 2942-Prosecutor’s Discretion: Gives local prosecutors an avenue to recommend the re-sentencing of inmates unjustly serving long sentences and have been rehabilitated.

SB 212-Pharmaceutical Take-Back Program (co-author with Senator Jackson): Creates a statewide, industry-funded take-back program for unused prescription drugs and needles.

Please note AB 748-Body Camera Disclosure, a landmark police accountability bill, was also signed by the Governor this year, but will not take effect until July 1, 2019. It increases police transparency by requiring body camera footage of officer-involved shootings and uses of force to be released within 45 days of the incident, unless the incident is still under investigation.