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Assemblymembers Introduce Legislation to Repeal Board of Equalization

SACRAMENTO – The Board of Equalization (BOE) would be dissolved under a constitutional amendment introduced by Assemblymembers Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), and Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine). ACA 11 would remove the BOE from the state constitution and provide the Legislature the authority to move their remaining duties to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) and the Office of Tax Appeals (OTA).

“When the BOE was first established in 1879 one of its primary responsibilities was to assess inter-county railroad property, a role that is now obsolete. Today, with the board’s limited duties, California can no longer justify the BOE’s expense or need as it does not provide a significant enough benefit to taxpayers,” said Ting. “ACA 11 ensures that California removes an unneeded elected body while ensuring that taxpayers can still resolve their tax cases with CDTFA and OTA.”

New Legislation by Assemblymember Ting Seeks To Regulate Law Enforcement Use of Facial Recognition Technology

Sacramento – Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) today announced a new bill, AB 642, the Facial Recognition Privacy Act, which sets comprehensive, statewide parameters around law enforcement use of facial recognition technology (FRT). The legislation aims to protect people’s privacy and due process rights, while also helping to keep communities safe with a valuable public safety tool.

“Facial recognition technology accuracy has markedly improved in recent years and can help law enforcement solve cases. With proper regulations, we can strike a balance between using this technology and concerns about protecting people’s privacy,” said Ting. “Independent, substantial evidence - beyond an FRT match - will still be necessary for an arrest and conviction.”

Ting Re-Introduces “Skip the Slip” Legislation To Reduce Waste & Limit Exposure to Chemically Coated Paper Receipts

Sacramento, CA – Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) today re-introduced AB 1347, bringing back Skip the Slip legislation that encourages greater adoption of electronic receipts in California. Paper receipts have become obsolete in the digital age. Consequently, there’s no need to use up valuable natural resources and risk the health of consumers and retail workers who are exposed to the toxic chemicals that coat paper receipts.

“When we get coffee to-go or a pack of gum, most of us don’t want or need a physical receipt. It’s time we provide customers with the option to get no receipt or a digital receipt. It doesn’t make sense to kill so many trees and produce billions pounds of carbon emissions,” said Ting. “AB 1347 gives customers a choice and still provides for customers to request a paper receipt when they need it.”

SF Chronicle: Low-Income Jurors Could Make $100 A Day Under New CA Bill

Criminal defendants have the right to be tried by a jury of their peers, but that can be difficult for low-income defendants whose counterparts can’t afford to serve on jurors’ $15-a-day wages. So San Francisco has a pilot program increasing some jurors’ pay to $100 a day, and the lawmaker who sponsored the program is now proposing to expand it statewide.

Ting Introduces State Bill to Ease Financial Hardship of Jury Service, Increase Racial & Economic Diversity of Juries

AB 881, known as Be The Jury California, would expand San Francisco’s successful Be The Jury program statewide, and raise daily pay to $100 for low-to-moderate-income jurors in criminal cases.

Today, Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) announced on the steps of the Hall of Justice in San Francisco that he has introduced a new state bill—Be The Jury CA (AB 881)—that would raise juror pay to $100 a day for low-to-moderate-income jurors in criminal cases across California. Ting, along with San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, San Francisco Treasurer José Cisneros, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods, spoke about how the bill will ensure that all Californians have access to a jury of their peers, as promised by the U.S. Constitution. Due to the steep financial hardship facing potential jurors, stakeholders agree that juries have become increasingly less diverse.

KTSF: CA Grants $6.5M To Boost Mental Health & Wellness Services for AAPI communities

California Asm Phil Ting announced $6.5 million in funding from the state to promote mental health and wellness services in the Asian Pacific American community.

Ting announced that the state government will allocate 6.5 million yuan to help the Multiple Services Center (RAMS) in the Richmond District of San Francisco to establish a permanent mental health service center.

KRON TV: Mental Health Services For AAPI Community in SF

Providing and expanding mental health services for the AAPI community was the focus of a gathering Friday in San Francisco’s Richmond District.

Acknowledging the recent massacres in Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park as well as the surge of hate attacks directed at the AAPI community during the pandemic, San Francisco Assemblymember Phil Ting announced he has secured 6.5 million dollars in state funds for RAMS, a Richmond District nonprofit which provides community mental health services.