Legislation to Eliminate The Board of Equalization


 

Ting Statement on Legislative Budget Action

SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, released the following statement on the Legislature sending SB 154 to the Governor:

“Once again, we had a tremendous opportunity with a robust surplus to address the critical needs of California’s most vulnerable by providing more funding for families, small businesses, CalWORKS and SSI recipients, students, and child care. This spending plan prioritizes necessary infrastructure improvements for affordable housing, transportation and transit, school facilities, student housing projects. I’m proud of the budget that we put together, which focuses on lifting up individuals who have been left behind from the last two years of economic growth and provides smart investments that will benefit Californians for years to come.”

Ting Statement on Vote to Collect Late Bay Area Toll Fees

More than 400,000 Drivers Affected

SAN FRANCISCO – Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) released the following statement regarding the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) Oversight Committee’s vote to penalize drivers who weren’t able to pay their toll fees:

“The Bay Area Toll Authority should have identified these drivers sooner to provide earlier notice and create payment plan options. Bay Area drivers should not be penalized because BATA chose to remove their operators. The switch to using technology to pay tolls has disproportionately impacted drivers who don’t have debit or credit cards. Now many drivers who rely on their vehicles for work or to bring their kids to school may face not being able to renew their DMV registrations.

Legislative Leaders Announce 2022-23 Joint Budget Agreement

Today, Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), and Senate and Assembly Budget Committee Chairs, Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) and Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), announced a Legislative budget agreement that will deliver prosperity and strengthen the future by putting California’s wealth to work.

The joint legislative plan, which contains the budget priorities laid out by both houses and includes elements the Governor included in his proposals, strikes the balance of providing real relief to families and small businesses—including $8 billion to help Californians withstand the rising cost of gas and consumer goods—while investing in programs that will bolster Californians and our economy. For more than a decade, responsible budgeting has been the cornerstone of Legislative Democrats’ approach, and this budget further builds upon that record by investing an unprecedented $37.5 billion in reserves.

Santa Barbara News-Press: CA Lawmakers Advance Several Gun Bills Following TX School Shooting

In the aftermath of a massacre at a Texas elementary school earlier this week, California lawmakers have advanced several pieces of legislation in an effort to address and prevent gun violence.

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Among those measures was a bill that would allow California’s attorney general and victims of gun violence to sue gun makers and distributors who are “irresponsible, reckless, and negligent in the sale or marketing of their products in California.”

LA Times: At Legislative Halftime, Bills Worth Watching in Sacramento

... More than 2,000 proposed laws have been introduced by legislators this year, as well as a few dozen ceremonial resolutions and a few constitutional amendments. Most have already failed to advance and even many of the bills that will now swap places in the Senate and Assembly won’t make it to Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s desk.

At the halfway point, it’s worth a quick glance at some of the year’s more notable bills: 

California Moves a Step Closer to Allowing Private Citizens To File Civil Lawsuits Against Gun Industry

On the heels of the Texas mass shooting in which 19 elementary children died, the California State Assembly today passed AB 1594 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) to hold the gun industry more accountable. It empowers California citizens, the state Attorney General and local governments to sue manufacturers and sellers of firearms for the harm caused by their products when the state’s strict gun laws aren’t followed. The possibility of civil litigation aims to push the gun industry to be more responsible and improve their practices, as the number of mass shootings in the United States surpasses 200 this year.

Assembly Approves Ting Proposal To Mandate Hate Crime Policy At All California Law Enforcement Agencies

Legislation is in response to rising hate incidents against AAPI Community

 

Sacramento – All California law enforcement agencies may soon be required to adopt a hate crimes policy after the state Assembly today passed AB 1947 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco). Protocols for how authorities should recognize, report and respond to hate crimes would be standardized under this legislation, bringing consistency to responses victims receive and the information being collected. The bill’s passage comes as the number of hate crimes and incidents targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) have increased.

Podcast: The AAPI Equity Budget

May is AAPI Heritage month and this year its also the first anniversary of the AAPI Equity Fund – which was created to assist Community Based Organizations fight back against a rising tide of anti-AAPI hate crimes. Assemblymember Phil Ting – who led the effort to create the AAPI Equity Fund – explains why the State Legislature approved the funds, how the money is being spent and what more needs to be done. Plus - Manjusha P. Kulkarni, Executive Director of the AAPI Equity Alliance, tells us about the CBOs working to stop AAPI hate. Click on the May 26th episode.

Assembly Approves Ting’s Bill To Reform Bridge Toll Penalties That Unfairly Burden Working Californians

The California State Assembly today took a step towards making the payment system for missed bridge tolls more fair and equitable by approving AB 2594 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco). The bill gives drivers opportunities to resolve their toll charges before they escalate into crippling debt that started out as $6 or $7, but ballooned to hundreds, and sometimes thousands of dollars, after late fees and penalties are assessed multiple times.

“The switch to using technology to pay tolls has disproportionately impacted drivers who don’t have debit or credit cards. The resulting penalties for unpaid tolls are worse than those given for traffic violations,” said Ting. “We must give people the chance to settle their account before we saddle them with balances they can never pay off.”