Press Releases

Friday, February 1, 2019

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.

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

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).

Thursday, January 10, 2019

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.

Monday, January 7, 2019

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.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

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.

Thursday, December 13, 2018

New Research Explores Crucial Equity Considerations for Expanding Financial Aid Access and Availability in California

New research released today from The Education Trust–West examines financial aid access in California and offers guidance for improving the state’s Cal Grant program. The pair of new resources looks at the effectiveness of efforts to streamline Cal Grant applications, provides key considerations for making the Cal Grant more equitable, and recommends next steps state and district leaders should take to increase students’ access to financial aid.

Paving the Path to College Aid: Expanding Access to the Cal Grant Program looks at work being done to increase Cal Grant application rates, including the initial implementation of AB 2160, a bill authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting to streamline the Cal Grant application process by requiring that high schools submit GPAs electronically. Over the past five years, Cal Grant application completion rates have increased by 10 percentage points, with 56 percent of high school seniors completing applications in 2017. Rates were even higher in the highest-poverty schools, where 66 percent of twelfth graders completed applications in 2017. Paving the Path outlines effective practices that county offices of education, districts, and schools are using to meet this new requirement and increase Cal Grant access, and offers suggestions for ways in which state, district, and school leaders can further improve access to financial aid.

“Streamlining the Cal Grant application process is the simplest way to ensure thousands of students in our state have access to the California dream. I’m glad to see application rates have increased, especially in California’s highest poverty schools, since implementation of my legislation, AB 2160, to do just this. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the legislature, along with The Education Trust-West and other stakeholders to further strengthen our financial aid programs and make sure affordable college is truly a reality in California,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco).

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Ting Introduces Homemade Solution to California’s Housing CrisisAccessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), commonly known as “in-law units” or “granny flats,” are poised to play an important role in alleviating California’s housing crisis. After being sworn in to a fourth term this week, Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) introduced AB 68 and AB 69, making it even easier and faster for homeowners to build livable space in their backyards.

“We are in a housing crisis, and ADUs are one of the quickest ways to expand our affordable housing supply,” said Ting. “While the state has already removed some of the red tape, we need to do more to spur widespread adoption.”

According to the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley, applications for ADU permits have jumped significantly since the Legislature eased some regulations, but  homeowners still face challenges when it comes to building codes, limiting the full potential of ADUs.

Ting’s ADU bills aim to:

  •     Speed up the approval process to 60 days

  •     Prohibit restrictive local requirements pertaining to lot size and parking

  •     Allow more types of units, such as units in multi-family dwellings, to be approved with less bureaucratic review

  •     Create a Small Home Building Standards Code to make construction more cost-effective and safe