Press Releases

Sacramento – To help build California’s economy back up, state lawmakers today sent to the Governor AB 841 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), a jobs bill that not only puts people to work, but also leads to healthier schools and a greener transportation sector.

“Earning a paycheck is crucial for so many families right now. We need to jumpstart projects that can begin in a matter of months and pay good wages. In the end, my proposal will improve public health and the environment. We all win on so many levels,” said Ting.

AB 841 has two components. First, it temporarily redirects unspent energy efficiency funds from investor-owned utility companies and creates a grant program that schools can use to upgrade their HVAC systems and water fixtures. Poor ventilation is known to have negative impacts on student health and learning. And since COVID-19, experts recommend increasing the air flow in public schools to reduce the spread of the virus. Applications from campuses in low-income communities would receive first priority.

In addition, grants can be used to replace old plumbing fixtures, which often leech lead into students’ drinking water. New pipes also result in better water conservation, saving up to six billion gallons a year.

The second component of AB 841 pertains to the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, requiring the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to act on long-pending applications by March 1, 2021. The current years-long backlog is slowing work orders, and faster approvals would increase the demand for EVs. Consumers have often said they won’t switch to a cleaner car because of the lack of charging stations. Added locations would help more drivers make the transition – a move that lowers our greenhouse gas emissions and ramps up our fight against global warming.

AB 841 achieves a priority from the Joint Economic Stimulus Plan unveiled last month – to improve the environment, combat climate change, and create green infrastructure and jobs. As with all bills sent to the Governor this month by the August 31 deadline, he has until September 30 to act. 

Sacramento – In an effort to quickly increase the number of housing and shelter units in California, state lawmakers today sent two bills by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) to the Governor, encouraging more Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in backyards and for rent within communities governed by homeowners associations (HOAs). A third bill sent yesterday would expedite the construction of emergency housing to address the state’s homelessness crisis.

“Californians need affordable housing options right now. We don’t have the years it usually takes for a new complex or subdivision to be built. While we wait for those larger projects to be completed, my legislation will help address our housing shortages in the interim by immediately adding more localized supply,” said Ting.

AB 69 would create a new state loan program for homeowners who don’t qualify for traditional financing avenues to build ADUs, commonly known as in-law units, granny flats or casitas. After state laws eased these property additions in recent years, they have grown in popularity as a way to house aging parents or other family members, especially during the pandemic, as well as provide rental income. Because units can be up and running within a few months, ultimately, AB 69 aims to build 50,000 homes over five years.

“AB 69 creates a unique tool in our toolkit to combat the housing crisis in California, and with the aging population of California set to double by 2030 the time is now to ensure California is ready when the ‘Silver Tsunami’ hits,“ says State Treasurer Fiona Ma, “ADUs allow homeowners in the ‘sandwich generation’ to take care of their children and their aging loved ones while allowing seniors to age in place. With COVID-19 exacerbating the housing crisis, I commend the author and the Legislature for their leadership and collaboration on this important issue.”

AB 3182 would also bolster the state’s housing supply by restricting an HOA’s ability to ban ADU rentals. For too long, HOAs have been allowed to shut out certain groups, such as people of color, that disproportionately tend to be renters. This legislation requires HOAs to allow rentals, while permitting them to cap the total number within a community to 25% in order to remain eligible for many federal loan and insurance programs.

A third housing bill by Ting empowers local jurisdictions to get people off the streets faster to address homelessness. Upon declaration of a “shelter crisis,” AB 2553 gives cities and counties the authority to temporarily suspend some roadblocks that typically slow or prevent the construction of emergency housing. This proposal builds upon the success of a pilot program created under Ting’s AB 932 in 2017, which similarly enabled Berkeley, Emeryville, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, the County of Santa Clara, and the City and County of San Francisco to swiftly increase their shelter capacity.

The Governor has until September 30^th to act on bills sent to him in the remaining days of the 2020 legislative session. If signed, AB 69 and AB 3182 will take effect January 1, 2021; AB 2553 will take effect immediately.

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Proposal aims to reduce prison population & associated costs during COVID-19

Sacramento – With California’s prisons at about 111% of capacity, state lawmakers are taking more steps to reduce overcrowding during a pandemic without sacrificing public safety. After Legislative approval today, AB 3234 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) is headed to the Governor, giving judges the discretion to put first-time misdemeanor offenders through a diversion program and allowing more elderly prisoners to be eligible for parole.

“California’s criminal justice system should offer more flexibility and compassion. Time after time, we’ve seen that a second chance is all someone needs to turn their life around. When we do, we often get better rehabilitative and reintegration results,” said Ting.

AB 3234 builds off a successful diversion pilot program in Los Angeles County where the number of jury trials decreased by more than 2,000 over a two-year period, saving the courts $12,000 per day, per trial. Additionally, when first-time offenders charged with low-level crimes successfully completed a diversion program, recidivism rates were lower when compared to those who were prosecuted. Diversion program graduates who never reoffend also avoid having a criminal record that can prevent them from getting jobs and housing.

Ting’s legislation further eases prison overcrowding by making changes to the Elderly Parole Program. The geriatric population can cost California up to $300,000 per year, per person in medical costs. Currently, inmates are eligible for a parole hearing if they are at least 60 years old and have served a minimum of 25 years. AB 3234 safely lowers the age to 50 and minimum sentence to 20 years. Estimates suggest this can be done without great risk to public safety because fewer than 240 individuals would be eligible for this expanded review – although their release, if granted, would result in millions of dollars in cost-savings

Provisions of AB 3234 were originally introduced as part of budget deliberations and championed by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), Chair of the Senate Subcommittee No. 5 on Corrections, Public Safety, and the Judiciary. “Diversion programs rather than jail for those charged with misdemeanors are highly effective. AB 3234 gives judges the authority to expand diversion and recognizes that those who have been incarcerated for 20 years or more have a low risk of recidivism, and thus should be eligible to be considered for parole,” said Skinner.

As with all bills sent to the Governor this month by the August 31 deadline, he has until September 30 to act. 

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

Sacramento – California has another opportunity to take the lead on environmental issues by enacting the country’s first law requiring manufacturers to include recycled materials when making plastic beverage bottles. After Legislative approval tonight, AB 793 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) was sent to the Governor and sets a phased-in timeline of when companies must meet minimum content standards, ultimately achieving 50% - the highest in the world - and surpassing the 30% mandate in the European Union (EU).

“The time has come for shared responsibility. Our environment suffers when companies keep making new plastic every time they need a drink container. They need to reuse what they’ve already made,” said Ting. “If we don’t make this shift, we will have more plastic than fish in our oceans by 2050.”

The dwindling U.S. demand for recycled plastic has led, in part, to the tidal wave of recycling center closures in California, leaving consumers with fewer places to take their bottles and cans. Additionally, China and other overseas markets stopped buying much of California’s recycled waste. The result? Recyclable plastic is stacking up in warehouses, flooding our landfills, and polluting our environment. AB 793 creates a different path by bolstering the market for recycled plastic in the state, so reusable waste doesn’t contaminate the earth. If signed, manufacturers must meet the following deadlines:

“Assemblymember Ting and I worked extensively with the industry stakeholders to ensure that this bill is both bold and workable. The result is the most aggressive recycled content mandate in the world for plastic bottles,” said Irwin.

Naked Juice has been using plastic bottles made with 100% post-consumer recycled content since 2010, proving the change can be done. Nestle Waters North America and Coca-Cola have also committed to using more recycled plastic over the next few years.

AB 793 is Ting’s second attempt to ensure that plastic waste actually gets recycled. The Governor vetoed a similar bill last year because of cost concerns, which have been addressed this year.

As with all bills sent to the Governor this month by the August 31 deadline, he has until September 30 to act. 

The California State Legislature gave the greenlight to a resolution designating a portion of State Route 35 in Daly City as the Alice Peña Bulos Memorial Highway, honoring the legacy of a local Filipina leader. The Senate’s approval of ACR 165 today was the final step needed to allow supporters to raise private funds for the cost of signs bearing the new name.

“We see the influence of Alice Peña Bulos throughout our communities, as well as in elected local and state government leadership. That’s why she’s considered the Godmother of Filipino American politics and empowerment. It’s my honor to carry the legislation that celebrates her legacy,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), author of ACR 165.

Bulos was born in the Philippines on March 31, 1930. After earning her degrees at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, she became Professor of Sociology, then Chair of the department. In 1972, she moved to California, where her activism began.

Over the span of four decades, Bulos – affectionately known as “Tita Alice” – empowered and mentored generations of Filipino Americans, encouraging them to amplify their voices through civic participation & public office. In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton appointed her to the National Council on Aging, becoming the first Fil-Am selected by a sitting president to serve on a federal post. She also served on the Filipino American Caucus for the California Democratic Party, the National Filipino Women’s Network, and the National Asian Pacific Democratic Council. Bulos passed away in 2016 at the age of 86.

“Throughout her life, ‘Tita Alice’ was committed to opening doors for young Fil-Ams who wanted to enter public service and politics, but did not see themselves represented in those places of power. Tita Alice has left an everlasting mark in commuters all over California and especially here in the Bay Area where she called home. While she is no longer with us, her memory lives on in her family and the numerous friends, supporters, and pupils she inspired over her decades of service,” said the Filipino American Democratic Club of San Mateo County, whose members include Daly City and South San Francisco Council members, as well as other prominent San Mateo County Filipino American leaders.

The highway signs are expected to be installed next year.

(Sacramento, CA) – Next month, California is giving more people access to a court process that could lead to the temporary removal of someone’s firearms when they pose a danger to themselves or others. AB 61 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) adds educators, employers and co-workers to the list of people who can file a Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO). Under California’s current red flag gun law, only law enforcement and immediate family members can do so.

“Before COVID-19, we saw school and workplace shootings on the rise. The trend could continue once classrooms and offices are back in use again. It makes sense to give the people we see every day the power to intervene and prevent tragedies,” said Ting.

To prevent possible misuse, teachers and other staff must go through school administrators to file a GVRO; and co-workers must seek the assistance of their Human Resources Department.

In California, there are two ways a GVRO can be granted by a judge:

• For a duration of one to five years, after a court hearing; or,
• For a duration of 21 days, immediately (can also be extended after a court hearing).

Since the original GVRO law took effect in 2016, more than 1,700 removal orders have been issued – the bulk of which came last year:

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announces four projects have been selected to receive $300,000 in total grant awards as part of the California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Expansion. The projects were selected through a competitive process in which CDFA received applications for more than 2.5 times the available funding.

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and Visalia, the new CNIP grantees are:

• The Model Neighborhood Program
• Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association
• Sustainable Economic Enterprises of LA & Hunger Action LA
• Visalia Farmers’ Market Association

The four grantees will utilize CNIP funds to double the amount of fruit and vegetables able to be purchased at participating farmers’ markets by shoppers using the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. The WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program provides participants with $28 worth of vouchers. CNIP funds will double that amount to $56 of benefits to be spent on healthy, California-grown fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers’ markets.

The California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) goals are to address food insecurity and access to fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts among low-income Californians while simultaneously supporting and expanding markets for California farmers. CNIP currently offers nutrition incentives to CalFresh (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) shoppers at more than 300 locations throughout the state, including Certified Farmers’ Markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs and retail outlets.

CNIP was created by Assembly Bill 1321, authored by Assembly Member Phil Ting in 2015. CNIP is administered by CDFA’s Office of Farm to Fork, which leads CDFA’s food access work.

**Photo from August 2018

Overwhelmed with constituents needing help with unemployment benefits, state legislators have exhausted all avenues at their disposal to get resolution for the people we serve. They've waited months for EDD to provide a roadmap out of this crisis, but none has been forthcoming. While there have been recent executive mandates announced by Governor Newsom to address issues previously highlighted by lawmakers, they unfortunately only scratch the surface of the disaster that is EDD. They sent a letter urging further action to improve EDD operations. Read the entire letter here:  EDD Letter to Governor 

Sacramento – Key working groups from both houses of the California State Legislature are prioritizing economic recovery in the final weeks of session and have developed a joint $100 billion stimulus plan, building upon the successful collaboration that led to a balanced state budget addressing the $54 billion deficit.

Led by Senators Bob Hertzberg (D- Van Nuys) and Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), and Assemblymembers Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), lawmakers aim to protect Californians and spur job creation during and even after the COVID-19 crisis. Legislative leadership in both houses have been supportive of the working groups’ efforts;

“Early on in the pandemic, the Senate created a Working Group on Economic Recovery to offer ideas for California’s economic recovery without raising taxes, while also focusing on the needs of all Californians – including small businesses and working families – millions of whom have been adversely impacted by this crisis. We must do all we can to help heal our economy, while ensuring that our solutions do not create further harm.” – Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D–San Diego)

“Millions of Californians are suffering in this economic downturn, and Republicans in Washington, D.C. don’t seem to care. Assembly and Senate Democrats are advancing innovative proposals to help people and small businesses. I look forward to further development of today’s proposals and others in the weeks and months ahead.” – Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D–Lakewood)

The stimulus plan aims to raise $100 billion through a new tax voucher program and the acceleration of other existing revenue streams. The money would be used to boost the economy and protect jobs, small businesses, and working families.

“While the stay-at-home order was the necessary and responsible thing to do during the pandemic, the legislature and Governor must now work together to forge an inclusive path forward. Our strategy ensures people don’t fall further behind, while also generating opportunities to put people back to work and build a stronger California.” – Assemblymember Phil Ting (D–San Francisco)

Support includes Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco). The full statement can be found  here:  Joint SF-SC Statement on Caltrain Sales Tax

As elected representatives of Santa Clara and San Francisco counties, we call on San Mateo County to join us in supporting a comprehensive path forward for Caltrain. This includes forwarding for voter consideration a dedicated sales tax to support the railway immediately and into the future, as well as engaging in meaningful and timely discussions of Caltrain governance reform, which is key to ensuring accountability and transparency for our constituents. The proposed 1/8-cent sales tax would provide a reliable source of funds for Caltrain and relieve the local transit budgets in all three counties. This is much needed and desired. However, given the serious nature of any tax proposal, we are keen to advance governance reforms in parallel, to ensure that we have the ability to directly oversee the use of funds and truly shape and set policy in an equitable manner.

Caltrain’s current governance and management structure requires significant change to facilitate these processes and outcomes. In particular, we must ensure equitable representation for Santa Clara and San Francisco counties, which together comprise nearly 80% of anticipated sales tax proceeds.

We believe Caltrain is an incredibly valuable asset to our counties and the greater Bay Area and want the system to thrive. To make needed changes, we should work toward CEO accountability and establishing an independent and dedicated agency at Caltrain, separate from SamTrans, even as we pursue a permanent source of revenue for Caltrain operations and development. Our proposed sales tax ballot measure provides for immediate needs to keep essential Caltrain services running, while setting out a reasonable process and timetable to address needed reforms.

It is never a ‘good time’ to deal with governance, but we can’t keep kicking the can down the tracks. There are myriad needs in this Covid-era and we need meaningful reform to allow for the robust policy discussions, trade-off considerations and ultimately, tough decisions that will be needed in order for Caltrain to navigate these challenging times. If we work collaboratively, we can emerge stronger than ever to realize the railway’s potential to provide dynamic, metro-like service for all users across our region.

Now is the time for all the partners to join together to fund Caltrain and create an equitable, accountable and transparent organization. Only in this way can Caltrain become the exceptional example of regional cooperation and investment that the region and its taxpayers deserve.