032 - Chuck remembrance and Newsom bills

Today, we discuss the loss of a California staple, our old punk/anti-fascist friend Ground Chuck.

We also Discuss the passing of another Chuck , whom you may or may not have heard of: Chuck (Charlie) Kirk.

Then we talk about some California bills coming to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk:

• “Anti-semitism” bill – AS UC BERKELEY SHARES 160 names with Trump administration: 

• Energy bill tied to wildfires, utilities and oil (six bills, includes increase in oil drilling, re-authorized cap and trade through 2045 – lots of concessions all around) “I don’t know how any of this saves money,” said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog. “But this is the new state of Sacramento. I think it happened because of Trump, honestly, I think this is all about abundance and Trump, and Democrats trying to make a name for themselves by dumping regulation.”

• CEQA crushed for urban development “In practice, that means most new apartment buildings will no longer face the open threat of environmental litigation. It also means most urban developers will no longer have to study, predict and mitigate the ways that new housing might affect local traffic, air pollution, flora and fauna, noise levels, groundwater quality and objects of historic or archeological significance. And it means that when housing advocates argue that the state isn’t doing enough to build more homes amid crippling rents and stratospheric prices, they won’t — with a few exceptions — have CEQA to blame anymore.”

• Bill against local, out-of-state and federal agents wearing masks 

• UBER and Lyft can now unionize (AB 1340) – comes with strings

• Regulate companion bots: SB 243 would put tighter regulations on online chatbots powered by artificial intelligence to limit their risks on young users.

• Higher car dealer fees: SB 791 would raise the cap car dealers can charge to process documents from $85 to $260.

• Wage boost for incarcerated firefighters: AB 247 would increase the minimum wage for incarcerated firefighters fighting active wildfires to $7.25 an hour.

• Abortion pill protections: AB 260 would help protect California pharmacists, doctors and hospitals from penalties for dispensing the abortion pill mifepristone to out-of-state patients, and remove the names of patients and providers from abortion medication prescriptios.

• Kill mute swans: AB 764 would make it easier for hunters and landowners to kill the invasive species.

• Ban plastic glitter: AB 823 would enforce a first-in-the-nation ban on the sale of personal care products that contain plastic glitter or plastic microbeads.

• Save the bees: AB 1042 would create a health program for managed honey bees that would provide grants to beekeepers, farmers and others for projects and research supporting the struggling population.

• Redistricting (Prop 50) – obviously a major time-suck that affected other possible legislation

“Leaders also rushed through several Newsom administration budget measures that shield construction for the Los Angeles Olympics from environmental review, prop up struggling child care centers, bolster the state’s ability to recommend immunizations and allocate $70 million in new state general fund spending. 

The result? Other measures ran out of time. And, many Democrats were left grumbling about how business gets done on consequential measures — but they still overwhelmingly approved them.”

What failed?

• Lena Gonzalez’s fight to pull back on LA’s “mansion tax” on high value real estate deals

•  lawmakers punted multiple tech measures to next year, including a proposal to require tests of automated decision systems before they can be used in important personnel decisions. This is at least the second time such efforts have stalled, amid strong opposition from business associations and health care providers. 

• They also shelved a measure that would have restricted workplace surveillance by public and private employers, a victory for the California Chamber of Commerce. 

• A controversial criminal justice bill that drew strong opposition from moderate Democrats failed to advance. The measure would have made low-level felony offenders eligible for diversion programs, allowing them to avoid jail time. 

Some Democrats including Stephanie Nguyen of Elk Grove, Maggy Krell of Sacramento and Anamarie Avila ns in opposing the bill.

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