Image by VladTeodor. OPINION – AB 597, authored by Assemblymember Harabedian and now moving through the Legislature, would restrict the ability of wildfire survivors to hire public adjusters, professionals who work exclusively on behalf of policyholders to ensure they receive fair insurance payouts.
Ride share driver in car using the rideshare app in mobile phone. Image by Tero Vesalainen. AB 1340 represents roughly a decade or more of work by labor in the state. Ever since Uber launched in 2009, there’s been an ongoing, global debate on whether rideshare drivers are indeed independent contractors, as claimed by the apps, or bona fide employees, as claimed by workers and labor advocates.
An agricultural field worker in Salinas takes a break from picking raspberries. Image by rightdx. OPINION – Migrants and immigrants aren’t some abstract political issue—they are our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, and our family.
Image by Minwan. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. But while the Legislature may state the costs associated with a bill do not need to be reimbursed, it is actually the State Mandates Commission that decides the question.
Image via ShutterstockOPINION – As a climate scientist, I believe that the extension of cap-and-trade through 2045, including the continued use of offsets, is simply good policy.
Image by romkaz. OPINION – The Trump Administration is waging a war – with military troops on the ground – on Los Angeles and the rest of California because we refuse to hand our migrant neighbors over to unidentifiable goons who spit on the Constitution and due process protections we are all afforded in this country. Amidst this climate, AB 379 will cause devastating and irreparable harm in our communities, especially among migrant sex workers and survivors.
Image by Dilok Klaisataporn. OPINION – The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is reworking a proposal that would strengthen the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) – a policy designed to lower emissions from transportation fuels. The new rule will raise the state’s goal for reducing carbon emissions from 20% to 30% by 2030. Is this a big challenge? Damn right it is, but lives are at stake.
The California State Capitol Building in Sacramento. Image by t:Marcopolo9442It has been a big budget week, with lots of ups and downs. In today’s briefs we look at some of those as well as a few more happenings in and around the Capitol.
Image by Robert Way. OPINION – OpenAI needs the state of California to approve a corporate restructuring that would fundamentally alter its commitments to the public. But its plans are remarkably short on details, and the public deserves to know much more about how restructuring would affect them.
Image by Tennessee Witney. OPINION – In recent weeks, Los Angeles witnessed mass protests in response to sweeping federal workplace raids. Yet at the same time, a less visible threat is brewing in Sacramento: Section 2 of Assembly Bill 931.