Days after President Trump called for Oakland Libby Schaaf to be prosecuted comes a House bill calling for the same.
legislation
Ro Khanna to appear Friday on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher
Bill Maher will be joined by East Bay Rep. Ro Khanna this Friday, Jan. 26. 17TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTTo the unexpected, the scene might seem to be the result of a strange fever dream. This Friday, Rep. Ro Khanna will share… Read More ›
Khanna has first piece of legislation signed into law
17TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTThey say you always remember your first. President Donald Trump last week signed into law a bill authored by Rep. Ro Khanna that is intended to help veterans gain apprenticeships. Trump’s signature make Khanna the only Democratic freshman… Read More ›
Calls for elected representation are stirring once again in unincorporated Castro Valley
Alameda County Superivsor Nate Miley, right, along with Castro Valley Matters President Michael Kusiak, at an Eden Area Livability Initiative meeting Thursday in San Lorenzo. CASTRO VALLEYA group of Castro Valley residents are once again advocating not for incorporation, at… Read More ›
Quirk’s Mylar balloon bill is vetoed by the governor
Assemblymember Bill Quirk called Gov. Jerry Brown’s veto “misguided.” 20TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICTLegislation that would have added criminal liabilities for those who willfully release metallic helium balloons at power lines was vetoed Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown. The bill, authored by… Read More ›
Citing concerns of Vietnamese-American groups, veterans; Bonta pulls bill related to communists
Assemblymember Rob Bonta says AB 22 was intended to clean-up language in state law long deemed unconstitutional. 18TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICTA bill that would have stricken a Cold War-era reference in state law that allows for the firing of a state… Read More ›
Citing constituency, Steve Glazer is only Senate Dem to vote against transportation tax
LEGISLATUREEast Bay State Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) broke from his Senate Democratic Caucus Thursday after casting a no vote against Gov. Jerry Brown’s $52 billion transportation bill. Senate Bill 1, backed by Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon and… Read More ›
Rob Bonta on private prisons: ‘They have a duty to shareholders, not to California’
PHOTO/Wikicommons 18TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICTEast Bay Assemblymember Rob Bonta wants California to cease doing business with for-profit private prisons. Bonta introduced legislation Thursday that would prevent the renewal of state contracts with private prison operators by 2018.In a terse set of… Read More ›
Bonta wants to create blue-ribbon panel to study tuition-free college
Assemblymember Rob Bonta’s bill would call for a nine-member commission to propose a plan for tuition-free college by 2019. 18TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICTMore than never, California colleges and universities are facing increasing demand from potential students and an education system that… Read More ›
Bonta takes seat at the big table as state Dems take aim at Trump, bail reform
Oakland Assemblymember Rob Bonta previewed legislation Monday to reform the state’s bail system and protect immigrants. ASSEMBLY | 18TH DISTRICT |The state is paying more than $4.5 million per day to jail suspects yet to be sentenced for crimes, many… Read More ›
Loni Hancock’s Oakland-inspired coal bill passes Assembly committee
State Sen. Loni Hancock addressing the Assembly Transportation Committee on Monday. STATE SENATE | 9TH DISTRICT |It appears coal won’t be traveling through a port terminal in the East Bay for the foreseeable future and state Sen. Loni Hancock hopes… Read More ›
Glazer talks feminine hygiene with his daughter on Twitter
STATE SENATE | 7TH DISTRICT | A bill introduced last week by Southern California Assemblymember Cristina Garcia to remove sales tax on tampons was, at first, met with skepticism from Steve Glazer, an East Bay state senator whose politics in… Read More ›
East Bay legislators with 14 total bills recently signed by the governor
Not all bills are equal, but some of State Sen. Loni Hancock’s have more primacy than others among her East Bay legislative colleagues. LEGISLATURE | Five members of the East Bay legislative caucus celebrated the signing by Gov. Jerry Brown… Read More ›
Kaplan supports U.S. Senate bill effectively ending war on pot
Oakland Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan says the bill will help free up money for reducing crime. OAKLAND | Legislation was introduced Tuesday in the U.S. Senate effectively seeking to end the federal government’s lengthy war on marijuana and Oakland Vice Mayor… Read More ›
Hayward irons out some kinks in its massage parlor regulations
HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL | Over the past few years, the Hayward City Council has tried to legislate away some of its more seedy downtown elements. On Tuesday, the council unanimously approved new regulations on massage parlors enacted by the State… Read More ›
East Bay Assemblymembers sworn-in; Wieckowski joins State Senate
Assemblymember Rob Bonta with his wife and father at Monday’s swearing-in. PHOTO/@RobBonta ASSEMBLY | STATE SENATE | Just like two years ago, Oakland Assemblymember Rob Bonta rocked traditional Filipino attire for his swearing-in Monday in Sacramento. Hayward Assemblymember Bill Quirk… Read More ›
Corbett mum about next move
Riding off into the sunset…until further notice. STATE SENATE | Democrats in the State Legislature gathered Monday to welcome new and returning legislators, but for the first time in eight years, without Ellen Corbett In a retrospective article in the… Read More ›
Two Quirk Bills Signed Into Law; One From Hancock
STATE LEGISLATURE | Skilled nursing facilities in the state must fill out multiple forms before offering some types of treatment even though the facility is already authorized by the state to perform the service, says a bill signed into law… Read More ›
Bonta’s Second Try for Distributing Condoms in State Jails Passes Assembly
ASSEMBLY | 18TH DISTRICT | Oakland Assemblymember Rob Bonta’s first attempt to expand the distribution of condoms to state inmates in order to fight the impacts of high rates of sexually-transmitted diseases failed last October when Gov. Jerry Brown sidestepped… Read More ›
Corbett Calls for Investigation into Fannie Mae Illegally Taking Fees for Short Sales
STATE SENATE | Fannie Mae may have illegally received borrower’s contributions to short sales in violation of a California state law authored by State Sen. Ellen Corbett. In a letter sent Tuesday by Corbett and Santa Rose State Sen. Noreen… Read More ›
Time for Swalwell to Start Owning Up to his Record of Legislative Mulligans
CONGRESS | 15TH DISTRICT | ANALYSIS | Rep. Eric Swalwell is for extending unemployment insurance, which is nice. But, why didn’t he righteously stand for over 1.3 million out-of-work Americans the first time around when he voted for a short-term… Read More ›
Study: Hospitals will be Hampered by Legislation Asking Non-Profits for Tax-Exempt Accountability
ASSEMBLY | HEALTH CARE | A state legislative audit two years ago found non-profit hospitals receiving lucrative tax-exemptions lack accounting for the amount of charity care they provide. Last year, East Bay Assemblymembers Bob Wieckowski and Rob Bonta authored a… Read More ›
Corbett To Offer Bill Related To Castro Valley Assisted-Living Care Case
State Sen. Ellen Corbett LEGISLATURE | State Sen. Ellen Corbett says the chain of events leading to 14 elderly patients in Castro Valley being left unattended and alone at an assisted-care facility for two days is unacceptable. When the State Legislature reconvenes… Read More ›
No Jailhouse Rock For State Inmates, Brown Vetoes Bonta’s Condom Bill
LEGISLATURE | A bill that would have created a pilot program for distributing free condoms to inmates in California state prisons was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The controversial legislation authored by Oakland Assemblymember Rob Bonta intended to protect inmates… Read More ›
Just Months After Tragic Limo Fire, Brown Signs Bill Adding More Exit Points
State Sen. Ellen Corbett LEGISLATURE | Government is notoriously sluggish. But, just months after five women perished while trapped in a horrific limousine fire on the San Mateo Bridge, a new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown Friday will increase… Read More ›
Brown Vetoes Wieckowski Non-Citizen Juror Legislation
LEGISLATURE | Fremont Assemblymember Bob Wiekowski represents one of the largest concentrations of lawful permanent immigrants in the state. Giving this group the right to pass judgment on their peers in court is a politically expedient move. However, Gov. Jerry… Read More ›
Quirk Bill, Signed Into Law, Streamlines State Liquor License Process
Bill Quirk doesn’t always get bills signed, but when he does, they include Dos Equis. LEGISLATURE//ROUNDUP | Even during his tenure as a Hayward council member, Bill Quirk often railed against the city’s onerous permitting process for local businesses. He… Read More ›
A Host Of East Bay Authored Bills Await The Governor’s Signature
LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP | Democrats in the State Legislature have quietly been true to their word. The vaunted super majority has indeed allowed the party to push a far more liberal agenda this session. In addition to a trio of gun control bills… Read More ›
Richmond’s Foreclosure Plan Yet Another Cry For Help At The Local Level
Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin is just the latest voice in the East Bay railing against government inaction over the past five years. LEGISLATURE/FEDERAL GOVT | Those in high finance decry the gambit being employed by Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin as underhanded…. Read More ›
Warriors Arena Bill Clears Legislature
Proposed S.F. arena at Piers 30-32. LEGISLATURE//WARRIORS | Supporters of a bill that could hasten regulatory approval for a San Francisco arena on the water proposed by the Golden State Warriors say the legislation merely gives power back to the Bay Area…. Read More ›
