Tag: CA Government News

SAN FERNANDO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — This week, in Washington, D.C., U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-San Fernando Valley) and U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) sent a letter to Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, calling on the Senate to recognize the critical importance of juvenile mental health in preventing violence, including [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 15 by California Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima). SB 15 would establish standards for the domestic use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as “drones.” The federal government has taken action to accelerate both the public and commercial deployment of drones in [...]

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Today, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC) is kicking off the design phase of the Voting Systems Assessment Project (VSAP) — an unprecedented endeavor to modernize and streamline the voting system for the largest electoral jurisdiction in the United States. In collaboration with IDEO, a global design and [...]

SACRANENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Today, Calif. Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s (D-Los Angeles) legislation to criminalize the dangerous and increasingly prevalent crime known as “swatting” cleared a major legislative hurdle; passing the Assembly Public Safety Committee by a unanimous vote of 7-0. Swatting is a perilous prank by anonymous mischief-makers who alert police to a bogus [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Today, in Washington, D.C., U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-San Fernando Valley) issued a statement regarding the announcement of a deal on farm worker policies present in the comprehensive immigration reform legislation currently progressing through the U.S. Senate. “I am pleased that my colleagues in the Senate understand the essential need [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. and GUANGZHOU, CHINA /California Newswire/ — Today, the Governor’s Office announces that on day six of California’s trade and investment mission to China, Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. committed to building stronger ties with China’s most populous and economically productive province, Guangdong. In Guangdong’s capital city on Monday, Governor Brown spoke at [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Today, at a State Capitol press conference, Calif. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) was joined by a coalition of environmental and business groups to show support for Senate Bill 405 (Padilla), which would “phase out single-use plastic bags in California grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, and pharmacies.” The environmental and [...]

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — On Thursday, S.F. Mayor Edwin M. Lee – as part of the Nation’s first Walk to Work Day – announced the launch of San Francisco’s Pedestrian Strategy to increase walkability around the City and make all neighborhoods safe for pedestrians as outlined in the Mayor’s Pedestrian Safety Executive Directive. [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — During his trip to China this week, and positioning California to attract a growing share of China’s massive foreign investment pool and bolstering California-China trade, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., the Bay Area Council and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced the opening of the California-China [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. and BEIJING, CHINA /California Newswire/ — Further strengthening the bond between California and China, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. met with China’s Premier Li Keqiang before departing for Shanghai on Thursday. In the meeting, Governor Brown stressed the importance of collaboration between California and China on renewable energy, climate change, research, higher education [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Calif. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) today announced his candidacy for the office of California Secretary of State with a formal statement (text follows). “Today I am officially announcing my candidacy for Secretary of State. The strength of our democracy depends on the active involvement of all of our citizens. Last [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. and BEIJING, CHINA /California Newswire/ — Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. joined U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Chao and hundreds of American and Chinese business leaders at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Wednesday night, where he announced a $1.5 billion investment partnership between a [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. and BEIJING, CHINA /California Newswire/ — Today, Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed the first agreement of its kind between a subnational entity and China’s Minister of Environmental Protection Zhou Shengxian to strengthen and coordinate efforts to improve air quality. “Reducing pollution takes great political struggle,” said Governor Brown in a meeting [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. and BEIJING, CHINA /California Newswire/ — Kicking off California’s trade and investment mission to China, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. met with China’s Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng today and signed a landmark agreement with the Ministry of Commerce to bolster economic ties and cooperation between California and China. “While California seems relatively [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Today, the Calif. Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance met to discuss the Governor’s controversial Local Control Funding Formula. Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D- Torrance), a member of the committee, requested that the Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) propose alternatives to the formula to ensure that all school districts benefit under a [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — The Calif.Senate Governmental Organization Committee today approved SB 135 by Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima). The vote was 10 – 0. The bill would require the development of a comprehensive statewide earthquake early warning system in California. The measure now goes to the Senate Natural Resources Committee for consideration. “A fully [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — On Monday, Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced the following appointment: Joshua Groban, 39, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California Board of Registered Nursing. Groban has served as senior advisor to Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. since 2011. He was legal counsel for the Jerry Brown [...]

SACRANENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Calif. Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s (D-Los Angeles) legislation to help increase the efficiency of Los Angeles County’s freeway system, one of the nation’s most notoriously congested systems, passed its first legislative hurdle today, Assembly Transportation Committee by a vote of 15-1. The bill, AB 405, will create pilot project to help [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Today, California State Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) called on the NCAA to raise their standards and adopt strong rules that require continued academic and medical support for injured student-athletes. “My thoughts and prayers go out to Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware for a speedy and complete recovery,” said Senator Alex [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Calif. Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s (D-Los Angeles) bill to help local governments create dog parks for their residents passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee yesterday with broad bipartisan support and a vote of 9-0. The idea for the bill came from a local city councilmember, who expressed to Gatto that cities would [...]

SAN FERNANDO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas will host a telephone town hall at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, April 4, 2013, for interested residents of the San Fernando Valley to learn more about the impact of the House Republican Budget on San Fernando Valley families. Callers are invited to email [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Calif. Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s (D-Los Angeles) legislation to limit corporate “personhood” for federal corporate campaign contributions overcame its first major legislative hurdle today, passing the Assembly Judiciary Committee by a vote of 7-2. The legislation, AJR 1, employs an exceedingly rare procedure outlined in Article V of the United States [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — On the eve of Easter, this past holiday weekend, Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced that he has granted 65 pardons. The individuals granted pardons all completed their sentences and have been released from custody for more than a decade without further criminal activity. Individuals who have been convicted [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Today, Calif. Governor Jerry Brown issued a proclamation declaring Sunday, March 31, 2013 as “Cesar Chávez Day” in the State of California. The text of the proclamation follows. PROCLAMATION BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA Eighty-six years ago, César Chávez was born near his family farm in Yuma, [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Today, Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced the following appointments: First, Roberto Barragan, 52, of North Hills, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Barragan has been president of the Valley Economic Development Center since 1999. He was executive director at Community Financial Resource Center from 1993 [...]