UNITED STATES NEWS

California lawmakers vote to let legislative employees join a labor union

Sep 13, 2023, 4:07 PM | Updated: 7:06 pm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Legislative workers at the California Capitol are close to forming their first labor union after state lawmakers approved a bill Wednesday that allows them to organize.

The Democrats in charge of California’s Legislature have historically been friendly with labor unions. This year alone, lawmakers are poised to increase the minimum wage for fast food workers and health care employees while also making striking workers eligible for unemployment benefits.

But despite California lawmakers’ pro-union stance, the people who work for them have never been allowed to form a union. An attempt to do so last year failed to get a vote in the state Assembly.

That changed this year. On Wednesday, the state Legislature passed a bill to give legislative workers the option of joining a union. The bill now goes to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who must decide whether to sign it into law.

“Legislative staff aren’t looking for special treatment — they are looking for the same dignity and respect afforded to all represented workers,” said Democratic Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, the author of the bill. “To the staff in our district offices and Capitol offices — including our dedicated committee staff — that honorably serve the people fo the state of California every day — know this — we see you and we respect you.”

The bill is one of hundreds of pieces of legislation lawmakers have sent to Newsom in the final two weeks of the legislative session. Newsom has until Oct. 14 to decide whether to sign them into law, veto them or allow them to become law without his signature.

Lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn for the year on Thursday.

ENHANCED SENTENCES FOR FENTANYL DEALERS

Lawmakers voted on Wednesday to send Newsom a legislation that would increase penalties for fentanyl dealers.

Fentanyl overdoses are killing roughly 110 Californians each week, officials said, and lawmakers this year have been divided on how best to stem the crisis.

Some Democratic lawmakers support policies that prioritize education, prevention and treatment. But Republicans and more moderate Democrats want more enforcement against dealers.

The legislation, authored by Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua, is the only bill cracking down on fentanyl dealers that made it through the legislative process this year. It would increase penalties for dealers for possessing more than 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of fentanyl.

Progressive lawmakers in the Assembly and Senate blocked a slew of other public safety bills aiming to impose harsher sentences, including one that would require judges to warn dealers that they would face a harsher sentence if they dealt drugs that resulted in someone’s death.

Villapudua said the legislation will help California hold fentanyl dealers accountable. But Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher said it doesn’t go far enough.

“What we’re talking about here is half a million of lethal doses that someone would have to have in order to get this enhancement,” he said Wednesday before the vote. He adds: “We need a much stronger threshold when we’re talking about fentanyl dealers.”

INCREASED PENALTIES FOR TRAFFICKING CHILDREN

The state Senate voted Wednesday to increase penalties for child traffickers.

The bill by Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove would make child trafficking a serious felony in California. Anyone convicted of at least three serious felonies faces a prison sentence of between 25 years to life under the state’s three strikes law.

Democrats in the state Assembly initially decided not to pas the bill. But they changed their minds amid a public outcry and an intervention from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

LGBTQ FOSTER YOUTH

The state Assembly voted to approve a bill that would require families to show that they can and are willing to meet the needs of a child in foster care regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Democratic Assemblymember Chris Ward said the legislation is necessary to protect LGBTQ foster youth who face an increased risk of experiencing homelessness.

“This bill is about making good connections,” Ward said. “These youth deserve loving and caring homes.”

The legislation would still have to get final approval in the state Senate before reaching Newsom’s desk. It’s among several bills the Legislature introduced this year aimed at offering more protections for LGBTQ children. Other proposals would require courts to weigh a parent’s support of their child’s gender identity during custody and visitation proceedings and keep records related to a gender-change petition for minors out of the public record.

Meanwhile, the state’s attorney general is going after local school district policies that would require school staff to tell parents if their child changes their pronouns or gender identity at school.

INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE

The state Assembly approved a proposal to change the state constitution to remove exemptions to involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime. A similar attempt failed in the state Senate last year. The Newsom administration projected that it could cost the state billions of dollars to pay inmates a $15-an-hour minimum wage.

The proposal would have to get a two-thirds vote in the state Senate, which doesn’t plan to vote on it until next year. If it passes, then it would go to voters. Severalother states have already approved similar changes to their constitutions.

PROTECTIONS FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS

The state Assembly approved a bill extending worker health and safety protections to nannies, house cleaners and other domestic workers hired by private homeowners.

Domestic workers who get injured or sick on the job aren’t afforded the same health and safety protections required by state law as other workers. The bill would make the state’s occupational health and safety division adopt guidance by 2025 on how employers can comply with the law.

The Legislature sent a similar proposal in 2020 to Newsom’s desk, but he rejected it, citing the burden on private homeowners to comply. He signed a law in 2021 creating a task force to give recommendations on how the state can protect these workers. This year’s bill emerged as a result of those suggestions.

___

Sophie Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin @sophieadanna

United States News

Associated Press

Norman Lear, producer of TV’s ‘All in the Family’ and influential liberal advocate, has died at 101

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Norman Lear, the writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime time television with “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons” and “Maude,” propelling political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of TV sitcoms, has died. He was 101. Lear died Tuesday night in his sleep, surrounded by family at his home […]

20 minutes ago

Associated Press

White House delays menthol cigarette ban, alarming anti-smoking advocates

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House officials will take more time to review a sweeping plan from U.S. health regulators to ban menthol cigarettes, an unexpected delay that anti-tobacco groups fear could scuttle the long-awaited rule. Administration officials indicated Wednesday the process will continue into next year, targeting March to implement the rule, according to an […]

39 minutes ago

Associated Press

New GOP-favored Georgia congressional map nears passage as the end looms for redistricting session

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia special session to redraw congressional and legislative voting district maps is likely to end Thursday after a House committee on Wednesday advanced a Republican-favored congressional map that targets Democratic U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath’s current district. However, the wrangling is unlikely to end there, with those who brought the challenges that […]

1 hour ago

President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the White House Tribal Nations Summit at the Department of ...

Associated Press

Biden’s campaign will not commit yet to participating in general election debates in 2024

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s campaign is not yet committing to general election debates next year, the latest sign that a staple of modern White House campaigns may not be in play in 2024. Quentin Fulks, Biden’s top deputy campaign manager, told reporters Wednesday that the president’s reelection campaign would “look at the […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

Nevada grand jury indicts 6 fake Donald Trump electors

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada grand jury indicted six Republicans who submitted certificates to Congress falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election in their state, making Nevada the third to seek charges against so-called “fake electors.” Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford began investigating the fake electors last month. He said […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

Juanita Castro, anti-communist sister of Cuban leaders Fidel and Raul, dies in Miami at 90

MIAMI (AP) — Juanita Castro, the sister of Cuban rulers Fidel and Raúl Castro who worked with the CIA against their communist government, has died in Miami at 90. Florida had been her home since shortly after fleeing the island nearly 60 years ago. Journalist María Antonieta Collins, who co-wrote Juanita Castro’s 2009 book, “Fidel […]

1 hour ago

Sponsored Articles

Follow @KTAR923...

The best ways to honor our heroes on Veterans Day and give back to the community

Veterans Day is fast approaching and there's no better way to support our veterans than to donate to the Military Assistance Mission.

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Desert Institute for Spine Care (DISC) wants to help Valley residents address back, neck issues through awake spine surgery

As the weather begins to change, those with back issues can no longer rely on the dry heat to aid their backs. That's where DISC comes in.

...

SCHWARTZ LASER EYE CENTER

Key dates for Arizona sports fans to look forward to this fall

Fall brings new beginnings in different ways for Arizona’s professional sports teams like the Cardinals and Coyotes.

California lawmakers vote to let legislative employees join a labor union