2021 Legislation
Broadband
SB 4: (Coauthor) Communications: California Advanced Services Fund - Expands broadband internet access across California, including rural and low-income communities, by modernizing and increasing funding for broadband infrastructure.
AB 14: (Coauthor) Communications: California Advanced Services Fund: deaf and disabled telecommunications program: Expands broadband internet access by modernizing and increasing funding for broadband infrastructure for all Californians.
Domestic Violence
SB 23: (Author) Revenge Porn: Statute of Limitations – Strengthens protections for victims of revenge porn by extending the statute of limitations to one year from discovery, giving a victim more time to seek justice against those who violate their privacy.
SB 374: (Joint author) Protective Orders: Reproductive Coercion - Expands the definition of coercive control for which a court may issue a restraining order under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act (DVPA) to include reproductive coercion.
SB 538: (Author) Domestic Violence & Gun Violence Restraining Orders E-Filing & Remote Testimony – Strengthens protections for survivors of domestic violence by allowing them to electronically file for Domestic Violence Restraining Orders (DVROs) and Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs). The bill will also allow victims and witnesses to appear remotely at the hearing on a petition.
SB 654: (Coauthor) Child Custody - Requires a court that grants unsupervised visitation to parents with histories of abuse, neglect, or substance abuse to state its reasons for doing so in writing or on the record; and provides that if a child addresses a court regarding custody or visitation, they generally must be permitted to do so without the parties being present.
SB 320: (Coauthor) Domestic Violence Protective Orders: Possession of a Firearm - Codifies existing Rules of Court related to the relinquishment of a firearm by a person subject to a civil domestic violence restraining order and requires courts to notify law enforcement and the county prosecutor’s office when there has been a violation.
SB 24: (Joint Author) Domestic Violence: Protective Orders: Information Pertaining to a Child - Enhances protections against disclosure of a minor’s protected information while under a domestic violence restraining order.
AB 1171: (Coauthor) Rape of a Spouse - Makes explicit that spousal rape is a crime punishable by state imprisonment.
AB 673: (Coauthor) Domestic Violence - Requires state grant funding awarded through Cal OES to a local domestic violence center be distributed in a single disbursement, easing financial burdens of shelters.
AB 939: (Principal Coauthor) Sex Offenses: Evidence - Prohibits courts from admitting into evidence in a sex crimes case what clothing the victim was wearing at the time of the crime.
Education
SB 488: (Author) Reading Instruction Comprehension Assessment – Ensures teacher candidates are qualified and prepared to teach students how to read by making 3 main changes to existing law:
(1) Require the Commission to revise their preparation program standards and TPEs (teaching performance expectations) for literacy, (2) Authorize candidates who have been unable to take the RICA due to test closures from COVID-19 to take a Commission approved assessment in reading instruction and, (3) Require the Commission to update the TPAs (teaching performance assessments) by July 1, 2025 and ensure that the approved TPAs assess candidates on their ability to effectively teach reading.
SB 14: (Coauthor) Pupil Health: School Employee and Pupil Training: Excused Absences: Youth Mental and Behavioral Health - Includes behavioral health within the “illness” category for excused absences for purposes of school attendance and requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to identify evidence-based and evidence-informed training program for local educational agencies (LEAs) to address youth behavioral health.
Environment
SB 7: (Coauthor) Environmental quality: Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2021 - Extends CEQ - A streamlining for large construction projects until 2025 and expands eligibility to include specified housing projects (infill housing with at least 15% affordable units and at least $15 million construction costs).
SB 671: (Coauthor) Transportation: Clean Freight Corridor Efficiency Assessment - Requires the California Transportation Commission (CTC), in coordination with other state agencies, to develop a Clean Freight Corridor Efficiency Assessment and incorporate the recommendations into their respective programs for freight infrastructure.
SB 643: (Coauthor) Fuel cell electric vehicle fueling infrastructure and fuel production: statewide assessment - Requires the California Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (CEC) to prepare a statewide assessment of the fuel cell electric vehicle fueling infrastructure and fuel production needed to support the adoption of zero-emission trucks, buses, and off-road vehicles.
SB 372: (Coauthor) Medium- and heavy-duty fleet purchasing assistance program: zero-emission vehicles - Establishes program to make financing tools and nonfinancial supports available to the operators of medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets to enable operators to transition their fleets to zero-emission vehicles.
SB 343: (Coauthor) Environmental advertising: recycling symbol: recyclability: products and packaging - Tightens requirements around permissible use of the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol and when claims regarding recyclability can be made and requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to publish types and forms of recyclable products and packaging.
AB 322: (Coauthor) Energy: Electric Program Investment Charge program: biomass - Requires the California Energy Commission to reallocate funds to support bioenergy projects that will help the state achieve its air quality and climate change goals.
AB 525: (Coauthor) Energy: offshore wind generators - Requires the California Energy Commission to establish 2030 and 2045 planning goals for electric generated by offshore wind
Equality/Anti-bias
SB 263: (Author) Implicit Bias Training: Real Estate Agents - Helps correct generations of bias against people of color in housing practices by requiring real estate professionals to take implicit bias training to keep their license.
AB 1407: (Coauthor) Nurses: implicit bias training - Requires implicit bias training for nurses and nursing students.
AB 57: (Coauthor) Law enforcement: hate crimes - Requires law enforcement training include instruction on identifying, reporting, and responding to hate crimes
Healthcare
SB 310: (Author) Cancer Medication Recycle Program – Creates a cancer medication donation and redistribution program that will allow cancer patients to donate their unused oral anti-cancer medications to patients in need.
SB 65: (Coauthor) Maternal care and services - Establishes comprehensive program to improve maternal and infant outcomes.
SB 428: (Coauthor) Health care coverage: adverse childhood experiences screenings - Requires health plan contract and health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2022, that provides coverage for pediatric services and preventive care to additionally include coverage for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) screenings.
SB 386: (Coauthor) Tied-house restrictions: advertising: mixed-use district - Authorizes specified alcohol licensees to sponsor events promoted by, and to purchase advertising space and time from, or on behalf, an on-sale licensee that is the owner, operator agent of the operator, or sole assignee of the operator’s advertising rights of a mixed-use district located in the County of Orange.
AB 342: (Coauthor) Health care coverage: colorectal cancer: screening and testing - Expands health care coverage without cost sharing for colorectal cancer screening tests.
Housing
SB 9: (Joint Author) Housing development: approvals - Requires ministerial approval of lot splits and duplexes in single-family zones.
Insurance
SB 11: (Author) The California FAIR Plan Association: Basic Consumer Insurance Coverage – Authorizes the FAIR Plan to sell commercial property coverage to farms, ranches, and grape growers. Under current law, farms are specifically excluded from the FAIR Plan. The coverage authorized by SB 11 would not extend to crops, but would put farms on equal footing with other California businesses on their ability to obtain last resort coverage on buildings and other property.
LGTBQ+
AB 439: (Coauthor) Certificates of death: gender identity - Adds "nonbinary" as a gender identity option on death certificates.
AB 218: (Coauthor) Change of gender and sex identifier - Creates process for people to update their marriage certificate and child's birrth certificate to reflect their gender identity
Local Government
SB 431: (Author) The Improvement Act of 1911: The City of West Covina – Gives the City of West Covina the ability to perform critical and much needed maintenance upgrades by authorizing the use of existing resources within the Improvement Act of 1911.
SB 712 (Coauthor) Local government: California tribes - Federal fee-to-trust applications to regain ancestral lands.Local governments need to make fair evaluation of a fee to trust application.
Mental Health
SB 507: (Coauthor) Mental health services: assisted outpatient treatment - Broadens criteria to permit assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) for a person who is in need of AOT services, without also requiring the person’s condition to be substantially deteriorating. Permits specified individuals to testify at a court hearing via videoconferencing and permits a court to order AOT for eligible conservatees when certain criteria are met.
SB 224: (Joint Author) Pupil instruction: mental health education - Requires schools that offer one or more courses in health education to pupils in middle school or high school to include in those courses instruction in mental health.
AB 638: (Coauthor) Mental Health Services Act: early intervention and prevention programs - Expands Mental Health Services Act funding eligibility to serve not only individuals with mental health needs, but also individuals with substance use disorders or co-occurring mental health needs and substance use disorders.
Public Safety
AB 939: (Principal coauthor) Sex offenses: evidence - Prohibits courts from admitting into evidence of a sex crimes case what clothing the victim was wearing at the time of the crime
AB 3: (Coauthor) Exhibition of speed on a highway: punishment - Makes streets safer by discouraging illegal street racing and side shows
AB 43: (Coauthor) Traffic safety - Gives Caltrans and local governments more flexibilty to reduce speed limits.
Small Business
SB 87: (Principal Coauthor) California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program: income tax: gross income: exclusion: small business grants. Establishes the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program within the California Office of Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) to assist qualified small businesses affected by COVID-19 through the administration of grants.
SB 144: (Coauthor) Taxes: credits: qualified motion pictures: certified studio construction projects: reports - Makes changes to the Film and TV Tax Credit administered by the California Film Commission (CFC), housed within the Governor’s Office of Business and Development (GO-Biz).
AB 61: (Coauthor) Business pandemic relief - Authorizes local governments and Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to give restaurants and bars flexibility to expand outdoor dining and alcohol service.
AB 80: (Principal coauthor) Taxation: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act: Federal Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021Conforms state law to federal law with respect to the tax treatment of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, helping small businesses to have their loans forgiven.
Tobacco
SB 395: (Coauthor) Excise tax: electronic cigarettes: Health Careers Opportunity Grant Program: Small and Rural Hospital Relief Program - Enacts the Healthy Outcomes and Prevention Education Act, which imposes the California Electronic Cigarette Excise Tax on the sale of electronic cigarettes, and directs proceeds of the tax to various purposes.
AB 541: (Coauthor) Tobacco assessment - Requires alcohol or drug recovery or treatment facilities to assess clients for tobacco use and recommend treatment for tobacco addiction
Transportation
SB 640: (Coauthor) Transportation financing: jointly funded projects = Authorizes two or more eligible cities, or one or more cities and a county, to propose a project be jointly funded with their respective local streets and roads (LSR) apportionment. Also requires any party to such a jointly funded project endorse the project and funding through a memorandum of understanding (MOU), and requires the MOU to identify the project’s lead agency and describe each party’s contribution to the project.
Wildfires
SB 63: (Coauthor) Fire prevention: vegetation management: public education: grants: defensible space: fire hazard severity zones - Enhances fire prevention efforts such as improved vegetation management, and expanding the areas where enhanced fire safety building standards apply.
SB 456: (Coauthor) Fire prevention: wildfire and forest resilience: action plan: reports - Requires the implementation and regular updating of the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force’s recently-released “California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan."
SB 109: (Coauthor) Department of Forestry and Fire Protection: Office of Wildfire Technology Research and Development - Establishes the Office of Wildfire Technology Research and Development (Office) within the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFIRE) to conduct research and testing on emerging technologies to prevent, predict, and fight wildfires.
SB 206: (Wildfire Working Group / Co-chair) Would support smart and safe workforce growth by applying the Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights (FBOR) to seasonal temporary appointment firefighters.
SB 332: (Wildfire Working Group / Co-chair) Would increase the use of prescribed burns by providing that a trained “burn boss” and private landowner of the property where a burn boss carries out a prescribed burn on are immune from liability. This protection applies to damages or injuries to persons or property because of a prescribed burn, unless the burn was conducted in a grossly negligent manner.
SB 456: ( (Wildfire Working Group / Co-chair) Would require more robust long term planning from the state with respect to forest management. Specifically requires the implementation and regular updating of the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force’s recently-released “California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan”, the alignment of the Action Plan’s goals and key actions within the state’s climate adaptation and resiliency framework, as provided, and annual reporting of progress, among other things.
Workers
SB 628: (Coauthor) California Creative Workforce Act of 2021 - Enacts the California Creative Workforce Act of 2021, to establish creative arts workforce development as a state priority and to promote employment and “earn and learn” job training opportunities for creative workers.
SB 721: (Coauthor) California Farmworker Day - Designate August 26 as California Farmworker Day
Resolutions
ACR 56 (Principal coauthor) California Holocaust Memorial Day
SCR 54: (Author) Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
SCR 9: (Author) Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month
SCR 11: (Author) Cancer Patients’ Bill of Rights.Rubio - Resolution: Rights that cancer patients should have.
SR 36: (Author) May 2021 Lupus Awareness Month
SR 37: (Author) May 2021 Fibromyalgia Awareness Month
SJR 2: (Coauthor) Immigration reform - Urges the Congress of the United States to work with President Joseph R. Biden to pass comprehensive immigration reform guided by empathy, inclusion, and opportunity, as provided.
ACR 56: (Principal Coauthor) California Holocaust Memorial Day
SR 47: (Coauthor) 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001
SR 28: (Author) April 2021 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month; April 28, 2021, as Denim Day
SCR 19: (Coauthor) Equal Pay Day. Resolution: creating awareness about lack of equal pay for women.
SCR 21: (Author) Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Day.
SCR 55: (Coauthor) Breastfeeding Awareness Month of 2021
SR 11: (Coauthor) International Women's Day, March 8, 2021LeyvaHighlighting women around the world
SR 15: (Coauthor) March 2021 as Women’s History Month