California lawmakers worked late into Monday night in an last-ditch effort to pass hundreds of bills before the midnight deadline marking the end of the legislative session.
It was a tense end to the session, particularly in the state Senate, where Republicans expressed outrage over a proposal to limit debate in the chamber. The caucus was already upset after Sen. Brian Jones, R-Santee, tested positive for COVID-19 last week, forcing all caucus members heâd come in contact with to quarantine. All but one had to take part in the final days of the session remotely.
After an extended recess, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, implored lawmakers to be civil and get back to work.
âIâm going to ask each and every one of you to put aside our hurt feelings, our anger, our frustration. It has clearly been a frustrating year,â Atkins said. But, she warned, âthe clock is ticking.â
Time ran out for several high-profile bills, including Senate Bill 731 from state Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, which would have revoked the certification of police officers convicted of certain crimes. The bill failed to get a final hearing in the Assembly.
Another police reform bill, from Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, met the same fate. Assembly Bill 66Â would have banned the use of projectiles and tear gas by law enforcement when dispersing crowds.
Several other police reform bills, however, made it through the Legislature. AB 1506, from Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, would require the state attorney generalâs office to investigate shootings by police officers that result in the death of an unarmed civilian. Another measure, AB 1196, from Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Carson, would ban police officers from using chokeholds and carotid artery restraints when detaining suspects. The bill was inspired by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Meanwhile, two major housing-related bills from Atkins â SB 995 and SB 1120, were approved by the Assembly but were not taken up for a final vote in the Senate before the midnight deadline.
Another housing bill had greater success: AB 2345, also from Gonzalez, which would increase incentives given to developers who build affordable housing units, cleared both houses and was headed to the governorâs desk.
Perhaps one of the biggest deals of the session, a last-minute extension of a coronavirus-related eviction moratorium, also passed, and was signed immediately by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Under AB 3088, from Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, landlords can take tenants to small claims court for rent missed between March 1 and Aug. 31 due to the pandemic, but are not allowed to evict anyone because of it. Moving forward, tenants will have to pay 25% of rent missed between Sept. 1 and Jan. 31 to be protected from eviction.
Several other coronavirus-related bills also made it through both chambers this year. AB 2043, from Assemblyman Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, would require the state to develop COVID-19 workplace safety standards for agricultural employers and employees. AB 1867, from the Assembly Budget Committee, would grant additional coronavirus-related sick leave to some workers in the food sector industry, some health care providers and certain first responders. SB 1159, from Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, would allow police and firefighters who have contracted COVID-19 while working to receive workers’ compensation, putting the burden on employers to prove infections didn’t occur on the job.
Among the other notable bills on their way to the governor’s desk:
AB 3121, from Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, would create a task force to examine what reparations for slavery might look like in California, including who might get them and in what form.
AB 979, from Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, would require publicly held corporations whose principal executive offices are located in California to have at least one director from an underrepresented community on its board by the end of 2021. That number would increase by the end of 2022 depending on the size of the board.
Newsom now has 30 days to act on the deluge of legislation headed his way.
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