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Now that the storm has settled, I wanted to take some time to look back at the results locally.
No, I’m not talking about the rain and wind that dominated our lives last Sunday; I’m reflecting on the whirlwind that was the end of the 2021 state legislative season.
Day after day in September and early October, Gov. Gavin Newsom was releasing lists filled with dozens of bills he’d approved or rejected ahead of the Oct. 10 action deadline.
With so many bills to wade through, it was tough for me to keep up with all relevant outcomes in the moment. And what I think readers really turn to the Weekly to highlight from the State Legislature is how their Tri-Valley representatives performed.
So I recently went back through the results for bills authored by State Senator Steve Glazer and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan — the two Orinda Democrats who represent the Tri-Valley in the respective houses.
I read through the bills’ actual text (gotta love dense legislative writing…) and searched for key stakeholders’ interpretations to build my understanding, as any good reporter does. It’d be a good process for any resident/voter too.
In the back of my mind, I also coax the seed former Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo) planted years ago. She practiced a “less is more” mentality; basically, to paraphrase, that voters didn’t elect her to write all sorts of bills on all sorts of topics. Author only on the important — while casting votes in line with your constituents’ ideals on all of the rest.
By my count, Bauer-Kahan had six bills signed into law by Newsom this summer/fall while Glazer had five bills approved by the governor and two vetoed. Many passed with support from members of both parties, as well as some showing disagreement within their own.
Of course, probably their biggest joint accomplishment wasn’t a standalone bill at all, but rather a deal with state officials, local leaders and environmental groups as part of the budget process to preserve and protect Tesla Park outside Livermore. It was a long time coming.
Bauer-Kahan had three bills inked by Newsom in her gender equity platform.
Leading the way was Assembly Bill 1356, lengthy legislation sponsored by Planned Parenthood to strengthen legal protections and assurances for reproductive health care services in California. This one earned a spot in a special signing ceremony with Newsom.
AB 378 implements gender-neutral language for constitutional officers across the Government Code (apparently in 2021 some portions of law still specifically used “he” or “him”). AB 439 adds nonbinary as a gender option for state death certificates.
Another interesting one, AB 624 makes a judge’s order transferring an underage defendant’s criminal case from juvenile court to adult court subject to appeal.
Her AB 1033 clarifies and amends the process for resolving paid family leave disputes for small businesses, which can often be time-consuming and expensive for both sides. It also adds protections for leave needed to care for a parent-in-law.
And AB 1320 focuses on customer assistance for money transmission companies (with an eye on money transfer apps) to require a live, staffed phone line for customers.
For Glazer, his list of five bills “chaptered” this session included Senate Bill 60, which allows increased penalties for short-term rental hosts who violate local rental laws, including fines up to $5,000 — inspired in part by the circumstances of the shooting at an Airbnb house in Orinda that killed five people on Halloween 2019.
Especially relevant to the Livermore Valley, Glazer’s SB 19 gives licensed winegrowers (or brandy-makers) the ability to open a second off-site tasting room.
SB 446 aims to make it easier for a convicted person later found factually innocent of that crime to receive compensation under the existing claim process.
SB 594 covers changes primarily to the upcoming June 7 election’s deadlines and requirements to account for the redistricting process being delayed due to the pandemic slowing the release of federal census data.
Another election bill, SB 686 increases campaign disclosure mandates for limited liability companies.
One of two vetoes for Glazer, SB 804 would require the state to establish a forestry training center in Northern California for formerly incarcerated people trying to become firefighters. Newsom lauded the concept but wanted it handled through the budget process due to cost.
And SB 792 would add a layer of reporting for large online retailers in their tax returns to specify in which local jurisdiction certain goods were delivered to a buyer. The governor argued it would be redundant and “a burdensome and costly new reporting requirement for many retailers that is unrelated to their tax obligations.”
Both legislators did other work throughout the term, such as securing money for projects in their districts through the budget, and they have a slew of other bills still in committee or other phases of the process.
In particular, I’ll be watching Bauer-Kahan’s AB 988 (establishing a 988 mental health crisis hotline) and AB 1440 (on civil rights crimes) and Glazer’s SB 593 (on school accountability) and SB 22 (“Public Preschool, K-12, and College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2022”).
I suggest you do the same, via leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. You can track their voting records there too.
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh has been the editor of the Pleasanton Weekly since February 2017. His “What a Week” column runs on the first and third Fridays of the month.
