California Voices

Joseph Sanberg, Working Hero Action: Poverty is a threat to our economy, security, and human potential, and it’s an issue politicians on stages large and small have avoided. That needs to end. Poverty must take center stage at the Houston debate Sept. 12 because it is a challenge our next President must not ignore.

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a mea culpa for a broken campaign promise, but still get a warning.

Re: “What happens to Uber and Lyft drivers once AB 5 passes?” Sept. 5, 2019 Unions don’t need collective bargaining to negotiate with employers of independent contractors. They can negotiate agreements that are very much like the ones employers have signed with social justice nonprofits in which employers agree to certain behavior. The agreement establishes […]

Liz Helms, California Chronic Care Coalition: California congressional delegation needs to act in unison to protect patients against surprise medical bills.

Dan Jaffe, Association of National Advertisers: California’s new Consumer Privacy Act could lead to an invasion of your privacy. The Legislature can still fix this issue and others before the die is cast and fundamental changes are made. We urge that lawmakers not to let this opportunity slip away.

Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblyman Mark Stone: A law intended to create more transparency misleads voters and makes it harder to pass bond and parcel tax measures. Senate Bill 268 would fix it.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is playing dealmaker in the declining days of his first legislative session, but the long-term effects of his deals are uncertain.

Sen. Connie Leyva and Nancy E. O'Malley, Alameda County District Attorney: Promptly testing DNA evidence in sexual assault kits will prevent backlogs of forensic evidence in laboratories or evidence rooms and can identify an unknown assailant, link crimes together, identify serial perpetrators, and exonerate the wrongly convicted.

Ryan Haight, National Infertility Association: I am obligated to keep fighting for better infertility options for people trying to conceive. This includes advancing healthcare policies Assembly Bill 767 which will benefit thousands of people.

Charter school advocates, having been on the losing side of last year's elections, knew they would be targeted by their foes in the education establishment. But a new compromise bill spares them from death.