Multiple efforts to allow the California Legislature’s employees to unionize have failed, but with a big turnover of legislative membership this year, a new attempt is being made.
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Posted inCalifornia Divide
Newsom relents, signs farmworker union bill after pressure from Biden and labor
Two days before deadline, after vetoing a similar bill last year and resisting months of marches, vigils and posturing, including a note from President Biden, Newsom changed his mind on a farmworker labor bill.
Posted inWhatMatters
The Diablo is in the details
At least two days of statewide Flex Alerts asking Californians to voluntarily conserve energy amid an extreme heat wave that could last more than a week, pushing temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal and endangering vulnerable communities. Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaiming a state of emergency to take last-ditch measures to keep people’s lights and […]
Posted inWhatMatters
Newsom faces two tough labor decisions
Headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk are two highly controversial labor-backed bills that could test the limits of the governor’s commitment to progressive policy as he seeks to elevate his national profile and appeal to voters in other states. Among the pile of bills that state lawmakers greenlighted in marathon Monday floor sessions as they […]
Posted inWhatMatters
In California, the calm before the legislative storm
Hurry up, and wait / So close, but so far away. The opening lines from Jordin Sparks’ motivational song “One Step At A Time” also describe the buildup heading into the final stretch of the legislative session, which ends one week from today: Although state lawmakers are holding daily floor votes as they work their […]
Posted inWhatMatters
Inside the donor network reshaping California politics
Meet the biggest spending group of mega donors trying to reshape California politics you’ve probably never heard of. Govern For California’s 18 chapters have so far donated more than $3 million to candidates across California in the 2022 election cycle. One of the top beneficiaries: Assemblymember Robert Rivas, a Salinas Democrat. Rivas isn’t facing an […]
Posted inCommentary
Legislators shouldn’t shut down ways to help Californians get legal help
Innovations that have emerged from reforms in Utah and Arizona offer new, affordable ways to access legal help. Yet in California, none of these pioneering approaches could so much as be discussed under Assembly Bill 2958.
Posted inWhatMatters
Farmworkers to march, mental health workers to strike
Workers across California are taking to the streets. Today, the United Farm Workers union is set to embark on a 24-day, 335-mile march from Delano to Sacramento to urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a bill that would permit farmworkers to vote from home in union elections. Farmworkers and their supporters are set to arrive […]
Posted inCommentary
Lawyers trying to strangle alternative legal advice
“Scope of practice” conflicts are common in the California Legislature and one is a bill that would forbid the State Bar from exploring alternative legal services.
Posted inCommentary
Will California Legislature allow its workers to unionize?
California’s Democratic politicians bend over backwards to help their union allies recruit and retain dues-paying members but so far have killed efforts to allow legislative employees to join a union.