Senate Democrats: A historic year for progressive policy

No Place Like Home plan invests $2 billion towards housing homeless who are mentally ill.
Kept the promise to the developmentally disabled community with $300 million in additional funding.
Repealed the decades old unfair and unjust Maximum Family Grant cap on aid to children.
Established a Statewide Aging and Long-Term Care Services and Coordinating Council to help the state meet the needs of its growing aging population.
Making #Health4All a reality by requiring Covered California to seek federal approval to offer insurance to all.

California became the first state in the nation to raise the minimum wage to $15.
Established the Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program to create access to reliable retirement savings for 7 million Californians.
Expanded parental leave benefits to strengthen working families.
Created the strongest acial wage equality law in the nation by including race and ethnicity.
Prioritized early care and education with $427 million to increase rates for child care providers while creating another 9,000 preschool slots over the next three years.
Extended streamlined environmental review for fast-track job creation.
Passed reforms to limit frivolous ADA-based lawsuits against small businesses.
Ensured the state had a responsible and prudent budget that pays down debt and sets aside an unprecedented $6 billion in reserves.
Strengthens California’s worker’s compensation laws to prevent fraud, expand access and expedites medical care at the beginning of an injured worker’s claim.

California Climate Leadership: Extended state’s greenhouse gas reduction targets through 2030.
Expanded California’s climate leadership to include short lived climate pollutants.
Banned future state funding for coal shipments or export through California.
Provided $176.6 million in cleanup funds to communities contaminated by the Exide battery recycling plant.
Passed emergency legislation to stop new gas injections after the gas leak in Aliso Canyon.
Saving California’s whales: committed state resources to cleaning up abandoned fishing and crabbing gear entangling whales off of California’s coast.
Improved access to safe, reliable drinking water in California by limiting the proliferation of small, unsustainable public water agencies.

Passed Health Plan tax reform bringing in billions in state and federal support to stabilize Medi-Cal.
Increased the age to purchase tobacco to 21, saving lives and reducing costs on the health care system.
Banned smoking at youth sporting events.
Protected the public from exposure to e-cigarettes by applying the state’s existing smoke free laws.
Allow Medi-Cal patients to leave their home to adult children after passing away instead of forcing a sale.

After a historic day of action on gun violence prevention, the Governor signed into law seven measures, including bills to regulate ammunition, ban high capacity magazines and to close the “bullet button” loophole.
Funded firearms violence research center at the University of California to study the root cause and impact of gun violence.

Made a record investment in K-12 education with an increase of more than $3600 per student over the past five years.
New investments in UC and CSU will create 7,000 new higher education slots for in-state students — for a total of 20,000 since last year.
Strengthened the pipeline to state universities and colleges for all students — regardless of their economic status — by investing $200 million to better prepare our students.
Passed the CA Promise, guaranteeing priority registration and academic advising to CSU students committed to graduating in four years.

Ensured End of Life Act took effect June 9th with the adjournment of the Special Session.
Ensuring justice for victims of rape and sexual assault.
Saving lives by requiring ignition interlock devices for DUI offenders.
Took steps to expand 2-1-1 telephone service for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery information and referral services.
Increasing the supply of affordable housing by lifting barriers to granny flats.

Passed new election reforms to allow counties to send every voter a mail ballot and allow true early voting in vote centers.
Modernized Cal-Access, California’s online system for campaign finance filing and disclosure.
Ended private back-channel communications between regulators and utility representatives as a part of comprehensive Public Utilities Commission reform.