Welcome to our first newsletter of 2018! We have four great sections for you: a way for you to learn how progressive your reps are, a quick update on what's been happening in Sacramento, a summary of California's response to Trump's plan to increase offshore drilling, and an update on the Affirmatively Further Fair Housing Bill that is working its way through the legislature.

HOW PROGRESSIVE ARE YOUR REPS?

Let's face it — it's hard to keep up-to-date on state politics with all that's happening in the world and in our lives. And harder yet to know if our state representatives are being the progressive champions we want them to be. That's why we have endorsed Courage Campaign's legislator scorecard that evaluates just how progressive all the California state legislators are based on their voting record in 2017. Check out your state senator and assemblymember's Courage Score and give them a piece of your mind if they didn't get an A.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SACRAMENTO?

The California state legislature started its 2018 session a month ago and they are already in high gear. The reps are driven by two deadlines. All bills that were introduced last year, but got stuck in committee, had to be passed out of the originating house by the end of January (for procedure wonks, this is CA Constitution Article IV, Section 10(c)), and all new bills must be introduced by February 16 (Joint Rule 54(a)). You can take a look at the bills we are tracking on our recently updated and appropriately named bill tracker.

We've had a couple of losses so far this year. AB 9, which would have exempted menstrual products from sales tax, died in the Assembly Appropriations committee, although the sponsor (Cristina Garcia) has promised to introduce new legislation. AB 43, that would have imposed a tax on private prisons to set up after school programs to prevent incarceration died in the same committee.

On the win side, AB 403 (Melendez), that provides protection from retaliation for state employees who report various crimes, including sexual harassment, has been signed into law by the Governor. This bill has had an unnecessarily arduous path through the legislature, failing three previous attempts and getting stuck in the Senate Appropriations Committee last year. After the #metoo revelations of sexual harassment in Sacramento, the bill was finally released and unanimously passed the Senate.

Three bills have passed the Senate and have moved on to the Assembly:

• SB 183 (Lara) prohibits ICE from entering public schools, community college campuses, and state buildings without a warrant.
• SB 320 (Leyva) requires every student health center at public universities to offer abortion by medication.
• SB 460 (de León) enforces net neutrality in California, in direct resistance against the Trump regime's attack on net neutrality in Washington.

CALIFORNIA'S RESPONSE TO TRUMP'S PLAN FOR EXPANDED OFFSHORE DRILLING

Following an Executive Order issued by President Trump last year, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has published an updated 5-year plan for offshore oil and gas drilling. The plan reverses many environmental protections enacted by President Obama and includes seven proposed leases along the entire length of the continental U.S. Pacific Coast and 19 leases in Alaskan coastal waters.

In a blatant political move to help Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke exempted Florida's coast from the plan.

Reaction from our elected representatives was immediate and forceful.They universally condemned the plan and its potential for catastrophic environmental damage by oil spillage as well as its disrespect for Californians' clear opposition to offshore drilling. Governor Jerry Brown issued a joint statement with the governors of Washington and Oregon and requested an exemption for California as well. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and our Senators, Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, have spoken out against the revised plan. Senator Feinstein has also asked every county board of supervisors to pass a resolution opposing the new offshore drilling leases. Marin County is the latest jurisdiction to pass a resolution against offshore drilling, joining a the growing roster of more than 25 cities and counties throughout the state that are challenging Trump's disastrous plan.

Sacramento legislators also took action by introducing new legislation. State Senators Hannah-Beth Jackson and Ricardo Lara have introduced SB 834, which prohibits the development of new oil pipelines and other infrastructure in coastal waters controlled by the California State Lands Commission. A similar bill, AB 1775, was introduced in the Assembly by State Assemblymembers Al Muratsuchi and Monique Limón.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Here are some ways you can voice your opposition to the new offshore drilling plan:

• Attend and speak out at the one public hearing in California held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The hearing is in Sacramento on February 8, 2018. Join the protest in Sacramento on the same day as the hearing.
• Call your city or county supervisor and demand that your board of supervisors adopt Senator Feinstein's proposed resolution. The Center for Biological Diversity has a list of cities that have already passed resolutions.
• Register your opposition to offshore drilling during the public comment period (ends on March 9, 2018) on the draft plan.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

AB 686 (Santiago), Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AFFH), would require public agencies involved in administering or developing affordable housing and community development programs to encourage fair housing and not take any action inconsistent with this obligation. According to the Assembly Floor Analysis, furthering fair housing means taking action to combat discrimination, "overcome patterns of segregation," "address disparities in housing needs and in access to opportunity," "promote fair housing choice both within and outside of areas of concentrated poverty," "foster inclusive communities free from barriers," and "transform racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity, while protecting existing residents from displacement."

This bill would provide that failure to further fair housing would be considered housing discrimination. Discriminatory housing practices have functioned to oppress marginalized communities and this bill is the first step in dismantling systemic inequities. The bill overwhelmingly passed the Assembly (55:21:4) but was shelved in September 2017 by the Senate Appropriations committee.

The White House is scuttling AFFH at the federal level, and California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) does not explicitly require federal and local agencies to comply with AFFH. Supporters of this bill argue that it is necessary in light of both current efforts by the GOP and longstanding disparities in access to affordable housing.

Remember that a four-billion-dollar general obligation bond for affordable housing will be on the November ballot, as per SB 3 (Beall) which passed last year. If this measure is approved by voters, one billion dollars of that total would be used to extend the CalVet Home Loan Program, which will expire this year.

UPCOMING EVENTS

California StateStrong is proud to be a co-sponsor of V-Day 2018, a special performance of the The Vagina Monologues, in support of the global movement to end violence against girls and women. This event will help expand the campaign to end the tampon tax. Join us and other supporters on Saturday, February 24, 2018 in Danville. Tickets are available here.

JOIN US!

Our goal is to build a statewide coalition of grassroots activists to resist harmful federal policies and enact progressive policy at the state level.

Want to help us make California a leader in progressive policy? Fill out this form and we will add you to our communications network.

Thanks for staying informed about happenings in Sacramento! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram too.

Indivisibly yours,
The California StateStrong Team