CAPITOL UPDATE #7 February 11, 2021

 February 11, 2020

California Federation of Republican Women
Sue Blair, President

Submitted by the CFRW Legislative Analyst Committee:

Gretchen Cox, Elaine Freeman, Lou Ann Flaherty, Val Emick

•  Assembly  Resolution 18 ( AR 18) – Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, that the following Members of the United States Congress be permanently banned from being granted the privilege of access to the floor in the Chamber of the California State Assembly: From California: Ken Calvert (R-CA); Darrell Issa (R-CA); Devin Nunes (R-CA), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Mike Garcia (R-CA), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Status: (Introduced) 2021-02-04……Warms the heart, doesn’t it?

• Governor Newsom’s Budget for Housing and Homelessness Investment – $10 billion – Here are some (not all) of the budget items that are part of this investment.  Project Roomkey is a grant program to local government to lease vacant hotels for temporary shelter, or for converting vacant hotels/motels into permanent supportive housing for the homeless. In addition, there is $1 billion for housing production including $500 million each for low-income housing tax credits and in-fill housing infrastructure for local government to create complete communities with infill housing meaning the development of vacant land in urbanized areas, including residential neighborhoods. There are eviction protections with $11.7 million for trial courts to process the anticipated increases in unlawful detainers and small claim filings as a result of COVID.  There is $500 million for another Infill Infrastructure Grant Program.  This investment is to stimulate housing construction including local government site remediation to make land useable for housing.

•  Infrastructure/Water –SB 273- Water quality: municipal wastewater agencies. -An act to add Chapter 11.5 (commencing with Section 13910) to division 7 of the Water Code. This bill grants additional authorities to municipal wastewater agencies to enter into agreements with entities responsible for stormwater management for the purpose of managing stormwater and dry weather runoff. In order to carry out the powers granted, and the purposes established, under this chapter, exercise any of the powers otherwise granted to it by law, including, but not limited to, enforcing compliance with local, state, and federal water quality requirements through the implementation of the municipal wastewater agency’s industrial pretreatment programs and ensuring that the project or program is consistent with local watershed priorities, obligations, and circumstances. It also grants authority to levy taxes, fees, and charges consistent with the municipal wastewater agency’s existing authority in order to fund projects undertaken pursuant to this chapter.

• SB 300- Crimes: Murder: Punishment– Under existing law, someone who is not the actual murderer but is found guilty of first-degree murder as a major participant in certain specified felonies aided …in the commission of that felony shall be punished by death or imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This bill would repeal the provision requiring death or lifetime imprisonment for someone who is not the actual murderer but acted with reckless indifference. It would also provide a procedure for currently incarcerated inmates previously convicted and awaiting execution or serving life sentences without the possibility for parole to petition the court to recall the sentence and resentence that individual. CAN YOU SAY, “Followers of Charles Manson”?