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WECA Political Update February 16, 2023

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Husband of California Labor Federation Head Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher Will Run for State Senate. He plans to run for the seat now held by Senate Pro-Tem Toni Atkins, who will term out of office in 2024. The former State Assemblyman has been on the Board of Supervisors since 2018. He has collected more than $1 million since he opened a campaign committee several months ago, and he has endorsements from San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, former state Sen. Christine Kehoe, Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez, and San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera. Story

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If you build it, they will come. A report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office highlighted California’s growing share of the nation’s homeless population and a worsening problem despite significant increases in state spending. About 29 percent of the total homeless population in the U.S. lives in California — a 6-point increase in the state's share of the national population since 2020. And according to data presented Monday to the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, the number of homeless Californians has risen by nearly 10,000 since that year. New state data show that homeless people that seek local support services are unlikely to move to seek services from other regions. The LAO report cited data from the Homeless Data Integration System, suggesting that in the last three years, homelessness in California has not been an issue of migration. California has increased its spending on homelessness services from $515 million in 2018 to roughly $4.6 billion in the current cycle.

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Cal/OSHA’s Non-Emergency COVID-19 Regulation is Approved and in Effect for Next Two Years On February 3, 2023, California’s Office of Administrative Law approved Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Non-Emergency Regulation (NER). The NER is now the operative COVID-19 regulation for most California employers. Cal/OSHA also released FAQs. Overall, the NER is somewhat less burdensome for employers than the prior Cal/OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (“3rd Revised ETS”). More

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Katie Porter invites Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher to 2023 State of the Union Congresswoman Katie Porter, who is seeking Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat, invited the head of the California Labor Federation – and former state legislator – Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher as her guest for President Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address February 7. Porter, who narrowly eked out a win in November against Republican Scott Baugh, is a favorite of progressives. She faces challengers from her left: Oakland Congresswoman Barbara Lee, a liberal firebrand, and her right: Congressman Adam Schiff of the San Gabriel Valley. Schiff was endorsed recently by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

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Another Battle for a Fresno County Supervisor Seat Fresh off the heels of a wild Saturday that saw Fresno City Councilman Garry Bredefeld launch – and Asm. Jim Patterson abandon – a challenge against Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau, another seat on the panel is now set for a heated battle next March. On Wednesday, Fresno City Councilman Luis Chavez kicked off a challenge to his former boss and political mentor, Fresno County Supervisor Sal Quintero, seeking to represent much of central and south Fresno on the county board. Story

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Buy American, If You Can During his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden detailed his plan to require all construction materials on federal infrastructure projects to be made in the U.S. The president touted what he called key steps in boosting the economy and fostering his “Buy America” policy. He did not say when the proposed standards would be released. He listed some of the types of materials and projects that would fall under the policy: “Lumber, glass, drywall, fiber optic cable, and American roads, bridges, and highways are going to be made with American products as well.” Story

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Walsh to Bust Heads in NHL Labor Secretary Marty Walsh will leave his post to become executive director of the NHL Players’ Association. Walsh got a green light last week, though the formality of an official yes vote hasn’t happened yet. His contract is expected to include a roughly $3 million annual salary and allow him to live in Boston. Walsh would be the first Cabinet secretary in the line of succession to leave the Biden administration after a remarkably stable first two years. Walsh emerged as a candidate for the position only within the last three weeks. Sources said Walsh rejected multiple attempts to include him earlier in the process, but he had a change of heart once he was not selected as Biden’s next chief of staff. Walsh’s departure would also create a new Cabinet opening. Other senior officials have left, but the Labor Secretary looks poised to be the first Cabinet role to require a new Senate confirmation since the early days of the administration. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has been making calls on behalf of former NY Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, urging the White House and labor leaders to support him as the next Secretary of Labor, but former California Labor Commissioner Julie Su is also in the running, and she is not a middle-aged white guy.

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Sacramento, Calif., $1.3B Airport Expansion Detailed Officials in Sacramento, Calif., unveiled plans for a $1.3-billion expansion of Sacramento International Airport that they plan to begin construction on next year. The Sacramento County Dept. of Airports detailed the plans dubbed “SMForward” on Feb. 1. The expansion will be split into six projects to be built through 2027. These include the construction of a $391-million rental car facility, a $140-million pedestrian walkway connecting Terminal B to Concourse B, $380-million Terminal B parking garage, additional gates and amenities at Terminal A and Concourse B and other improvements for connecting to ground transportation. Story

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1,857 bills have been introduced so far this year, including:

AB 261 (Kalra - D) Establishing the California Golden Chanterelle (Cantharellus californicus) as the official state mushroom. Heady stuff out of Sacramento!

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Progress 2022 According to the Labor Fed’s press release, “Working people will never be able to outspend the big corporations when it comes to politics. It is only by coming together to act collectively that we can take on the bosses and the billionaires to win meaningful change for workers. Through Central Labor Councils and statewide campaigns, our members have a voice in every part of the political process. Our Force for Progress scorecard is a tool to hold politicians accountable for standing with workers on the core issues that matter to our unions. Scorecard

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Touring WECA San Diego Training Facility Newly elected San Diego City Councilmember Kent Lee’s Council Representative, Dustin Nguyen, took a tour of WECA’s San Diego facility on January 24. Dustin was already aware of the abundance of work that needed to be done in San Diego, and Jeff Van de Moere and Rex Hime of WECA were there to give him a tour of why WECA and its members are capable and ready to get to work. Dustin’s walk-through of WECA’s residential, commercial, and low voltage training facilities, as well as talking with WECA instructor Neil Pesarillo on opportunities and benefits for our apprentices and trainees, showed Dustin and Councilmember Lee’s office the critical role WECA plays in the community – helping San Diego finish critical jobs safely, efficiently, and effectively. Do you know someone who should tour? Let WECA know.

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Money Flows Kevin McCarthy raised $12.3 million on Wednesday evening at his first major fundraising event since his bitter battle for the House speaker’s gavel last month. The high-dollar event (tickets started at $50,000) brought in a record haul for McCarthy, though it fell short of the high-end projection of the $20 million organizers said it might raise. Still, the event featuring nearly every new House Republican committee chair was expected to be one of his biggest in D.C. this year. Lobbyist and McCarthy confidant Jeff Miller hosted the fundraiser, and the list of co-hosts included some of his other top allies and former staffers now on K Street whose collective roster of clients reads like a who’s who of major companies and trade groups with stakes across major policy fights before Congress: PhRMA, Mastercard, Apple, Altria, the American Petroleum Institute and the American Investment Council. So, is it good that he raised $12 million or bad that he fell short of the $20 million goal? You decide.

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California Could Start Charging Drivers More for Owning Heavy Trucks, and SUVs California could charge weight-based registration fees for heavier passenger vehicles, such as trucks and SUVs, under a proposal making its way through the state legislature. Assembly member Chris Ward, a San Diego Democrat, wants the California Transportation Commission to study the costs and benefits of levying a weight fee for heavy cars to pay for street safety improvement projects. Story

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Housing Bill Introduced Sen. Scott Wiener wants to make permanent a 2017 law that allows streamlined projects in areas that are lagging their state housing targets. Wiener and allies believe SB 35 has been a powerful housing tool. San Francisco Mayor London Breed shares Wiener’s impatience with the kind of local resistance SB 35 can override. The extension bill adds to the many other housing element and expediting bills in the pipeline. That’s not all: the Wiener bill could intensify a labor fracas over job standards. It doesn't include the “skilled and trained” workforce mandate from SB 35, but it would require prevailing wages and healthcare for larger projects. Supportive carpenters’ unions believe those wage and benefit guarantees are better than stringent labor rules that stymie construction. The State Building and Construction Trades Council insists on skilled and trained labor to give union contractors an edge. A deal last year sent rival Trades and Carpenters streamlining bills to Newsom.

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US Labor Department Decides Against Takeover of Arizona's Occupational Safety Program OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration within the federal Department of Labor, announced Feb. 14 that it is withdrawing a proposal to revoke Arizona's plan for occupational safety and health. Arizona is one of 22 states operating its own program, under federal oversight, with the federal OSHA agency handling the rest. Story