Clashing Compromises Chavez’ Celebration Assemblymember Corey Jackson recently confronted Assemblymember Carl DeMaio on the body’s floor over remarks about a resolution celebrating labor leader Cesar Chavez ahead of the state-observed holiday Cesar Chavez Day. Chavez’s views on undocumented immigrants were complicated and related to their role as strikebreakers when he was organizing the United Farm Workers union in the 1960s and 1970s.
DeMaio, a San Diego Republican known for needling Democrats, drew attention to this with his floor speech. “During his life, Cesar Chavez spoke out against illegal immigration while affirming legal immigration,” DeMaio said. “He was a strong voice for the Latino community and Latino workers in our country while also holding concerns and opposing illegal immigration.”
Jackson, a Riverside-area Democrat, took issue with this frame, calling it “very disrespectful to the heroes of our communities” and leaving his seat to chastise DeMaio at his desk. “You should be disgusted [with] yourself,” he yelled. “Grow a soul for a change. That’s a piece of crap move.”
DeMaio remained seated at his desk during the interaction while Assemblymember Tina McKinnor and Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry stood in front of Jackson, and Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal tugged at his arm and guided him away.
DeMaio later claimed in an X post Jackson “physically lunged” at him. However, the video that accompanied the post also appeared to show DeMaio smiling during the face-off. The incident was reminiscent of a similar exchange that took place last year, when Jackson and Republican Assemblymember Bill Essayli got into a dispute during a tense floor debate over a bill banning school districts from outing transgender students. [Politico]
And in related news, Former Assemblymember Bill Essayli is wasting no time jumping into his new job as U.S. attorney. Essayli announced a federal task force to investigate “fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption involving funds allocated toward the eradication of homelessness” in the state’s Central District. He threatened arrests if the task force finds federal violations. “California has spent more than $24 billion over the past five years to address homelessness,” Essayli said in a statement. “But officials have been unable to account for all the expenditures and outcomes, and the homeless crisis has only gotten worse. Taxpayers deserve answers for where and how their hard-earned money has been spent.”
—
Copper Caper Clampdown The Fresno City Council will take a swing at fighting copper theft with an ordinance that could mean jail time for having more than 10 pounds without a legitimate purpose. The Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a similar ordinance recently. It was introduced by Supervisors Garry Bredefeld and Nathan Magsig. The county ordinance prohibits receiving, possessing and transporting more than 10 pounds of commercial grade wire stripped of its protective sheathing, except by a licensed business.
An afternoon news conference after the supervisors’ vote brought out business, farming and elected officials from the county and city of Fresno. The action represents a collaborative effort to fight copper theft, which causes tens of thousands of dollars in damages to water pumps and machinery for something worth about $3.25 a pound from a recycler.
At the Fresno City Council’s meeting on Thursday, April 10, members will consider an ordinance that goes even further with penalties in city limits. It was introduced by Council President Mike Karbassi and Councilmembers Annalisa Perea and Tyler Maxwell.
—
Utah’s Mike Lee won the energy gavel. Now what? It's been more than three months since Mike Lee took control of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and colleagues and advocates are still wondering how the Utah Republican will use his perch, writes Kelsey Brugger. Lee, who has a deeply conservative voting record, has been pushing politically difficult ideas like selling public lands and retooling environmental laws. But he is not known for being a schmoozer or dealmaker. [Politico]
—
DA to Diversion The California State Bar is sending San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to a diversion program after a series of ethics complaints against her. Story
—
Commissioner Compromises Career With less than two years left in his final term, Insurance Commissioner (you know we have one, right?) Ricardo Lara has been using what appears to be a shell campaign committee to pay for nearly $30,000 in meals and drinks at some of the country’s fanciest restaurants and bars, according to an investigation by The Standard. Almost a third of these charges were listed as campaign meetings, and it’s unclear who Lara has been wining and dining during meals costing hundreds or, in at least one case, more than $1,000. Story
—
WECA’s Government Relations Surveys Legislation At its April meeting, WECA’s Government Relations Committee adopted the following positions:
AB 76 (Alvarez - D) Existing law sets rules for how local agencies dispose of surplus land, which is land declared unnecessary for their use through formal action. "Exempt surplus land" is land meeting criteria like having at least 25% of units for lower-income households and a minimum average density of 10 units per acre. This bill proposes changing these requirements so that 25% of units, excluding those for academic institution students, faculty, or staff, must be for lower-income households. The density requirement remains 10 units per acre, calculated over the entire area, including housing for students, faculty, and staff. WECA Position: SIA (Support if Amended)
AB 231 (Ta - R) Would allow up to a $5,000 tax credit for employers with five or fewer employees equal to 40% of the qualified wages paid to an individual that, among other things, has been convicted of a felony, as provided, and has a hiring date not more than one year after the date the individual was convicted or was released from prison WECA Position: Support
AB 296 (Davies - R) This bill would require school districts and schools to host at least one apprenticeship fair event during each school year. WECA Position: Support
AB 303 (Addis - D) Restricts new installations of utility size BESS WECA Position: Oppose
AB 305 (Arambula - D) This bill would exempt small modular reactors from existing law prohibiting new nuclear power plant construction until it’s too late. WECA Position: Support
AB 306 (Schultz - D) It proposes a moratorium on adopting or modifying new state and local building standards affecting residential units from June 1, 2025, to June 1, 2031, with limited exceptions. WECA Position: Support
AB 345 (Jackson - D) Implements a deadline by which the Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) must render a decision on an application for a new apprenticeship program outside of the building and construction trades and firefighting programs and provides for conditional approval if certain conditions are met. WECA Position: Watch
AB 485 (Ortega - D) Supported by unions, AB 485 requires state license agencies like CSLB to deny an application or renewal to an employer with any unsatisfied final judgment for nonpayment of wages. Only opponent is the hospital association. WECA Position: Support
AB 521 (Carrillo - D) Provides that the Contractors State License Board is not liable for legal fees or costs related to actions against a contractor when the contractor has a deposit filed with the Board in lieu of a bond. Specifically, this bill provides that the Contractors State License Board is not liable for any legal fees or costs in any action, as specified, against any deposit filed with the Board, regardless of when it was filed with the registrar. WECA Position: Support
AB 538 (Berman - D) Section 1776 already requires the production of CPRs within 10 days of receipt of a request, and AB 538 doesn't change that. Instead, the bill's intent appears to address situations where a request for CPRs is made through the awarding body, but the awarding body doesn't have the records in its possession. These amendments require the awarding body to obtain the documents from the "relevant contractor." If the contractor doesn't comply, the awarding body must notify DLSE, who can seek penalties. WECA Position: Watch
AB 559 (Berman - D) This bill expands "home improvement" to include construction related to ADUs on residential properties. It imposes penalties for licensees or unlicensed individuals who take excessive down payments or progress payments that cause financial loss to consumers, with license revocation and a minimum $10,000 civil penalty for violators. WECA Position: Watch
AB 667 (Solache - D) Requires CSLB to provide examination interpreters WECA Position: Watch
AB 742 (Elhawary - D) Requires CSLB to prioritize license applications from contractors who are descendants of American slaves WECA Position: Watch
AB 765 (Flora - R) Sponsored by Coalition for ETP and Jobs, this bill would prohibit money in the Employment Training Fund from being diverted, transferred, or otherwise used to pay the interest charged on federal loans to the Unemployment Fund or related liabilities without the approval of the Legislature by statute and a public report justifying the necessity for the diversion, transfer, or use. The bill would also make related findings and declarations. WECA Position: Support
AB 862 (Castillo - R) It requires the collection and reporting through the California School Dashboard (Dashboard) and Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) of the percentage of students who intend to enroll in college or specified careers. WECA Position: Support
AB 963 (Petrie-Norris - D) Requires owners and developers undertaking any public works project to make specified records available to the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE), multi-employer Taft-Hartley trust funds, and to joint labor-management committees (JLMCs). Supported by unions, opposed by developers and contractors. Opposed by California Housing Consortium, California Housing Partnership Corporation, Housing California WECA Position: Watch
AB 1002 (Gabriel - D) AB 1002 will allow the DOJ to bring a civil action that would revoke or suspend an existing contractor license, or bar the licensure or deny the re-licensure of a contractor previously found to be illegally withholding wages. CEA thinks they'll be okay so long as jurisdictional issues can’t be included in the process. The bill was triggered by West Coast Drywall, which was a pretty bad actor. WECA Position: Watch
AB 1104 (Pellerin - D) The bill proposes that nonresidential photovoltaic facilities producing less than one megawatt can qualify for NEM tariffs, even if contractor compliance issues exist. Such contractors are granted 90 days to rectify unintentional violations, avoiding penalties if promptly addressed and proven corrected. WECA Position: Support
AB 1198 (Haney - D) Requires contractors to pay the new prevailing wage whenever DIR changes them. WECA Position: Oppose
AB 1221 (Bryan - D) This bill requires employers to notify workers 30 days before introducing any workplace surveillance tools. The notification must detail the data collected, its purpose, and the necessity of the surveillance. It prohibits the use of surveillance technologies that incorporate facial, gait, or emotion recognition. The Labor Commissioner is responsible for enforcing the bill, employees can take civil action for violations, and public prosecutors can also enforce the provisions. Employers violating the bill face a $500 civil penalty for each infraction. WECA Position: Oppose
AB 1234 (Ortega - D) AB 1234 (Ortega) penalizes defendants for exercising their right to a hearing on the merits. It creates a new, automatic thirty percent penalty that would apply regardless of whether the defendant acted in good faith. WECA Position: Oppose
AB 1235 (Rogers - D) Prohibits a contractor from being prequalified for, shortlisted for, or awarded a design-build contract with the Trustees of the California State University unless the contractor provides an enforceable commitment to the trustees that the contractor and its subcontractors at every tier will use a skilled and trained workforce to perform all work on the project or contract WECA Position: Watch
AB 1327 (Aguiar-Curry - D) This author sponsored bill would enable consumers to cancel home solicitation contracts, home improvement contracts, and seminar sales contracts via email WECA Position: Watch
AB 1331 (Elhawary - D) AB 1331 functionally prohibits the use of surveillance in every California workplace because of its overbroad language and, in doing so, undermines workplace safety. WECA Position: Oppose
AB 1371 (Sharp-Collins - D) This bill would revise and recast existing law to, among other things, allow an employee to refuse to perform a task assigned by an employer if the employee has an apprehension that the performance of the assigned task would result in injury or illness to the employee or other employees. WECA Position: Oppose
SB 61 (Cortese - D) Limits the retention payment amount for a private work of improvement from exceeding five percent, subject to certain exceptions. WECA Position: Support
SB 75 (Smallwood-Cuevas - D) Creates a Reentry Pilot Project in the counties of Alameda, Los Angeles, and San Diego to provide workforce training and transitional support to formerly incarcerated individuals committed to careers in the skilled trades. WECA Position: Support
SB 84 (Niello - R) SB 84 would prohibit construction-related accessibility claims under the ADA and the Unruh Civil Rights Act from being initiated until a small business defendant has been served with a demand letter specifying each alleged violation and given 120 days to correct them. WECA Position: Support
SB 261 (Wahab - D) This bill attempts to recover unpaid wages owed to workers by: 1) requiring the Labor Commissioner (LC) to post a copy of an order, decision, or award (ODA) on a claim for unpaid wages on the division’s internet website; 2) prescribing when a posting can be removed; 3) requiring notification by certified mail to employers before the posting of an ODA; 4) subjecting, for final judgments unsatisfied after 180 days, the employer to a civil penalty not to exceed three times the outstanding judgment amount; and 5) authorizing the LC to adopt regulations and rules of practice and procedures to enforce these provisions. Posting every single ODA online effectively creates a shopping list for trial attorneys WECA Position: Oppose
SB 272 (Becker - D) SB 272 authorizes the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) to enter into job order contracts (JOCs). Requires JOCs to be subject to the project labor agreement (PLA) between SamTrans and the San Mateo Building Trades Council or an amendment or extension of that agreement. WECA Position: SIA (Support if Amended)
SB 291 (Grayson - D) Repeals the requirement that all contractors must have a workers' compensation policy, except for roofers. WECA Position: Oppose
SB 310 (Wiener - D) Violates last year’s amendments to PAGA by permitting W&H penalties to be recovered through an independent civil action under PAGA. WECA Position: Oppose
SB 464 (Smallwood-Cuevas - D) SB 464 would encourage new, costly litigation against employers based on the publication of broad, unreliable data collected by the state. WECA Position: Oppose
SB 573 (Smallwood-Cuevas - D) SB 573 would replace the state’s existing corporate tax rate with a tiered tax rate based on the difference between the median employee pay and the pay of the highest-paid executive. The rates would become active on January 1, 2026, ranging from 7 percent to 13 percent, depending on the pay ratio. The rate would increase by 50 percent if a company reduces employees in the United States by 10 percent or more and increases foreign contracted employees. WECA Position: Oppose
SB 682 (Allen - D) This bill prohibits a person from distributing, selling, or offering for sale covered products that contain intentionally added PFAS beginning January 1, 2027. Prohibits certain specified products that contain intentionally added PFAS unless the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) made a determination that the use of PFAS in the product is a currently unavoidable use. By banning essential materials—from heat pumps to electrical cabling—SB 682 would drive up housing costs, jeopardize safety, and further exacerbate the state’s housing crisis. WECA Position: Oppose
SCR 55 (Niello - R) Would declare the week of April 27, 2025, to May 3, 2025, inclusive, as “Apprenticeship Week” in the State of California and would request that the Governor issue a proclamation calling on the people of the great State of California to observe the week with appropriate programs and educational activities. WECA Position: Support