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"Once again, California is leading the nation by growing our economy as we invest in our schools, critical infrastructure like our roads and transit systems, and the social safety net for our most vulnerable residents. Building more affordable housing in San Francisco and our state is my top priority, and I'm encouraged to see a $400 million investment from cap-and-trade funds towards this goal.

"I'm also pleased that this budget will fund critical healthcare services for immigrants who qualify for President Obama's deferred action programs. I'm heartened that the Governor has allocated an initial $5 million for application assistance for residents eligible under these programs - a request that the Asian Pacific Islander, Latino and Black Legislative Caucuses have advocated for together.

Assemblymember Chiu’s AB 960 Protects All Families Using Assisted Reproduction

(Sacramento, CA) – The Assembly Judiciary Committee today voted unanimously to pass Assembly Bill 960, authored by Assemblymember David Chiu (D – San Francisco). The bill updates California's assisted reproduction laws to help ensure that all families are equally protected by law.

The Equal Protection for All Families Act, which is co-sponsored by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Equality California (EQCA) and Our Family Coalition (OFC), ensures that all couples using assisted reproduction are fully recognized as parents as intended. Specifically, AB 960 would allow unmarried people using assisted reproduction to be fully recognized as parents on the same terms as married parents. It would also remove the requirement from Family Law that couples must involve a doctor when using assisted reproduction in order to ensure that the donor is not a parent. AB 960 also provides clear direction for how egg donors should be treated under California law.

(Sacramento, CA) – Assembly Bill 775, a bill that helps ensure women receive prompt access to affordable, comprehensive reproductive-health care and are empowered to make fully informed decisions, passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee today. AB 775 is authored by Assemblymembers David Chiu (D-San Francisco) and Autumn Burke (D-Los Angeles).

The Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care and Transparency (FACT) Act requires licensed facilities that provide family planning and pregnancy-related services to inform patients about available assistance for affordable contraception, abortion, and prenatal care, including how to obtain that assistance. Facilities that offer similar services but do not have a medical license must disclose that they are not licensed facilities and do not have a licensed provider on staff. The bill is sponsored by NARAL Pro-Choice California and Black Women for Wellness.

Legislation Would Make California the First State in the Nation to Require Advanced Scheduling Notice for Employees Dealing with Work Schedule Uncertainty

Sacramento, CA – The Assembly Labor and Employment Committee today voted to pass Assembly Bill 357, The Fair Scheduling Act of 2015, jointly authored by Assemblymembers David Chiu (D – San Francisco) and Dr. Shirley Weber (D – San Diego).  The bill requires large food and retail establishments to provide workers with their schedules two weeks in advance and provides for compensation for last-minute changes.

“For our low-income workers, for our families and for our economy, California needs schedule fairness,” said Assemblymember David Chiu. “Some of us take for granted that we will know our schedule well in advance; this is simply not the reality for too many hourly workers who have to work multiple jobs and juggle childcare obligations.”

SACRAMENTO - The Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development today voted unanimously to pass Assembly Bill 35, which is jointly authored by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) and Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego). The bill increases the amount of state low income housing tax credits by $300 million and will also leverage an estimated $600 million in federal funds that would otherwise not come to California.

AB 35 is part of a package of bills offered by Assembly Democrats to build more affordable housing in California.

Assemblymembers David Chiu (D-San Francisco) and Autumn Burke (D-Los Angeles) introduced AB 775, a bill that helps ensure women receive prompt access to affordable, comprehensive reproductive-health care and are empowered to make fully informed decisions. AB 775 will be heard in the Assembly Committee on Health tomorrow, on April 14th.

AB 775, the Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care and Transparency (FACT) Act, requires licensed facilities that provide family planning and pregnancy-related services to inform patients about available assistance for affordable contraception, abortion, and prenatal care, including how to obtain that assistance.  Facilities that offer similar services but do not have a medical license must disclose that they are not licensed facilities and do not have a licensed provider on staff. The bill is sponsored by NARAL Pro-Choice California and Black Women for Wellness.

AB 404 Empowers California Community Colleges, Faculty and Students in Accrediting Agency Review Process

SACRAMENTO– The Assembly Higher Education Committee today voted to pass Assemblymember David Chiu’s Assembly Bill 404, a bill that would strengthen the accountability of community college accrediting agencies in California.

AB 404 would require the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to solicit anonymous system-wide feedback from community college stakeholders on the performance of the regional agency that accredits community colleges. That crucial input would then be transmitted to the federal body that oversees and reviews accrediting agencies, the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI).

AB 1287 Will Expand Transit-Only Lane Enforcement Beyond Parking Violations

San Francisco—Assemblymember David Chiu today joined the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and other transit officials and advocates to announce Assembly Bill 1287 that will reauthorize San Francisco’s Transit-Only Lane Enforcement (TOLE) program and expand it to cover other moving violations that impede or interfere with transit performance and public safety. The goal of the program is to improve transit safety and reliability by discouraging vehicles from obstructing transit-only lanes. Violations include “blocking the box” at congested intersections and driving in designated transit-only lanes.  

“Anyone who moves around San Francisco these days, whether on Muni, on foot, on a bicycle or in a car, knows that our streets are incredibly busy and congested,” said Assemblymember David Chiu. “Transit-only lanes are crucial to helping Muni do more than crawl through our congested streets. We need to do everything we can to make the transit-only lanes work, and it makes sense to enhance the program to improve Muni and protect pedestrians.”