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Assemblymember David Chiu Bill to Help Domestic Violence Survivors Secure Safe Housing Passes First Committee
AB 418 would allow survivors of domestic abuse to terminate a residential lease early without economic ramifications
SACRAMENTO, CA – The Assembly Judiciary Committee today voted unanimously to approve Assemblymember David Chiu’s AB 418, a bill that would make permanent an existing state law that allows a survivor of domestic violence to terminate a residential lease early without economic ramifications in order to move to safer housing. This bill would also decrease the survivor’s remaining rent obligation from 30 days to 14 days.
“For survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, human trafficking or stalking, the ability to flee a dangerous situation could mean life or death,” said Assemblymember Chiu. “AB 418 is a common sense policy that has been effective in helping survivors escape life-threatening conditions and avoid falling into homelessness.”
>Assemblymember Chiu Honors Justice Therese M. Stewart as California Assembly District 17 Woman of the Year
(from left to right): Assembly Minority Leader Kristin Olsen, Assemblymember Chiu, Justice Therese Stewart, Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins. Credit: California State Assembly.
Sacramento – Assemblymember David Chiu (D – San Francisco) today honored Justice Therese M. Stewart of the First District Court of Appeal as the 2015 Woman of the Year for Assembly District 17. Justice Stewart is the first openly lesbian justice to serve on the California Court of Appeal. She successfully argued against Proposition 8 in her previous role as chief deputy city attorney for the City and County of San Francisco and is one of California’s strongest advocates for marriage equality.
Assemblymember Chiu Joins Speaker Atkins and Democratic Leaders to Propose Affordable Housing Package
LOS ANGELES—Assemblymember David Chiu (D – San Francisco) joined Speaker Toni G. Atkins, California Treasurer John Chiang, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and other leaders to announce the Assembly Democrats’ proposal to create more affordable housing in California.
“Housing instability is affecting more people than ever before, including more young people and families,” said Speaker Atkins (D-San Diego). “To make inroads against California’s housing issues, the Assembly is taking a comprehensive approach to increasing the amount of affordable housing in our state.”
Assemblymember Chiu Proposes Policies to Ensure that LGBT Communities Count
Legislation Would Help California Meets the Needs of LGBT Communities and California’s Modern Families
Sacramento – Today Assemblymember David Chiu (D – San Francisco) introduced Assembly Bills 959 and 960, which address challenges experienced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) communities regarding services overseen by state agencies and equal protections for their families.
AB 959, the LGBT Disparities Reduction Act, sponsored by Equality California (EQCA) requires specified state agencies to collect voluntary information about sexual orientation and gender identity in the regular course of collecting other types of demographic data. AB 960, the Equal Protection for All Families Act, modernizes the state’s assisted reproduction laws to ensure all couples using assisted reproduction are fully recognized as parents as intended.
Assemblymember Chiu Introduces Bill to Lift Veil on Drug Pricing
Proposal Requires Transparency on Drug Costs for First Time
Assemblymember David Chiu (D- San Francisco) introduced AB 463, which, for the first time, requires drug companies to reveal operational costs in order to better understand pricing for ultra-high-priced drugs.
“In recent years we have seen drug costs climb to new heights with little transparency for these astronomical prices,” said Chiu. “With this bill, we will lift the veil on drug prices and offer the public greater insight so that we can identify meaningful strategies to ensure prices do not threaten access to life-saving treatments.”
Assemblymember Chiu Proposes Increased Accountability for Community College Accreditation
Legislation Would Empower California Community Colleges, Faculty and Students to Have a Voice in Accrediting Agency Review Process
Sacramento – Assemblymember David Chiu (D – San Francisco) today introduced AB 404, a bill that would strengthen the accountability of community college accrediting agencies in California. To accomplish this goal, the bill would provide for the collection and dissemination of feedback from the California Community Colleges (CCC) without fear of retribution. AB 404 would require the Board of Governors of the CCC 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 U.S. Department of Education’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI).
“I applaud yesterday’s decision by Judge Curtis Karnow which restores due process for City College of San Francisco and clarifies the ambiguous and problematic accreditation procedure. However, the devastating potential shutdown of our City College, the largest public school in the state, has clearly demonstrated the need to reform the accreditation process,” said Assemblymember Chiu. “Stakeholders should be able to provide honest and meaningful feedback on an accrediting agency’s performance, which is exactly what this bill would enable.”
Assemblymembers Chiu and Weber Propose “Fair Scheduling Act” for California Workers
Legislation Would Make California the First in the Nation to Require Two Week Scheduling Notice for Employees Dealing with Work Schedule Uncertainty
Sacramento – Assemblymembers David Chiu (D – San Francisco) and Dr. Shirley Weber (D – San Diego) today introduced AB 357, first-in-the-nation state legislation that would require food and retail establishments with 500 or more employees in California to provide at least two weeks scheduling notice for their workers and additional pay for last minute schedule changes. According to a recent study by UC Berkeley’s Labor Center titled “Shelved: How Wages and Working Conditions for California’s Food Retail Workers have Declined as the Industry has Thrived,” workers in those industries face declining wages, increased poverty and overall economic uncertainty.
“Without fair and predictable work schedules, more and more Californians, particularly part-time and low-wage workers, are struggling to plan for basic life necessities, like child care or a much-needed second job,” said Assemblymember Chiu. “California can lead the way once again by providing for fair scheduling for the men and women on the front lines of an increasingly unequal economy.”