Apple reverses course, throws its support behind California’s ‘Right to Repair’ bill

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APPLE DROPS ITS OPPOSITION TO CALIFORNIA ‘RIGHT TO REPAIR’ BILL

Broken iPhone? Soon, you might have more options for fixing it.

Tech giant Apple has dropped its opposition to SB 244, California’s “Right to Repair” bill that would require electronic and appliance manufacturers to provide product owners and service and repair shops the means to diagnose, maintain and fix those items.

The company told the website TechCrunch that it supports the bill “so all Californians have even greater access to repairs while also protecting their safety, security, and privacy.”

The decision comes after three other states — Colorado, Minnesota and New York — have passed similar laws.

CALPIRG, which champions SB 244, released a statement commending Apple for changing its mind.

“When you buy something, you should be able to do what you want with it. But when it comes to repair, for too long, electronics manufacturers have made it difficult to live by that core principle,” said CALPIRG State Director Jennifer Engstrom. “This move by one of the biggest tech companies in the world is a sign that the Right to Repair is an idea whose time has come. Now, California’s legislators need to fix our laws so we can fix our stuff.”

According to TechCrunch, Apple “has softened its stance” toward the self-repair movement, likely in anticipation of continued state and federal legislation.

BONTA CONDEMNS TEMECULA SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR FORCED OUTING POLICY

For the third time in recent weeks, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has released a statement condemning a Southern California school district for adopting a policy that requires teachers and other school staff to out transgender students to their parents.

This time, the it is Temecula Valley Unified School District, where the board squared off this summer with Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom when it rejected a proposed social studies curriculum that included Harvey Milk.

Temecula Valley Unified’s new policy is similar to ones adopted by Chino Valley Unified School District and Murrieta Valley Unified School District, requiring schools to notify parents if a student requests to go by a different name or pronoun.

Chino Valley Unified is currently the subject of a civil rights investigation for doing so.

“The rise in school districts adopting policies that target California’s vulnerable LGBTQ+ student population is of grave concern,” Bonta said in a statement.

He added that his office is “closely monitoring” the situation and that it “will not tolerate districts compromising the safety and privacy of transgender and gender nonconforming students.”

CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES MULTILINGUAL AD CAMPAIGN FOR HATE HOTLINE

Earlier this year, the California Civil Rights Department unveiled a new hotline where people can report acts of hate. Now, the state is promoting the hotline with a new multilingual ad campaign that will include radio, print and digital ads.

Ads will run in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, Hmong, Tongan, and Mixtec, according to the department.

“This new ad campaign is part of our ongoing efforts to support healing for all those targeted by hate and reach people who have historically been underserved. Whether it’s violence motivated by bias, racial slurs, name-calling, or discriminatory refusal of services, there is no place for hate in California,” said department Director Kevin Kish in a statement.

The new ad campaign comes amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ activity across the state. As mentioned above, multiple school districts have adopted policies that out trans students to their parents without regard for their home environment. And in Lake Arrowhead, a man fatally shot a woman who was confronting him for removing her LGBTQ Pride flag.

Since the hotline was launched, it has received 180 calls about acts of hate.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The President broke his promise to the people of Grizzly Flats. The least he could do is take a little time during his vacation to see for himself the consequences of that broken promise. Victims of the fire continue to struggle, some living in RVs and trailers.”

- Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, in a statement.

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• The Sacramento Police Department released draft reports last month detailing the rifles, vehicles, drones and other “military equipment” in its inventory, as mandated by Assembly Bill 481, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in September 2021, via Samson Zhang.

• The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Wednesday it has completed its release of approximately 23 million fall-run Chinook salmon raised in Central Valley fish hatcheries, via Alex Muegge.