Recall reform bill won’t happen this year + Help for child care providers + Guerra endorsement
Good morning and happy Wednesday! Welcome to the A.M. Alert!
NEWMAN HOLDS RECALL BILL
Via Lara Korte...
Sen. Josh Newman on Tuesday morning pulled his controversial bill on recall petitions from being read during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, which was scheduled for that afternoon.
According to committee staff, Newman plans to make it into a two-year bill, meaning it could be next year before any further action is taken.
Senate Bill 663 would allow the targets of recall efforts to see the names of those who signed a petition to remove them. The bill wouldn’t affect the Newsom recall, but it received passionate opposition from those who want to remove the governor.
Newsom recall leader Orrin Heatlie was set to speak at the judiciary committee hearing. Last week, when the bill was heard in the elections committee, Heatlie and fellow recall supporters argued such a bill was an invasion of privacy.
In a statement Tuesday, Newman said proponents of the current recall campaign have “conflated the bill with their efforts,” and acknowledged concerns about voter privacy.”
“Voters, particularly in the high-traffic locations where professional signature gatherers set up, rarely read the text of a petition and instead tend to rely upon the explanations of the signature gatherer,” said Newman. “Signature collectors often operate without transparency, routinely misleading voters about the rationale and the process with little if any concern about legalities or repercussions.”
Speaking of petitions: Newsom has launched his own anti-recall petition, but it’s a little misleading. Read the full story from The Bee’s Sophia Bollag.
MORE HELP FOR CHILD CARE PROVIDERS
Via Jeong Park...
California is giving more stipends to the state’s 40,000 child care providers to stabilize the system, which has had thousands of sites shut down since the coronavirus pandemic began.
All licensed providers will get $3,500 in stipend. Some providers will get a $600 stipend for each child enrolled in a program that is subsidized by the state, Child Care Providers Union said in its press release.
The state will also invest $25 million to expand child care capacity, the union said.
The union, which represents childcare providers who are subsidized by the state, is still bargaining for its first-ever contract with the state’s Department of Human Resources. But Tuesday’s agreement with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office comes on top of another deal announced in February, in which the state announced it’s providing a $525 stipend to providers for each child enrolled in a state-subsidized program.
“This agreement is welcome news to providers like me who have been living on a razor’s edge throughout the pandemic, forced to close our doors to keep our communities safe time and time again, without knowing if we’d ever be able to re-open,” said Patricia Moran, a child care provider in San Jose and a member of CCPU, in the union’s press release.
The agreement is still subject to approval by the Legislature, the union said.
LATINO CAUCUS BACKS GUERRA
Via Kim Bojórquez...
The California Latino Legislative Caucus on Tuesday endorsed Sacramento City Councilman Eric Guerra for California’s Sixth State Senate district race, a seat currently held by Democratic Sen. Richard Pan.
“Eric Guerra has earned the respect of the Latino Caucus for his courageous life story, his hard work and determination on the Sacramento City Council, and his long career in public service,” state Sen. María Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, said through a statement.
Due to term limits, Pan will be unable to seek re-election when his term expires in 2022, leaving the position vacant. Other candidates who announced they are running for the position include Sacramento City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby and National Action Network state director Tecoy Porter Sr.
Guerra, the Michoacán-native who announced his campaign in February, said the endorsement “means a great deal to me personally and gives a huge lift to my campaign.”
The Senate district includes Sacramento, Arden-Arcade, Elk Grove, West Sacramento and other surrounding areas.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“You may not know this about me, but I was a professor for 40 years. And if you keep following me on social media, you might just learn a few things.”
- Secretary of State (and PhD) Shirley Weber, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
Derek Chauvin verdict is a relief. Now California Democrats must pass these police reforms, via The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board.
Republican lawmakers faced tough questions from appeals court judges on Tuesday in a case where they argue Gov. Gavin Newsom overstepped his executive power when issuing orders related to the pandemic, via Lara Korte.
In California, home to $14 an hour minimum wage, thousands of workers are being paid as little as $2 an hour. And it’s completely legal, via Jeong Park.
