Making Progress, Other News from Sen. Blakespear

Greetings!

This year’s state legislative session wrapped up last Saturday after a marathon week of voting and negotiating. On Friday night‚ we were on the floor of the Senate until 3 a.m.‚ which is a schedule that I hope is not repeated in future years.

We made strong progress in key areas. We passed bills to lower energy costs‚ create a regional energy marketplace‚ and renew the state’s cap-and-trade program to help reduce carbon emissions. We also passed needed regulations on AI; prohibitions on local‚ federal and out of state law enforcement from wearing masks and failing to identify the agency they work for; a compromise that allows Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize and also lowers ride share companies insurance costs; and a ban on the “forever chemical” PFAS from cookware and other products. (See below for more details.)

Myself‚ I was happy to pass legislation to close a loophole in the state’s density bonus law to prevent the exploitation of housing laws to build large commercial projects‚ as is the case with a proposed 22-story hotel tower on Turquoise Street in Pacific Beach. I also passed bills to continue a property tax exemption for solar power and battery storage for those who installed it; to continue state financial support for protecting habitat and natural lands; and to keep California’s medical-aid-in-dying law in place and not allow it to expire.

In a state as large and diverse as California‚ there are thousands of problems that demand our attention‚ and as your state senator‚ I am always working to address them and improve the quality of our lives. In the coming months‚ I will be developing legislation for next year‚ and I welcome your input.

We should be all grateful for the wonderful state in which we live. I relished seeing the festivities at the state Capitol celebrating California’s 175th birthday. (Photo below.) On Sept. 9‚ 1850‚ we became the 31st state in the United States of America. I am proud of what California has become – the world’s 4th largest economy – and what it represents today – a beacon of democracy‚ innovation and opportunity.

It’s an honor to serve you in the state Senate‚ and I continue to work on building on the promise and success of California for all.

To watch my floor speech on legislation to continue California’s medical-aid-in-dying law‚ click on the image above.

I was happy to get some important bills across the finish line in the final week of the state Legislature’s session this year. They included:

• SB 403. This bill ensures that California’s End of Life Option Act‚ implemented in 2016‚ continues and does not expire in 2031. Read the press release here.
• SB 92. This bill closes a loophole in the state’s density bonus housing law so that it can’t be exploited again‚ as it has been in Pacific Beach to propose a 22-story tower in an area where local zoning only allows three-story high structures. Read the press release here.
• SB 427. This bill extends funding to acquire‚ restore and enhance wildlife habitats across the state. Read the press release here.
• SB 710. This bill ensures that if you have already installed solar panels and battery storage‚ or do so by the end of 2026‚ your property tax will continue to exclude the added value of that system to your property for years to come‚ even though the tax exemption for new installers itself will expire in 2027.
  
  

I was proud to co-author and pass several gun safety laws‚ with the help of supporters‚ such as Moms Demand Action (photo on left). To see my floor speech on AB 1127‚ click on the above image on the right.

The Legislature made progress on many pressing issues. Here are some of the more significant bills.

Tightening Gun Safety Laws

• AB 1127 – Prevents semi-automatic weapons from being turned into automatic weapons.
• AB 1263 – Curbs the production of illegal ghost guns through stronger regulation of the shipment and sale of parts and manufacturing equipment necessary for ghost gun production‚ and stiffer penalties.

Cap and Invest‚ and Lowering energy bills

• AB 1207 – Renews California’s cap-and-trade program with various reforms aimed at lowering costs and providing benefits for consumers. The package includes $125 for subsidizing transit passes‚ $400 million for intercity rail and $250 million for air protection programs.
• AB 825 – Allows California to join a regional market to make energy cleaner‚ more affordable‚ and more reliable. This is expected to reduce energy costs for ratepayers by more than $1 billion dollars each year by allowing the regional sale of the lowest-cost resources to meet power needs.

Protecting the Environment

• AB 1319 – Helps make it easier for the state to designate endangered and threatened species that need to be protected. The sad truth is the federal government is preparing to retreat from decades-long protections of endangered species.
   

To watch my floor speech on AB 1319‚ legislation to help protect threatened and endangered species‚ click on the image above.

• SB 682 – Bans nonstick cookware and other products with so-called “forever chemicals.” This will prevent the sale by 2028 of certain products that contain the chemicals known as PFAS.

Good Governance‚ Protecting Democracy

• AB 422 – Requires that in order for students to receive a State Seal of Civic Engagement they must demonstrate an understanding of the importance of preserving democracy and its institutions‚ such as the free press‚ free access to libraries‚ compulsory education‚ and the federalist system.
• AB 1167 – Prohibits certain political influence activities and advertising expenses by electrical and gas corporations from being recovered from ratepayers

Enhancing Law Enforcement’s Credibility

• AB 49 – Requires ICE officers entering schools/child care facilities provide identification‚ written purpose‚ a valid judicial warrant‚ and authorization from site leadership.
• SB 98 – Requires notification when ICE is present at educational institutions‚ including public K-12‚ higher education‚ and community colleges.
• SB 627 – Prohibits law enforcement‚ including ICE‚ from operating anonymously (face coverings‚ unmarked uniforms) during operations in California‚ except for legitimate health/emergency use cases.
• SB 805 – Requires law enforcement officers operating in California‚ including federal officers‚ to visibly display identification while performing enforcement duties. Authorizes other law enforcement officers to request ID from someone claiming to be law enforcement when they have a reasonable suspicion of a crime.

AI Regulation

• SB 53 – Requires AI companies to disclose their safety testing regimes‚ and certify they are following them.
• SB 7 – Regulates employers’ use of automated decision systems (ADS) in the workplace. It requires written notice to workers when ADS are used‚ restricts ADS use in employment decisions‚ mandates human oversight for discipline or termination‚ grants workers access to their ADS-related data‚ and establishes anti-retaliation and enforcement provisions‚ including civil penalties.
• AB 1064 – Bans making companion chatbots available to minors if they can encourage harmful behaviors‚ provide unsupervised therapy‚ promote illegal or sexual interactions‚ or bypass safety guardrails. 

The rise in political violence‚ and its acceptance by some Americans‚ is incredibly alarming. In order for democracy to work‚ we must respect and honor differing opinions and the people who hold them.

I found a column by Ezra Klein of the New York Times to be especially profound and meaningful. He wrote: “The foundation of a free society is the ability to participate in politics without fear of violence. To lose that is to risk losing everything. Charlie Kirk — and his family — just lost everything. As a country‚ we came a step closer to losing everything‚ too.”

As a reminder‚ we are reading the book Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson in my next Zoom book club meeting on October 25‚ from 10-11 a.m. Click here to sign up to get book club announcements. The Our California! Book Club focuses on books that impact and reflect on the California experience – past‚ present‚ and future – and how it informs the work of the State Legislature.

Oct. 1 in Oceanside‚ Oct. 2 in Laguna Hills

Do you want to know more about how to protect seniors from common scams? Attend this free seminar presented by the Contractors State License Board with representatives from the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) and the California Department of Insurance (CDI).

Thank you for your support. I am honored to serve you.

In partnership‚

Email me at Senator.Blakespear@Senate.ca.gov
Call my Encinitas district office at (760) 642-0809
Call my Laguna Hills district office at (949) 598-5850
Call my Capitol office in Sacramento at (916) 651-4038