Category: Government & Politics

SACRAMENTO – California State Treasurer Fiona Ma announced today she has appointed 12 housing and economic development experts to a new committee that will assist her office in coming up with out-of-the-box strategies to advance her housing and economic development goals. In January when the Treasurer was sworn-in, she outlined goals to: 1) Increase housing…

On Saturday, a 28-year old black woman, Atatiana Jefferson, was shot and killed in her own home by a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas who was responding to a neighbor’s request for a wellness check. Today, that officer resigned. Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law,…

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2019 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will issue $16.2 million in grants (PDF, 325 KB) to provide training, outreach, and technical assistance to underserved and veteran farmers and ranchers. This funding is available through the USDA’s Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran…

SB 698 Supported by Education and Labor Organizations SACRAMENTO – Legislation authored by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) to require the University of California (UC) to follow the same rules as private employers and encourage university administrators to prioritize the accurate, timely and fair payment of their employees was signed into law by Governor Gavin…

Congresswoman’s request comes in response to President Trump executive order to improve the nation’s transplant system WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) today called on the Trump Administration to conduct appropriate and necessary oversight for organ procurement organizations (OPOs), which are responsible for evaluating and securing organs from those who have decided to donate their…

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $3 million grant to the San Bernardino Community College District, San Bernardino, California, to modernize two existing buildings for a new workforce development facility. The EDA grant, to be located in a Tax Cuts and…

Washington, D.C.  – Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) introduced the FAFSA Act (the Financial Aid Fairness for Students Act) to repeal a law that makes it all but impossible for people with a drug conviction, no matter how petty, to receive federal financial aid for higher education. The law in question,…

Grant is part of $4.25 million to universities on heels of memo from Administrator Wheeler to prioritize Agency efforts to reduce animal testing Riverside, Calif. – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $849,811 to University of California Riverside as part of a total of $4.25 million in funding to five universities to research the…

SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblywoman Luz Rivas (D-Arleta) author of Assembly Bill (AB) 1442, held her bill in the fiscal Senate Appropriations Committee to continue to work with stakeholders. AB 1442 establishes the Share Our Values Film Tax Credit which allocates $50 million per year for five years, for the relocation of film production to California…

DreamWorks Animation LLC Awarded $258,000 to Train 870 employees SACRAMENTO – The State of California’s Employment Training Panel announced it approved 23 contracts worth nearly $11 million to train nearly 7,700 workers. Included is a $258,000 contract to DreamWorks Animation LLC to train 870 employees in entertainment multimedia. “The entertainment industry has a high demand…

SACRAMENTO, Aug. 27, 2019 — California Fire Safe Council is pleased to announce the award of $500,000 from Edison International, parent company of Southern California Edison (SCE). The grant is in addition to an earlier 2018 Edison International $250,000 grant that provided small grants for community fire prevention and preparedness projects to 12 fire safe…

SACRAMENTO – California State Treasurer Fiona Ma today announced that $73.7 million in tax-exempt green bond financing has been issued for CalPlant I, LLC, a company that will turn rice straw into medium density fiberboard at its Willows plant in the Sacramento Valley. The fiberboard can be used in manufacturing flooring, furniture, doors, shelves and…

BioMarin Pharmaceutical to receive $750,000 to train 815 employees SACRAMENTO – The State of California’s Employment Training Panel announced that it approved 23 contracts worth more than $8 million in job training funds for 7,000 workers. The panel awarded a $750,000 contract to BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. to train 815 employees. “The Employment Training Panel is…

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2019 – Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley today encouraged farmers, rural small businesses and agricultural producers to apply for financing in a key U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program that provides loan guarantees to help rural small businesses lower their energy costs.    “Under the leadership of…

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross today announced that 44 organizations — including nonprofits, institutions of higher education, and entrepreneurship-focused organizations — from 28 states and two territories will receive grants totaling $23 million to create and expand high-growth entrepreneurship and increase access to capital for communities across America. The grants are made…

Washington, D.C.—Today, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued the following statement in response to the FBI’s abandonment of its “Black Identity Extremism” designation.  In testimony from FBI Director Christopher Wray during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Director Wray indicated that the “BIE” designation had been eliminated. Wray also indicated that the Bureau…

Washington, D.C. –  In response to the Justice Department’s decision to not pursue federal charges against a New York City Police Officer in the death of Eric Garner, Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement:  “The tragic killing of Eric Garner was recorded…

https://www.ewg.org/release/lead-detected-drinking-water-almost-1-5-california-schools SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Almost 20 percent of California’s K-12 school campuses serve drinking water with detectable levels of lead. The State Water Resources Control Board confirmed in an email to EWG that 1,166 out of 6,595 schools that submitted test results found at least one fountain that served water with more than 5 parts…

Sacramento – Last Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the 2019-2020 California state budget that makes historic investments in California’s future including funding for early childhood education, homelessness prevention, higher education access, largest investment in K-14 education in California’s history, expansion of Cal-EITC Working Families Tax Credit and $19.2 billion in reserves, the largest of any…

SACRAMENTO – The California Employment Training Panel executive director Stewart Knox today issued the following statement in honor of chairperson Barry Broad’s tenure with the panel. Broad has served on the Employment Training Panel since 2002 and was appointed chairperson by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. in 2011. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Broad to the…

According  to  a 2018 California State University-San Bernardino report, commuting costs for San Bernardino and Los Angeles County residents averaged $11,138 per year WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Norma J. Torres (CA-35) announced House passage of more than $305 million in federal funding she requested for transportation and infrastructure improvements in the Fiscal Year…

Sacramento – The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) reminds Californians that new sales and use tax rates will take effect July 1, 2019. The new rates are the result of voter-approved initiatives. The tax rate changes listed below apply only within the indicated city or county limits.      To find the…