Power shutoffs and cell service + California gambling + ‘Public charge’ rule denied, again

Happy Thursday to you, California. It’s been an eventful first week for #CALeg!

Both the Senate and Assembly gavel in at 9 a.m.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Lawmakers held a joint oversight hearing on Wednesday to hear how communication services failed during PG&E’s power outages last fall.

A slew of reps from emergency agencies raised frustration with not only the mass power outages, but their inability to communicate emergency messages to the Californians who also didn’t have cell phone or cable service.

Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Office of Emergency Services, said that “hundreds” of cell sites and data lines lost power during the October and November fires, creating what he called a “worst case scenario” for emergency responders.

“Many Californians were unable to communicate, get information about evacuation routes or other alerts, or receive updates on (power shutoffs) or fire conditions,” Ghilarducci said. “And 9-11 centers and hospital centers weren’t able to process critical data or leverage important records.”

Ghilarducci called for telecom companies to create better data sharing tools and harden their infrastructure, what he called a needed “public safety grid.”

“California has an urgent need to ensure the telecommunications systems we depend on are built to a resilient, reliable and redundant standard,” he said. “Time is of the essence.”

Meanwhile — Three Democratic Senators — Mike McGuire of Healdsburg, Steve Glazer of Orinda and Henry Stern of Canoka Park — announced a trio of bills to mitigate the emergency communication failures.

• Senate Bill 801, which would require electrical companies to help customers on a medical baseline allowance get backup power sources.

• Senate Bill 802. which would help hospitals keep their lights on by allowing them to use diesel generators as backup power sources.

• Senate Bill 431, which would require telecommunications companies to have at least three days of backup power during outages in fire-prone areas.

“Our phones have become our lifeline,” McGuire said. “(SB 431) isn’t about checking your Facebook status. This bill is about life and death.”

CTIA, an organization representing wireless companies, said that while it’s committed to ensuring that “wireless is there” when needed, the issue cannot be solved by SB 431’s “one-size-fits-all approach.”

The organization continued in an emailed statement that it will continue to “invest significantly to strengthen and harden networks”

“Networks are designed with dense, overlapping cell sites and backup solutions are employed on most wireless facilities to provide continuity of service when individual sites are inoperable,” the statement continued. “Last year’s wildfires and de-energization posed an unprecedented emergency in California, and wireless networks performed well despite the challenges. We are committed to continue working together with stakeholders and public safety officials to ensure Californians can stay connected when it matters most.”

IT’S A GAMBLE

Calling all #sportsball enthusiasts.

Two lawmakers are trying to make sports betting in California legal this year through amendments to the state’s constitution. As of today, 14 other states have legal and active gambling on live sports games.

Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, and state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, would need a two-thirds majority in their chambers to pass Assembly Constitutional Amendment 16 and Senate Constitutional Amendment 6 to get their idea through the Legislature.

The two teed up the effort during an informational hearing yesterday that focused on how California could benefit from sports betting revenue.

“Though sports betting remains illegal in our state, the fact remains that Californians have and will continue to wager billions of dollars every year on their favorite sport,” Dodd said on Wednesday. “However, because of its illegality, all of this on the black market.”

According to Eilers & Krejckik Gaming, a California-based firm that researches gambling, assuming a model similar to New Jersey’s, California sports betting should generate about $2.5 billion annually in gross revenue, with some 80-90 percent of that coming from online bets.

THE FIGHT CONTINUES

Attorney General Xavier Becerra had reason to celebrate on Wednesday, after a federal appeals judge upheld a preliminary injunction against President Donald Trump’s “public charge rule.”

Trump’s administration had heralded the rule as a way to block immigrants from entering the U.S. if it was thought that they’d “become a burden on the government” by relying on benefits like Medicaid and food stamps.

“Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge,” said Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, in August.

The administration moved to lift a temporary halt to the rule, but was again blocked by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York . California had lost its effort to block a region-wide injunction, but New York’s decision applies nationally.

“A federal court in NY just upheld a nationwide injunction against the Trump Admin’s harmful public charge rule while litigation continues,” Becerra tweeted on Wednesday. “Meanwhile, our fight to defend against the rule in federal court in CA continues.”

NOTABLE NEWS

• A coalition of drivers for ridesharing companies announced it will start gathering the necessary 623,212 signatures for a ballot initiative that would discredit Assembly Bill 5. The proposal would keep delivery drivers as independent contractors but also allow them to “guarantee earnings and benefits” to the worker, said Stacey Wells with the coalition Protect App-Based Drivers and Services.

ICYMI — California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to direct $750 million from the state’s upcoming budget to help homeless people get off the streets.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“These changes may take some getting used to, but our goal is to keep Uber available to as many qualified drivers as possible, without restricting the number of drivers who can work at a given time.”

- The ride sharing company sent a mass text to drivers and users on Wednesday, alerting them of how Assembly Bill 5 will change their business model. The changes include a transition from “upfront” to “estimated” pricing.

Best of The Bee:

• Six days of fear over full-scale war with Iran broke into relief on Wednesday as President Donald Trump said he would refrain from hitting back over Tehran’s strikes on American military bases in Iraq, by Michael Wilner, Tara Copp, Francesca Chambers and Emma Dumain

• California’s booming labor market means job hunters have a lot of options. Among the recruiters is the state’s government, which employs nearly a quarter-million people and is hiring more, by Wes Venteicher

• California will impose new limits on water usage in the post-drought era in the coming years — but a claim that residents will be fined $1,000 starting this year if they shower and do laundry the same day isn’t true, by Ryan Sabalow, Dale Kasler and Phillip Reese

This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 4:55 AM.