Office of Homelessness + Going after tax fraud + Big city mayors weigh in on the budget

Good morning! It was a busy day in the Assembly yesterday. Let’s recap some of what went down on Wednesday. As always, thanks for reading.

FIRST UP: The California Assembly by a 58-9 vote on Wednesday advanced a proposed constitutional amendment, ACA 5, that would reinstate affirmative action 24 years after voters race and gender hiring preferences when they passed Proposition 209.

It was a dramatic afternoon on the floor, with lawmakers debating racism and social change.

“There is an urgent cry for systemic change,” said Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego. “The ongoing pandemic as well as recent tragedies of police violence is forcing Californians to acknowledge the deep-seated inequality and far-reaching institutional failures that show that your race and gender still matters....ACA 5 would allow Californians to revisit and express their views after 25 years.”

Check out Hannah Wiley’s story for a full report.

OFFICE OF HOMELESSNESS BILL PASSES ASSEMBLY

The California State Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill that would create a state Office of Homelessness.

AB 1845 would create a Secretary of Housing Insecurity and Homelessness position and implement recommendations from the Little Hoover Commission, the California State Auditor, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Council of Regional Homeless Advisors.

“We are all painfully aware that the state was struggling to overcome its growing homelessness crisis well before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted,” bill author Assemblywoman Luz Rivas said in a statement. “The pandemic and the recession resulting from it will likely exacerbate the already catastrophic state of homelessness in California. COVID-19 could turn our homelessness crisis into a full-blown health and safety catastrophe. AB 1845 seeks to create the accountability and communication that is required -now more than ever- by establishing a centralized state Office to End Homelessness.”

ASSEMBLY APPROVES ‘FALSE CLAIMS’ BILL

Among the many bills approved by the Assembly on Wednesday was AB 2570, which strengthens the California False Claims Act by giving the Office of the Attorney General “additional legal tools ... to protect important city, county, and state programs and services against those committing egregious tax fraud,” according to a statement from the Attorney General’s office.

“We must do everything in our power to put an end to tax fraud that hurts our communities. AB 2570 will allow us to do just that, and will help recover money that supports our families, our schools, and healthcare and public safety services throughout our state,” Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “We applaud the members of the Assembly for acknowledging the importance of this bill and look forward to working with members of the Senate.”

According to an Assembly floor analysis of the bill, AB 2570 “could lead to the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars for California and its local governments.”

Bill author Assemblyman Mark Stone called the bill an important policy for difficult times.

“This bill is a tool for government entities to collect taxes owed by large taxpayers, but which have been intentionally and illegally not paid. In these difficult economic times, all tax payers need to be held accountable. It is only fair,” Stone said in a statement.

BIG CITY MAYORS WEIGH IN ON THE BUDGET

The mayors of California’s largest cities have weighed in on budget negotiations between Gov. Newsom and the Legislature, by stating their two main priorities:

1. Support for the Legislature’s inclusion of $350 million for homelessness intervention and solutions.

2. Support for Newsom’s proposal to spend $600 million in federal funds to acquire hotels and motels, as well as other homeless housing solutions.

“We appreciate that our legislative leaders have recognized that when California invests with cities, we can get housing built, shelters open, and homeless housed,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said in a statement. “Yes, it will cost money, but it comes at a bargain compared to the cost of doing nothing.”

Liccardo is head of the group Big City Mayors Coalition, made up of mayors of California’s 13 largest cities: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach, Oakland, Bakersfield, Anaheim, Riverside, Santa Ana and Stockton.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The statues which fill the halls of Congress should reflect our highest ideals as Americans. Today, I am once again calling for the removal from the U.S. Capitol of the 11 statues representing Confederate soldiers and officials. These statues pay homage to hate, not heritage.”

- Speaker Nancy Pelosi, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee: