Family leave bill moves forward + Week of Action planned + A conversation with Toni Atkins

Good morning and happy Monday. Let’s get into the news, shall we?

FAMILY LEAVE BILL FACES A FLOOR VOTE

Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson’s bill expanding job protection for paid family leave could go to the Assembly floor for a vote as early as Monday.

SB 1383 ensures job-protected leave for those who work at an employer with five or more employees, to either bond with a newborn, recover from an illness or care for a seriously ill family member. The bill also updates the language of the California Family Rights Act to bring the definition of “family” in line with that of the California Paid Family Leave Program.

The bill is supported by a coalition of more than 200 worker advocacy organizations and labor groups, according to an Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment analysis of the bill.

Supporters argue “the purpose of California’s wage replacement and job protection laws is to allow families to recover from illnesses and be therefor each other during life’s significant moments – when a baby is born, when a parent is dying of cancer, or a spouse suffer a stroke – without having to worry about losing their job, health benefits, or income. Unfortunately, the laws do not align, and many more people are eligible for wage replacement than job protection, which leaves millions of Californians vulnerable to losing their jobs and long-term financial security for taking the leave they need to care for themselves or their families.”

Opponents of the bill, including the California Chamber of Commerce, argue that it will disproportionately impact small employers, “exposes small employers to costly litigation even for unintentional mistakes, imposes a significant administrative burden, and adds costs to small employers even though it is not paid,” according to the bill analysis.

The chamber argues further that forcing businesses to leave a position open while the occupant takes leave will force those businesses to hire costly, short-term replacement workers that “requires a premium wage, is less dedicated to the position, and often leaves for a better opportunity at a moment’s notice.”

WEEK OF ACTION ANNOUNCED

A coalition of labor, policy and community organizing groups called The United Front has launched a week of action to demand that Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers “ensure a just economic recovery that reverses historical inequities and invests in a future that benefits all Californians,” according to a statement put out by the group.

The “#ChooseUsNotBillionaires Week of Action” began Friday with housing protests in Los Angeles, San Diego and the Bay Area, as well as an online action for California’s young people called “Fund Our Future.”

On Monday, the protest in LA will focus on school re-openings, with a focus on student safety.

Other days of action will focus on causes such as the health and safety of essential workers, defunding the police, relief for undocumented people and taxing billionaires. The groups also will protest in favor of AB 1436, which they argue would protect hundreds of thousands of tenants at risk of eviction.

“The group’s clear message to Gov. Newsom is this: ‘Choose us, not billionaires,’ referencing the tens of millions of Californians struggling as a result of the COVID pandemic, as compared to the handful of billionaires whose wealth has been soaring in recent months. Together, United Front groups serve and represent millions of Californians across all parts of the state,” the group said in a statement.

SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEM TO GIVE TALK

California lawmakers have a fair amount on their plate, it’s fair to say, from a raging pandemic to economic upheaval to a reckoning on racial justice.

Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, is set to talk about those issues in a “wide-ranging conversation” with Public Policy Institute of California President and CEO Mark Baldassare.

The conversation is part of PPIC’s 2020 Speaker Series on California’s Future, and is set to take place (online, of course) Friday at 11 a.m. The conversation will include a question-and-answer portion.

You can register to watch by clicking here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The Democrat plan to get us out of a deep budget hole – that they are primarily responsible for creating – is ironic. The plan has no specifics other than it’s some sort of borrowing scheme from the future to pay present day bills. To say taxpayers are skeptical is an understatement.”

- Republican Sen. Brian W. Jones, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

• Nazi flags and other hate symbols were common fixtures in some California correctional system offices before a sighting in Sacramento exploded into a public-relations disaster last fall, according to emails obtained by The Sacramento Bee, via Matt Kristoffersen.

• California state workers saw pay cuts in their checks this week, but the reduction wasn’t quite as big as it was supposed to be, via Wes Venteicher.

• The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board interviewed Rep. Karen Bass about her life, her career and her thoughts on the vice presidency. She spoke about her friendships with Republican leaders, her interest in Cuba, her love of foreign policy and her plans for police reform, via the California Nation podcast.