Audit chairman has eyes on EDD + Police reforms fall short + Women’s Caucus on Wicks

Happy Thursday! What a week it’s been, right?

AN AUDIT FOR EDD?

The chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee is calling for an audit of the state Employment Development Department.

Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, has submitted an official request for an emergency audit of an unemployment agency that has been overwhelmed by claims in the coronavirus recession. Salas’ request was joined by 37 lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Republican lawmakers tried to force an audit of the EDD this week in the final hours of the legislative session. They failed, with Democratic leaders passing a measure that would force the department to disclose more information about its performance on its website.

Salas’ announcement suggests an audit might still happen.

“Californians are hurting and need immediate relief from EDD,” Salas said in a statement. “I am calling for an emergency audit within the Legislature’s rules for more transparency and accountability with EDD’s operations, ensuring economic assistance is going to families that are continuing to suffer during the pandemic. An emergency audit of EDD will shine light on the department’s shortcomings and help us chart a path forward to more effectively help thousands of families throughout the state who are struggling during this crisis.”

According to Salas’ office, as many as 1.2 million potentially eligible applicants are still waiting on payment of unemployment benefits.

Salas’ proposed audit seeks to assess the reasons for the EDD backlog, evaluate the effectiveness of EDD’s actions to improve call center performance, determine the magnitude of EDD’s workload and assess EDD’s call center capacity.

POLICE REFORM FALLS SHORT

Via Hannah Wiley...

California lawmakers sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a pack of bills intended to rein in police misconduct, but stopped short of passing two high--profile measures that would have restricted law enforcement officers’ use of rubber bullets and make it easier to fire cops.

The setbacks disappointed some activists and lawmakers who wanted more after the nation protests that followed the May killing by asphyxiation of George Floyd, a Black man, while in custody of Minneapolis officers.

“To ignore the thousands of voices calling for meaningful police reform is insulting,” Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, said in a statement after his bill to decertify problematic officers stalled on Monday in the Assembly. “Today, Californians were once again let down by those who were meant to represent them.”

But, advocates for police accountability accomplished a number of other goals in sending bills to Newsom that aim to increase outside oversight of local police departments and ban officers from using chokeholds while detaining suspects.

Lawmakers approved a pilot program to fund community crisis organizations that can respond to emergencies with civilian resources, as well as a measure to discourage the hiring of officers with misconduct investigations on their records.

“I’m pleased we were able to push forward a number of important police reform bills,” said Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento. “There was disappointment, but we can’t ignore the fact we were able to get a number of police reform wins across the finish line.”

Read the full story assessing Newsom’s police reform options here.

THE TOLL OF COVID-19

COVID-19 has taken its toll on the Golden State, with nearly a fifth of all Californians knowing someone who has died from the virus, according to a newly released poll from the California Health Care Foundation and the survey firm Ipsos.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a strong majority (85%) of Californians favor stricter shelter-in-place regulations if those regulations would prevent more deaths.

In addition, 80% said that they support stricter rules if they would allow businesses to reopen sooner, while 72% said they support stricter rules if it means schools reopen sooner.

There have been more than 180,000 deaths related to COVID-19 nationwide, including 13,163 deaths in California, according to state data.

WOMEN’S CAUCUS WEIGHS IN

A day after Democratic Oakland Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks made national headlines for bringing her newborn baby to the Assembly floor, the Legislative Women’s Caucus called for senior-ranking lawmakers to reconsider the rules for considering remote-voting requests in a pandemic.

“As Women’s Caucus leaders, we are deeply troubled that a member of our Caucus was required to travel to Sacramento with her newborn baby — in the midst of maternity leave during a global pandemic — so that she could vote on end-of-session measures,” the statement began.

The caucus statement continued that it was their duty to speak up and “correct these wrongs.”

“We recognize the privilege of holding higher office. With that privilege, we must continue our work to increase protections for working mothers and also acknowledge that some groups of women — particularly working class women of color who are most impacted by the existing wage gap — oftentimes face even more difficult barriers.

In order to achieve gender equity for all women, we must ensure that more diverse women are elected to office and have a seat at the table,” the statement concludes.

YES ON 15 AD BUY

As the political season continues to heat up, more television ads are heading our way. Coming up, a pair of ads from the Yes On 15 campaign for Proposition 15, the so-called “split roll” initiative that would amend state tax law to allow commercial and industrial properties to be taxed on their market value.

“We have set the terms of the debate this entire campaign, and that’s exactly what we’re doing here – spotlighting the current system of tax loopholes that rewards top corporations while costing schools and essential local services billions every year, at a time when we can least afford it. By hitting the airwaves first, voters know that this fight is between the homeowners, renters, and small businesses supporting Prop. 15 and the wealthy corporations funding the opposition,” said campaign spokesman Alex Stack.

The first ad is called “Collar,” and you can watch it here.

The second ad is called “What Matters Most,” and you can watch it here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“This is a serious question. Is closing polling stations about making it harder for minorities to vote, or is it because of budgets? If you say it’s because of your budget, let’s talk.”

- Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, via Twitter.

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