Sulu endorses Liu for AG + Help for Californians left out of stimulus + GOP fixes on EDD audit
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert! As always, thanks for reading!
A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE FOR AG?
More than 160 Asian American leaders from across California, and across the nation, are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to name California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu to fill the seat being vacated by Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
One of those prominent voices, actor and civil rights activist George Takei, tweeted a link to the letter on Tuesday.
In addition to Takei’s signature, the letter also is signed by David Louie, former Hawaii attorney general; Janet Yang, a Hollywood producer; and Steve Chen, co-founder of YouTube.
“Justice Liu’s national reputation and exceptional knowledge of the law distinguish him from other candidates for attorney general,” the letter reads in part. “These qualities will be tremendous assets in strengthening California’s role as a leader on climate change, immigration, health care and criminal justice reform.”
The letter acknowledges that “there is no shortage of elected officials who seek appointment as attorney general and that the office has often been a springboard for political advancement.”
But Liu, the letter goes on to say, would be a different kind of attorney general.
“He would bring focused and genuine dedication to the substantive work of the office, and his north star would be to ensure equal justice under the law for all Californians,” the letter reads.
Liu was appointed to the California Supreme Court by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2011.
Liu isn’t the only member of the Asian Pacific Islander community to be heavily promoted for the position of attorney general. There is a strong push for Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, to be named to the position.
Bonta has been endorsed by lawmakers, including Assemblyman Evan Low, California Treasurer Fiona Ma, and Zathrina Perez, president of the California Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
ADVOCATES CALL FOR BIGGER STIMULUS PAYMENTS FOR UNDOCUMENTED
Via Kim Bojórquez...
The California Budget & Policy Center and the Legislative Analyst’s Office suggested increasing Golden State Stimulus payments for undocumented Californians who file taxes with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers or ITINs, during a Senate budget and fiscal review subcommittee hearing on Tuesday.
Those households largely have been left out federal stimulus checks since the coronavirus pandemic rocked the nation’s economy.
Under Newsom’s Golden State Stimulus proposal released this month, low-income Californians who qualify for the California Earned Income Tax Credit, which includes ITIN filers, could receive $600 cash payments.
Advocates for undocumented Californians say Newsom should do more for ITIN filers.
“Boosting payments through the Golden State Stimulus for tax filers who use ITINs is one important opportunity to protect these essential community members,” said Sara Kimberlin, a senior policy analyst at the California Budget & Policy Center.
Increasing those one-time payments to $1,200 per adult and dependent for households earning $30,000 or below a year would provide more aid to ITIN filers who were left out of federal stimulus payments under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, according to Kimberlin.
Increasing the one-time payments for ITIN filers to $1,800 per adult for households annually earning $30,000 or below would cost the state between $700 million-$1 billion, according to LAO projections.
An estimated 600,000 undocumented immigrants — nearly one-third of the state’s undocumented immigrant population — are ITIN filers, according to Jay Chamberlain, chief of financial research at the California Department of Finance.
Chas Alamo, principal fiscal and policy analyst at the Legislative Analyst’s Office, suggested targeting undocumented Californians in mixed-status households without ITINs through social safety net programs.
“Our office spent a good deal of time thinking about existing state programs where the infrastructure already exists, where you might be able to target one-time use of funds,” he said.
The Internal Revenue Service issues ITINs to undocumented immigrants ineligible for Social Security Numbers for tax filing purposes.
SENATE REPUBLICANS CALL FOR EDD AUDIT OVERSIGHT HEARING
Senate Republicans led a bipartisan call for an immediate oversight hearing to discuss the ongoing problems of the state Employment Development Department.
“Since the pandemic began almost 11 months ago, we have heard horror stories from our constituents about unemployment claims being delayed, denied, or just lost in the bureaucracy. Adding insult to injury, newspapers have reported that fraudulent claims totaling potentially billions of dollars have been paid, even while legitimate claims languish,” the letter reads in part.
The letter is signed by Sens. Brian Dahle, R-Bieber; Jim Nielsen, R-Red Bluff; Andreas Borgeas, R-Fresno; Anna Caballero, D-Salinas; Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield; Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita; Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Rancho Cucamonga; Melissa Melendez, R-Murrieta; Patricia Bates, R-Laguna Niguel; and Brian Jones, R-Santee.
It is addressed to Sen. María Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, who chairs the Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 5, and Assemblyman Rudy Salas Jr., D-Bakersfield, who chairs the Joint Legislative Audit Committee.
The letter references a state audit that found that the EDD was unprepared for the surge in COVID-19-related unemployment claims.
“We cannot stress enough the importance that this oversight begin as soon as possible. While some in our state government may have lost focus on ensuring that Californians can obtain their unemployment benefits, we believe that real oversight needs to begin by the end of next week. Delaying committee hearings until the end of February or March would be a dereliction of our duty and would ultimately tell our constituents that we are content with the status quo,” the letter reads.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Okay... Okay... give the guy a break. We’ve all had bad days. (Former Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León) knows the pledge of allegiance. I’m sure he is terribly embarrassed. Can we show some compassion and extend a little grace?”
- Assemblyman Chad Mayes, I-Yucca Valley, via Twitter. Watch the ill-fated pledge attempt for yourself by going here.
Best of the Bee:
A San Francisco Democrat has introduced a bill that would ban black bear hunting in California, despite a bear population at its highest levels in decades and repeated conflicts with the wild animals in Lake Tahoe and other high-tourist areas, via Ryan Sabalow.
The state’s Employment Development Department, eager to get timely unemployment payments to Californians as claims surged, was unprepared for the crisis and used a system that was “compromising the integrity” of the insurance program, a state audit found Tuesday, via David Lightman.
President Joe Biden signed four executive actions Tuesday aimed at advancing racial equity, via Bailey Aldridge.