Renters to protest + Bill aims to protect service members + Longtime lobbyist dies
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
RENTERS TO PROTEST BILL THAT ENDS RENT RELIEF PROGRAM
Renters will be taking to the south Capitol steps on Wednesday to call on Gov. Gavin Newsom to extend rent relief, add more funding to it and to remove the prohibition on local jurisdictions from passing stronger rent protections.
The event is sponsored by the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, an organization representing more than 16,000 members across the state.
“Assembly Bill 2179, while popularly known for extending eviction protections for some rent relief applicants, actually encourages local rent relief programs such as the Sacramento Emergency Rental Assistance Program (SERA2) to end prematurely when they could go beyond March 31st, and preempts localities from passing stronger protections in the future. On a statewide level AB 2179’s local preemption removes strong local eviction protections for 4.2 million tenants in LA County, San Francisco, San Diego, Fresno, and Richmond who can’t pay rent due to COVID-related reasons. If passed, the bill could result in thousands of families across the state being evicted and pushed into homelessness,” according to a statement released by the organization.
Renters and housing justice advocates are expected to gather on the Capitol steps at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, where they will speak about their inability to get the rent help that they need, according to organizers.
They will also call on the state to extend the Emergency Rent Relief Program beyond March 31, and to lift the prohibition on cities and counties providing their residents with stronger eviction protections, according to the statement.
BILL AIMS TO PROTECT MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman on Tuesday unveiled a bill intended to provide additional protections for military service members and their families.
SB 1311 grants service members the right to appear remotely, or through another military member, in small claims cases seeking the return of an improperly held security deposit. It also makes it illegal for businesses to access personal information stored on military ID cards, and prohibits businesses from offering military discounts conditioned on the service member or veteran waiving their rights under federal or state law.
It also enhances the ability of service members to terminate auto leases when they are reassigned or deployed and provides those ranked E-5 or lower with an automatic 30-day cooling off period for auto purchases and leases that allows them to return the purchased or leased vehicle.
“As a veteran myself, and coming from a family with a long history of service, I am familiar with how the very nature of serving in the military creates vulnerabilities to consumer scams and unfair business practices,” Talamantes Eggman said in a statement. “This legislation will provide service members with the consumer protections they need and deserve.”
LONGTIME LOBBYIST KILLED
Via Rosalio Ahumada...
Authorities are investigating the deaths of a California lobbyist and her boyfriend in connection with an hours-long standoff at the lobbyist’s Loomis home in which Placer County sheriff’s deputies shot an armed suspect.
The Golden State Bail Agents Association said it was “shocked and saddened” to learn of the deaths of its lobbyist Kathryn Lynch and her boyfriend, Jerry Upholt.
“On behalf of GSBAA, I wish to express our sorrow and sympathy over the tragic murder of our lobbyist Kathryn Lynch and her boyfriend Jerry Upholt,” Albert Ramirez, the bail agents group’s president, said in a news release Tuesday. “Our hearts and deepest condolences go out to their family and friends. Kathy was a brilliant lobbyist and her devotion to her profession and the institution of government was second to none. We are greatly honored to have worked with her and have her as part of our family.”
Lynch ran a Sacramento-based lobbyist firm, Lynch & Associates, which was started in 1985 to provide government and consulting services in California. The firm’s clients included hunting organizations such as the Outdoor Sportsmen’s Coalition of California and California Sportsman’s Lobby Inc., as well as the American Forest and Paper Association, California Alliance for Arts Education and the California Language Teachers Association.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Kevin Kiley has probably had more bills amended by committee vote (without his consent) than any other legislator. The truth is, while he’s good at grandstanding, he is just really bad at his actual job: legislating.”
- Former Assemblywoman, and future California Labor Federation head, Lorena Gonzalez, via Twitter.
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