Call her (acting) Gov. Kounalakis + Check out The Sacramento Bee on TikTok

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

(ACTING) GOV. KOUNALAKIS SIGNS BILLS INTO LAW

With California Gov. Gavin Newsom heading south for vacation, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis is minding the shop, the first woman to serve as head of state government since 1976.

Lest you think that merely consists of keeping Newsom’s seat warm, Kounalakis last week marked the occasion of her temporary promotion by signing a pair of bills into law.

First up was AB 2179, the somewhat controversial bill that extended renter protections past the March 31 expiration date through June 30.

“California’s nation-leading rent relief program has provided much needed relief for more than 220,000 households across the state. Today’s action will provide additional time to thousands more who are in the process of acquiring emergency relief,” Acting Governor Kounalakis said in a statement. “I am deeply humbled to take this action and to be part of history today as the first woman in state history to sign legislation into law. I remain more determined than ever to ensure that while I may be the first to do so, I will certainly not be the last.”

Then there was SB 504, a bill that makes certain that Californians who have been through the criminal justice system are notified when they are eligible to re-register to vote. The bill also clarifies that registered voters no longer need to apply to vote by mail, as vote-by-mail ballots are now required to be mailed to all California voters.

“I’m so honored for Acting Governor Kounalakis to sign my voter access and equity legislation into law,” said bill author Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park. “With Acting Governor Kounalakis as our head of state, it’s a long-awaited historic day for California that’s made all the more significant as we observe Women’s History Month.”

FOLLOW THE SACRAMENTO BEE ON TIKTOK

Hey, have you checked out The Sacramento Bee’s TikTok feed yet? You really should.

Capitol Bureau reporter Gillian Brassil has been steadily providing content on the feed about goings on in Congress, including providing a look at her average day on Capitol Hill, what it was like to be in the confirmation hearing for Ketanji Brown Jackson, everything you need to know about composting in Sacramento, and more.

Be sure to give the Bee a follow, and comment to say hello!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“In case anyone is wondering, the Governor allowed a few of his executive orders to expire last night, but not his plane tickets to Costa Rica. The state of emergency remains in place.

- Sen. Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

• No, gasoline prices won’t suddenly tumble like crazy because President Joe Biden Thursday announced the biggest release of oil reserves in history. But his action could nudge prices somewhat lower, via David Lightman.

• The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration is looking to fill its field offices across the state with full-time entry-level hires, according to CalCareers, a state job search site, via Brianna Taylor.

• Powerful storms in October and December couldn’t carry California through the wet season, nor could moderate bouts of rain and snow in late March rescue the state from a dismal first half of the 2021-22 water year, via Michael McGough.

This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 4:55 AM.