In The News

Four Los Angeles-area state legislators announced Thursday that they have introduced a bill to provide $540.4 million to fund a clean-up of 10,000 homes polluted by the nearby Exide Technologies battery facility in Vernon.

Of the 120 state legislators of California, 14 were “Champions.” They had ‘championed’ the ACLU mission by voting 100 percent in line with the ACLU affiliates. These Champions received perfect scores in their voting habits, specific to civil liberties.

The following state legislators were recognized as the ACLU California Action’s Civil Liberties Champions for their efforts to uphold values incorporated in civil liberties:

Steven Bradford – Gardena (SD 35)
Maria Elena Durazo – Los Angeles (SD 24)
Lena Gonzalez – Long Beach (SD 33)
Bob Hertzberg – Van Nuys (SD 18)

County of Public Health News Release

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 239 new deaths and 5,028 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health identified 1,134,338 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 17,539 deaths. There are 4,990 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 27% of these people are in the ICU. A month after the winter holidays, the County continues experiencing the deadly toll of the holiday surge, reporting daily deaths over 200 people.

County of Los Angeles Public Health News Release

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has confirmed 256 new deaths and 5,189 new cases of COVID-19. To date, Public Health identified 1,129,503 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 17,308 deaths.

By Andrew Sheeler
California insurers would be required to cover abortions without imposing a co-pay, deductible or any type of cost-sharing, under a new bill introduced by Sen. Lena Gonzalez, D-Long Beach.

Gonzalez introduced SB 245 on Friday, the 48th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortions.

BY ERNESTO FALCON
The California Legislature finished the 2020 session without doing anything to address broadband access in response to the pandemic. While the California Senate sent much-needed legislation to the Assembly, it was not allowed to move forward from there. That meant no help for the more than 1 million students lacking sufficient Internet access to engage in remote education, or for the countless other Californians relying on their home access to engage in remote work. This year, Senator Lena Gonzalez, the original author of EFF’s sponsored legislation S.B. 1130 to convert the California Internet infrastructure program, is back with a new bill to take action this year, after close work with many of her colleagues.

Harry Saltzgaver, Executive Editor

State Sen. Lena Gonzalez will introduce a bill Monday in the California Senate to create a way local governments can finance high-speed broadband connectivity to areas where it doesn't exist now.

"The COVID-19 Pandemic has exacerbated the deeply entrenched digital divide, which has left many lower income, Latino, African American, and rural communities without access to high-speed broadband services," said Gonzalez, a Democrat representing the greater Long Beach area, in her fact sheet about the bill.

Sacramento, Calif. – Senator Lena A. Gonzalez (D- Long Beach) chair of the Senate Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response and Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) chair of the Senate Education Committee will co-chair a joint oversight hearing on Monday, October 26, 2020 at 1:00pm. This oversight hearing will examine the level and quality of access that students in California have had to distance learning instruction, as well as whether they have had access to fast and reliable internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. Testimony and information on these subjects will be provided by education leaders, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the California Public Utilities Commission and telecommunications stakeholders. Knowledge obtained through this joint oversight hearing will help guide the development of new measures to address internet connectivity and remote instruction inadequacies impacting students all around the state.