In the News

Op-Ed: Close the learning gap by providing broadband access to all Californians

July 28, 2020

In summary

Nearly 1 in 3 school-aged children lack access to the robust broadband networks they need for remote learning, SB 1130 would help close the digital divide.

Signal Tribune: Lena Gonzalez’ Broadband For All bill passes out of Senator floor

July 01, 2020

33rd District Senator and former Long Beach Councilmember, Lena Gonzalez’s “Broadband For All” bill passed out of the Senate floor on Friday, June 26.

The senator’s first bill, SB 1130, passed on a 30-9 vote.

The bill aims to bridge the digital divide by ensuring equal access to high speed, reliable and “open-access digital infrastructure” for rural and urban communities, according to Senator Gonzalez.

SF Chronicle: Women and people of color in California are getting laid off. Let them back in the door

May 29, 2020

First, let’s examine how massive unemployment is leading to more competition for every job opening. The surge in applicants, combined with stay-at-home orders, likely will result in employers relying on digital tools to evaluate and hire candidates. Many of them are turning to the artificial intelligence and algorithm-based hiring innovations that have cropped up in recent years. As someone who knows how to look under the hood and understand what’s been built ethically and what hasn’t, I can tell you many of these tools haven’t. Just take the notorious Amazon AI recruiting tool that rejected women’s resumes for engineering roles. I also have serious questions about technologies that rely on facial recognition, which have a history of bias against women and people of color.

North Coast Journal: Bill to Fund Broadband Infrastructure Moves Forward

May 27, 2020

The California Senate Committee on Energy Utilities and Communications approved a bill (SB 1130) that would allocate $300 million to fund broadband infrastructure "where none currently provides the service," reads a press release from Access Humboldt.

Electronic Frontier Foundation: California Legislator Introduces Fiber Broadband for All Bill

April 06, 2020

Senator Lena Gonzalez has introduced legislation (SB 1130), which would allow the California state government to actively promote the transition of the state’s legacy communications infrastructure into a multi-gigabit fiber network that is competitive, affordable, and available to all residents lacking high-speed access.

CAL MATTERS: Hot spots: Pandemic pushes California to bridge a digital divide

April 03, 2020

Earlier this year, Gonzalez authored a bill that would direct state funds, collected from fees levied on internet service providers, to fund the expansion of high-speed internet into under-connected areas of the state. Unlike existing law, Gonzalez’s bill would specify a service speed and focus not just on rural areas, but low-income urban neighborhoods as well.

Latin Times: Senator Gonzalez Introduces Legislation to Level the Field for Qualified Applicants

February 27, 2020

California Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) was joined by several community organizations and social justice advocates at Centro CHA in Long Beach as she announced the introduction of Senate Bill (SB) 1241, the Talent Equity for Competitive Hiring Act. 

SacObserver: New California Bill Aiming to Eliminate Racial and Other Biases in Hiring

February 26, 2020

On Friday, lawmakers in California introduced SB 1241 or the Talent Equity for Competitive Hiring (TECH) Act. The bill sets a new legal high bar against discrimination in hiring by writing clear guidelines for employers to follow that allow them to modernize their recruiting processes using technological tools that reduce bias, leading to a more diverse workforce.

La Opinión: Proyecto de ley SB 1241 intenta combatir la desigualdad de oportunidades de trabajo

February 24, 2020

La concejal de la ciudad de Long Beach, Mary Zendejas conoce de primera mano la desigualdad de oportunidades en el empleo.

Zendejas, de 49 años, es la primera mujer en silla de ruedas en servir como concejal para una ciudad en todo el país. El 5 de noviembre del 2019 fue elegida para representar al primer distrito de la ciudad de Long Beach.

California Globe: Two Senate Bills Target Chemicals Found in Firefighting Foam

February 21, 2020

Two bills that call for the partial banning and water testing of chemicals called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were introduced to the Senate on Tuesday.

Authored by Senators Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge), a longtime writer of chemical pollutant bills, and Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), SB 1056 would have the State Water Resources Control Board test drinking water, groundwater, and surface water across California for all PFAS chemical types by 2022. Monitoring for PFAS by a Board laboratory would subsequently commence.