In the News

Santa Monica Mirror: California Lawmakers Pass Bill to Streamline Permitting for Street Vendors

April 27, 2022

By Dolores Quintana

Despite the fact that the California Safe Sidewalk Vending Act of 2018 (Senate Bill 946) decriminalized street food vending when former Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill into law, many street food vendors have encountered problems due to the state’s dated food retail code ,as reported by MSN.com. 

Eater LA: California Senate Advances Bill to Streamline Permit Process for Street Vendors

April 22, 2022

By Mona Holmes

Yesterday, California moved forward with Senate Bill 972, a proposed law designed to ease the health permit process for street food vendors to modernize California’s outdated retail food code. In addition, it should help with public safety and potentially eliminate the fines and legal troubles that vendors experience throughout the state.

La Opinion: Buscan eliminar trabas para que vendedores ambulantes obtengan permisos de salud

April 21, 2022

Por Araceli Martínez Ortega

Aunque muchas ciudades a lo largo del estado han legalizado las ventas de los ambulantes, los vendedores de comida en las banquetas siguen operando en la informalidad porque la gran mayoría no han podido obtener sus permisos de salud.

Esta semana fue aprobado en el Comité de Salud Pública del Senado, el proyecto de ley SB 972 de la senadora demócrata de Long Beach, Lena González que propone cambios que resuelvan la compleja red de requisitos que dificultan la capacidad de los vendedores ambulantes para acceder a los permisos y comprar un carrito accesible y liviano, de poco peso.

 

L.A. Taco: VENDEDORES AMBULANTES DE LOS ÁNGELES GANAN EN SACRAMENTO. SENADO VOTA PARA LA DESCRIMINALIZACIÓN DE LA VENTA DE ALIMENTOS

April 21, 2022

Escrito por JANETTE VILLAFANA

Noticias de última hora: Los vendedores ambulantes de Los Ángeles celebran victoria después de viajar a la capital del estado el miércoles, para mostrar su apoyo a la aprobación del proyecto de ley 972 del Senado. Su último esfuerzo fue ayer, cuando los vendedores ambulantes de Los Ángeles y la organización California Street Vendors Campaign visitaron Sacramento para compartir testimonios durante la audiencia del Comité de Salud del Senado estatal. 

L.A. Taco: BREAKING: L.A. STREET VENDORS VICTORIOUS IN SACRAMENTO. SENATE VOTES IN FAVOR OF BILL THAT WILL MODERNIZE FOOD CODE AND STOP CRIMINALIZING STREET VENDING

April 21, 2022

By 

Los Angeles street vendors celebrate victory after traveling to the state capital on Wednesday, to show their support for the passage of Senate Bill 972. Their latest effort came yesterday when street vendors from Los Angeles and the organization California Street Vendors Campaign visited Sacramento to share testimonies during the State Senate Health Committee hearing. 

Sac Bee: How California’s pension funds can invest in the future by divesting from fossil fuels

April 20, 2022

BY LENA GONZALEZ SPECIAL TO THE SACRAMENTO BEE

As the state and economy make the transition to cleaner energy sources to help reach a global goal of zero net emissions by mid-century to stop global warming, a growing number of institutions worldwide are choosing to divest trillions of dollars from fossil fuel companies. This is the ethically and financially responsible choice, and more union members in California are demanding divestment and standing up for climate justice.
 

Civil Eats: The Fight for L.A.’s Street Food Vendors

March 28, 2022

BY ZOIE MATTHEW

In January, a coalition of nonprofits and activist groups—including Community Power Collective, Public Counsel, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, and others—launched the California Street Vendor campaign to demand an update to the food code. In early February, California Senator Lena Gonzalez introduced SB 972, which aims to create more specific rules for street vendors by introducing a new “compact mobile food facility” category to the code.

AP: California governor signs law making abortions cheaper

March 22, 2022

By ADAM BEAM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law on Tuesday that will make abortions cheaper for people on private insurance plans, the first of more than a dozen bills the state’s Democratic leaders plan to pass this year to prepare for a potential U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could overturn Roe v. Wade.

The new conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that banned states from outlawing abortion. If they do, at least 26 states are likely to either ban abortion outright or severely limit access, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights.

Inside Climate News: California’s Climate Reputation Tarnished by Inaction and Oil Money

March 16, 2022

By Liza Gross

For the first time since a watchdog group awarded scores for environmental action, California received a near failing grade for its lack of progress on climate change.

 

Chief Investment Officer: Proposed Bill Would Require CalPERS, CalSTRS to Divest Fossil Fuels

March 15, 2022

By Michael Katz

The pension giants would have to sell off more than $9 billion combined in assets by 2027.

California lawmakers have introduced a bill that would require the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System to divest all their fossil fuel assets, which are worth more than $9 billion combined, within five years.

Senate Bill 1173, introduced by Sen. Lena Gonzalez, D-Long Beach, and co-sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would prohibit the $474.6 billion CalPERS and the $308.6 billion CalSTRS from making new investments or renewing existing investments in fossil fuel companies. The bill defines a fossil fuel company as one of the 200 largest publicly traded fossil fuel companies as established by carbon content in the companies’ proven oil, gas and coal reserves.