Press Releases

July 18, 2023

Long Beach, Calif. – On Tuesday, July 18, 2023, Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) announced $23 Million in funds dedicated to projects throughout the Long Beach and Southeast Los Angeles region to help address some of the most pressing needs in the community and advance social, educational and economic opportunities through the arts. The projects receiving funding will provide a wide array of benefits to community members including recreational activities for seniors, historic preservation, arts programming for local artists and youth, supportive services for those experiencing homelessness or at risk of being homeless, and much more. 

“It brings me great joy to announce these local investments for our community,” said Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach). “The funds build on the progress we’ve made through responsible budgeting to advance a better quality of life for all Californians and ensure that we provide the services and resources needed most here in the Long Beach and Southeast Los Angeles region. I look forward to seeing the transformative impact that these projects will have in the near future, and I thank all of our local groups and government leadership who helped advocate for these funds for Senate District 33.”

 

July 10, 2023

Sacramento, Calif. – On Monday, July 10, 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation that will enhance California’s job training pipeline, community benefits, and jobs standards in state and federal infrastructure programs. The Governor was joined by the joint authors of Senate Bill (SB) 150: Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), and Assemblymember Luz Rivas (D-San Fernando Valley).

“California is maximizing state and federal dollars to build the climate-ready and robust infrastructure we need to protect and prepare our communities for the future. As we build this infrastructure, California is going above and beyond federal job standards to ensure that historically disadvantaged communities can benefit from these projects,” said Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach). “SB 150, which was signed into law today, will ensure equitable access to career opportunities and good-paying jobs for our workers in the green economy now and for years to come. I am thankful to Governor Newsom for signing the bill and to my colleagues in the Legislature for supporting the measure. I am proud of the step our state has taken today to strengthen our commitment to our working families, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have for communities across the state.”

June 29, 2023

Sacramento – California Senators Durazo (SD 26), Smallwood-Cuevas (SD 28), Gonzalez (SD 33), and Cortese (SD 15), and Assembly Member Luz Rivas (AD 43) introduced Senate Bill 150 to enhance California’s training pipeline, community benefits, and quality jobs standards for billions of dollars of federal infrastructure construction and manufacturing investments.

June 28, 2023

Sacramento, Calif. – Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) released the following statement regarding The Fossil Fuel Divestment Act (SB 252) becoming a two-year bill: 

“I am disappointed that the Chair of the Assembly Public Employment and Retirement Committee has decided not to set my SB 252 The Fossil Fuel Divestment Act for a hearing this year. The bill is very much still alive, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Chair and our coalition of labor unions and youth climate supporters to have a public hearing on the bill early next year.”

May 18, 2023

Sacramento, Calif. – On May 18, 2023, Senator Lena Gonzalez’s (D-Long Beach) SB 556, The Oil and Gas Pollution Accountability Act, to hold oil and gas companies accountable for the health harms they cause in communities, was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee, meaning the bill will not be advancing through the legislative process this year. Under SB 556, oil and gas companies would have been presumptively liable for causing cancer, asthma, preterm and high-risk births for people living within 3,200 feet of an oil well. 

April 19, 2023

Sacramento, Calif. – On April 19, 2023, Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) legislative colleagues, unions, workers, public health advocates, and community members came together to champion SB 616 Paid Sick Days for All Working Californians ahead of the bill’s hearing in the Senate Labor, Public Employment & Retirement Committee. In 2014 legislation was enacted to require employers to provide three paid sick days to employees who work 30 or more days within a year from the commencement of employment. SB 616 would increase the amount of paid sick leave required even further, from three days to seven. The bill passed the committee with a 4-1 vote.

February 16, 2023

Sacramento, Calif. – On February 16, 2023, Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) introduced Senate Bill 674 The Refinery Air Pollution Transparency and Reduction Act, to strengthen the state’s refinery fence-line monitoring program. The bill would help protect the health of communities living near refineries by establishing standard fence-line air monitoring requirements, including quarterly emissions reports and root cause analyses of any threshold exceedances. SB 674 would also expand the definition of refineries to include biofuel refineries and auxiliary facilities. 

February 15, 2023

Sacramento, Calif. – Today, February 15, 2023, Senator Lena A. Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) was joined by the California Labor Federation in announcing Senate Bill 616 which would expand California’s landmark paid sick leave law to ensure all working Californians in the public and private sector can use seven days of paid sick leave each year.

 

February 14, 2023

Sacramento, Calif. – On February 14, 2023, Senate Transportation Committee Chair Senator Lena Gonzalez (D - Long Beach) teamed up with the Los Angeles CleanTech Incubator (LACI) to introduce the EVs for All Act, a new bill that would fill a critical transportation gap for residents of public housing throughout California while expanding access to zero emission vehicles to more low-income Californians.

January 10, 2023

Sacramento, Calif. –  Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) released the following statement on the 2023-24 state budget proposal released by Governor Gavin Newsom today:

"I appreciate the Governor's commitment to building a resilient budget that maintains investments in key priorities and I look forward to working together with his administration and my colleagues in the State Legislature on how we can develop a comprehensive and balanced budget that promotes California’s values and goals.