My Plans for 2022
Dear Neighbors,
With the 2022 Legislative Calendar beginning and as the California State Legislature reconvened this month, I was excited to get back to work and build on our accomplishments of last year. There are many more innovative, first-of-its-kind initiatives and investments I will be championing in 2022 and I am grateful for this community’s partnership and leadership in so many vital areas.
Take a look at some of what’s to come from my Office this year:
Sustainability
- Rooftop Solar Access and Equity: I plan to introduce a bill to reduce electricity prices for low-income families by establishing a program that will expand rooftop solar to multifamily housing units.
- Stewardship of Natural Resources and Open Space: I intend to introduce legislation in 2022 to enhance recreational opportunities; expand access to recreational facilities; protect, restore, and improve parks, wildlife, open-space, and beach lands; preserve canyons, foothills, and mountains and develop public access to lands.
- Climate Change Education: Along with Assemblymembers Rivas, Calderon, Ward, and others, I will be introducing legislation on climate change education in the 2022 legislative session that would integrate climate literacy into California’s education system and ensure ALL students learn about climate change.
Youth Services
- Universal Basic Income: Following my successful push for California’s first state-funded universal basic income (UBI) proposal, the “California Guaranteed Income Pilot Program”, this year, I will focus my attention on providing UBI to our most vulnerable students in the California State University (CSU) system.
- Family Finding and Engagement: Sponsored by the California Judges Association, my bill SB 384, The Family Finding Act, would require that counties implement best-practice family finding protocols.
Criminal Justice Reform
- Sentencing Reform: SB 300, The Sentencing Reform Act, is an historic bill to end unjust practices in California’s current sentencing scheme, including mandating life in prison without the possibility for parole for a person who did not kill anyone or intend for anyone to die.
Workers’ Rights & Parity
- Promotional Probation Period Parity: In 2022, I will be introducing legislation to ensure probation period parity for classified employees.
- Equity in Workers’ Compensation for Frontline Healthcare Workers: SB 213, sponsored by the California Nurses Association (CNA), would help achieve parity between a predominantly female RN and hospital workforce and frontline professions that are predominately male, including firefighters and police officers.
Housing Affordability
- Tenant Preferences to Prevent Displacement: My bill SB 649, sponsored by the City of San Jose and the Housing Action Coalition, will play a vital role in bolstering the state’s efforts to protect our most vulnerable residents from displacement.
Sexual Assault Prevention
- Ending Online Sexual Exploitation: I have authored SB 435, the first bill of its kind in the nation, to tackle online sexual exploitation, giving victims, including children, more civil causes of action against the distribution of naked or sexual photographs and video.
Public Health & Safety
- Protecting Entertainment Workers on Theatrical Productions: In the wake of the tragic shooting on the set of the film “Rust” and to improve safety on the set of theatrical productions, I will be introducing legislation that sets up a first-in-the-nation regulatory process to keep entertainment workers safe and hold industry entities accountable.
- Protecting Continuing Care Retirement Communities: Sponsored by the Continuing Care Residents' Association, SB 707 is a bill I have authored to protect current and future continuing care facility residents by providing them with transparency on the financial status and safety of the facilities they are making a lifelong commitment to.
- Red Flag Laws to Prevent Gun Violence: In response to the mass shooting impacting our District that took the lives of 9 Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) workers, I intend to introduce legislation to expand and improve California’s “red flag” laws to prevent gun violence and mass shootings.
The state legislature has been taking unprecedented action to preserve, protect, and restore our environment.
This has included:
- The single largest investment in wildfire preparedness in our state’s history
- The single-largest investment to expand access to parks in our state’s history
- Ambitious zero-emission vehicle goals for a more sustainable future
- Toxic site clean-up and pollution control
- Drought support, water supply, extreme heat protection and natural landscape projects
At the California Energy Commission’s Energize Innovation website you can learn about some of the state’s investments in innovative projects that expand grid decarbonization, building decarbonization, low-carbon transportation, and more.
There is still so much work ahead of us and I continue to believe our state can be doing more to combat our greatest existential threat.
Along with the “EV Access for all Coalition” a group of engineers, scientists, policy experts, and environmental justice advocates, I recently led an effort urging that the same level of EV charging access be provided for residents of multi-family buildings as residents of single-family homes, especially in light of the state’s visionary executive order requiring all new vehicles to be zero emission by 2035.
And in 2022, I will be advancing legislation to expand rooftop solar access to all communities, preserve our natural resources and open space and prepare our next generation of leaders in the global fight against climate change.
Learn more about our historic work to tackle climate change through the below infographics.
No life should ever be put at risk due to the improper or reckless handling of firearms. Currently there are no state regulations around the use of firearms and live ammunition on theatrical sets, leaving hundreds of thousands of workers vulnerable. In the wake of the tragic shooting on the set of the film “Rust”, I introduced Senate Bill 831 on the first day of the 2022 Legislation Calendar to set up a first-in-the-nation regulatory process to protect all entertainment workers.
Specifically, SB 831 restricts the use of live ammunition and firearms on sets of all entertainment and theatrical productions, establishes safety protocols, including safety trainings, codifies proven safety measures, creates a penalty structure for violations, and enables the state to enforce and ensure compliance while creating an avenue of recourse for employees.
Entertainment employers should be held to the highest standards of the industry here in California and hopefully these requirements will be adopted by states throughout the country. When it comes to basic human safety and firearms in the workplace, we have an obligation to address firearms safety issues industry-wide, not just amongst those who are already diligent in their efforts. SB 831 takes into consideration the safety and well-being of entertainment workers and create standards, remedies, enforcement mechanisms that empower workers to speak out if their rights are being violated, as well as penalties codified in law, so that no one can get around skirting these rules
I’d like to thank principal co-author of this bill Assemblymember Ash Kalra as well as the many entertainment workers who helped to craft this bill and continue to provide their invaluable insight into what is needed to keep theatrical productions safe.
I recently sat down with the “Everyday Injustice” podcast to discuss my criminal justice reform efforts statewide, including my bill SB 300 - a modest reform to an extreme injustice. Take a listen at this link or find a recording on any of your usual podcast platforms.
In light of the rapid surge in cases due to the Omicron variant, the County of Santa Clara Health Officer is issuing a health order requiring up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination for workers in certain higher-risk settings. Up-to-date vaccination means being both fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 if eligible for a booster and will be required for these workers by January 24, 2022. Find more details at: www.sccgov.org/cv19order
Take charge of your family’s health. Sign up to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for your child (ages 5 and older) by visiting myturn.ca.gov or calling the CA COVID-19 Hotline 7 days a week at 833-4CA-4ALL.
Watch my recent COVID-19 Vaccination for Children PSA at this link.
Stay protected! The booster shot is available at many locations in Santa Clara County. Learn more about boosters at these links: English & Spanish.
Find a drop-in clinic or schedule an appointment at www.sccFreeVax.org or by visiting MyTurn.ca.gov.
The California Mortgage Relief Program is here to provide assistance to California homeowners that have experienced a financial hardship.
$1 billion in relief funds are now available to California homeowners who have fallen behind on their housing payments or reverse mortgage arrearages during the COVID-19 pandemic. Homeowners who missed at least two home payments before Dec. 27, 2021, may be eligible for funds to get caught up and relief funds do not have to be paid back.
California homeowners can apply for assistance from the state’s California Mortgage Relief Program to pay for past- due housing payments up to $80,000 per household.
The California Mortgage Relief Program is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021’s Homeowners Assistance Fund.
Applications will be accepted through an online portal. Apply today at camortgagerelief.org
Learn about free tax preparation resources that are available to you!
Join my Town Hall, January 20th at 6:00pm for an informative presentation and Q&A discussion to get you ready for the 2022 tax season. Hear from representatives of the Franchise Tax Board, United Way Bay Area, and more to learn about services available to you including no-cost tax assistance and preparation services.
Register to attend the event at www.tinyurl.com/SD15Taxes.
The California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC), California Young Child Tax Credit, federal EITC and federal Child Tax Credit may reduce the amount of taxes you owe or increase your refund. To see if you qualify for these credits or other benefits, and to find free tax prep help near you, go to CalEITC4me.org.
CalEITC is a refundable state tax credit for low-income families who may also quality for the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC). These tax credits put money back into the pockets of families; the amount they receive varies based on income and qualifying number of dependents.
CalEITC Eligibility:
- 18 years old or have a qualifying child
- Income of about $30,000 or less
- Earned at least $1 in 2020
YCTC Eligibility:
- Qualify for the CalEITC
- Child under the age of 6
This Town Hall will be hosted through ZOOM. It will be also live-streamed, with closed captioning options, and made available for later viewing through my Facebook page and website.
Check out our SD 15 community bulletin for opportunities to learn and explore!
- The Power of Youth Leadership: The PARTI (Positive Alternative Recreation Teambuilding Impact) program is hosting a youth leadership training from 3 to 5 p.m. as well as a “Stop the Violence” event from 6 to 8:30pm on Saturday, January 15th, at 1820 Barber Lane, Milpitas. The Martin Luther King Jr. Stop the Violence Event is a student led fashion show, talent show, and violence prevention event. Students, student clubs and volunteer performers are welcome, and you can earn stipends to leader service projects in your community. Learn more and get tickets at this link.
- Sustainable Careers for Veterans: Bloom Energy has teamed up with the United Veterans Council of Santa Clara County to extend full-time employment career opportunities to our deserving veterans in the renewable energy sector in Silicon Valley! This initiative will help ensure veterans have access to green jobs with top employers in emerging and sustainable fields. Interested veterans should visit https://www.bloomenergy.com/careers/ or email community.relations@bloomenergy.com.
- Get Vaccinated at the Purple Museum: The Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose is offering free Museum passes for families vaccinated at the COVID-19 clinic they are hosting at their facility. The next clinic will be Sunday, January 23rd from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Find out more information at this link.
As your state representative, I want to make sure you are aware of the 116 California Community Colleges in our state. These colleges provide flexible, affordable, training and transfer programs that can lead to a better quality of life.
A college education is all about opening up opportunities in life, and the benefits of a college education include career opportunities like better paying and higher skilled jobs, but studies have shown that it also leads to overall happiness and stability.
Why Enroll in a California Community College?
- Attending a California community college doubles an individual’s chance of finding a job compared to those who do not complete high school.
- Students who obtain a degree or certificate from a California community college nearly double their earnings within three years.
- Students can transfer to a four-year university or college with guaranteed junior status after completing two years at a community college.
- There are a variety of financial aid opportunities to students year-round including grants, scholarships and work-study programs as well as dedicated financial aid for Veterans, Foster Youth and Dreamers. In fact, 50% of students have their tuition waived and there are free workshops to help you apply for aid.
- There are important free support services like tutoring, counseling, career planning and health and wellness resources.
- Dual enrollment lets you earn college credit for college courses completed while you’re still in high school – and those courses also count toward your high school diploma.
Thinking of Enrolling?
Visit ICanGoToCollege.com, a website available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese, that includes information about enrollment, financial aid opportunities, transfer and more than 200 career training programs offered. The website also has a short online Career Opportunities quiz that can help you explore potential career paths that match your interests.
State resources and services available during the pandemic have been posted on my new website: sd15.sen.ca.gov. Just click on the "COVID-19" link under the “Resources” tab of my website to get connected to some of the most frequently used state resources, including resources for businesses and employers, students, those in need of housing and financial assistance, and more.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns. I can be reached at senator.cortese@sen.ca.gov.
Thank you,
Dave Cortese
