Tagged With "eviction ban"
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37th Annual Child Abuse Prevention Symposium Recap
"Speak Out! Confronting the Culture of Child Sexual Abuse and Secrecy" was the theme of Santa Clara County's 37th Annual Child Abuse Prevention Symposium which featured a Keynote conversation with Olympic Gold Medal winning gymnast and current UCLA Assistant Gymnastics Coach Jordyn Wieber. Jordyn, and other athletes and survivors of former USA Gymnastics team doctor and serial child sex abuser Larry Nassar, earlier spoke to a U.S. Senate Subcommittee about a “culture of silence” more...
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CA Governor's 2020-21 Budget Proposal Summary
Governor Newsom proposed his 2020-21 budget on Friday. Here are some highlights from the perspective of support for children and families from Children Now. See attached for the full summary report that summarizes funding related to child welfare, health, K- 12 education, early childhood, emergency preparedness and response, and adverse childhood experiences. The Governor’s budget proposes a number of initiatives, investments, and restructuring to transform the health care system to better...
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As California Expands Ban on ‘Willful Defiance’ Suspensions, Lessons From L.A. Schools, Which Barred Them Six Years Ago
September 18, 2019 by TAYLOR SWAAK A s California this month expanded a statewide ban on suspending younger students for defiant behavior, lessons on how this increasingly sweeping school discipline reform may play out can be found in Los Angeles, which barred such suspensions on an even broader scale six years ago. Previously in California, “willful defiance” suspensions were not permitted in grades K-3. Beginning in July 2020, under the new state law , they will be prohibited for students...
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California Ends Practice of Billing Parents for Kids in Detention [themarshallproject.org]
Gov. Jerry Brown of California signed into law on Wednesday a sweeping package of criminal justice reform bills including a ban on the practice of billing parents for their children’s incarceration, which had been prevalent statewide for decades and was the subject of a Marshall Project investigation earlier this year. The new law — introduced by two Democratic state senators from the Los Angeles area, Holly Mitchell and Ricardo Lara, and approved by the legislature on Sept. 6 — prohibits...
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California Ends Practice of Billing Parents for Kids in Detention [themarshallproject.org]
Gov. Jerry Brown of California signed into law on Wednesday a sweeping package of criminal justice reform bills including a ban on the practice of billing parents for their children’s incarceration, which had been prevalent statewide for decades and was the subject of a Marshall Project investigation earlier this year. The new law — introduced by two Democratic state senators from the Los Angeles area, Holly Mitchell and Ricardo Lara, and approved by the legislature on Sept. 6 — prohibits...
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Will state budget deal include expanded ban on 'willful defiance' suspensions? (edsource.org)
A proposal to expand California’s ban on “willful defiance and disruption” suspensions in early elementary grades — so it includes all grades K-12 — is expected to be a topic of discussion as state lawmakers and the governor’s office work to hammer out a final budget deal. This issue could be part of the budget talks for two reasons. First, Gov. Jerry Brown surprised youth and civil rights advocates working on the issue by including an extension of the current law , which only covers grades...
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Women of color face highest rent burden in Bay Area [Marin I J]
By Bay City News Service Aug 13, 2019 This past May, residents of the 64-unit Strawberry Hill complex in Vallejo came home to find a troubling notice on their doors. Beginning in June, their rent was going to nearly double. The new owners of the apartment complex, San Francisco-based The Reliant Group , had plans to renovate the building. Tenants, panicked over losing their homes, and the Vallejo Housing Justice Coalition went to Mayor Bob Sampayan and the City Council, which passed an...
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Sacramento USD Board President Jessie Ryan responds to news of SCUSD's high suspension rates for African American children
Sacramento City Unified School District has made headlines as one of the nation's most discriminatory in disciplining African American students. Board President Jessie Ryan responded in an Op-Ed, writing movingly from her experience both as a mom and as a leader of this school district.
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This Coffee Shop Is Staffed Entirely By New Refugees, To Help Them Get On Their Feet (fastcoexist.com)
1951 Coffee Company was founded by refugee workers to help give financial stability to people who have fled to the U.S. with nothing . The refugee crisis takes on a new meaning in light of Trump’s immigration ban — no longer do we only imagine Syrian refugees traveling by boat, but we also imagine thousands of other countries’ refugees stranded or denied entry to the US or perhaps even fleeing to Canada. So the timing of the opening of a new bay area coffee shop, 1951 Coffee Company —despite...
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L.A. County severely restricts solitary confinement for juveniles [LATimes.com]
Los Angeles County on Tuesday approved sweeping restrictions on the use of solitary confinement for juvenile detainees, joining a larger movement against a practice that some consider cruel and unproductive. The Board of Supervisors' action bans solitary confinement at youth camps and halls except “as a temporary response to behavior that poses a serious and immediate risk of physical harm to any person.” In those cases, the supervisors said, the isolation should be only for a brief “cooling...
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Legislators lock up bills to limit solitary confinement of juveniles [CalMatters.org]
When President Barack Obama announced last month that he is taking executive action to ban the solitary confinement of juveniles in federal prisons, it was a rare case of Washington setting policy more liberal than what comes out of Sacramento. In California’s Democratic-controlled Legislature, bills to restrict the use of solitary confinement on youth have stalled for the last four years amid objections from labor and law enforcement groups that run juvenile halls. Now, citing the...
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Legislature Votes to Ban Private Prisons, Sends Bill to Newsom [sfchronicle.com]
By Alexei Koseff, San Francisco Chronicle, September 11, 2019 The California Legislature has moved to phase out the use of private prisons in the state, giving Gov. Gavin Newsom an opportunity to fulfill a campaign promise. AB32, which would bar California from holding inmates in privately run facilities starting in 2028, received final approval in the Assembly on Wednesday, advancing to the governor’s desk. Newsom, who has not taken a public position on the bill, promised in his January...
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More than 70 4CA participants converge on Sacramento, talk ACEs to power
Mai Le, an ACEs champion and program associate with First 5 San Mateo, wasted no time getting to the point of why she was asking lawmakers to support legislation that would help prevent adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). “When I was a child, my father had a psychotic break and was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia,” she said in a conversation with Eric Dietz, a staff member for State Senator John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa). L-R: Eric Dietz, Richa Sharma, Mai Le “I’m a high achiever,...
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New Law Says Employers Can't Ask Applicants About Criminal Past [laweekly.com]
An estimated one out of three California adults has an arrest or conviction record, according to the nonprofit National Employment Law Project. If employers weed out applicants who check "yes" for the Have you ever been convicted of a crime? question on a job application, they could be preventing millions of Golden State residents from getting a paycheck. These applicants also tend to be people of color, since African-Americans and Latinos are arrested at much higher rates , often for crimes...
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Renewed push underway to expand California's ban on some suspensions [edsource.org]
Hoping for a friendlier response from Gov. Gavin Newsom than she got from Jerry Brown, state Sen. Nancy Skinner is again proposing legislation that would ban out-of-school suspensions in all grades for student behavior deemed “defiant and disruptive” by school authorities. If Skinner’s bill, SB 419 , passes the Legislature, it will mark the third time this decade that a ban on these suspensions — which data show are disproportionately meted out to students of color, LGBT students and those...
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Cities Take Issue With Unsettling Smoke [thesungazette.com]
By Reggie Ellis, The Sun-Gazette, October 23, 2019 After decades of declines in underage tobacco use, flavored vape juice is fueling a resurgence in teen smoking; forces cities to consider bans as school districts struggle to deal with vaping epidemic. When Sara Morton became an educator 20 years ago, underage cigarette use was at an all-time low. Kids who had grown up watching well-funded anti-smoking commercials on television seemed to have gotten the message. During her first few years as...
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California still suspending black and Native American students way more than whites [sacbee.com]
California has made strides to reduce student suspensions for minor classroom disruptions, but a new study concludes the state still has not gone far enough — and in some districts, pernicious disparities remain. Statewide, school districts in 2017 issued some 381,845 suspensions that resulted in an estimated 763,690 missed days of instruction, according to a new report by the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at UCLA. The number of days lost for minor infractions categorized as “defiance and...
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California Supremes Say 50+ Years In Prison For Juvenile Non-Murder Crimes Is Unconstitutional [witnessla.com]
In a 4-3 decision Monday, the California Supreme Court ruled that juvenile sentences of 50 years or more for non-homicide crimes are unconstitutional in that they don’t give minors who are “ constitutionally different from adults for purposes of sentencing ” a reasonable chance for release during their lifetimes. The defendants in the case, Leonel Contreras and William Rodriguez , were convicted of kidnapping and raping two teenage girls at knifepoint in 2011. Contreras and Rodriguez, both...
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California takes a step toward banning spanking!
The California Democratic Committee pass resolution to ban spanking this August, 2019! Ending Physical/Corporal Punishment of Children RESOLUTION NUMBER 19-05.112 WHEREAS there is overwhelming evidence that spanking is harmful to children and families as it increases aggression and violence long term, impacts normal brain development, and is ineffective in teaching responsibility and self-control, and the rationale for spanking is the same that was accepted for men hitting women in recent...
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Chemical Companies Agree to End Fight Over Pesticide Ban [latimes.com]
By Geoffrey Mohan, Los Angeles Times, October 9, 2019 Chemical companies gave up their fight over California’s ban of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, which has been linked to learning and development disorders. The accord announced Wednesday with the state Environmental Protection Agency sets the stage for ending nearly all sales of pesticides containing chlorpyrifos by next year, a timeline that probably would not have been met if those companies continued to pursue a hearing on the issue.
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Homelessness in California (publicceo.com)
The League of California Cities is taking unprecedented steps in response to an alarming increase in the state’s homeless population. Its board of directors approved the formation of a first-ever standing joint task force with the California State Association of Counties. This group of local elected officials and city and county staff is slated to meet for the first time during fall 2016 to discuss policy related to addressing homelessness. League Executive Director Chris McKenzie says that...
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In a surprise move, state courts leave coronavirus-era eviction ban in place [sfchronicle.com]
By Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, June 10, 2020 A statewide ban on evictions of renters remained in place Wednesday, as California judicial leaders, seemingly prepared to lift the moratorium they imposed two months ago, abruptly put the issue on hold to give lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom time to create a new plan. The Judicial Council, which makes policy decisions for the state’s courts, had scheduled a vote Wednesday on a proposal to allow evictions to resume after Aug. 3. But about...
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Does VP Candidate Kamala Harris know about ACEs? You bet!
Nadine Burke Harris, California’s Surgeon General, has a lot in common with the vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris—Jamaican heritage, surname, home state—and a commitment to addressing ACEs and toxic stress. As reported in the New Yorker article by Paul Tough, “The Poverty Clinic,” Dr. Harris told Kamala Harris, then San Francisco district attorney, about ACEs in 2008 and in response, she offered to help. District Attorney Harris then introduced her to professor of child and...
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California to ban chokeholds, independently review police shootings under newly signed laws (politico.com)
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed policing bills that ban chokeholds, allow the state Department of Justice to investigate police shootings and give counties more oversight of sheriff's departments. Impact: The signings represent a win for police reform advocates and Democrats who introduced a wave of bills after the May police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Still, the moment is bittersweet for these groups after some of the most aggressive proposals — including bills to...
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Immigrant Legal Resource Center Report Catalogues 100+ Policy Changes That Have Devastated Immigrants [ilrc.org]
From Immigrant Legal Resource Center, October 1, 2020 A new report, a collaboration between the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) and the University of San Francisco School of Law Immigration & Deportation Defense Clinic, has catalogued 100+ policies that have detrimentally affected countless immigrants. The report divides the policies into six categories: preventing entry; denying status; taking away status; destroying due process; detaining, deporting and terrorizing; and,...
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Dropping affirmative action had huge impact on California's public universities [edsource.org]
By Thomas Peele and Daniel J. Willis, EdSource, October 29, 2020 California’s 24-year ban on affirmative action has had a staggering impact on underrepresented students seeking admission to the state’s public universities. On Tuesday, voters will once again consider whether race and gender can be determining factors in college admissions, public-agency hiring and contracting and whether to reverse course in a state where the demographics of its electorate have dramatically changed over the...
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State to allow visitors inside nursing homes in most California counties (calmatters.org)
Families desperate to visit loved ones in California nursing homes finally may see some relief after state health officials recently released updated guidelines allowing indoor visits in 46 counties, with some caveats. Indoor visits will now be allowed at nursing homes in the 46 counties currently in California’s red, orange and yellow tiers, which have lower levels of virus transmission than the remaining 12 “purple” counties . Visitors must be screened for fever and COVID-19 symptoms, wear...
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Affirmative action ballot measure fails, but these students are still fighting to diversify their universities (calmatters.org)
Californians voted this week by a 56.1% to 43.9% margin to continue the state’s ban on considering race, ethnicity and gender in public college admissions, hiring and contracting. But universities are pushing forward with other efforts to recruit and retain a diverse student body. Black and Latino students are underrepresented at the University of California compared to those groups’ share of the state’s population. Statewide, many students of color enter college but don’t graduate. Among...
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Why California needs to ban preschool suspensions and expulsions, experts say [edsource.org]
By Karen D'Souza, EdSource, January 5, 2021 Throwing a tantrum, crying inconsolably, hitting or biting, and refusing to follow the rules are challenging behaviors that many preschoolers experience on the playground and in the classroom. For many children, these tear-stained incidents are quickly forgiven and forgotten, dismissed by caregivers as yet another tumultuous developmental stage to be weathered. But for some youngsters, the incidents have repercussions that resonate throughout their...
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What you need to know as California eviction moratorium ends [calmatters.org]
By Manuela Tobias, Cal Matters, September 30, 2021 After more than a year of waiting, landlords in California will once again be allowed to take their tenants to court over missed rent payments as the state’s eviction ban ends after tonight . Some cities and counties will have ongoing protections for renters, and the state will also keep a few guardrails in place — all tied to billions of dollars in rent relief the state is urging landlords and tenants to apply for. About 724,000 California...
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Inside the quest to rewrite racist housing laws in a Silicon Valley town where homes go for $3 million [sfchronicle.com]
By Lauren Helper, Photo: Stephen Lam/The Chronicle, November 16, 2021 When Sonoo Thadaney-Israni and her husband signed the paperwork for their home in the hills above Silicon Valley in 1991, they were assured that the red flag in the fine print didn’t really matter. The couple, who immigrated to the U.S. from India a decade earlier, had been surprised to learn that the deed to the roomy house in the San Mateo County town of Ladera still included a ban on all owners and occupants “other than...
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California's crack-of-dawn school ban could set a national trend [axios.com]
By Jennifer A. Kingson, Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios, Axios, July 28, 2022 A landmark California law requiring high schools to start at 8:30am or later is jump-starting similar efforts nationwide after years of intense debate over schools' starting bells. Why it matters: Most teens don't get enough sleep — yet school start times are a hot-button political issue that divide communities, pitting teachers, parents, bus drivers, and administrators against one another. Pediatricians say...
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New Resource: Reimagining Child Wellbeing: Local Policy Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in California's Communities
“Reimagining Child Wellbeing: Local Policy Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in California’s Communities” is a resource developed in collaboration with the All Children Thrive, California (ACT) project and the California Department of Public Health, Injury and Prevention Branch (CDPH/IVPB) and California Department of Social Service, Office of Child Abuse Prevention’s (CDSS/OCAP) ’s , Essentials for Childhood (EfC) Initiative . This resource was created...
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A Heads Up On The CROWN Act: Employees’ Natural Hairstyles Now Protected (natlawreview.com)
On July 3, 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 188 also known as the Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act. The CROWN Act amends the California Education Code and the Fair Employment and Housing Act’s definition of race to include traits historically associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles. Protective hairstyles include, but are not limited to, “braids, locks, and twists.” The legislation makes California the...
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California will soon pass a law forbidding anti-LGBTQ+ book bans (lgbtqnation.com)
Photo: YouTube screenshot To read more of Daniel Villarreal's article, please click here. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is about to sign a law that would forbid schools from banning LGBTQ+-inclusive books. The law also requires schools to have trained staff to help queer kids and reiterates protections against forcibly outing LGBTQ+ students to their possibly unsupportive parents. The law, known as Assembly Bill 1078, is a direct rebuke to anti-LGBTQ+ book-bans, “don’t say gay” laws, and...
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California Bans Book Bans and Textbook Censorship in Schools (www.gov.ca.gov)
To read more, click here, California Bans Book Bans and Textbook Censorship in Schools . SACRAMENTO — Building on his Family Agenda to promote educational freedom and success, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed AB 1078 by Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), which bans “book bans” in schools, prohibits censorship of instructional materials, and strengthens California law requiring schools to provide all students access to textbooks that teach about California’s diverse...