Gavin Newsom signs farmworker union law after pressure from UFW, Biden and more Democrats
MATTHEW MIRANDA, SacBee: "Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Wednesday that will allow farmworkers to vote by mail in union elections, one year after he vetoed a similar version of the bill.
Newsom joined labor leaders at a United Farm Workers vigil in front of the Capitol to sign the law, Assembly Bill 2183. He then handed a copy of the bill to Xochitl Nunez, a farmworker from Orosi. “California’s farmworkers are the lifeblood of our state, and they have the fundamental right to unionize and advocate for themselves in the workplace,” Newsom said in a written statement.
“Our state has been defined by the heroic activism of farmworkers, championed by American icons like Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and Larry Itliong. California is proud to stand with the next generation of leaders carrying on this movement.”
Column: Farmworkers just rolled Newsom. What does it say about the Latino vote?
ANITA CHABRIA, LA Times: "Turns out “Sí, se puede” isn’t just a rallying cry. It’s a threat.
Gov. Gavin Newsom just learned that the hard way.
On Wednesday afternoon, after a morning of glory in which Newsom signed a number of important laws to break the logjam on affordable housing in California, word started leaking out that he would also put pen to paper on Assembly Bill 2183, a measure by the United Farm Workers meant to make it easier for those who labor in our fields to form a union.
It’s a bill Newsom has fought against vehemently for months and promised to veto if it reached his desk. But for weeks since it actually landed in his lap, it has mushroomed into a political nightmare."
California’s drought has brought back water shaming. Is that a good thing?
The Chronicle, KURTIS ALEXANDER: “Amid a third painfully dry year, the Bay Area’s biggest water retailer began releasing the names of customers using “excessive” amounts of water this week, a practice that may soon tee up hundreds of households for humiliation and shame.
The move, by the East Bay Municipal Utility District, harkens back to last decade’s drought when several of California’s rich and famous, including such beloved stars as Giant’s great Buster Posey, Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and comedian Amy Poehler, were outed for their lack of restraint at the tap."
Will you ever be able to stop working? A guide to retirement in California
LA Times, JON HEALEY: “The pandemic caused tectonic shifts in the job market as workers young and old quit and searched for something better — in their work or in their life. According to the Pew Research Center, a little more than half of adults ages 55 and older had ditched the grind by late 2021, compared with 48% in the months before the first case of COVID-19 was recorded.
If you’ve spent the better part of your earthly existence punching a clock, you may be sorely tempted to join the throng of cool kids on the sidelines. And if you’ve been working for a company with 50 or more workers, chances are good that you’ve accumulated some retirement savings through a pension or retirement plan — especially if you’ve not spent your career in a service industry.
Experts caution, however, that the transition from a life of work to a life of leisure isn’t simple, and that it’s crucial to have a plan. David John, senior policy advisor for AARP’s Public Policy Institute, said researchers have found that “people who do the planning and do budgeting end up with a much better retirement outcome than people who just wing it or use a rule of thumb.””
Am I a water hog? Here’s what could land you on California’s list of homes using too much water
The Chronicle, MICHAEL CABANATUAN: “With California’s water supply shrinking and the drought dragging on, Bay Area water agencies are getting serious about persuading their customers to use water responsibly.
At least one, the East Bay Municipal Utility District, on Tuesday started releasing the names of those guilty of what it considers “excessive use” of water.
Three homes made the initial list but it’s expected to grow to hundreds by the end of October.”
Here’s who gets a mail ballot in California and when are they are sent to voters
Sacramento Bee, HANH TRUONG: “Californians will be seeing ballots in their mail boxes soon.
The upcoming general election is Nov. 8 and the ballot will include contests for state candidates for U.S. Senate, California governor, secretary of state, treasurer and more.”
Local county elections offices will send out ballots to voters “no later than October 10, 2022,” according to the California Secretary of State’s office."
Cities can’t prohibit the homeless from using blankets or pillows on public property, court rules
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: “A city can’t punish homeless people for sleeping on public property or using blankets and pillows to protect themselves from the elements, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco had already ruled in 2018 that local governments could not make it a crime to sleep on a public street or sidewalk when no homeless shelters are available.
Wednesday’s decision, in a case from Grants Pass, Ore., went a step further and said cities can’t prohibit simple self-protective measures for the homeless, like using blankets, pillows or cardboard boxes in an encampment, or punish them by imposing civil fines that turn into criminal penalties when unpaid.”
New California law will require job postings to include salary ranges
LAT, JONAH VALDEZ: “Companies with 15 or more employees in California will be required to list salary ranges for all job postings under a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this week.
Senate Bill 1162 is set to take effect in May 2023, bringing California in line with states such as Washington, Colorado and Connecticut that have passed similar wage transparency laws in recent months. It builds on previous legislation, SB 973, signed in 2020, which requires companies with more than 100 employees to submit wage data to the state’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
“This is a big moment for California workers, especially women and people of color who have long been impacted by systemic inequities that have left them earning far less than their colleagues,” Sen. Monique LimoĢn (D-Goleta), the bill’s author, said in a statement Tuesday. “As we continue to build a sustainable economy, we must ensure every worker is paid equitably.””
Here’s what San Francisco could get out of Mayor London Breed’s visit to D.C. this week
The Chronicle, MALLORY MOENCH: “Mayor London Breed jetted off Wednesday to Washington D.C., where she’ll push for federal help with a range of San Francisco’s priorities, including the drug crisis, housing, transportation and public health.
On her trip in the nation’s capitol, Breed will attend the Congressional Black Caucus’ 51st Annual Legislative Conference at the invitation of Rep. Barbara Lee, a Democrat from Oakland. The mayor is also packing in meetings with elected and appointed officials. Some are to lobby on the city’s priorities, and others are simply to make connections, her office said.”
The Chronicle, MALLORY MOENCH: “You won’t see London N. Breed’s name on the ballot for the November election.
But San Francisco voters will decide the fates of five of the mayor’s appointees running for election for the first time and a slew of ballot measures, some of which she backs, others she opposes”
The Right To Read: It took a lawsuit against California
EdSource, KAREN D’SOUZA: “An 11-year-old boy writing a fifth-grade book report on “The Cat in the Hat,” a book meant for kindergartners. A second-grade girl stuck at a preschool reading level. Students who break down in tears when asked to read aloud in class.
While some might blame teachers or schools for such woeful reading skills, the attorneys who represented these children in the groundbreaking 2017 lawsuit known as the Ella T. case blamed the state of California.They argued that the state had long known of the literacy crisis, and its grim impact on the lives of children, but had done little to solve it, essentially denying these children their civil right to literacy under the state constitution.
“Tragically, the state of California fought us,” said Mark Rosenbaum, lead counsel on the case. “They blamed the kids as opposed to the system
High pressure system will hit these Bay Area cities with warm, dry weather
The Chronicle, GERRY DIAZ: “The ebb and flow of the fog that’s been coming ashore will continue to wane Thursday as the delta and bay breezes continue to weaken, slowly receding toward the Pacific. These quieter winds come as warm, dry air settles into the Bay Area this afternoon.
A high—pressure system is setting up shop
In the wake of Wednesday’s disturbance just off the coast, the next weather system is starting to move in California, ushering another round of dry air to the Santa Cruz, Diablo and North Bay ranges.“
Mexico is world’s deadliest place for environmental activists, report says
AP, MARK STEVENSON: “Mexico has become the deadliest place in the world for environmental and land-defense activists, according to a new global survey that says Latin America accounted for more than two-thirds of the 200 slayings of such activists around the world in 2021.
The murder of Indigenous land defenders often conjures up images of Amazon activists killed deep in the jungle; Colombia and Brazil still account for many of the deaths. But according to the report released Wednesday by the non-governmental group Global Witness, Mexico saw 54 activists killed in 2021, compared with 33 in Colombia and 26 in Brazil.
The victims were often among the bravest and most well-respected people in their communities. That was the case in northern Mexico with Yaqui Indigenous water-defense leader Tómas Rojo, who was found dead in June 2021.
Authorities claim Rojo was killed by a local drug gang that wanted the money the Yaqui sometimes earn by collecting tolls at informal highway checkpoints.”