COVID-19 has been a disaster for California. Not only have more than 60,000 people died from the virus, but the events of the past year have exposed and exacerbated socioeconomic inequity, while simultaneously escalating existing divisions. A just and equitable recovery is about more than healthcare, although that’s critically important, it’s also about addressing this fallout.
At JCRC we are confronting the rise in anti-Asian/Pacific Islander bigotry and antisemitism. We are addressing inequity, whether it exists in the criminal justice system, the treatment of immigrants, or the ability for transgender individuals to have legal documents that match their identity. And we our continuing our efforts to ensure democracy is accessible and transparent.
The time to Build A Just Recovery is NOW! Join us by supporting the following bills:
Combating Hate
AB 57 – Requires the Department of Justice to conduct a review, every three years of every law enforcement agencies hate crimes policy and hate crimes statistical data for accuracy.
AB 557 – Requires the Attorney General to establish, maintain, and publicize a toll free public hotline telephone number, for the purpose of reporting hate crimes and connecting with appropriate local resources.
AB 1126 – Establishes a Commission on the State of Hate in the state government.
SB 693 – Establishes the Governor’s Council on Genocide and Holocaust Education and requires the California Department of Education to make available resources and materials to support the integration of instruction on genocide and the Holocaust.
SB 764 – Requires the establishment of a statewide domestic terrorism task force and requires the Attorney General to review any hate crimes and domestic terrorism training programs and resource programs to ensure their efficacy.
Fighting Inequity
AB 4 – This bill would extend eligibility for full scope Medi-Cal benefits to anyone regardless of age, and who is otherwise eligible for those benefits but for their immigration status, pursuant to an eligibility and enrollment plan.
SB 731 – This bill would generally make arrest record relief available to a person who has been arrested for a felony, including a felony punishable in the state prison. The bill would additionally make this conviction record relief available for a defendant convicted of a felony for which they did not complete probation without revocation if the defendant appears to have completed all terms of incarceration, probation, mandatory supervision, postrelease supervision, and parole.
AB 34 – Authorizes that the Broadband for All Act of 2022 be put before the voters on the November 2022 ballot.
AB 218 – Recasts provisions relating to new birth certificates to provide for a change in gender and sex identifier and many other changes that would allow greater flexibility in documenting gender identity on official records.
AB 439 – Authorize a decedent’s gender identity to be recorded as female, male, or nonbinary on the certificate of death to record.
AB 245 – Require a campus of the University of California, California State University, or California Community Colleges to update a former student’s records to include the student’s updated legal name or gender.
AB 256 – Prohibits the state from seeking or obtaining a conviction or sentence on the basis of race, ethnicity, or national origin.
AB 470 – Repeals the Medi-Cal “asset test” by prohibiting resources from being used to determine eligibility under the Medi-Cal program, to the extent permitted by federal law.
AB 1368 – Establishes an Enhanced Services Program for Asylees to provide resettlement services for persons granted political asylum to live in the state by the United States Attorney General.
SB 56 – Extends eligibility for full-scope Medi-Cal benefits to individuals who are 65 years of age or older, and who are otherwise eligible for those benefits but for their immigration status.
SB 262 – Require bail to be set at $0 for all offenses except, among others, serious or violent felonies, violations of specified protective orders, battery against a spouse, sex offenses, and driving under the influence.
Advancing Democracy
AB 37 – Requires county elections officials to mail a ballot to every active registered voter, and to allow voters to use a vote by mail ballot tracking system, for all elections.
AB 236/SB 686 – Requires a limited liability company (LLC) that makes contributions or expenditures in connection with California elections to publicly disclose the identities of specified members of the LLC and of the individual responsible for approving the LLC’s political activities.
AB 796 – Requires a driver’s license or identification card application, renewal, or change of address notification, as specified, to include a voter registration application.
SB 503 – Adds additional parameters for county elections officials when comparing a voter’s signature on materials related to vote by mail ballots with the signature in the voter’s registration record.
