CA Democratic leaders champion crime legislation

Now that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a spate of retail theft bills pushed by Democratic leaders, some Democrats are primed to champion the legislation and oppose a separate crime ballot measure, Proposition 36.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas plans to promote the 10 new laws today in Salinas, alongside police officers, business leaders and a handful of other legislators. As CalMatters criminal justice reporter Nigel Duara explains, the laws make it easier to prosecute people for retail and vehicle theft. When Newsom signed the measures on Friday, he called them “the most significant legislation to address property crime in modern California history.”

Newsom and Democratic leaders including Rivas have positioned the laws as an alternative to Prop. 36. Outside the state Capitol today, Democratic legislators led by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan of Culver City also plan to hold a rally pushing back against the measure.

Meanwhile, Prop. 36 proponents are not impressed by the retail theft legislation, calling them “half measures.” The laws enhance punishments without overhauling Prop. 47 — a measure voters passed in 2014 that changed some felony crimes to misdemeanors. Critics of Prop. 47 argue that Prop. 36 goes further to combat property crimes and fentanyl-related offenses. Law enforcement groups, district attorneys, a growing number of Democrats and most Republicans support Prop. 36. 

GOP Assembly Leader James Gallagher of Chico and Prop. 36 backer, in a statement: “Newsom doesn’t deserve an ounce of credit for fighting the crime crisis.”

Read more about the new retail theft laws in Nigel’s story.

In other legislation news:

Coastal development: Efforts to push bills that would help spur more coastal housing are either dead or have been watered down significantly, writes CalMatters housing reporter Ben Christopher. The measures, all authored by Democrats, sought to chip away at the California Coastal Commission’s authority to slow or block housing projects. One example: During a testy exchange at a Senate committee hearing, Sen. Catherine Blakespear of Encinitas objected to the considerable changes the natural resources committee made to her coastal housing bills, telling the chairperson that she was “forced to take these amendments.” Learn more about the stalled housing bills in Ben’s story.

Health care investors: Another bill that has been begrudgingly amended by its author is a proposal to regulate private equity investments in health care. As CalMatters health reporter Kristen Hwang explains, the bill grants more authority to California’s attorney general in overseeing acquisitions of health care facilities by hedge funds and private equity firms. But following a lobbying blitz by a coalition of hospitals, investors and some doctors who oppose the bill, the measure now excludes for-profit hospitals. Read more about the issue in Kristen’s story.

Session so far: With the Aug. 31 deadline for bills to pass the Legislature looming, 499 (78% of total introduced) made it through the Senate and 933 (61%) advanced from the Assembly, according to longtime lobbyist Chris Micheli.

CalMatters covers the Capitol: We have guides and stories to keep track of bills and your lawmakers; find out how well legislators are representing you; explore the Legislature’s record diversity; and make your voice heard.

The four-day presidential campaign ad — otherwise known as the Democratic National Convention — begins today in Chicago. And CalMatters Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal is there to watch the festivities, focusing on the California delegation.

As Sameea explains in her preview, California will play a key role in the ceremonial roll call vote and have a voice in the party platform. Not only is the state the home turf of the nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, but it’s also sending the largest delegation. While there won’t be much drama about the party nomination (Harris won 99% of the vote in a virtual roll call earlier this month), there is still some mystery about who delivers the best prime-time speech that catapults them to the top of the next presidential contest, including a certain Californian who insists he has no such ambitions. And there’s still history in the making, as Harris tries to become America’s first female president.

Read more about what to expect at the convention in Sameea’s story.

In other election news, the first barometer of voter sentiment is out on three key ballot propositions. A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies survey, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, found majorities of likely voters supporting an anti-crime measure and a minimum wage increase, but an uncertain outlook for a rent control measure.

The particulars:

Prop. 36: 56% support and 23% oppose strengthening penalties for retail theft and fentanyl. As mentioned above, Newsom signed a package of retail theft bills, as he and Democratic leaders urge voters to stop Prop. 36.

Prop. 32: 52% favor and 34% oppose raising the state’s minimum wage from $16 an hour to $18. Because of increases already in effect, and higher pay floors in fast food and health care, the measure isn’t as sweeping as when it was first proposed.

Prop. 33: 40% support and 34% oppose giving local governments more leeway to cap rents, but 26% are undecided. This is the third time since 2018 that California voters are deciding on rent control; the two prior times they said “no.”

November election: Keep up with CalMatters coverage by signing up for 2024 election emails. Check out our Voter Guide, including updates and videos on the 10 propositions and a FAQ on how to vote. And read up on the history of ballot measures in California.

From CalMatters technology reporter Khari Johnson:

A contentious bill that would require tech companies to test artificial intelligence tools for critical harms is on its way to a vote in the Assembly after an amended version passed the appropriations committee Thursday. 

Senate Bill 1047 has split Silicon Valley, facing vociferous opposition from big tech companies but support from some prominent AI researchers. Eight California Democrats who are members of Congress — three from districts representing Silicon Valley — on Thursday asked Gov. Newsom to veto the bill if it passes the Legislature before it adjourns Aug. 31. 

Rep. Nancy Pelosi also voiced opposition to the bill. While not calling for a veto herself, Pelosi in a statement Friday linked to her Democratic colleagues who did. “While we want California to lead in AI in a way that protects consumers, data, intellectual property and more, SB 1047 is more harmful than helpful in that pursuit,” she wrote. 

The version approved Thursday was amended, including to:

Require compliance only if a company spends more than $10 million on fine-tuning an AI model. 

Eliminate a new agency, the Frontier Model Division, that was to receive annual audits and advise businesses that use advanced AI.

Remove criminal perjury penalties for builders of AI tools who lie about their design or testing.

Ari Kagan, cofounder of AI toolmaker Momentum and a cosponsor of the bill, said it is weakened by getting rid of the Frontier Model Division because it was intended to hire experts and release guidance, but that “the core purpose of the bill and main goals are still very much maintained.”

Another cosponsor, Nathan Calvin, of the Center for AI Safety Action Fund, agreed that the amendments do not compromise the core of the bill, but noted that it’s difficult to predict whether Newsom will veto the bill since he has said it’s important to respond to calls for AI regulation, but has also cautioned against overregulation.

Despite the state notching its hottest July on record, California hit a clean energy milestone recently: It has gone 100 days this year with 100% renewable electricity for at least part of each day, writes CalMatters climate reporter Alejandro Lazo.

The data comes from Mark Jacobson, an engineering professor at Stanford University, and the time period was marked by two energy-significant events: A Fourth of July weekend heatwave, and a solar eclipse on April 8, which decreased solar power generation and increased demand on the grid.

The milestone was accomplished largely due to the public and private sectors’ investments in batteries that store solar power. After China, California has the world’s largest battery supply, with more than 10,000 megawatts of battery capacity — enough to power around 9 to 12 million homes, though not all at one time.

But the state has a long way to go if it wants to meet its mandate to generate 100% of its electricity using clean energy sources by 2045. A member of the state’s energy commission estimates that to accomplish this, California may need to more than double its energy generation capacity by that time, which would entail building about 6,000 to 8,000 megawatts of new energy resources each year. 

Learn more about the state’s clean energy efforts in Alejandro’s story.

Speaking of climate solutions: California’s largest source of electricity is still natural gas, which emits greenhouse gases and air pollutants. To track pollutants, the state launched a satellite Friday that detects “super-emitters” including methane.

The project has been in the making for at least six years, when then-Gov. Jerry Brown said in 2018 that California will be “launching our own damn satellite” to track emissions. In a statement, Newsom said the launch was “just the beginning” and that the state will send more satellites into orbit “in the coming years.”

In partnership with the state, a coalition led by the nonprofit Carbon Mapper, Inc. developed the satellite, using technology from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Los Angeles County and Planet Labs PBC, a San Francisco imaging company.