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De Leon, Kevin sen

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_de_Le%C3%B3n

Kevin Alexander Leon (born December 10, 1966), known professionally as Kevin de León, is an American politician serving as the Los Angeles city councilmember for district 14 since 2020.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, he is a candidate in the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election.

From 2006 to 2010, he represented the 45th district in the Califoria state assembly. He represented the 22nd state senate district from 2010 to 2014, and the 24th state senate district from 2014 to 2018. He waspresident pro tempore of the California state senatefrom October 15, 2014 to March 21, 2018. In 2018, he ran an unsuccessful campaign against California's senior U.S. senator, Dianne Feinstein.

Early life, education, and career

Kevin Leon was born in Los Angeles, to Carmen Osorio and Andrés Leon.[2] Both his parents were born in Guatemala with his father being of full or partial Chinese descent.[2] His mother moved from Guatemala to Tijuana, Mexico in the 1960s. She moved to Los Angeles to work as a housekeeper. A single mother with two children, she met Leon's father[2] who was largely absent. His mother married a man of Mexican descent, taking the name Carmen Osorio Núñez, and relocated to San Diego.[2] She divorced and raised him in the Logan Heights neighborhood in San Diego.[3] He also spent part of his youth in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico where his stepfather's family was located.[3] He strongly identifies with Mexican culture.[2]

The first in his family to graduate from high school, he briefly attended the University of California, Santa Barbara before dropping out. He later earned a bachelor's degree from Pitzer College in 2003.[4] While attending UC Santa Barbara, he began going by Kevin de León though he has never legally changed his name.[5]

After dropping out of college, De León worked for One Stop Immigration Center, a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles that assists undocumented immigrants.[6] He later became a labor organizer for the California Teachers Association, and campaign manager for Fabian Nuñez's campaign for California State Assembly in 2002.[7] De León and Nuñez have been close political allies for most of their careers.[8]

California State Assembly (2006–2010)

De León first ran for office in 2006 defeating Christine Chavez, the granddaughter of labor leader Cesar E. Chavez, to replace the outgoing Jackie Goldberg as the California state assemblymember for the 45th district, covering Hollywood and much of**Northeast Los Angele**s.[8]

In 2008, eyewitnesses on the floor of the state assembly observed De León casting a so-called ghost vote for assemblywoman Mary Hayashi on an affordable housing bill, opposite the way she would have voted, when Hayashi was away from the assembly floor. De León said he had no memory of the incident but also said he did not deny it, either.[9] De León was investigated by then-state assembly speaker Karen Bass, but did not face any punishment and the vote was later changed. As a result of the controversy, Bass changed assembly rules to enforce a ban on ghost voting.[10]

In 2009, he was defeated in a bid to become speaker of the California state assembly, after many assembly members found De León's ambitious nature grating, eroding his support, according to reports in the Los Angeles Times.[7]

California State Senate (2010–2018)

De León was elected to the California state senate in 2010 and became state senate president pro tempore in 2014.[11] As a California state senator, De León has been generally regarded as a liberal and describes himself as a "proud progressive."[12]

Energy and the environment

[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:State_Senator_Kevin_de_Le%C3%B3n_%2814775301840%29.jpg)

De León in 2014

De León sponsored SB 100, which would have required the state of California to generate 50% renewable electricity by 2026 and 100% renewable electricity by 2045.[13][14] In 2018, the bill passed both houses of the California state legislature and was signed into law by governor Jerry Brown on September 10.[15]

In late 2017, De León was criticized for playing a role in killing a bill that would have blocked the controversial Cadiz Water Project, a proposal to mine and transfer groundwater from protected desert habitat in Eastern San Bernardino county to parts of Orange county.[16] Opponents of the project blamed De León, then president pro tempore of the senate, and pointed out that the company behind the project had donated $5,000 to De León's political campaign. Fabian Nuñez, a close ally and donor to De León, also represented company as its lobbyist.[17]

De León criticized the state's high-speed rail project, arguing that construction should have started in major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, rather than the state's Central Valley.[18] In his argument, De León described the Central Valley as "the middle of nowhere" and "tumbleweeds," drawing criticism.[19][20] He later apologized.[20]

Gun control

De León is an advocate of gun control.[21] In 2014, he sponsored SB 808[22] which passed both houses of the legislature but was vetoed by governor Jerry Brown.

In 2016, De León led the charge in the passage of a package of 11 bills intended to prevent gun violence. These included De León's SB 1235, which created a new framework for buying and selling ammunition designed to address the ambiguities of his earlier SB 53, and his SB 1407, requiring a serial number from the department of justice before building or assembling a gun.[23][24]

Health care

De León is a supporter of creating a single-payer health care system. He promised to support senator Bernie Sanders's "Medicare for All" legislation if elected to the United States Senate.[25] He supported SB 562, a proposed bill to create a single payer health care system in California, which stalled in 2017.[26]

Sexual harassment whistle-blower legislation controversy

Between 2014 and 2017, the California state Legislature failed to pass several bills which would create whistle-blower protections for state legislative employees who reported "unethical, immoral, or inappropriate behavior." De León did not support these bills and was accused of protecting political allies by activists and his then-opponent for U.S. senate, Dianne Feinstein.[27][28] In November 2017, more than 300 women in and around the state Capitol signed a published letter, exposing misconduct in California politics as part of the Me Too movement.[29]

Though De León soon reversed his position and dropped his opposition to proposed whistleblower legislation, he received criticism over his motives in not supporting previous bills.[30] At the time, De León shared a residence with California state senator Tony Mendoza, who was accused of sexually harassing three women who previously worked in his office. Attorneys representing Mendoza's accusers also argued that they had reported harassment to state senate officials several times in September 2017 before detailing their allegations in a meeting on September 22 — when they were promptly fired by being handed a letter on rules committee letterhead.[31]

In February 2018, De León called for a vote of the legislature to expel Mendoza. Mendoza resigned before a vote could be called, claiming the vote was politically motivated.[32]

2018 U.S. Senate election

Main article: 2018 United States Senate election in California

On October 15, 2017, De León announced his bid for the United States Senate, challenging incumbent U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein in the 2018 election.[33] The following day a super PAC created by California political strategists Dave Jacobson and Maclen Zilber was formed to support his candidacy.[34] On June 5, De León came in second place in the jungle primary with 12% of the total vote, enough to advance to the November general election. Feinstein received 44%, while the third place candidate, James Bradley, received 8% of the total vote. Republican candidates collectively received 33% of the vote.[35][36]

De León's 12% was the lowest ever recorded for a candidate who advanced to the general election since California instituted its jungle primary rules in 2016. In July, De León won the endorsement of the California Democratic Party at their executive board meeting in Oakland.[37] Despite the endorsement, however, De León's campaign faced fundraising struggles and low name recognition.[38][39]

On November 6, 2018, Feinstein defeated De León 54.2% to 45.8%. The race had an undervote of around 1.3 million votes compared to the gubernatorial election, likely by Republican voters choosing not to cast a vote for either candidate.[40]

Los Angeles City Council (2020—)

In 2020, De León was a candidate for a March special election to the Los Angeles city council. The seat had previously been vacated by José Huizar, who was the subject of an investigation into possible corruption charges. In June 2020, Huizar was arrested and charged with several counts of bribery and corruption. De León was elected in the special election to succeed him, and assumed office on October 15, 2020.[41]

In 2021, De León advocated against SB 9, which would allow for the construction of duplexes in lots that are zoned as single-family home neighborhoods. The bill was intended to alleviate the severe housing shortage in California.[42] That same year, De León sought to stall the construction of a rapid transit bus line through Eagle Rock,[43] which prompted a critical editorial by the Los Angeles Times which characterized De León as a "spoiler."[44]

Personal life

De León lives in Los Angeles and has an adult daughter, Lluvia Carrasco. Carrasco's mother is San Jose councilmember Magdalena Carrasco.[45] De León has never been married.[46]

Electoral history

...

https://ballotpedia.org/Kevin_de_Le%C3%B3n

522

kevin de León is a member of the Los Angeles City Council in California, representing District 14. He assumed office on October 15, 2020. His current term ends on December 9, 2024.

De León is running for election for Mayor of Los Angeles in California. He is on the ballot in the primary on June 7, 2022.

Statement on Orange County’s Vote to Join Trump’s Lawsuit Against California

March 27, 2018

SACRAMENTO –Senate President pro Tempore Emeritus Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) released the following statement today on the heels of a vote by the Orange County Board of Supervisors to join the Trump Administration’s lawsuit to dismantle the California Values Act:

“The county that gave us Prop 187 more than two decades ago is at it again with another unconstitutional attack on our immigrant communities.  I am confident the courts will reject this challenge to SB 54, just as they roundly rejected Prop 187.

Read more

Kevin de León

Statement on U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s Decision to Roll Back Federal Clean Car Standards

April 2, 2018

SACRAMENTO –Senate President pro Tempore Emeritus Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) released the following statement today:

Read more

Kevin de León

Senator de León Urges Governor Brown to Refuse Trump’s Request to Send National Guard Troops to Southern Border

April 5, 2018

SACRAMENTO – Senate President pro Tempore Emeritus Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) sent a letter to Governor Brown this afternoon, urging him to ignore President Trump’s request to send National Guard Troops to the California-Mexico border.

Read more

Steyer and de León: Climate soulmates

BY LAUREL ROSENHALL

JULY 18, 2015 UPDATED JUNE 23, 2020

One of them grew up in the barrio of San Diego, the son of an immigrant maid who struggled to pay the rent. The other was raised in one of the nation’s most exclusive zip codes, the youngest son of a New York City lawyer.

Their lives diverged for decades. The boy who spent his childhood along the Mexican border dropped out of college and went to work advocating for immigrants and teacher unions. The kid from New York’s Upper East Side graduated from Yale and Stanford, and then started an investment firm in San Francisco.

Today, one is among California’s most powerful politicians, the other is a billionaire. And they have built a friendship that may shape the future of the state.

Kevin de León, leader of the California Senate, and Tom Steyer, a former hedge fund manager, have joined forces around their shared desire to fight global warming. After working together to pass an energy-efficiency ballot measure in 2012, they are teaming up this year to push for legislation that would reduce California’s greenhouse gas emissions and shift the economy away from oil and gas.

Both men are lifelong Democrats, but came to environmentalism later in life and from different starting points – de León, 48, from a focus on justice, Steyer, 58, from a belief in God.

“We share the same goals together,” saidde León, D-Los Angeles. “And we continue to be supportive of each other because this is an issue we care deeply about.”

Steyer, a major donor to Democrats nationwide, is pouring money into the California Capitol, and de León is introducing bills that echo Steyer’s environmental agenda. This kind of coalescence is common in American politics, where campaign spending gives some advocates an outsized voice, said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School who sits on the Los Angeles Ethics Commission.

“This is the story of politicians and their benefactors,” she said. “It doesn’t mean that it’s nefarious… This is just the way it is. You get meetings and people pay attention because you can write checks that have a lot of zeros.”

Steyer has spent more than $39 million on California political campaigns in the last 15 years, the bulk of it on two climate-change related ballot measures. In the last year, however, his spending reveals a greater focus on who gets elected to the statehouse. In 2014, Steyer gave $1.3 million to Democrats’ legislative campaign efforts and gave the maximum allowable donation to Gov. Jerry Brown’s re-election campaign. An ally of organized labor, he donated $150,000 this year to a union-backed committee that tried unsuccessfully to sway a state Senate race.

Last year, Steyer’s nonprofit advocacy group, Next Gen Climate Action, registered to lobby in California. The group has run ads supporting de León’s Senate Bill 350, which calls on the state to cut petroleum use in half, increase the use of wind and solar power to create electricity, and boost energy efficiency in buildings. Steyer himself is lobbying for the legislation, too, both in public testimony and in private meetings with lawmakers.

He’s also working on other bodies of power. In June, he urged the state teachers’ retirement fund to consider shifting investments away from fossil fuels, and toward clean sources of power. A similar idea is housed in de León’s SB 185, which would require the state’s public retirement systems to divest from coal.

“I have talked to Kevin over the years about a bunch of things, but I think he deserves all the credit for coming up with those specific bills,” said Steyer. “We’ve talked about all the topics, but those are really his.”

While Steyer’s spending is princely, it is dwarfed by the money his political enemies in the oil industry pour into California politics. The industry’s main advocacy group in Sacramento spent $8.9 million lobbying last year – far more than any other group. And a half-dozen leading oil companies last year poured $13.8 million into political campaigns in the state.

The relationship between de León and Steyer began in 2011 when Steyer spoke to a Senate Democrats policy meeting in Sacramento. They exchanged cards, de León said, and “hit it off because we had the same goals: economic growth, job creation, and cleaning up our environment.”

Those were major themes in their joint campaign for Proposition 39 in 2012, which Steyer funded with $30 million. The measure made a change to California’s corporate tax formula that de León had been unable to get through the Legislature, and devoted the new money to energy efficiency upgrades in public schools.

De León, who finished college at age 36, said he had little interest in climate change early in his political career. He came to the issue after realizing that poor people suffer from “inequities in the environmental space.” His first bill as a legislator allocated bond money to build parks in underserved neighborhoods. Three years ago, de León carried a bill that requires spending 25 percent of the money generated by California’s cap and trade auctions to benefit disadvantaged communities.

Sen. Leader Kevin de León promotes state funding of solar panels for homes of lower income families (Carl Costas, CALmatters)

This year, in appearances around the state, de León is working to make an issue usually associated with elite coastal communities relevant in working-class and Latino neighborhoods.  At an event highlighting state funding for rooftop solar panels, he talked with Spanish-language media about the health benefits of drawing electricity from “el poder del sol.” And in a speech to Latino community organizers, he said his clean energy proposal would create “real jobs for our community.”

A defining moment in de León’s political evolution came in 1994, when he helped organize a massive Los Angeles protest against Proposition 187.The measure – ultimately ruled unconstitutional – blocked undocumented immigrants from public services, including health care and education. De León and his then-girlfriend marched with their baby daughter in a stroller.

Steyer, at that time, was running Farallon Capital Management in San Francisco. He and his wife had three children and another one on the way. Steyer says he opposed the anti-immigration ballot measure, but the focus of his attention then was on his business. Over time, he said, his concern about climate change grew with his Christian faith.

“I became more religious, and so I started to look at the world from the point of view of, ‘What are we doing in terms of stewarding creation for everyone in the world and for all living creatures?’” said Steyer, who routinely inks the sign of the cross on his hand with a ballpoint pen and has signed a pledge to donate more than half his wealth to charity.

The sign of the cross is penned on Tom Steyer’s hand as he participates in a state retirement fund meeting (Carl Costas, CALmatters)

The relationship between de León and Steyer is both professional and personal, said former Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, a lifelong friend of de León’s who carried California’s landmark climate change bill in 2006. But Steyer’s influence on his friend is minimal, Núñez said.

“There’s no question in my mind that Kevin would continue to pursue all of the various efforts around improving the environment and climate change,” even without Steyer’s advocacy, Núñez said.

“No question.”

Steyer’s political combatants in the oil industry see the relationship differently. They say de León’s policies will benefit Steyer financially because of his investments in clean energy companies.

“It is a concern that a hedge fund billionaire who made his fortune off fossil fuels is now promoting policies that he can profit from,” said Sabrina Lockhart, spokeswoman for an industry coalition called Californians for Energy Independence.

The group formed to oppose Steyer’s effort to levy a tax on oil extraction. Steyer laughed at his opponents’ argument, saying if he was out to make money he would have stayed at the hedge fund he quit to devote himself to climate activism. Besides, Steyer said, in anticipation of such criticism, he set up all his clean energy investments so that the profit can only go to charity.

“It can never go back to me or my family,” he said.

In recent years Steyer and de León have appeared together at various environmental and political events, where, Steyer says, they enjoy cracking jokes and talking sports. De León has been a guest at the San Francisco home where Steyer and his wife Kathryn Taylor have hosted President Barack Obama and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

“When we go back home today in 2015, we go back home to two very different lives and two very different houses,” said de León, who never married or bought a home.

Where de León readily acknowledges differences between the friends, Steyer focuses on what they have in common.

“I don’t see this in any way as a strange friendship,” he said. “Kevin knows some stuff that I don’t know, which I’m very happy to understand. I know some stuff Kevin doesn’t know. And so I don’t view it as two different people; I think of it as two people who are worried about the same things, care about the same things, and are willing to work hard.”

Which is exactly what they’re doing now.

coal divest:

919 supertyphoon 28 coal plants, 28 more coming, CA PP $ kpfa

https://YYY.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/02/california-pension-funds-divest-coal

no lnx guard uk

California passes bill forcing biggest pension funds to divest from coal

Bill targets state public employees’ and teachers’ pension plans

Governor Jerry Brown expected to sign bill into law

Anita Chabria in Sacramento

Wed 2 Sep 2015 18.48 EDT Last modified on Wed 14 Feb 2018 12.35 EST

‘Coal is the fuel of the past and it’s no longer a wise investment for our pensioners,’ said the California assemblyman who presented the bill. Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg/Getty Images

California lawmakers passed a bill on Wednesday requiring the state’s two largest pension plans to divest their holdings in thermal coal as part of a push this legislative session to address climate change.

The rise and rise of the fossil fuel divestment movement]

“Coal is the fuel of the past and it’s no longer a wise investment for our pensioners,” saidassemblyman Rob Bonta, who presented the bill before the assembly, in a statement. “I’m pleased that my colleagues agree: it’s time to move on from this dirty energy source.”

SB 185, also called “Investing with Values and Responsibility”, passed the state assembly by a vote of 43-27, mostly along party lines with some Democrats abstaining. It will now head to the governor’s desk to be signed into law – Governor Jerry Brown has expressed strong support for the climate change package and will probably formalize the bill in coming days.

The measure calls for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) to begin a divestment process in any holdings of thermal coal, and to complete that divestment within 18 months of the law being applied to a particular pension system.

CalPERS and CalSTRS are the largest public pension funds in the US. CalPERS has about $292bn in assets and CalSTRS has $191bn in assets. CalPERS currently holds stock in about 30 coal companies, mostly in index funds, with a value of about $167m, according to legislative information on the bill.

CalSTRS has “approximately a $40m holding” in coal, according to a statement provided by Ricardo Duran, media relations spokesman for the plan.

CalSTRS has already begun examining the divestment issue, and expects that it will take four to eight months to complete that analysis.

“Any effort to remove thermal coal from the portfolio must first meet the board’s standard of fiduciary care,” the statement read. “CalSTRS’ first priority is, and always has been, safeguarding the financial futures of our members and their families, and tomake decisions solely in the interest of our members and their beneficiaries.”

Thermal coal is used to produce electrical power throughout the United States, but in California, natural gas is more commonly used. However, “coal plants are the nation’s top source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the primary cause of global warming”, according to legislative information on the bill.

“Coal is losing value quickly and investing in coal is a losing proposition for our retirees; it’s a nuisance to public health; and it’s inconsistent with our values as a state on the forefront of efforts to address global climate change,” the senate president pro tempore, Kevin de León,said in a statement. “California’s utilities are phasing out coal, and it’s time our pension funds did the same.”

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California Democrats shocked Senator Dianne Feinstein by not endorsing her for re-election at their state convention Sunday.

Conservative Democrat Feinstein won just 37 percent of the 2,775 delegates’ votes, versus 54 percent for her challenger, state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles. Support from 60 percent of the delegates was needed to secure the party’s official endorsement.

“The outcome of today’s endorsement vote is an astounding rejection of politics as usual, and it boosts our campaign’s momentum as we all stand shoulder to shoulder against a complacent status quo,” de León said Sunday. “California Democrats are hungry for new leadership that will fight for California values from the front lines, not equivocate on the sidelines.”

“The days of Democrats biding our time, biting our tongue, and triangulating at the margins are over,” he said.

“California Democrats are hungry for new leadership that will fight for California values from the front lines, not equivocate on the sidelines,” de León said. “We all deserve a leader who will take our climate action to Washington, and will fight each and every day to protect our human and civil rights, our immigrant families and Dreamers, champion universal health care and create good paying middle class jobs.”

Dianne Feinstein, 84, has spent her 4 full terms in the US Senate with great loyalty & servitude to the CIA & NSA & various wars. She now wants her 5th full term. But the California Dem Party just refused to endorse her; they prefer her opponent by 54-37% https://t.co/IwE9o0cqC0

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) February 25, 2018

It was a jolting signal to the 84-year-old Feinstein, who has been in politics for five decades and was first elected to the Senate in 1992.

“The Democratic Party tends to endorse incumbents,” said Rose Kapolczynski, a veteran California Democratic strategist who ran former Sen. Barbara Boxer’s 2010 successful re-election campaign.

“It sends a message that the Democratic Party is a progressive party and they’re going for the candidate who they view is the more progressive candidate,” said Tom Steyer, the billionaire San Francisco activist who is close to de León but has not endorsed in the race. “Both of them have long histories of service to the state, to the country and to the party. And it’s pretty clear that Kevin is positioned as more progressive than Sen. Feinstein.”

Feinstein's oppostion to single-payer health care, her anti-marijuana stance, and her repeated votes for President Donald Trump’s nominations angered many California Democrats.

==

http://sd24.senate.ca.gov/

On Thu, May 4, 2017 at 9:42 AM, Judy Pope <jpope4@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi folks - it has been a busy week for the climate in Sacramento, with the introduction of two major bills. 

SB 100 is state Senate leader Kevin de Leon’s bill to require 100% clean green electric energy by 2045. This advances the targets previously set. http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article147971884.html

SB 775 by de Leon and Fremont state Senator Bob Wieckowski is a big deal - an overhaul of the state’s controversial and troubled Cap and Trade program. The bill turns the program into a much bigger deal, both for advancing California’s climate goals and as a model not just nationally but globally.

I’ll let my favorite writer on climate, Dave Roberts, tell the story. I highly recommend reading this article. https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/5/3/15512258/california-revolutionize-cap-and-trade

==

Kevin de León wants to make environmentally friendly California even greener.

A day after unveiling a plan to upend California’s cap-and-trade program, Democrats in the Senate are introducing a proposal Tuesday that calls for 100 percent of the retail electricity sold in the state to come from renewable energy sources by the end of 2045.

The bill also shortens the timeline to hit interim targets along the way that became law under Senate Bill 350 in 2015. Current law dictates that 50 percent of California electricity must come from renewable sources by the end of 2030, which the proposal bumps up five years to the end of 2025.

De León, who introduced both measures, said he’s revising the goals because he underestimated the industry’s ability to make the transition to renewable energy during the last session.

“I made a mistake with SB 350,” de León said Monday. “I realized that the investor-owned utilities are going to hit 50 percent by the early-to-mid 2020s without breaking a sweat. So, we should accelerate this process and demonstrate to the entire world that we can actually generate 100 percent of our electricity with clean energy and put people to work.”

The pro tem is announcing SB 100 along side leaders of the American Wind Energy Association, State Building & Construction Trades Council of California and other stakeholders at 10 a.m. on a 62-acre solar power plant on the University of California, Davis campus.

WORTH REPEATING: “It’s been nothing right now for the past few auctions.”

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article147971884.html#storylink=cpy

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Most energy policy is done at the state level, reflecting that energy management is a fundamental concern for local residents and their livelihoods. How we make, move, and use power can create jobs and protect citizens’ rights to clean air and energy choice. The following bills currently in front of the California State Legislature illuminate the state’s path forward:

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http://maplight.org/california/legislator/1275-kevin-de-leon

 Democrat (Elected 2010), Senate District 24

In the 2011-2012 Legislature, Kevin de Leon was a member of the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications, the Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments, the Senate Committee on Rules, the Senate Committee on Governmental Organization, the Senate Committee on Health, and the Senate Committee on Appropriations.:{

}:In the 2009-2010 Legislature, Kevin de Leon was a member of the Assembly Committee on Health, the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources, the Assembly Committee on Appropriations (Chair), the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media, and the Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization.

Kevin de Leon can be contacted at 916-651-4024. His website is http://www.senate.ca.gov/deleon. His primary occupation is Human and Civil Rights Organizer.

==

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB49

BILL START

AMENDED  IN  SENATE  FEBRUARY 22, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

SENATE BILLNo. 49

:{Introduced by Senator De León Senators De León and Stern

}:
December 05, 2016

==

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB584

BILL START

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

SENATE BILLNo. 584

:{Introduced by Senator De León

}:
February 17, 2017

An act to amend Section 399.11 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to energy.

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Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon. Last month, and then again this month at a convening of environmentalists in Sacramento, Senator de Leon told the audience—and the world—that any effort to weaken California’s climate change laws and regulations would not be tolerated in the Senate. That pretty much puts a kibosh on efforts started last year by the oil industry and others to use the legislature to try to roll back regulations on carbon-based fuels. Additionally, Senator de Leon and a group of other senators are preparing a legislative package that will help California continue to reduce climate change pollution while creating new good jobs.

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https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21022017/california-clean-energy-electric-grid-solar-wind-climate-change

California's Senate leader has introduced legislation that would require the state to draw all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2045. If passed, the bill would make the nation's largest state the second to commit to a carbon-free grid.

State Sen. Kevin de Leon, a Democrat,introduced the bill last week as a placeholder ahead of a filing deadline, with more detailed language to come, spokesman Anthony Reyes said in an email.

The legislation makes California the latest in a small number of states this year to propose dramatically ramping up renewable energy, even as President Donald Trumpstresses primarily fossil fuels in his energy plan.

In January, lawmakers in Massachusettsfiled legislation that would go even further, requiring fossil fuel-free electricity by 2035, and asking the same from other sectors, including transportation and heating, by 2050.

Last week, a Nevada lawmaker introduceda bill that would update that state's portfolio standard to require 80 percent renewables by 2040. The current standard calls for 25 percent by 2025.

Of the 29 states with renewable portfolio standards, only Hawaii has set a target for reaching 100 percent, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Hawaii's deadline is 2045.

De Leon's bill would also advance by five years, to 2025, California's existing target to hit 50 percent of electricity from renewable energy.

The state is already well on its way. TheCalifornia Energy Commission says the state got about 27 percent of its electricity from renewables last year, slightly better than the 25 percent required by law. Capacity has more than doubled over the past decade. California's largest utilitieshave also said they are ahead of schedule for meeting their 2020 goal.

With Republicans now in control of Congress and the White House, California's Democratic political leaders appear to be readying themselves for a fight. The day after Trump's victory in November, de Leonissued a joint statement with Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, also a Democrat, promising to defend the state's progressive policies from any changes at the federal level.

In January, the two leadersannounced they had hired former Attorney General Eric Holder to lead any legal battles with the Trump administration, citing potential clashes on climate change and immigration.

De Leon alsotold the Los Angeles Times that the state's current renewable portfolio standard, which he helped pass in 2015, didn't go far enough. "We probably should have shot for the stars," he said.

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mo fo

https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/clean-air-pollution/436968/california39s-new-climate-era-sb-350-and-beyond

united States: California's New Climate Era: SB 350 And Beyond

22 October 2015

by :{Christopher J. Carr:(style="box-sizing:border-box"):}:, :{Megan Jennings:(style="box-sizing:border-box"):}:and :{Lala Wu:(style="box-sizing:border-box"):}:

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Two out of three ain't bad.

Climate change policy advocates may find themselves quoting Meat Loaf with the enactment of Senate Bill (SB) 350, which California's Legislature passed last month and which Governor Jerry Brown signed into law on October 7. SB 350, also called the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015, requires an increase in California's Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) to 50 percent and a doubling of building energy efficiency, both by 2030. The Legislature dropped from the bill a third component, which would have mandated the powerful California to Air Resources Board (CARB) to cut petroleum use from transportation in half by 2030, after months of intense opposition from the oil industry.

Although the failure of the petroleum piece marked a (rare) setback for the Governor's energy and climate change agenda, SB 350 nonetheless continues California's leadership in the field. The enactment of SB 350, coming on the heels of President Obama's Clean Power Plan roll out, and a month before international climate talks start in Paris at the end of November, reflects a dynamic state, national, and international energy regulatory ecosystem that businesses in California and beyond must navigate as they seek to seize the opportunities and mitigate the risks presented by a new era of climate regulation.

This alert examines the results of the recently concluded California legislative session, and what it means for energy policy in California.

SB 350: RENEWABLES AND EFFICIENCY

Introduced by Senate President pro tem Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, SB 350 advances greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction through two measures, that help to implement Governor Brown's Executive Order on climate policy issued in April.

First, the law increases the RPS goal from 33 percent renewables by 2020 to 50 percent by 2030. Although renewables projects are already coming online quickly in California, this mandate still provides a welcome boost to renewable energy developers, including solar and wind developers.

Second, the law requires the California Energy Commission (CEC) to establish annual targets todouble energy efficiency in buildings by 2030. To achieve this goal, the CEC will likely implement a series of incentives and other educational policies targeted at property owners. The law also requires the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to direct electric utilities to establish annual efficiency targets and implement demand-reduction measures to achieve this goal.

The failure of the third set of provisions that would have mandated reductions in petroleum use in the transportation sector should be viewed in the context of an ongoing battle regarding the strength and reach of CARB. In the fight for SB 350, supporters of the bill faced off with not only petroleum industry backers, but also legislators uncomfortable granting more authority to the already-powerful CARB to implement measures they believed would inevitably lead to higher fuel costs that would disproportionately impact low-income communities and constituents.

Although CARB was not given the statutory authority to set policies to reduce transportation-related emissions by 50 percent by 2030, it still wields a tremendous amount of power over GHG-reduction policies. For example, CARB recently voted to restore its low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS), which was originally approved in 2009 but, until recently, had been entangled in litigation. The LCFS requires a more modest 10 percent reduction in transportation fuel emissions by 2020, pursuant to AB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. By raising the standards for traditional fuels, the program is intended to encourage the use of biofuels and electric vehicles.

SB 32: REDUCTIONS-IN-WAITING

Environmentalists had high hopes for SB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2015, but its progress stalled in the last days of the legislative session. It would have built upon the historic passage of AB 32 in 2006, the landmark law that facilitated the establishment of the state's cap-and-trade program. SB 32 would deepen and extend AB 32's goals, requiring a 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions below 1990 levels by 2030, and an 80 percent reduction by 2050. Both bills were introduced by outgoing State Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), a climate policy veteran who may yet see SB 32's passage, because it was converted to a two-year bill (meaning that it can be considered again in January of next year).

SB 286: THE QUIET DIRECT ACCESS REVOLUTION

Although not accompanied by the same fanfare as SB 32 and SB 350, SB 286 would play an important role in moving California toward meeting its climate goals. Sponsored by State Senator Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), the bill would allow large power consumers to purchase 100 percent renewable energy directly from producers, sidestepping investor-owned utilities (IOUs) such as PG&E. This expansion of direct access by up to 8,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) would be welcomed by many large power purchasers, including tech companies, hospitals, and universities seeking to deepen their sustainability commitments by using only electricity generated by renewable sources. Expanding direct access will boost demand for solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources, as well as spur innovation and competition among producers.

Unsurprisingly, this measure faces opposition from IOUs, who stand to lose business from large customers, and who have raised concerns about grid reliability and the ability to balance the supply and demand of electricity in the state. If more end users purchase electricity directly from renewable sources, this will make the grid more complex, and make maintaining a balanced grid more challenging. As the energy infrastructure continues to evolve, it will be important for the CPUC and the Legislature to keep up with these changes.

CALIFORNIA'S INFLUENCE OUTSIDE THE STATE . . . AND CHALLENGES WITHIN

Despite the elimination of the petroleum provision, Governor Brown's signing of SB 350 demonstrates yet again that California is on the leading edge of climate policy in the U.S. (along with Hawaii, which recently mandated a transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2045). Other states are sure to follow, especially where mandates and incentives are needed to shift the market and spur demand. However, renewables are also growing in some states due to a number of non-regulatory factors. For example, Texas is enjoying a solar development boom without major state mandates or incentives because of the falling cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, the state's ongoing investment in transmission line infrastructure, and the ability of the solar industry to complement the state's already strong wind industry.

Texas' investment in transmission stands in contrast to California's grid, which is outdated and overburdened. Especially with the increased RPS, it will take major investments of capital and political will to update the transmission system so that California is ready to handle the new renewables that quickly will be coming online.

Another key to meeting the state's climate goals will be reform of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Renewable energy project opponents have wielded CEQA as an effective tool for creating expensive delays and, in some cases, blocking projects entirely. Similarly, state and federal endangered species laws can also pose traps for the unwary. While the goals of these laws are laudable, the laws themselves are in great need of reform so they can no longer be used by renewable energy project opponents to make development infeasible. In the meantime, renewable energy developers need to carefully evaluate and understand CEQA and species risks during every stage of the project.

REGIONAL INNOVATION DRIVING CHANGE

While California faces serious challenges to readying its infrastructure to meet its new climate goals, it also benefits from robust energy and technology sectors that are rapidly developing decarbonization technology, especially in Silicon Valley. Companies large and small are focusing on developing and taking to market a broad range of new products and services that are not only improving existing renewable generation such as wind and solar, but also enhancing energy efficiency and conservation (especially at the retail customer level) and addressing transmission and grid reliability challenges.

California needs to continue its "all of the above"approach to meet its ambitious GHG-reduction goals. While the legislative and regulatory paths to achieving those goals are sure to remain bumpy, it is equally certain that California's innovation economy will continue to drive the state forward.

CalPERS to Set Talks With Thermal Coal Companies

October 8, 2015

:{External Affairs

(916) 795-3991

Brad Pacheco, Interim Deputy Executive Officer, External Affairs

Contact: Joe DeAnda, Information Officer

newsroom@calpers.ca.gov}:

SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) announced that it will begin to engage thermal coal companies in its investment portfolio on climate change risks as a first step required bySenate Bill 185, authored by Senator Kevin de Leon, and signed by Governor Brown today.

"Climate change represents risks and opportunities for a long-term investor like CalPERS," said Anne Stausboll, Chief Executive Officer for the Pension Fund and co-chair of the Ceres Board, the nation's largest coalition of investors, environmental groups, and nonprofit organizations advocating for sustainable business practices. "We have a fiduciary duty to protect the Pension Fund and mitigate the effects of climate change on our investments. CalPERS has a long history of constructively engaging companies to advance sustainable business practices."

"We applaud Senator de Leon and Governor Brown for their commitment and attention to this important issue," added Stausboll. "CalPERS has been at the forefront of tackling climate change issues through policy advocacy, engagement with portfolio companies, and investing in climate change solutions. We remain committed to encouraging our investment managers, portfolio companies, and policy makers to engage in responsible environmental practices as part of our duty as a principled and effective investor."

CalPERS will take immediate steps to engage thermal coal companies as defined by the legislation. As of June 30, 2015, CalPERS invests in approximately 27 thermal coal companies with a portfolio value of about $57 million. Following its engagement with the companies, CalPERS will evaluate divestment as outlined in the bill.

CalPERS is a founding member of the Investor Network on Climate Change, a leading network of 100 U.S. institutional investors representing more than $10 trillion, and addressing a policy agenda that calls on governments and regulators to introduce carbon pricing and disclosure. The Pension Fund is also a founding signatory of the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI) and helped craft its six tenets that serve as a guide for investors to better understand the implications of sustainability and how to incorporate these issues into their investment decision making and ownership practices.

In September 2014, CalPERS signed the Montreal Carbon Pledge, which commits asset owners and investment managers to measuring and publicly disclosing the carbon footprint of their investment portfolios on an annual basis.

Learn more about CalPERS role and leadership to address climate change.

For more than eight decades, CalPERS has built retirement and health security for state, school, and public agency members who invest their lifework in public service. Our pension fund serves more than 1.7 million members in the CalPERS retirement system and administers benefits for nearly 1.4 million members and their families in our health program, making us the largest defined-benefit public pension in the U.S. CalPERS' total fund market value currently stands at approximately $293 billion. For more information, visit www.calpers.ca.gov.

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2014

Long-term clean infrastructure investment - smart growth & jobs, to meet California’s landmark climate goals

LOS ANGELES – Presenting a long-term investment strategy that would further California’s pursuit of its landmark greenhouse gas reduction goals, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti joined California Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and State Senator Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) at a downtown press conference in Los Angeles this morning, Friday, June 6, 2014.  

“This is smart legislation that would spend Cap and Trade funding where it naturally should be spent – on reducing pollution and improving the health of our neighborhoods and our city,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Cities are where we work, where we live, but they’re also where we pollute, so addressing the needs of cities like Los Angeles is critical in tackling climate change.”

Focusing on transit solutions, Senator De León remarked, “Action is long overdue, but California is preparing to lead the nation in fighting climate change, and where better to start than right here in Los Angeles.”

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To make that point, the San Jose Democrat piled a stack of papers 2 feet high onto his desk. Not much with a sound bite, Bealldeclared: “It is very important that I focus on the transportation infrastructure for the good of the state.”

Not many phrases can stir a soul quite like “transportation infrastructure.” But as much as Beall would love to focus on filling potholes – and he honestly would – he faces what could be the campaign of his life.

He has been running for office since 1980 when he won a San Jose City Council seat at age 28. Now 64 and in his 19th election, he understands the rules of engagement, except that they’re changing.

This time, Assemblywoman Nora Campos, herself a San Jose Democrat but one from a younger generation, is seeking to shove Beall aside. So are the money players with the deepest of pockets of all, the oil industry.

Led by $5.2 million from Chevron, four oil giants have amassed no less than $9.9 million since January 2015 to be spent on this year’s legislative races. In the same period in the last election cycle – January 2013 through mid-May 2014 – oil companies had raised $6.8 million, $3 million less.

Industry spokesmen won’t explain the increase. But you don’t need top secret memos to figure it out. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León last year carried Senate Bill 350, which sought to cut petroleum use by half. That posed a direct threat to the industry. 

With support from reliably liberal members such as Beall, de León easily won Senate approval. The industry reacted with a $10 million ad and lobbying campaign targeting wavering legislators. When Campos and other business-friendly Democrats in the Assembly balked, de León stripped the oil reduction sections from his bill.

Other issues gnaw at the industry, too, chief among them the state-imposed low-carbon fuel standard, which compels oil refiners to reduce the carbon content of their fuel, a costly and complex undertaking. Industry lobbyists say they cannot comply and have turned to the Legislature for help.

Beall isn’t particularly sympathetic. Campos didn’t call me back, opting instead to issue a statement responding to a question I didn’t ask. But oil companies know who their friends are and have spent $340,000 on ads and other campaign efforts to toss out Beall and to elect Campos to the Senate.

“They’re trying to get the people who care about the environment to back down,” Beall said. “It’s hardball politics.”

As Senate leader, de León’s first responsibility is to protect any Senate Democrat who faces an election challenge. Toward that end, he successfully pushed the Senate last week to lift restrictions on fundraising it had adopted in 2014 when three sitting senators faced criminal charges.

Essentially, the Senate banned itself from fundraising for a month during budget negotiations and another month at the end of legislative sessions. The gesture was nice window dressing and prompted some cynics to state the obvious: Legislators weren’t for sale year-round, only 10 months out of the year.

The restriction was voluntary, and the Assembly didn’t follow the Senate’s lead. That meant Campos could raise money while Beall would face restrictions. As it happens, Campos’ fundraising is anemic by today’s standard. She had $163,000 in cash at last count, compared to Beall’s $314,000. But when you add in independent campaigns supporting Campos, she leads Beall in the money race.

Most of the money from Chevron, Valero, Tesoro and a spinoff of Occidental Petroleum is gushing into a campaign committee called the Coalition to Restore California’s Middle Class. It’s spending to defend one Republican, and elect or re-elect business-friendly Democrats in four races, including the Campos-Beall race.

Oil money is seeping into unexpected places. Last month, Chevron gave $1 million to a campaign committee called Keeping Californians Working, sponsored by the California Dental Association and others. Dentists and oil companies must have common interests. Drilling, perhaps.

Keeping California Working hopes to keep Winters Mayor Cecilia Aguiar-Curry working by spending heavily to elect her to the Assembly seat that includes Yolo and Napa counties, over her Democratic rivals, Yolo County Supervisor Don Saylor and Davis Mayor Dan Wolk. Business-funded independent campaigns – including the oilies’ Coalition to Restore the Middle Class – have spent no less than $828,000 to elect Aguiar-Curry.

Campaigns become proxies for issues that play out in the Capitol. This one is bigger than most, involving as it does the primacy of the oil industry and California’s fight against climate change. A question lingers: What of the wealthy environmentalists who supported SB 350? For now, San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer, a friend of de León’s and a climate change activist, is monitoring the situation, one of Steyer’s aides said. I’d expect a response soon.

Democrats are in no danger of losing control of the Legislature in 2016. There’s even talk that they could gain supermajorities in both houses in the November election. In theory, Democrats would control all aspects of Sacramento. But that’s theory. As the Beall-Campos race and few others show, Democrats come in different types.

Dan Morain: 916-321-1907, dmorain@sacbee.com, @DanielMorain

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/dan-morain/article77553572.html#storylink=cpy

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Introduced by Senator De León}:

(Coauthor: Senator Hill)

Ayes: Alejo, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Dababneh, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Lopez, Low, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Weber, Williams, Wood, AtkinsAyes: Alejo, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Dababneh, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Lopez, Low, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Weber, Williams, Wood, Atkins
Noes: Achadjian, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Brough, Chang, Chávez, Cooper, Dahle, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Jones, Kim, Lackey, Linder, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, Melendez, Obernolte, Olsen, Patterson, Steinorth, Wagner, Waldron, Wilk
No Votes Recorded: Brown, Daly, Ridley-Thomas

http://insideclimatenews.org/news/03092015/california-bill-divest-largest-pension-funds-coal-fossil-fuel

off bio

Senator Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), President pro Tempore of the California State Senate, has proven to be a tenacious leader that takes on powerful special interests on behalf of his diverse district and those marginalized in California’s economy.

With a focus on using the public-policy process to empower the least fortunate and voiceless, he has led a bold agenda to increase economic opportunity for all Californians focused on education, equity for women, immigrants and low-wage workers, public safety, and strongly maintaining the state’s leadership in building a clean-energy economy that benefits everyone.

Senator de León has authored groundbreaking legislation on a variety of issues that have become national models and exemplify his ambitious approach to policymaking. He employs this today as he leads the upper house in California’s legislature, making real progress on critical issues that stands in stark contrast to the U.S. Congress which stays mired in gridlock.

De León served four years in the Assembly before his election to the Senate in 2010. He is the first person in California history to serve as the Chair of the Appropriations committees in both the Assembly and Senate. In 2014 he became the first Latino elected leader of the Senate in over a century. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school, later earning a degree with honors from Pitzer College. He is a Rodel Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a guest lecturer at the University of Southern California.

Leader on the Environment and Clean Energy

Last year, De León championed sweeping new standards that double energy efficiency in buildings statewide andset the largest state in the union on a path to generate half of its electricity from renewable sources, all by 2030. The debate over de Leon’s SB 350, the most far-reaching climate legislation in the country, created a serious public discussion on how to adequately address climate change and severe pollution while creating equitable access to clean energy.

Along these lines, De León has successfully directed moreclean-energy investments to disadvantaged communities. His SB 535 (2012) requires the California Air Resources Board to spend at least 25 percent of cap-and-trade revenue to benefit low-income communities across California disproportionately impacted by pollution.This law is resulting in new transit, energy efficiency, renewable energy and affordable housing projects across the state.

With SB 1275, he created a rebate initiative to make electric cars more accessible to working familieswith the goal of placing one million low-emission vehicles on the roads.

In 2012, De León co-chaired the successful Proposition 39 campaign closing a corporate-tax loophole and creating a $2.5 billion revenue fund for energy-efficiency upgrades in schools.

Exemplifying his longtime commitment to increasing access to the environment, de León’s first legislative measure when he arrived in Sacramento allocated park funds for communities lacking parks and green space, resulting in 126 park projects across the state - the largest initiative of its kind in the nation.

Tackling pollution in his district, de León was instrumental in bring attention and accountability to the hazardous pollution caused by the Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon, which for years had operated illegally while contaminating nearby communities with lead, arsenic, and other toxins. de León has since secured millions of dollars for cleanup, while implementing oversight and reform measures at the Department of Toxic Substance Control to prevent similar future occurrences.

Senator de León’s record on the environment and energy has been studied by international leaders as they lay out their own steps to confront climate change and build clean-energy economies. Senator de León led the California delegation to the U.N. Climate Talks in Peru and Morocco and accompanied Governor Brown to Paris in 2015 to showcase California’s landmark accomplishments.

Public Safety

Throughout his tenure in the legislature, De León has fought for sensible gun control. This year, he led the charge for the most stringent gun control policies in a generation, leading efforts to approve 11 measures, including his groundbreaking bill, SB 1235, which requires background checks for anyone who buys or sells ammunition. Governor Brown signed the bulk of the measures into law in early July 2016.

Voice for the Working Class

Senator de León negotiated with Governor Jerry Brown and the state’s unions to secure a $15 minimum wage in California, and then shepherded the legislation through both houses to the Governor’s desk. He fought to ensure the legislation was comprehensive and universal, opposing industry-specific and regional carve-outs that would have weakened the law.

Senator de León overcame powerful opposition from Wall Street to pass SB 1234 which created Secure Choice retirement-savings program for California’s private-sector low-income workers. Secure Choice is the first automatic IRA program of its kind in the nation and de León has worked with the White House and Labor Secretary to remove any federal legal barriers that could prevent California and other states that followed from fully implementing their programs.

Senator de León has also authored workers’ compensation reform that lowered insurance costs for businesses, while increasing workers’ benefits. De León also authored legislation that strengthens the Labor Commissioner’s authority in tackling the scourge of wage theft in cities across California - especially Los Angeles which has been dubbed the “Wage Theft Capital of the U.S.”

De León also negotiated the expansion of California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program, replacing the program’s lottery system with a process that quantifies job creation and economic benefits to the state’s economy.

At the start of his Senate career, De León led efforts that cleaned out corrupt governance in the city of Vernon and put in motion political reforms that have since created a real community and good neighbor to Los Angeles.

Leader on Immigration

Senator de León is a leading international voice on immigrant rights and proudly represents a district comprised of many different cultures and ethnicities. During his time in the legislature, he has facilitated numbers of immigration reform laws that together have been recognized as a model for the nation. In 2013, de León brokered a compromise with Governor Jerry Brown to ensure signage of a law which allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers licenses, gain access to insurance, and step out of the shadow economy.

This year, he led a bicameral coalition to sponsor legislation that addresses lapses in our justice and labor systems creating serious challenges for the California’s immigrant community, including stronger wage theft laws, securing u-visas from law enforcement, and providing healthcare for undocumented children. Before joining the Legislature, De León taught citizenship courses to immigrants and led opposition to 1994’s Proposition 187, a voter-approved statewide initiative that denied government services to undocumented immigrants.

Women’s Advocate

In 2014, his bill to prevent sexual assault on college campuses was first law in the nation to require affirmative consent, earning him the recognition from Marie Clairelast year as one of the “ten biggest supporters of women’s right in U.S. government.” Ms. Magazine selected his “yes means yes” measure as the most significant legislative victory on behalf of women for 2014.

This year, he followed up with legislation that requires public high schools teaching health education classes to include sexual assault prevention in their curricula.  He also authored legislation this year that would make significant investments in child care with a focus on empowering women in the workforce. The state budget resulted with new funding for thousands of more slots for subsidized child care.

Running the Senate

In his two years leading the Senate, de León has empowered his caucus members to take on big and bold legislation that truly shape the policy conversation in the nation. The Senate continues to prove why California’s legislature is the nation’s R&D center for common-sense and forward-thinking policies (Read full Senate Democrats accomplishments here and here). Senator de León also strengthened the Senate’s oversight functions with an unprecedented amount of hearings on the operations, effectiveness, and failures of government departments, agencies, and programs. To increase transparency and public participation in the legislative process, de León implemented video of all hearings to be livestreamed and archived online for the first time.

Negotiating the Budget

In two years serving as the Senate’s lead in negotiating the budget, De León has secured critical investments that strengthen the bookends of a student’s educational career, pushing for new investments in childcare and higher education. Under Senator de León’s leadership, California has added over 20,000 additional slots for California students in the University of California and the California State University. In 2016, he also championed the “No Place Like Home” initiative, an innovative and ambitious proposal to address homelessness in California by securing $2 billion in bond financing for construction and rehabilitation of permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless Californians suffering from mental illness. Both budgets during his tenure as Senate leader have been delivered on time, provided protective reserves, payed down debt, provided relief funding for the drought, and wisely invested in children and working families.

Appointments

As leader of the Senate, Pro Tem De Leόn also serves as Chair of the Rules Committee, which is responsible for the vetting of Governor’s appointments that are subject to confirmation by the Senate. This role also provides additional opportunity for the oversight of Administration activities, as the confirmation process allows for the review and evaluation of state agencies, departments, and boards and commissions.

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