Category: Nancy Skinner

Drug Poisoning Victims’ Families Demand Legislative Action on National Fentanyl Awareness Day

Protesters gathered in front of California Sen. Toni Atkins’s (D-San Diego) office in San Diego on May 9—National Fentanyl Awareness Day—requesting the majority leader take a bipartisan fentanyl bill to the floor for a vote. Family members wearing t-shirts and carrying pictures of their deceased loved ones joined with advocacy groups in a unified call…


California’s Windfall Profits Penalty Bill on Oil Companies Sails Through State Senate

California’s first-of-its-kind bill to cap oil company profits and regulate the industry easily won approval March 23 from the state Senate as it moves to the Assembly and near-certain passage. Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom’s campaign to punish oil companies for charging record-high prices at the pump last year in the state—reaching $9 a gallon in…


California Bill Would Protect Doctors Who Mail Abortion Pills to Out-of-State Patients

California legislators have introduced a bill that would protect the state’s doctors who mail abortion pills to patients in other states as well as other protections including those related to so-called “gender-affirming care.” State Senate Bill 345, introduced last month by state Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), would allow doctors to provide and dispense abortion and…


California Bill Would Ban ‘Junk’ Fees for Hotels, Flights, Concert Tickets

California officials are taking aim at eliminating junk fees—or hidden costs—on goods and services following a national push by the Biden administration. State Attorney General Rob Bonta joined with Democratic state Sens. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) and Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) by sponsoring SB 478. “Prices advertised should be the price you pay. Plain and simple,” Bonta…


California Bill Would Ban Student Suspensions for Defying Teachers, Disrupting Classes

A California Senate bill introduced last week would ban schools from suspending students who disrupt class or defy teachers—known as willful defiance suspensions. Senate Bill 274 introduced by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) said such suspensions lead to students dropping out and exacerbate learning loss at a time when many are still behind due to the…


Republican Criticizes California’s ‘Behind the Scenes’ Budget

The California Legislature approved a $262.6 billion budget proposal June 28, the largest in the state’s history, but a Republican state lawmaker said Democrats have corrupted the process through backroom deals that rob transparency and leave no room for outside input. In the state budget proceedings, when reviewing senate and assembly versions of the budget, which are always different, a conference committee would…