Current Issues

NAME OF BILL: SB 1293 – Recall Elections: Notice of Intention: Public Information

SPONSOR: Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh

DESCRIPTION: Requires the published copy of the notice of intention to omit the proponents’ signatures and street addresses.

STATUS: Currently in Senate Judiciary Committee

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: SB 1442 – CalRx: Fentanyl Test Strips

SPONSOR: Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh

DESCRIPTION: Authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services Agency to enter into partnerships to develop, produce, and distribute fentanyl test strips through the CalRx initiative.

STATUS: Currently in Senate Appropriations Committee

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: SB 612 – Speech-language pathologists

SPONSOR: Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh

DESCRIPTION: Clean-up legislation to last year’s SB 1428 regarding the ability for speech-language pathologists to perform a flexible fiber optic transnasal endoscopic procedure.

STATUS: Waiting Governor Newsom’s signature

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: SB 1368 – Access to Information on Pregnancy Centers

SPONSOR: Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh

DESCRIPTION: Updates the comprehensive sexual health and HIV prevention education required for pupils in grades 7-12 to include information about licensed pregnancy centers as part of the instruction on local resources for sexual health and pregnancy.

STATUS: Currently in Senate Education Committee

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: SB 1224 – Riverside County Fairgrounds: Alcohol Permit

SPONSOR: Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh

DESCRIPTION: Amends the B&P Code to allow Riverside County Fairgrounds to sell alcohol without requiring the grounds to maintain a fully-operational kitchen.

STATUS: Currently in Senate Appropriations Committee

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 1842 – Medication Assisted Treatment

AUTHOR: Assembly Member Eloise Reyes

DESCRIPTION: Addresses the state’s overdose crisis by removing prior authorization rules that create barriers in accessing medication assisted treatment to treat substance use disorder.

STATUS: Referred to ASM Health Committee

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 1911 – RCFE Complaint Investigation Act

AUTHOR: Assembly Member Eloise Reyes

DESCRIPTION: Improves the Residential Care Facility for the Elderly complaint investigation process by ensuring that all complainants receive a response and provides for more effective and timely investigations and appeals for dissatisfied complainants.

STATUS: Referred to ASM Human Services Committee

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 1930 – Child Development Associate Teacher Permit Renewals

AUTHOR: Assembly Member Eloise Reyes

DESCRIPTION: Addresses staffing shortages that exist within early learning and care programs by removing restrictions on Associate Teacher permit renewals.

STATUS: Referred to ASM Education Committee

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 1956 – Crime Victim Services Stabilization Act

AUTHOR: Assembly Member Eloise Reyes

DESCRIPTION: Requires California to support funding for essential crime victim services when there are major reductions in funding.

STATUS: Passed ASM Public Service Committee. Referred to ASM Appropriations Committee

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 2033 – EBT on Every Campus

AUTHOR: Assembly Member Eloise Reyes

DESCRIPTION: Ensures that college students can use their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards in at least one location in college campuses across the state.

STATUS: Referred to ASM Higher Education Committee

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 2262 – Small Business Utilization

AUTHOR: Assembly Member Eloise Reyes

DESCRIPTION: Encourages cities and counties to adopt Small Business Utilization Plans to leverage local contracting activities to support small businesses and local economic growth.

STATUS: Awaiting Committee Assignment

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 2590 – San Bernardino County Transportation Authority’s Thresholds

AUTHOR: Assembly Member Eloise Reyes

DESCRIPTION: Updates San Bernardino County Transportation Authority’s contracting requirements to account for increased costs.

STATUS: Awaiting Committee Assignment

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 2982 – Bright Beginnings Act

AUTHOR: Assembly Member Eloise Reyes

DESCRIPTION: Establishes a statewide Prenatal-to-Three Workgroup to craft evidence-based and community-informed recommendations for a 10-year comprehensive, equity-focused policy agenda to support our youngest children their families.

STATUS: Referred to ASM Human Services Committee

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 3020 –  2-1-1 Infrastructure Improvement Act

AUTHOR: Assembly Member Eloise Reyes

DESCRIPTION: Establishes the 2-1-1 Strategic Council to identify and establish an ongoing funding source for statewide 2-1-1 infrastructure and operations and recommend policies and priorities to encourage the development of California’s 2-1-1 infrastructure.

STATUS: Referred to ASM Communications and Conveyance Committee

For more information on this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 44 – California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System: tribal police

AUTHOR: Assembly-member James Ramos

DESCRIPTION: AB 44 would express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to facilitate greater self-governance in the area of law enforcement by tribal governments and tribal police by granting more consistent authority to tribal police to enforce state laws and by granting tribal police access to the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System. The bill also makes related findings and declarations.

STATUS: Passed Assembly, currently in the Senate.

For more information about this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 46 – Personal income taxes: exclusion: Military Services Retirement and Surviving Spouse Benefit Payment Act

AUTHOR: Assembly-member James Ramos

DESCRIPTION: This bill for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2034, would exclude from gross income retirement pay received by a taxpayer from the federal government for service performed in the uniformed services, as defined, during the taxable year. The bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2034, would also exclude from gross income annuity payments received by a qualified taxpayer, as defined, pursuant to a United States Department of Defense Survivor Benefit Plan during the taxable year. The bill would make related findings and declarations.

STATUS: Passed Assembly, currently in the Senate.

For more information about this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 81 – Indian children: child custody proceedings

AUTHOR: Assembly-member James Ramos

DESCRIPTION: This bill is in response to the pending Supreme Court decision regarding the Indian Children Welfare Act (ICWA). AB 81 seeks to reinforce California’s commitment to Indian children, families and tribes by acknowledging that federally recognized tribes are sovereign nations with inherent rights to self-governance, including the right to regulate domestic relations involving their citizens. Tribes have been protecting and caring for their children from time immemorial and tribes’ rights to remain involved in state proceedings involving their children’s welfare must be protected. Indian children continue to be disproportionately represented in California’s child welfare system and new research shows that tribes being involved in dependency cases as early as possible can reduce a child’s time in state care, so this proposed legislation is urgently needed to reinforce the State’s commitment to protecting essential tribal relations by recognizing a tribe’s right to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens.

STATUS: Passed Assembly, currently in the Senate.

For more information about this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 273 – Foster care: missing children and nonminor dependents

AUTHOR: Assembly-member James Ramos

DESCRIPTION: AB 273, among other things, would additionally require the social worker or probation officer, when they determine that a child or nonminor dependent is absent from foster care, to provide notification immediately, or in no case later than 24 hours from receipt of the information, to specified persons, including the child’s parents and the local law enforcement agency, and would require the next status review hearing to be held in an expedited manner. The bill would require the social worker or probation officer to also serve notice of the hearing and to provide a report at the hearing and any subsequent hearings describing their efforts to locate, place, and stabilize the child or nonminor dependent, as specified. The bill would define “absent from foster care” to mean when the whereabouts of a child receiving child welfare services, including dependents or wards in foster care and nonminor dependents, who is placed in foster care are unknown to the county child welfare agency or probation department taking into account the age, intelligence, mental functioning, and physical condition of the child or nonminor dependent.

STATUS: Passed Assembly, currently in the Senate.

For more information about this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 349 – Patton State Hospital: lease: housing and mental health services for homeless

AUTHOR: Assembly-member James Ramos

DESCRIPTION: This bill would authorize Patton State Hospital, located in San Bernardino County to enter into an agreement with a nonprofit corporation or local government to provide housing and provide mental health services to the Inland Empire’s homeless population.

STATUS: Passed Assembly, currently in Senate

For more information about this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 461 – Student safety: fentanyl test strips

AUTHOR: Assembly-member James Ramos

DESCRIPTION: AB 461 requires California Community Colleges and the California State Universities to stock fentanyl test strips at a campus health center as well as provide information about how to properly use them. This bill would also request the Regents of the University of California to do so.

STATUS: Passed Assembly, currently in Senate

For more information about this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 462 – Overdose response teams

AUTHOR: Assembly-member James Ramos

DESCRIPTION: AB 462 would create a fund in the State Treasury for providing grants to counties to establish and implement overdose response teams with the sheriff’s departments of those counties. AB 462 would require the teams to respond to and investigate overdose deaths and nonfatal overdoses including those involving juveniles and multiple victims, with a focus on overdose deaths related to fentanyl.

STATUS: Currently in Assembly’s Public Safety Committee

For more information about this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 685 – Workforce training: CaliforniaVolunteers: youth job corps

AUTHOR: Assembly-member James Ramos

DESCRIPTION: The #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps is an innovative partnership between the State of California and local government to help underserved youth find employment. By expanding the program throughout all of California, young people in all areas of the State, but particularly in underserved and rural areas will gain critical job skills while making a positive, lasting impact in their communities.

STATUS: Waiting to be assigned committee in the Assembly

For more information about this bill, click here.

NAME OF BILL: AB 1508 – Department of Housing and Community Development: California Statewide Housing Plan

AUTHOR: Assembly-member James Ramos

DESCRIPTION: This bill directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop a plan, within the California Statewide Housing Plan to increase homeownership of first-time-home buyers who have been disproportionately impacted by California’s ongoing housing crisis.

STATUS: Passed Assembly, currently in Senate

For more information about this bill, click here.

As the home to the largest number of veterans in the nation, it is time California honors their service and sacrifice. This legislation by Assemblyman James Ramos, would exclude from gross income retirement pay received for service in the uniformed services and annuity payments received from a Survivor Benefit Plan. As a result, beginning in 2023, this income would not be subject to California State Income Tax.

As a Gold Star Spouse, Supervisor Rowe has a direct and personal understanding of the positive impact this legislation would have on veterans and their survivors. Supervisor Rowe is proud to offer her strong endorsement of this much-needed bill and thanks Assemblyman Ramos for leading this effort.

The Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP) is an insect that feeds on citrus plants and can spread a deadly plant disease called Huanglongbing (HLB), which has been found in San Bernardino County. While the disease is not harmful to people or pets, once a citrus tree is infected it will die. This disease has had a devastating impact on the citrus industries in Florida and Texas, so this threat to local growers has been monitored closely over the past few years. Recently, populations of ACP were detected near commercial groves in Highland, Mentone, and Redlands, which has resulted in the Proclamation of an Emergency Program from the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

ACP, and the disease it can carry, threaten loss and damage to not only citrus crops but also backyard citrus trees and food supplies. The recommended treatment plan for the ACP detections will be implemented within a 250-meter radius of each ACP detection site. Residents in the treatment area will be contacted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which will complete the treatments at no cost. 

To learn more visit: CaliforniaCitrusTreat.org

The San Bernardino County Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant is designed to assist businesses that have experienced economic barriers due to the global pandemic. The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors approved $2,500 to be disbursed to qualified businesses. Businesses and Non-Profits that quality for this grant must be located within the San Bernardino County boundaries, have been started before December 31, 2019, have five or less full-time employees, and have gross revenues of less than $50,000 in 2019 and 2020. 

To apply or find out more about this program, please click here.

The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA), in cooperation with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), is proposing to extend the eastbound truck climbing lane on Interstate 10 from the existing EB off-ramp at Live Oak Canyon Road located in the City of Yucaipa, to just east of the existing County Line Road EB off-ramp at the Riverside County line in the City of Calimesa. The existing truck climbing lane will be extended for an additional three miles along a steep uphill portion of I-10. The Project will improve traffic operations by separating trucks from faster moving passenger vehicles. Construction is anticipated to be completed in the Spring of 2024. 

For more information please click here.

For the next few weeks crews will continue to work on retaining wall construction on Alabama Street and the I-10 off-ramps, performing paving at the off-ramps, and working on underground utilities. At times work throughout the corridor may be loud and cause vibration. Please remember all construction is dynamic and the schedule is weather-permitting and subject to change. When finished, this project will Reduce congestion, improve safety, and improve traffic operations along Alabama Street between Orange Tree Lane and Industrial Park Avenue. Construction should be completed by the end of 2022.  

For up-to-date information and alerts, please click here.

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors have approved a road rehabilitation and reconstruction project that will improve 32 miles of roads within Redlands, Mentone, and Yucaipa areas. Construction is anticipated to start in September 2022. To see a map of roads included in the project, please click here.