What's Next: 2022 Leg Items, Student Debt, Climate, & More
September 2, 2022
In this week’s What’s Next, we break down the main NGP bills that made it to the Governor’s desk for signature, provide an update on our student loan debt advocacy work, recap the state’s incredible investments to fight climate change, plus other important news. Also, you will learn more about our upcoming work and how you can take action to support our efforts!
★ Our Legislative Focus: Help us urge Governor Newsom to take action on several important NGP bills! The following NGP supported bills were passed by the Legislature and now await the Governor’s signature by the Sept 30th deadline.
- Food Insecurity – SB 907 (Pan): Provides Local Equitable Access to Food (LEAF) for all Californians, increases the number of farmers’ markets across the state, and expands EBT payment options for low-income shoppers at farmer’s markets. Send an email to the Governor asking him to sign SB 907!
- Justice – AB 2632 (Holden): The California Mandela Act – limits the use of solitary confinement in California jails, prisons, and private immigration detention facilities and protects specific vulnerable populations from solitary confinement, including those who are pregnant and those who have disabilities. Send an email to the Governor asking him to sign AB 2632!
- Digital Equity – AB 2750 (Bonta): Creates a State Digital Equity Plan to ensure all Californians have access to affordable, high-quality broadband service. AB 2750 currently awaits Governor Newsom’s signature. Send a tweet to the Governor (@CAgovernor) asking him to sign AB 2750!
- Racial Justice – AB 256 (Kalra): Addresses racism in the courtroom by creating a process to correct the wrongs of racist convictions – extending the process to those who have already been harmed. Send a letter to the Governor asking him to sign AB 256!
- Climate Action Package: All year we have voiced how Going Big on Climate action will help California become more resilient, equitable, and prosperous, while also positioning us as a model for other states and a global leader. But we need to ensure that Governor Newsom signs these key climate bills and also continues to pursue a 100% climate-aligned state budget. To learn how you can join us and take action to help California Go Big on Climate, visit our Go Big On Climate website.
- SB 1137 (Gonzalez) establishes a 3,200 ft. health and safety buffer zone between oil wells and schools, homes, and medical facilities;
- AB 1279 (Muratsuchi) sets a climate pollution reduction target of 85% below 1990 levels to achieve carbon neutrality statewide by 2045;
- SB 1020 (Laird) accelerates the transition to 100% clean energy by setting a target of 90% by 2035;
- AB 2438 (Friedman) aligns our spending on transportation infrastructure with our state’s climate and equity goals.
★ Student Debt Digest: NGP is fully on board with the Biden Administration’s student loan debt cancellation plan and we continue to fight for policies that will lead to a future free from student loan debt! The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program’s application period is October 31st and student loan borrowers working in public service are eligible to apply! NGP is sharing resources with and outreaching to California public service employers to get them to participate in the California Student Debt Challenge. For helpful student borrower resources and a breakdown of our efforts to support student borrowers, check out our Free My Future website.
California is strongest when we come together to make our voices heard.
We need your voice now, more than ever. Please visit our NGP ACTION Center and help us urge Governor Newsom to sign our priority bills currently sitting on his desk.
We’ve provided everything you need in just a few simple clicks.
★ Did You Know? This November, Proposition 1 will be on the California ballot. Proposition 1 protects the right to abortion and contraception in our state, and prevents any future federal attempts to restrict access. Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022 — please make sure you’re registered to vote.
★ We’re In The News: NextGen is making noise! In response to the Biden Administration’s historic federal student loan cancellation announcement, the LA Times featured some thoughts from our Legislative Director, Samantha Seng on how this policy change will impact vulnerable populations, read the full article.
We also highlighted climate this past month in an effort to get the Legislature and the Governor to Go Big On Climate. Check out what our Executive Director, Arnie Sowell Jr., and our Senior Policy Advisor, David Weiskopf, had to say about the state needing to take bold climate action on NBCLA’s Conan Nolan show. Watch the full clip below!
In response to the historic climate package put forth by the Legislature last week, David was quoted in a recent New York Times article acknowledging the unprecedented efforts by any California Governor in the climate space by passing $54 billion in this years budget saying, “Governor Newsom showed up and said let’s get climate done. He’d never done that before.”
★ Member Spotlight: The Legislature is making moves! This past month there were some new and exciting appointments to key legislative Caucuses. Senator Nancy Skinner (@NancySkinnerCA) will be the new Chair of the California Women’s Caucus. Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (@AsmCervantes) was elected as the new California Latino Caucus Chair. And Assemblymember Lori Wilson (@AsmLoriDWilson) will serve as the Chair of the Black Caucus. We congratulate the new caucus chairs, look forward to their leadership, and encourage you to follow them on Twitter!
★ What’s Next: This month, we’re making the final push to advocate for our legislative package – and we’ll need your help! We’ll be directly calling on the Governor to sign our bills, and we encourage you to join us in urging him to take action by engaging via social media, email, quick phone calls, and more!
NextGen Policy fights for progressive policy change to address environmental, social, racial, and economic inequities through justice-centered legislative advocacy, grassroots partnerships, and democratic civic engagement.
Thank you,
NextGen Policy