Immigrants can join state boards under new law
SACRAMENTO — Undocumented immigrants and other noncitizens will be allowed to serve on state boards and commissions after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills Saturday intended to integrate immigrants further into society.
SB225 by Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, DLos Angeles, expands eligibility for state appointments to any California resident over the age of 18.
In a signing message, Newsom said applicants deserved to be considered on their merits, rather than their immigration status.
“Building a more representative government requires an assessment of barriers that prevent talented and qualified Californians from consideration for public service,” he said. “California doesn’t succeed in spite of our diversity — our state succeeds because of it.”
Newsom signed another bill Saturday prohibiting civil arrests inside a courthouse of anyone who is there for a court proceeding or other legal business. The law does not apply to criminal arrests.
AB668 by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, DSan Diego, aims to prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from carrying out operations at California courthouses.
Advocates have raised concerns that ICE arresting undocumented immigrants at courthouses has had a chilling effect, discouraging immigrants from testifying or appearing in court.
“The courts have an institutional responsibility to ensure all Californians have safe and orderly access to justice,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “When people don’t feel safe showing up to court to act as a witness, pay a fine, or file papers because they may be subjected to civil arrest — the system is broken.”
Newsom also acted on a number of other bills:
Recycling: Newsom vetoed a bill to give California one of the toughest recycling mandates for plastic bottles in the nation.
AB792 by Assemblyman Phil Ting, DSan Francisco, would have required beverage companies to use 50% recycled content in bottles by 2030. CalRecycle, the state’s recycling agency, would have audited companies and fined those that didn’t comply.
Newsom cited late amendments to the bill establishing criteria to grant waivers to manufacturers, which he said “would result in a costly, burdensome process that undermines the worthy intent of the legislation.”
Ting said he plans to revive the bill when lawmakers return to the Capitol in January.
“AB792 would have ensured that our used plastic CRV bottles actually get recycled, and not just tossed into the blue bin to be shipped to another country,” Ting said in a statement.
The new law would have been the first of its kind in the U.S. and given California a tougher benchmark on plastic-bottle recycled content than the European Union, which has set a goal of 30% recycled plastics in bottles by 2030.
Jail: Newsom vetoed a bill that would have ended the practice of county jails releasing people in the middle of the night when they don’t have a safe ride or access to mass transit.
SB42 by Sen. Nancy Skinner, DBerkeley, would have required jails to offer inmates scheduled to be released between sunset and 8 a.m. the option to remain in jail or a safe waiting area until business hours and to provide them with access to a phone.
“Jails should not be releasing inmates onto the street during overnight hours,” Newsom said in a veto message. “This is simply an unsafe practice, resulting in many tragic and preventable outcomes over the years.”
But he said requiring a new policy would force the state to reimburse counties for the cost of keeping inmates in jail an extra night, a significant expense.
“The bill’s intent can be accomplished through a more tailored approach that does not put the state treasury on the hook for local jail operation costs which are a local responsibility,” he said.
The bill was opposed by the California State Sheriffs’ Association, which said the “unfunded mandate” could force them to cut other services. The association told lawmakers that “the reach and responsibility of public entities can only extend so far” after an inmate is released.
Ballpark: The Oakland A’s will have an easier time financing and building a proposed new ballpark at the Port of Oakland’s Howard Terminal after Newsom signed two bills Friday to help the team.
AB1191 by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, DAlameda, streamlines the process for the A’s to receive the necessary permits for the stadium. The law gives the State Lands Commission, which manages 4 million acres of tidelands and submerged lands, the authority to decide whether the ballpark is an appropriate use of the site at the Port of Oakland.
SB293 by Sen. Nancy Skinner, DBerkeley, allows Oakland to create a new tax district to pay for roads, walkways, electrical and sewer lines, and other infrastructure near the proposed stadium.
By 2023, the A’s hope to open a privately funded 35,000seat stadium, along with nearby housing and commercial developments, on a 50acre site at the Oakland Estuary near Jack London Square.
The project is opposed by shipping companies and port workers concerned that the ballpark would obstruct a key basin where dozens of ships load and unload each week.
The next step is the completion of an environmental impact report, which is expected by the end of the year.