PHOTO FROM ATTORNEY GENERAL ROB BONTA’S FACEBOOK PAGE/ MANILA BULLETIN
“I think it is critical that we, California, have a progressive voice as attorney general, even more so as this nation moves to reevaluate our approach to public safety,” said Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) in a Los Angeles Times report.
The Legislature approved Bonta by a vote of 29-6 in the state Senate and 62-0 in the Assembly.
Governor Gavin Newsom nominated him last month to replace Xavier Becerra, who stepped down as attorney general after he was appointed as US President Joe Biden’s health and human secretary.
Group asserts years of public health cuts contributed to Solano’s, state’s Covid crisis
Dr. Bela Matyas
FAIRFIELD A coalition of public health associations, labor groups and other county political advocates said a decade of public health funding cuts inhibited the ability of Solano County and the state to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Covid-19 confirmed the worst fears of public health officials who have been warning that a decade of budget cuts would leave our workforce hollowed out and our infrastructure wiped out just when we needed it most,” Colleen Chawla, president of the California Health Executives Association of California and director of the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, said in a statement released by California Can’t Wait.
California Elected Officials, Civic Leaders React to George Floyd Verdict
By Antonio Ray Harvey, Bo Tefu & Tanu Henry California Black Media
Published April 22, 2021
(Courtesy photo)
“The hard truth,” Gov. Newsom said in an April 20 statement, “is that if George Floyd looked like me, he’d still be alive today.” Newsom made the remark after a Hennepin County jury found Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, 45, guilty in the murder of George Floyd.
The jury convicted Chauvin on two counts of murder, homicide and one of manslaughter, for pinning his knee on the neck of Floyd for nine minutes and 29 seconds on May 25, 2020.
By City News Service
Apr 20, 2021
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Southland leaders reacted quickly today to the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, while law enforcement agencies remained on heightened alert in response to possible rallies or protests.
“Justice has been served! I think we can breathe a sigh of relief, Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Gardena, wrote on Twitter. “This is the moment we ve been waiting for. But we still have more work to do. This is only the beginning.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez issued a statement saying, “The murder of George Floyd at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve marked another moment of betrayal to communities of color. Today s verdict is one small step forward in the never-ending fight for justice and accountability, underscoring that no one is above the law.
Another soda tax bill dies. Another win for Big Soda.
A rogue industry. A gun to our head. Extortion.
That s how infuriated lawmakers described soft drink companies and what they pulled off in 2018 when they scored a legislative deal that bars California s cities and counties from imposing taxes on sugary drinks.
Yet, despite its tarnished reputation, the deep-pocketed industry continues to exert its political influence in the nation s most populous state, spending millions of dollars on politically connected lobbyists and doling out campaign contributions to nearly every state lawmaker.
The result? Bills long opposed by Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo and other beverage companies continue to flounder. Just two weeks ago, a measure that would have undone the 2018 deal that lawmakers so vehemently protested was shelved without a hearing.