A CAPITOL VIEW: COUNCIL SCORES LEGISLATIVE WINS

The Bay Area Council’s advocacy this week (June 1) helped kill a bill that had been identified as a job killer and win Assembly approval of another bill that will ensure all low-income children in California have an opportunity to attend preschool.

AB 357 would have required retailers, restaurants, and grocery stores to provide employees with at least two weeks’ notice of their work schedules. This is problematic for many reasons, not least of which is that it discourages employers from offering additional work to part-time employees because they will face penalties for not providing the notice of their work schedules imposed by this legislation. The union-backed bill was sidelined after it was clear there were not sufficient votes to move it forward.

On Wednesday (June 3), the Assembly passed AB 47, the Preschool for All Act of 2015. The bill recognizes the growing body of research showing that investing in quality early education is highly effective in promoting student academic success, leading to increased high school graduation rates and college attendance, decreased crime, and a stronger middle class. In sum, early education eliminates gaps in achievement before they arise. AB 47 will ensure California begins to address our overwhelming need for preschool. It now moves to the Senate for a vote.

In addition, the Council is staunchly opposed to SB 593. This bill requires hosting platforms that facilitate short-term rentals of residential housing, like Airbnb, to report detailed and sensitive data about rentals to local governments. SB 593’s reporting requirements place extreme administrative burdens on hosting platform operators that are unfair and detrimental to the innovation economy.

To engage in the Council’s government relations work, contact Policy Manager Cornelious Burke.