Today I'm announcing that I have made a decision to hold #AB1993, which would require all California businesses to require their employees and independent contractors to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Thread — Our priority during this pandemic has been to make sure all Californians are as safe as possible by following the data and science around public health — which is why California continues to have some of the lowest COVID case rates, deaths and injuries per capita. (2/7)

How do I begin to unpack how deeply disturbed I was by yesterday’s Supreme Court arguments?
 
Justice Sotomayor spoke for so many of us with this question. She spoke for me.

In September, I had a miscarriage requiring an emergency abortion procedure —

(tw // miscarriage)

https://twitter.com/ProfMMurray/status/1466066984869765127

I was making lunch at my kitchen counter when I began to feel severe cramping, accompanied by heavy bleeding. I knew something wasn’t right. I took Advil, and hoped it would resolve itself — it didn’t.
 
So I called my doctor, who presented to me a number of possible causes —

Last wk was the 2021 #CALeg bill deadline. I'm proud to say 4 of my bills are headed to the Gov's desk for consideration!

#AB1405 adds essential guardrails to the debt settlement industry—protecting consumers from bad actors & harmful business paractices.calmatters.org/california-div… #AB1455 provides the survivors of those sexually assaulted by law enforcement officers, more time to seek a civil claim w/out fear of intimidation or retribution. It allows victims up to ten years after such a law enforcement officer is no longer employed, to file a civil claim.

https://twitter.com/BuffyWicks/status/1365080936853901312

This is alarming: CA's new COVID surge would have put many counties back into the most restrictive tier under our reopening blueprint.

It's time we do something uncomfortable: make vaccination mandatory—at schools, gyms, hospitals, workplaces, etc. Thread—mercurynews.com/2021/07/19/cal… Universities across the US are making the responsible choice by requiring that students & staff get vaccinated. A federal appeals court just upheld their right to require vaccination. Many more schools, hospitals, businesses & workplaces should do the same.cnn.com/2021/07/19/us/…

Proud to share that #AB1041, the Chosen Family Act, passed the Assembly!

AB 1041 would expand the definition of family to allow workers to take time off to care for their "designated person"—more accurately reflecting today's diverse families, esp. in the LGBTQI community. (1/4) As my colleague, & proud co-author of #AB1041, @BauerKahan pointed out: CA is home to so many diverse, multi-generational families—it isn't always biological family who is there to care for children in a time of need.

She shared her beautiful, personal story of "My Diane." (2/4)

Today, Governor @GavinNewsom released his proposed 2021-22 budget. As California begins its recovery in the wake of the #COVID19 pandemic, I’m encouraged by the Governor’s priorities & proposed investments to support Californians hardest hit by its impacts.a15.asmdc.org/press-releases… This year’s budget, necessarily, looks very different from last year’s — and helping working families recover from the pandemic must be the lens through which all decisions are made.gov.ca.gov/2021/01/08/gov…

.@angela_rye speaking truth on CNN:

“Here is the real unfortunate reality, to quote fmr Sen Majority Leader Harry Reid on Donald Trump: He is the Frankenstein of the Republican Party. I’m not going to take the onus off the Republican Party for the monster *they* built & created— “Let’s not put all the responsibility at the feet of Trump. Let’s instead put some responsibility on those who worked *diligently* to suppress votes—then wanted to call John Lewis the conscience of the Congress when he died—but *still* won’t pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act—

2020 was a year of historic significance. A global pandemic. Economic hardship. Racial reckoning.

But it’s in these moments of consequence that we’re reminded govt *does* have a role to play. We need good public policy that actually *helps* people.

So what comes next? (Thread—) First and foremost in my mind: we need policies that support our working families — who are struggling to keep their heads above water just trying to make it work. Particularly working parents.

Every day in CA, nearly 550,000 fast food workers serve more than 10M customers. Yet, at the height of a pandemic, fast food workers face pressure to work while sick, are fired for calling in sick, get denied sick pay & a living wage — & lack access to PPE.mercurynews.com/2020/05/26/all… Fast food workers are treated as expendable — and yet, time and again, they prove to be critically essential.

It’s long past time we hold these billion-dollar fast food companies accountable for any unsafe — and unfair — working conditions at their restaurants.

Yesterday brought w/it sobering pandemic news: A record number of #COVID cases. A record number of hospitalizations. And almost 2,000 lives lost. It’s especially disheartening when you consider this is all coming *before* people congregate to celebrate the holiday season. Thread— In light of this news I wanted to take a moment to share w/you the most up-to-date moves by our state and county to limit the spread of the virus here at home — as well as tips from @CAPublicHealth @CoCoHealth & @Dare2BWell for how we can all celebrate the holiday season safely.

It’s been a busy last few days in the California Legislature as we come up against our end-of-session deadlines.

I’m so proud & excited to share that, in addition to #AB725, we’ve been able to move six more of my bills to Governor @GavinNewsom’s desk!

(Thread—)

https://twitter.com/buffywicks/status/1300316177437089795

✅ HEALTHCARE ACCESS

#AB2037 — with the Governor’s signature, our communities will have more time to respond to, or plan around, the closure of a hospital or the loss of healthcare services.

With the #COVID19 pandemic, this is as vital as ever.

I know this goes w/out saying: but this man should not be leading our nation's efforts against #COVID19.

Holding hostage fed funding for schools—which largely go to vulnerable students & those w/disabilities—unless they fully reopen b/c @realDonaldTrump "says so," is a disgrace.

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1284842429540192256

ADDENDUM: It's pretty incredible that we're ~ 6 months since our 1st #COVID19 case—& @realDonaldTrump is *still* incapable of understanding that the most important thing we must get right w/kids in schools, is minimizing how they spread the virus to adults.usatoday.com/story/news/hea…

In recognition of #Pride month, I want to share & celebrate the story of the trailblazing Black woman in these photos: Ernestine Eckstein.

These photos of her picketing w/a sign reading
"Denial of Equality of Opportunity is Immoral" were taken in Oct of 1965 in front of the WH. These picket lines were organized by Frank Kameny to protest the ban on #LGBTQ people from serving in the federal govt. These were early gay rights demonstrations — at a time when being gay was still considered a "mental illness.”

They were risking their jobs.

They were BRAVE.

CA's #nonprofits⁠—our clinics, shelters, food banks, senior centers & more⁠—are on the #COVID19 frontlines. Their services are needed now more than ever.

But they're struggling to raise what they need to serve.

Thread on why #DAFs must step up to help —nytimes.com/reuters/2020/0… What's a donor-advised fund (#DAF)?

As @hasanminhaj explains—they're one of the fastest growing vehicles for charitable giving in the US.

They're appealing bc when you give to a DAF, you take the tax break now—w/out any legal requirement of $ to go to nonprofits. Indefinitely.

We’re just over a wk into our #COVID19 #StayAtHome order—& my, what a wk it’s been.

Like most, I’m locked down @ home—relying on teleconferences for much-needed facetime w/family, friends & staff. And like many of you, I have a restless toddler on my lap through it all—[thread] I understand the challenge of our situation. But I hope you—like myself—find power in information & action.

Along w/my colleagues in local & state gov't, I'm working hard to bring you the latest—as quickly as possible. We're approaching this situation w/the urgency it deserves.

I know many are feeling a little overwhelmed & powerless right now in the face of this #COVID19 public health crisis — so I wanted to share some ways you can take action to help our neighbors & communities during this time of need.

Feel free to share your ideas, too! Thread👇🏻 1) Volunteer at your local food bank!

Our food banks are facing severe shortages of vols due to #coronavirus — so if you're healthy & able, find your local food bank & help!👉🏻feedingamerica.org/find-your-loca…

If unable to vol, consider making a donation online. mercurynews.com/2020/03/13/cor…

During this #COVID19 public health emergency, access to food is a challenge for many of our neighbors—esp. kids who rely on free & reduced lunches at school, seniors, & our food-insecure neighbors.

Thread w/information on food access in #AD15, & ways you can help (if able)—(1/9) School districts throughout #AD15 are taking steps to provide meals to students who rely on free & reduced lunches during #COVID19 closures.

The following is all the info we have right now. We must be aggressive & proactive — to ensure access to all families. (2)

I wanted to provide you all w/an update on actions the State of CA is taking to contain the spread of #COVID19—

Gov. @GavinNewsom has issued an executive order requiring the cancellation any gatherings of 250+ statewide. This supersedes local measures allowing larger gatherings.

https://twitter.com/gavinnewsom/status/1238125931568365569

In addition, @GavinNewsom’s executive order:

- Waives the one-week waiting period for people who are unemployed and/or disabled as a result of #COVID19.

- Delays the deadline for state tax filing by 60 days for individuals & businesses unable to file on time due to COVID-19.

Last yr, the Violence Against Women Act expired—& the House passed its reauthorization *290* days ago. Sen Republicans have blocked it.

In those 290 days, an estimated:
- 496 women were shot & killed by partners
- 5.3M kids exposed to domestic violence
- 22 trans people murdered During the 290 days Sen Republicans have blocked #VAWA—100s of Native American women & girls were murdered or went missing—but we don't know just how many.

That's why Congress must also pass Savanna's Act—to gather this data & address our #MMIWG epidemic. theguardian.com/us-news/2020/j…

This is frightening & insane—“A bill to ban abortion introduced in the Ohio legislature requires doctors to ‘reimplant an ectopic pregnancy’ into a woman’s uterus – a procedure that does not exist in medical science – or face charges of ‘abortion murder.’—theguardian.com/us-news/2019/n… “An ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition — where an embryo implants on the mother’s fallopian tube rather than the uterus— rendering the pregnancy unviable. It can kill a woman if the embryonic tissue grows unchecked. Ohio’s—is one of the most extreme bills to date.”

Here’s our sorry excuse of a president—the President of the United States of America—on Russian state TV calling Vladimir Putin “a great guy.” He’s a dictator who rules w/impunity, oversees terror campaigns against LGBTQ+ ppl, & attacked our democracy. It comes just a day after the son of our president — accidentally gave away the game, when he posted this vile tweet about Senator @KamalaHarris during the Democratic Debate. He then deleted it, but not before observant watchdogs figured out it was an aggressive bot campaign—