The California State Senate has severely limited press access in the chamber to journalists and despite repeated calls from @CCACalifornia to change this, leaders will not listen.

Here’s what’s going on 🧵 Before the pandemic, journalists had access to these desks behind lawmakers.

@CCACalifornia actually has had jurisdiction over them.

These desks allow journalists to interact with Senators in a way that we cannot any other time outside of floor session…

New: Gov. Newsom’s Dept. of Finance notified CALeg it needs a $3.44 billion loan for Medi-Cal.

Letter doesn’t say it, but state leaders expanded Medi-Cal last year to provide health insurance to undocumented people.

The administration underestimated how much that would cost. Last month, @carldemaio pressed the admin about the total cost of the expansion.

Original estimate was $6 billion this year, but so far that's now $9.5 billion, most of which is from general fund.

Speaker Rivas then removed DeMaio from the committee.
kcra.com/article/califo…

NEW: For the 3rd time, a California bill is filed to ban state lawmakers from signing non-disclosure agreements.

The latest version comes after we found CALeg used them for its new $1.2 billion office building, forcing 2,000 ppl to keep details secret🧵
kcra.com/article/califo… CA's Democratic Leaders killed the first two versions of this filed in response to our reporting on how NDAs were used in the negotiations of CA's fast-food $20 min. wage.

No one on record will say how a mysterious exemption for bakeries is in that law.
kcra.com/article/effort…

California lawmakers in the Assembly are holding their first hearing on Gov. Newsom’s proposed $322B state spending plan.

Chairman Asm. Jesse Gabriel noted it was proposed in “a different era.”

Some notes… 🧵 A different era meaning he put this plan together (bc the law requires him to) before the LA wildfires and before President Trump took office.

Both Legislative Analyst's Office & Newsom's Department of Finance appeared to be on the same page about this being roughly balanced.

🧵California's @AirResources is voting on updates to clean air standards that are expected to raise gas prices. It has faced criticism for its lack of transparency about how this will impact overwhelming majority of CA drivers.

Watch meeting here: cal-span.org/meeting/carb_2… We spent weeks trying to get CARB to be upfront with voters about the potential cost pass throughs at the pump. Right now, drivers pay about ten cents more per gallon for California's current Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

kcra.com/article/carb-w…

NEW: The CA State Senator accused of sexually harassing her ex-chief of staff is facing another lawsuit.

This time, Marie Alvarado-Gil has one in federal court after allegedly kicking out a private investigator from a news conference earlier in June.
kcra.com/article/marie-… That private investigator, Kelley Coelho, first filed a complaint with California Senate Ethics Committee days after it happened on June 24. She says she got no follow up.

Office of the Chairman, Sen. Dave Cortese, told me this AM Committee had no complaints against her...

New: Matt Capelouto, father of Alexandra who died of fentanyl poisoning, is urging Gov. Newsom and Dem lawmakers to remove use of “Alexandra’s Law” from their proposed ballot measure.

AL would provide court advisement to fentanyl dealers if they do it again & someone dies, they could face homicide charges.

The public safety committees in both houses have rejected this measure repeatedly since 2021.

Capelouto confirms what @Patterdude said on the Assembly floor, that no one with Newsom’s office called him to make sure it was ok they use his daughter’s name. Capelouto stormed out of the hearing on Alexandra’s Law last summer as Senators Skinner and Wiener explained their concerns with the advisement.

“All you do is fight for drug dealers!” He yelled to the group before leaving.

kcra.com/article/califo…

🧵 California lawmakers in Assembly Appropriations Committee are adding controversial clauses to the Senate bills in organized retail theft package, which would kill the bills if Prop 47 reform passes. Leadership swapped out @AsmCarrillo @AsmVillapudua and put @AsmMarcBerman and @AsmAguiarCurry on the committee.

Carrillo has said she supports ballot initiative, Villapudua had bill to reform Prop 47.

Emails between Gov. Newsom's chief of staff and leader of campaign backing Prop 47 reform initiative show Newsom's office was open to taking the issue to voters in 2026.

Now, new questions behind the Democratic-led effort to get it off the 2024 ballot.
kcra.com/article/emails… For the last several months, Newsom and Democratic leaders of the state Legislature have said there is no need to take the issue to voters.

Speaker Robert Rivas and Pro Tem Mike McGuire aren't commenting on the emails.

Now: The Senate Public Safety Committee is now hearing this proposal to make purchasing a child for sex a felony in California.

“It takes two criminals to do this children,” Senator Grove says. “A trafficker and a buyer” 🧵

https://twitter.com/zavalaa/status/1779560573661016108

Grove says she’s accepting two amendments to the bill:

•remove strict liability
•remove requirement for sex registration for first time offenders.

She says she won’t accept amendment to have the bill only apply to children 15 and under.

🧵Third & final CA Senate Debate tonight on NBC stations across California.

Katie Porter immediately comes out swinging against Adam Schiff on question about inflation, saying he hasn't signed onto bills for housing affordability, childcare.

He said he's written his own bills Are we prepared for military conflict?

Porter: Yes, important to ensure safety

Garvey: Needs to be fully funded at all times

Lee: We need to cut Pentagon budget by $100 billion and put more into troops, domestic needs

Schiff: We don't pay our service members enough.

🧵 Governor Newsom’s proposal to scrutinize and potentially penalize oil refiners when they make too much money off of CA drivers is now on the California Senate floor. @NancySkinnerCA presents, says, among many things, this bill allows the state to hold "big oil" accountable.

@BrianDahleCA rises in opposition. "We're telling these oil companies we don't need them anymore," but says California will need them still in 2035.

The Senate Appropriations committee is now hearing Governor Newsom’s proposal to scrutinize and potentially penalize oil refiners when they make too much money off of CA drivers.

Dept. of Finance says total cost of the program is about $7 million for staffing. This committee is solely focusing on fiscal aspects of the bill (so this hearing won’t be as lengthy as yesterday)

@OfficialWSPA remains opposed, noting potential unintended financial consequences for consumers.

🧵 The CA Senate Energy, Utilities & Comms committee is kicking off its hearing/vote on Gov. Newsom’s proposal to scrutinize and penalize oil companies when they make too much money off of CA drivers. @NancySkinnerCA is presenting the bill. She points to gas price spikes experienced last year in California that raised prices much higher than the national average.

"What we don’t have yet is any type of law or regulation that can help protect Californians from this"

🧵Scooplet: Gov. Gavin Newsom went to both Senate and Assembly Dem caucuses this afternoon at the CA Capitol to try to round up votes for his oil refiner profits penalty proposal. The bill has its first committee vote tomorrow.

I caught up with him briefly in the hallway... Asked how caucus went:

"It was great, it's been incredible, the process" he said.

"We're doing something that's never been done in U.S. history. It's a big deal. There is no playbook."

🧵 It’s the second to last day for the California legislature to pass policy this session.

Here’s what’s being sent to the Governor’s desk: CA lawmakers in the Senate just approved SB 1056, which requires major social media platforms to clearly state if it has a way for violent posts to be reported.

It would allow targets of violent posts to seek order requiring it be removed.

BREAKING: Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes sending $400 debit cards to California car owners in response to rising gas prices.

Each individual could get up to 2 payments, families who own more than one car would be capped at 2 cars.

Eligibility based on car registration, not income. The proposal also includes:

$523 million to pause inflationary adjustment to gas/diesel excise tax

$600 million to pause part of sales tax on diesel for one year

$750 million in grants to incentive rail to offer free rides to Californians for three months