Government Relations
High-Impact Advocacy Across the State
Racial disparities that leave low-income people of color behind should concern us all. The Government Relations team aims to shift public policy priorities and investments toward programs that benefit all Californians—not just the privileged few.
FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
- Locate your Legislator’s phone and address: click here.
- Contact Governor Gavin Newsom: click here.
2022 - 2023 SPONSORED LEGISLATION
- AB 2832 (Rivas, R) – Whole Child Community Equity
Create a new screening tool to identify the areas of highest need of increased early care and education (ECE) resources due to racial and economic inequities. Read the bill text here. - SB 17 (Pan) – Office of Racial Equity
Establishes the Office of Racial Equity (ORE), governed by a Racial Equity Advisory and Accountability Council (REAAC), to develop a statewide Racial Equity Framework in consultation with state agencies. Read the bill text here.
2022 - 2023 LEGISLATION PRIORITIES
- AB 256 (Kalra) – Criminal procedure: discrimination
Prohibits the state from seeking or obtaining a criminal conviction, or from imposing a sentence, based upon race, ethnicity, or national origin - AB 2402 (Rubio, B) – Continuous Medi-Cal Coverage for Children 0-5
Makes a child under five years of age in the Medi-Cal program, the Medi-Cal Access for Infants Program (MCAIP), and the County Children’s Health Initiative Matching Program (CCHIP) continuously eligible for Medi-Cal, including without regard to income until the child reaches five years of age. - AB 2418 (Kalra) – Justice Data Accountability and Transparency Act
Establishes the Data Aggregator and Repository Agency (DARA), a uniform system for collecting and reporting state and local prosecutorial data, in the Department of Justice. - AB 2419 (Bryan) – Justice40 Oversight Committee
Establishes the Justice40 Oversight Committee to track the use of federal funds, develop additional labor, climate, and equity standards for the State, and make recommendations for infrastructure projects in disadvantaged and low-income communities in California. - AB 2506 (Quirk) – Cannabis: excise tax: cultivation tax
Allows the suspension of the cannabis cultivation tax while protecting funding dedicated to youth services primarily targeted to low-income children and children of color and would increase the excise tax to make up for the reduction in tax funding. - SB 22 (Glazer) – Education finance: school facilities: Public Preschool, K–12, and College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2022
Authorizes $15 billion for the construction and modernization of public preschool, K-12, community college, University of California (UC), and California State University (CSU) facilities to be placed on the ballot for statewide elections in 2022. - SB 583 (Newman) – Elections: Voter registration: California New Motor Voter Program
Creates a new back-end automated voter registration (AVR) system for registering voters at the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) - SB 1273 (Bradford) – School safety: mandatory notifications
Eliminates the mandatory requirement that schools notify law enforcement of student behavior categorized as an assault or minor possession of cannabis or alcohol and protect students from unnecessary contact with the criminal justice system.
News & Blog Posts
Catalyst California’s government relations work has helped achieved the following:
The bill creates a uniform statewide policy to eliminate the use of chokeholds and carotid artery restraints statewide by law enforcement.
Gives the public the right to see certain records relating to police misconduct and serious uses of force.
The grant provides California high school students, particularly those who are low income, English learners, or foster youth, additional supports and creates a stronger pipeline between high schools and the University of California and other postsecondary educational institutions.
As a result, the new allocation formula provides much-needed access to high-quality preschool slots to areas where high number of children do not have access to state subsidized preschool.
Allows children who were brought into the US under the age of 16 without proper visas/immigration documentation meet in-state tuition and GPA requirements to have access to financial aid benefits at public universities and colleges.