California Black Media
Republican Lawmakers Announce Agenda to ‘Fix California’
“Crime is soaring, homelessness is out of control, the cost of living is unsustainable, schools are failing students, our water infrastructure is out-dated and our communities are susceptible to wildfires,” said Sen. Brian W. Jones (R-Encinitas), Senate minority leader and host of the Jan. 25 event.

By Solomon O. Smith
California Black Media
California Senate Republicans recently held a rally at the State Capitol announcing their legislative goals to “fix California” for the next year.
Slamming proposals and policies their Democratic colleagues and Gov. Gavin Newsom are championing, the GOP State Senators presented several bills of their own. They also called for more oversight — and in some cases, a total rehaul — of state programs addressing crime, homelessness, education, climate and more.
“Crime is soaring, homelessness is out of control, the cost of living is unsustainable, schools are failing students, our water infrastructure is out-dated and our communities are susceptible to wildfires,” said Sen. Brian W. Jones (R-Encinitas), Senate minority leader and host of the Jan. 25 event.
“As the loyal opposition, I am proud to stand here with my colleagues and commit to fixing this state,” Jones added.
The Republican lawmakers presented their agenda for 2023 a few weeks after Sen. Janet Nguyen (R-Huntington Beach) delivered the Republican response to Newsom’s 2023-24 California budget proposal. More than once, Nguyen, in her speech, pushed for oversights and audits and rebuked Democrats’ handling of the state government.
Sen. Kelly Seyarto (R-Murriato) slammed high crime rates and human trafficking under Democrat leadership. Democrats hold a super majority, he said, pointing out the 32-to-8 ration of Democrats to Republicans in the State Senate.
He blamed progressive policies for rising crime in the state, citing Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, who met heavy opposition for his attempts at bail and police reforms.
Seyarto called for the creation of a task force to examine the fentanyl epidemic, which he links to high crime rates. Opioids have been a leading cause of drug overdoses across the country, according to death rates reported by the National Institute of Health.
“California’s approach to public safety needs to change, for our families, for the survivors and for our community,” said Seyarto. “In order to do that we need to fix California and pass these effective policies.”
The Republicans’ condemnations of California’s social and economic health go against assessments Democratic leaders are making.
During his budget announcement earlier in January, Newsom said his proposals are putting the state on “solid economic footing while continuing to invest in Californians — including transformative funding to deliver on universal preschool, expand healthcare access to all and protect our communities.”
Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) said Newsom’s decision not to cut critical resources is making a difference.
“We’re seeing that in action as local communities, emergency responders and state agencies do all they can to help us get through these severe winter storms armed with the resources and tools made possible in past budgets by lawmakers determined to prepare our state for what may come,” she said. “While no one can predict the future, we are entering this year from a position of strength and readiness.”
Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood), one of two Black state senators (the other is Sen. Lola Smallwood Cuevas (D-Ladera Heights), said Newsom’s budget moves the state “in the right direction,” while acknowledging that, facing a $24 million shortfall, lawmakers will have a challenge to set priorities.
Water woes and wildfire fears were also on the Republicans’ agenda.
Sen. Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), said there are several major dams and the Sites Reservoirs in his district, which is the largest Senatorial district in square miles in the state. Dahle blames Democrats for the ongoing drought, calling them out for not making more of an effort to complete the reservoir, which was funded in 2017.
The Sites Project Authority issued a report, that concluded had the facility been completed, it could have stored a total 382,000 acre-feet of water for the state. Dahle criticized the lack of action on water storage and plans to streamline the process while holding Democrats “feet to the fire.”
Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) discussed the Republican proposal for homelessness, called the ACT Plan. Almost 28% of all unhoused people in the United States (about 170,000 people) in 2021 lived in California — although the state’s population accounts for about 12% of the U.S. population. These numbers are growing according to data from the Senate Housing Committee.
Niello said, California has “thrown” $20 billion on the homelessness problem, but it remains unsolved. “Common sense measures,” he said, created by California Senate Republicans are needed to tackle the issue. Niello said he introduced Senate Bill (SB) 232 to make it easier to treat mental health among the unhoused. But Niello also wants to know where monies earmarked for homelessness in the past have gone.
“No more fake checks, no more failing programs,” warned Niello, “Californians deserve better for their money.”
Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) used “choice” when referring to school policies, a word which has become synonymous with Charter schools. Ochoa Bogh said recent state test score data reveals that 53% of students don’t meet the English standard; 67% failed math; and 71% scored below the passing grade in science.
Although California student test scores have fallen over the last few years, education officials say the lower scores are the result of COVID shutdowns, and many of those numbers are slowly improving, according to a report from the California Department of Education.
The report shows that significant improvements have been made and that all scores across the country are lower, but California has done better on average than most of the nation.
Black students, however, have been the lowest performing sub-group in the state (only above students with disabilities) even before the pandemic began.
“Quality education is one of the most important services that government provides to our children,” Ochoa Bogh said. “Unfortunately, California students continue to fall further behind.”
Activism
Asm. McKinnor Pushes Bill to Protect California Workers from High Heat, Other Climate Hazards
“Extreme heat is on the rise, with year-over-year, record-breaking temperatures that threaten the health and safety of California workers, from warehouse workers who lack adequate cooling, to janitors cleaning buildings after the air conditioning has been turned off, to line chefs cooking in unventilated kitchens,” McKinnor said at the rally.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media
On May 6, employees from industries across the private and public sectors — including utility, domestic, janitorial, healthcare, oil and gas, and farm workers — joined educators and others in Sacramento to push lawmakers to strengthen the state’s health and safety enforcement systems.
The rally at the State Capitol was organized by a statewide coalition of 15 worker unions called California Labor for Climate Jobs (CLCJ).
Organizers say their campaign to pressure legislators and state officials to not abandon their responsibility to protect workers is urgent as climate hazards rise and federal government efforts to pull back on oversight and enforcement increase.
“Approximately 19 million workers in the state are here together to have a say in what happens next,” said Norman Rogers, vice president of United Steelworkers Local 675. “In seven of the last eight years, California has recorded record-high temperatures while workers from our state’s fields to our commercial kitchens, from our warehouses to our schools continue to work in dangerously high-heat conditions.”
Cal/OSHA provides protection and improves the health and safety of working men and women in the state. The agency also enforces public safety measures to protect passengers riding on elevators, amusement rides, tramways, and more.
According to a 2023 report by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), workplace hazards are responsible for killing approximately 140,000 workers each year, including 5,283 from traumatic injuries.
Hazardous working conditions have caused an estimated 135,000 deaths from occupational diseases. That’s about 385 workers dying each day, according to the report.
Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) spoke at the rally to discuss legislation she authored, Assembly Bill (AB) 694, which proposes a pathway to jobs for Cal/OSHA to ensure stronger public safety enforcement.
According to CLCJ, Cal/OSHA is experiencing an understaffing crisis that is evident in the agency’s 43% vacancy rate.
McKinnor, a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), said the bill aims to fully staff the state agency with enforcement agents who have expertise in working in California’s most dangerous work environments.
The Assembly Committee on Higher Education voted 9-0 to advance AB 694 on April 29. It is now headed to the Committee on Appropriations for consideration.
“Extreme heat is on the rise, with year-over-year, record-breaking temperatures that threaten the health and safety of California workers, from warehouse workers who lack adequate cooling, to janitors cleaning buildings after the air conditioning has been turned off, to line chefs cooking in unventilated kitchens,” McKinnor said at the rally.
McKinnor continued, “We must urgently shore up our health and safety systems, so we can enforce California heat standards and safeguard worker health.”
CLCJ released the California Worker Climate Bill of Rights last fall, urging state legislators to propose policy solutions to protect workers from climate hazards such as extreme heat, fires, smoke, and floods.
Norman Rogers, Second Vice President of United Steelworkers Local 675 in Carson, said oil refinery operations around the state pose “the most hazards.
“AB 694 seeks to recreate Cal/OSHA to hire union oil and gas workers leveraging the knowledge, health and safety training, and process safety training used daily to ensure safe, compliant refinery operations,” Rogers added.
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Oakland Post: Week of May 14 – 20, 2025
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Oakland Post: Week of May 7 – 13, 2025
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