In the News

March 12, 2022

 Legislation introduced here at the Capitol this week by State Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley would enable crime survivors to receive the financial help needed to recover—and would also help people found innocent pay for legal assistance.

“While some crime victims in California get much-needed assistance, there are far too many survivors that have either been denied or are unaware of the financial help, counseling, and healing services the state has to offer,” said Sen. Skinner.

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March 3, 2022

“These assessments not only don’t work, they also disproportionately harm Black and Brown Californians, because they’re more likely to be targeted for minor traffic violations,” state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, said in a statement.

The report said California’s late-payment fees are far higher than those in most other states — a maximum of $30 in Delaware, for example. Someone who runs a red light in California, then fails to pay the ticket on time, can be charged $538 in fines and fees in California, compared with $234 in Texas and $112 in New Hampshire, the report said.

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March 3, 2022

State Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) announced Wednesday that she has introduced new legislation (SB 1200), in an effort to reduce excessively high-interest rates that California courts can levy when issuing legal judgments on consumer and personal debt.

SB 1200 is aiming to limit the amount of time that Californians can be burdened with long-term debt.

“For years, state law has required courts to charge exorbitant interest rates on legal judgments, exacerbating the debt owed by California families,” Sen. Skinner said.

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February 18, 2022

SB 16, under which the Avenal investigation was released, expanded the categories of police records available to the public to include findings of discrimination, false arrests and excessive force.

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, who authored the law, said policing can’t be effective if “there is mistrust and bad relationship with the community.” The value of the new law, said Skinner, is that transparency “helps to create the ability for the public to hold public servants accountable.”

 

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February 12, 2022

Under California state Sen. Nancy Skinner's Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) for Children Act, children who lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19 and are in the state's foster care system would be eligible for a state-funded trust fund.

Skinner told ABC News there is a great need for this program since data has shown a large number of COVID-19 orphans were of low-income families who didn't have options such as life insurance to provide for their loved ones after they died.

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February 10, 2022

State Senator Nancy Skinner called the series of new laws a “big win for all who were involved,” including labor unions, employees and businesses. “California is acting and we’re getting it done because none of us need to have any worker show up to work and be sick,” she said. “We are trying to end this pandemic, and the way that we end it is to stop the spread of COVID.”

 

For the full report, click here.

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