Press Releases

February 19, 2020

Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, introduced today Senate Bill 1079 to reduce the number of vacant homes in California and give tenants the right of first refusal to buy foreclosed properties. SB 1079 would also allow cities and counties to fine corporations that own multiple single-family homes for keeping housing vacant for more than 90 days and give local governments first rights on such vacant properties to use them for affordable housing.

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February 4, 2020

Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, announced today Senate Bill 906, which is designed to protect existing live-work and warehouse spaces used for housing to ensure safety improvements are made without residents being displaced. SB 906 would allow cities to work cooperatively with property owners to make live-work and warehouse spaces and other types of housing safer. The legislation would also reform California live-work laws that effectively make some communal live-work and warehouse spaces, including arts and maker communities, illegal.

 

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January 28, 2020

Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, announced today Senate Bill 889, which would raise the age at which young people in California are automatically tried as adults to 20 years old. Under the bill, 18- and 19-year-olds would be treated as juveniles in criminal proceedings.

“When teenagers make serious mistakes and commit crimes, state prison is not the answer. Processing teenagers through the juvenile justice system will help ensure they receive the appropriate education, counseling, treatment, and rehabilitation services necessary to achieve real public safety outcomes,” Sen. Skinner said.

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January 15, 2020

Abigail E. Disney is scheduled to testify in the state Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 15, in support of SB 37, Sen. Nancy Skinner’s income inequality legislation, also known as “Corporate Fair Share for California and Californians.” An independent filmmaker, philanthropist, and member of the Patriotic Millionaires, Abigail Disney is the granddaughter of Roy Disney, co-founder of the Walt Disney Company. Abigail Disney has recently emerged as an outspoken proponent for addressing income inequality, particularly the ever-widening gap between what large companies pay their CEOs and their employees.

Art Pulaski, executive secretary-treasurer and chief officer of the California Labor Federation, is also scheduled to testify in support of SB 37 at Wednesday’s Senate Governance and Finance Committee hearing. Under SB 37, large corporations that do business in California would face progressive tax increases tied to the difference between the CEO’s pay and an average worker’s pay. The bigger the gap, the higher the tax.

 

 

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January 13, 2020

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, issued the following statement today on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2020-21 budget proposal:

“Gov. Newsom has issued a thoughtful and powerful 2020-21 budget, one that delivers on our homeless and housing crisis, increases funding for wildfire and disaster response and preparedness, and tackles costly prescription drugs and our teen vaping epidemic, while still saving significantly for a future downturn.

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January 13, 2020

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, issued the following statement today on the public safety proposals in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2020-21 budget:

“As chair of the Senate’s Public Safety committees, I welcome the governor’s innovative proposals to modernize California’s criminal justice system, including his plan to close a state prison and shutter privately run prisons. I look forward to working with his team to help bring the era of mass incarceration to an end and to enact additional reforms to our prison system.

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January 13, 2020

Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, announced today Senate Bill 776, also known as “Ban the Box for Higher Education.” SB 776 would bar California colleges and universities from asking applicants about their criminal history. The new legislation would apply to all public and private colleges and to all undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

“The longtime practice of schools asking for an applicant’s criminal history must end. It is wrong and deeply unfair,” Skinner said “Formerly incarcerated individuals deserve a fair chance at successful reentry and the opportunity to lead productive lives.”

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November 19, 2019

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, released the following statement on two rulings today by California’s Fourth Appellate District Court, upholding the constitutionality of her 2018 legislation, Senate Bill 1437:

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October 29, 2019

State Senators Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, released the following statements on the NCAA Board of Governors’ announcement today on “enhancing name, image, and likeness opportunities” for college athletes.

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October 9, 2019

Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed into law Senate Bill 330, the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley. SB 330 is designed to speed up housing construction in California during the next half-decade by slashing the time it takes to obtain building permits, limiting fee increases on housing applications, and barring local governments from reducing the number of homes that can be built.

“We have a housing crisis,” Skinner said. “California’s failure to build enough housing has resulted in the highest rents and home ownership costs in the nation and has deepened homelessness. SB 330 green lights affordable and market-rate housing that already meets local zoning rules and prevents cities from enacting new regulations that might limit the housing we so desperately need.”

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