Press Releases

The Office of State Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) issued the following statement today regarding federal threats to potentially subpoena and/or cut funding for 23 jurisdictions, including several Bay Area cities and the State of California:




Today, with bipartisan support, the California Senate passed Senator Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) SB 1025, legislation that will give judges discretion to grant probation for certain nonviolent drug offenses. Skinner’s bill must now pass the Assembly and be signed by Governor Brown to become law.




Today, with unanimous support, the California Senate passed Senator Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) SB 1138, “Ensuring a Plant Based Meal Option,” which would require hospitals, healthcare facilities and prisons to offer “plant-based” meals to people in these institutions.




Yesterday, the California Senate unanimously passed Senator Nancy Skinner’s legislation, SB 1190, which would create and fund a state program to compensate survivors of involuntary, eugenics-based sterilizations that took place while those individuals were institutionalized at state homes and mental hospitals. 




Today the California State Senate approved Senator Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) E-CAr legislation, SB 1014. E-CAr, which stands for Electrify California Ride-hailing, would accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles and other zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) deployed by ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft. Skinner’s legislation would set zero-emission targets for passenger or vehicle miles traveled as a result of rides arranged through Transportation Network Companies (TNCs).




Today, with bipartisan support, the California Senate passed Senator Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) groundbreaking bill requiring each of California’s appointed state boards and commissions to have a minimum amount of seats filled by women. Skinner’s SB 984 “Ensuring A Seat at the Table,” must now pass the Assembly and be signed by Governor Brown to become law.




Today, with bipartisan support, the California Senate passed Senator Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) SB 926, the “Workplace Protection Act,” which would protect participants in CalWORKs and CalFresh programs from losing benefits if they leave a job due to violations of their workplace rights. Skinner’s bill must now pass the Assembly and be signed by Governor Brown to become law.




Today, with bipartisan support, the California Senate passed Senator Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) bill that establishes new protections to give consumers full access to information related to dental insurance policies. The legislation, SB 1008, ensures that dental insurance providers are subject to similar disclosure requirements as health insurance. SB 1008 is now on its way to the Assembly.