Press Releases

Yesterday, the California Senate passed Senator Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) SB 1369 to support the development of pilot projects that will produce hydrogen gas from excess electricity generated by renewable energy installations. SB 1369 is now on its way to the Assembly.




Today, with bipartisan support, the California State Senate passed SB 1421, Senator Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) “Protecting Communities and Law Enforcement” legislation. SB 1421 would open the door for a limited set of records related to a law enforcement officer’s use of serious force, on the job sexual assault, or dishonesty to be available to the public. Skinner’s bill must now pass the Assembly and be signed by Governor Brown to become law.




Today, SB 1437, “Better and Equitable Sentencing Through Thoughtful (BESTT) Practices” by State Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), passed the California Senate today on a bipartisan vote. SB 1437 was introduced to clarify the application of California’s “felony murder” rule to ensure that individuals are charged appropriately for the crime they actually committed. Skinner’s bill must now pass the Assembly and be signed by Governor Brown to become law.




Today, the California Senate passed Senator Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) SB 1200, “Strengthening California’s Gun Violence Restraining Order.” SB 1200 would enhance California’s existing Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO), a law Skinner authored when she was in the Assembly. SB 1200 is now on its way to the Assembly for approval.




Today, State Senator Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) SB 1164, the “Craft Distiller Op-pour-tunity” Act, passed the State Senate with bipartisan support. The Craft Distiller Op-pour-tunity Act would modify existing regulations to give California’s small batch craft distillers more leeway to produce and sell their spirits.




Today, the California State Senate on a bipartisan vote passed Senator Nancy Skinner’s (D-Berkeley) Senate Bill 1227, aimed at making it easier to build much needed student housing. Dubbed “Housing Our Students,” SB 1227 would change state housing law to encourage the construction of housing for students enrolled in California colleges and universities and ensure that affordable student units are included in that housing.




Sacramento, California — Today, Senators Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), Jim Beall (D-San Jose), Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), Richard Roth (D-Riverside) and Hannah Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) held a joint press conference to unveil the Senate’s $5 billion plan to address California’s housing and homelessness crisis. Building on Senator Skinner and Beall’s SB 912, the $5 billion would be spent over a four-year period to fund permanent affordable housing, rent assistance, as well as supportive services and temporary shelter for California’s homeless.




Today, Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) held a press conference to highlight her bill SB 1138, which would ensure that institutions including hospitals, nursing facilities and prisons offer “plant-based” meal options.