Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas

This measure would recognize June 19, 2023, as Juneteenth and would urge the people of California to join in celebrating Juneteenth as a day to honor and reflect on the significant role that African Americans have played in the history of the United States and how they have enriched society through their steadfast commitment to promoting unity and equality.

This measure would declare that the Legislature recognizes the importance of creating pathways to success for California's opportunity youth and the need to develop a statewide comprehensive plan that will reduce persistent economic inequities endured by California's opportunity youth.

The California Constitution provides that only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California, and federal law permanently enjoins the state from enforcing this constitutional provision. This measure would repeal this unenforceable constitutional provision and would instead provide that the right to marry is a fundamental right, as specified.

The Baldwin Hills and Urban Watersheds Conservancy Act establishes, in the Natural Resources Agency, the Baldwin Hills and Urban Watersheds Conservancy, created for the purposes of, among other purposes, to acquire and manage public lands within the Baldwin Hills, southern Ballona Creek Watershed, and Upper Dominguez Channel area, as defined. The act requires the conservancy to do certain things, including develop and adopt a proposed watershed and open-space plan for improvements in the conservancy territory. The act requires a report on the plan to be provided to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2024. This bill would instead require that report to be provided to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2026.

This measure would proclaim October 5, 2023, as Latina Equal Pay Day in California, in recognition of the need to eliminate the gender gap in earnings by women and to promote policies to ensure equal pay for all.

(1) Existing law establishes the Department of Transportation in the Transportation Agency. Existing law establishes the California Workforce Development Board as the body responsible for assisting the Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California's workforce investment system and the alignment of the education and workforce investment systems to the needs of the 21st century economy and workforce. Under existing law, the California Workforce Development Board assists the Governor in the administration, promotion, and expansion of high road construction careers. This bill would require the Department of Transportation to work in partnership with the California Workforce Development Board to support California's high road construction careers program. The bill would require the department to reserve a minimum aggregate total of $50,000,000 of federal funds from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to be allocated over 4 years to support the program. (2) Existing law authorizes a public entity to use, enter into, or require contractors to enter into, a project labor agreement, as defined, for a construction project only if the agreement includes specified taxpayer protection provisions. Existing law authorizes the members of the governing board of a local public entity to choose by majority vote whether to use, enter into, or require contractors to enter into a project labor agreement that includes taxpayer protection provisions for a specific project or projects. This bill, on or after January 1, 2026, would authorize a state agency to use, enter into, or require contractors to enter into, a project labor agreement that applies to a project or set of projects with aggregate construction costs in excess of $35,000,000 only if the agreement also includes provisions to address community benefits, as described. (3) Existing law establishes specified procedures governing contracts between public entities and their contractors and subcontractors. Existing law also establishes the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, the Government Operations Agency, and the Transportation Agency within state government and sets forth their regulatory duties. This bill would require the above-described state agencies to convene relevant stakeholders to provide input on recommendations to establish material terms to be included as a material part of a contract. The bill would require these agencies to meet with those stakeholders in the process of developing recommendations, and to consult with specified state entities, including the Civil Rights Department, as prescribed. The bill would require those recommendations to be provided to the Governor and the Legislature by March 30, 2024, and also presented to the California Workforce Development Board in a regularly scheduled public meeting. (4) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

This measure would designate the month of May 2023 as National Bike Month in California and would encourage Californians to ride bicycles for commuting and recreation, and California cities and counties to make streets safer for cycling.

This measure would recognize May 1, 2023, to May 5, 2023, inclusive, and every first week of May thereafter, as Black Health Equity Advocacy Week, and commend the California Black Health Network and other organizations throughout the state for their efforts to improve the health, well-being, and life expectancy of Black Californians.