Photo of Josh Newman
D California Senate · District 29

Sen. Josh Newman

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Total votes
11,475
all sessions
Attendance
96%
413 missed
Lower than 97% of chamber peers
With party
99%
of cast votes
Bipartisan score
0%
crosses aisle rarely
Sponsored
448
bills & resolutions
Near the chamber average
Committees
0
assignments
448 bills and resolutions

Sponsored bills

Total
448
Primary
134
Co-sponsor
314
This page
448
matching current filters
Co-sponsor AB 34
Signed into law · California Assembly · Co-sponsor
Elections: County of Orange Citizens Redistricting Commission.

Existing law requires the board of supervisors, following a county's decision to elect its board using district-based elections or following each decennial federal census for a county whose board is already elected using district-based elections, by ordinance or resolution, to adjust the boundaries of all of the supervisorial districts of the county so that the districts are as nearly equal in population as possible and comply with applicable federal law, and specifies the procedures the board of supervisors must follow in adjusting those boundaries. Existing law establishes the Citizens Redistricting Commission in the County of Riverside and the Citizens Redistricting Commission in the County of Fresno, which are charged with adjusting the supervisorial district boundaries for their respective counties. This bill would establish the Citizens Redistricting Commission in the County of Orange, which would be charged with adjusting the boundary lines of the districts of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Orange in accordance with specified criteria. The commission would consist of 14 voting members and 2 nonvoting, alternate members who meet specified qualifications. The bill would require each commission member to attend all public hearings and meetings of the commission, except as specified, and would create specified procedures by which the commission may remove a member for substantial neglect of duty, gross misconduct of office, inability to discharge the duties of the office, or if it is later discovered that the commission member did not meet the required qualifications at the time of appointment or no longer meets those qualifications while serving on the commission. The bill would provide that if the commission is unable to act because it does not have nine voting members to constitute a quorum, then the Auditor-Controller of the County of Orange and the commission must fill the vacancies to bring the commission to nine voting members, as specified. By increasing the duties on local officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. If Assembly Bill 1248 of the 2023–24 Regular Session is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2024, this bill would provide that the provisions of AB 1248 do not apply to the Citizens Redistricting Commission in the County of Orange, which instead would be governed by the provisions of this bill. If Assembly Bill 764 of the 2023–24 Regular Session is enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2024, this bill would make conforming changes as specified. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the unique circumstances facing the County of Orange. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Signed into law Oct 7, 2023 1 co-sponsor
Co-sponsor AB 1
Signed into law · California Assembly · Co-sponsor
Collective bargaining: Legislature.

Existing law, the Ralph C. Dills Act (Dills Act) , governs collective bargaining between the state and recognized state public employee organizations. Existing law excludes certain employees from coverage under the Dills Act, including, among others, managerial employees, supervisory employees, and confidential employees, as defined. Existing law creates the Public Employment Relations Board and authorizes it, among other things, to determine appropriate state employee bargaining units, as specified. This bill would enact the Legislature Employer-Employee Relations Act, to provide employees of the Legislature, except certain specified categories of excluded employees, the right to form, join, and participate in the activities of employee organizations of their own choosing for the purpose of representation on all matters of employer-employee relations. The bill would prescribe rights, duties, and prohibitions in this context that parallel those in the Dills Act. For the purposes of bargaining or meeting and conferring in good faith, the bill would define "employer" to mean the Assembly Committee on Rules or the Senate Committee on Rules. The bill would require the employer to meet and confer with representatives of recognized employee organizations regarding matters within the scope of representation. The bill would exclude certain matters from the scope of representation, as specified. The bill would grant exclusive jurisdiction to the Public Employment Relations Board to make an initial determination as to whether charges of unfair practices are justified, and, if so, the necessary remedy, as specified. However, the bill would prohibit the board from issuing a decision or order that intrudes upon or interferes with the Legislature's core function of efficient and effective lawmaking or the essential operation of the Legislature. The bill would require the board to determine appropriate bargaining units, and would prohibit the board from including employees in a bargaining unit that includes employees other than those of the employer. The bill would prohibit the board from including within a bargaining unit employees from both the Assembly and Senate. This bill would make it a misdemeanor for any person to willfully resist, prevent, impede, or interfere with any member of the board, or any of its agents, in the performance of duties pursuant to its provisions. By expanding the definition of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would provide that the provisions of the Legislature Employer-Employee Relations Act are severable. The bill would become operative on July 1, 2026. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. This bill would additionally exempt from public inspection records related to activities governed by the Legislature Employer-Employee Relations Act that reveal the employer's deliberative processes, impressions, evaluations, opinions, recommendations, meeting minutes, research, work product, theories, or strategy, or that provide instruction, advice, or training to employees who do not have full collective bargaining and representation rights under the Legislature Employer-Employee Relations Act. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

Signed into law Oct 7, 2023 1 co-sponsor
Co-sponsor AB 126
Signed into law · California Assembly · Co-sponsor
Vehicular air pollution: Clean Transportation Program: vehicle registration and identification plate service fees: smog abatement fee: extension.

Existing law, until January 1, 2024, increases the smog abatement fee on certain vehicles by a specified amount and requires the revenues generated by the increase to be deposited in the Air Quality Improvement Fund and the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund. Existing law, until January 1, 2024, increases vehicle registration fees and certain service fees for identification plates by specified amounts. Existing law requires the revenue generated by the increase in those fees to be deposited in the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund and either the Air Quality Improvement Fund or the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Subaccount, as provided. This bill would extend the increases in those charges to July 1, 2035. Existing law, until January 1, 2024, prohibits the State Air Resources Board from enforcing any element of its clean fuels outlet regulations or other regulation that requires or has the effect of requiring suppliers, as defined, to construct, operate, or provide funding for the construction or operation of publicly available hydrogen-fueling stations. Existing law, until January 1, 2024, requires the state board to aggregate and make available certain information regarding projected leases and sales of, and the registration of, hydrogen-fueled vehicles, to evaluate, based on that information, the need for additional publicly available hydrogen-fueling stations for the actual and projected number of hydrogen-fueled vehicles, the geographic areas where fuel will be needed, and station coverage, and to report the finding of the evaluation to the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) . Existing law, until January 1, 2024, requires the Energy Commission to annually allocate $20,000,000 to fund the number of publicly available hydrogen-fueling stations identified by the state board, not to exceed 20% of the moneys appropriated by the Legislature from the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund, until at least 100 publicly available hydrogen-fueling stations are operating in the state. This bill would extend the above-described provisions to July 1, 2035, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2036. The bill would require the annual allocation described above to instead be no less than 15% of the moneys appropriated by the Legislature from the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund from revenues attributable to specified sources, would require the commission to make that allocation only until July 1, 2030, and would impose other specified requirements. The bill would also delete the requirements that the hydrogen-fueling stations be publicly available and that there be at least 100 hydrogen-fueling stations operating in the state. Existing law creates the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Program to provide compensation for the retirement and replacement of passenger vehicles and light-duty and medium-duty trucks that are high polluters. Existing law requires the Bureau of Automotive Repair to administer the program and the state board to adopt the guidelines for the program. Existing law requires the guidelines to ensure vehicle replacement or a mobility option be an option for all motor vehicle owners and may be in addition to compensation for vehicles retired. This bill would require the guidelines to ensure each replacement vehicle in the program be either a plug-in hybrid or zero-emission vehicle unless the state board makes a specified determination regarding either the availability of vehicles or the availability of charging and refueling capabilities in consultation with the Energy Commission, as specified. Existing law establishes the Air Quality Improvement Program under the administration of the State Air Resources Board for the purpose of funding air quality improvement projects relating to fuel and vehicle technologies. The primary purpose of the program is to fund projects to reduce criteria air pollutants, improve air quality, and provide funding for research to determine and improve the air quality impacts of alternative transportation fuels and vehicles, vessels, and equipment technologies. This bill would instead provide that the purpose of the program is to fund air quality improvement projects relating to zero-emission fuel and vehicle technologies and that the primary purpose of the program is to fund projects to reduce criteria air pollutants in the logistics, goods movement, off-road, warehouse, and port sectors, improve air quality in nonattainment basins, with a priority for projects located in the areas of extreme nonattainment, and improve the air quality impacts of zero-emission transportation fuels and vehicles, vessels, and equipment technologies. The bill would also revise the list of the types of projects eligible for funding under the program. Existing law establishes the Clean Transportation Program that is administered by the Energy Commission to provide financial assistance to develop and deploy innovative technologies that transform California's fuel and vehicle types to help attain the state's climate change policies with an emphasis on the development and deployment of technology and alternative and renewable fuels in the marketplace. Existing law authorizes the Energy Commission to make a single source or sole source award for applied research. This bill would revise and recast the Clean Transportation Program to, among other things, change the emphasis of the program to the development and deployment of zero-emission technology and fuels in the marketplace where feasible and near-zero-emission technology and fuels elsewhere. The bill would require certain information regarding electric vehicle charging infrastructure and hydrogen-fueling infrastructure funded by the program to be reported to the Energy Commission. The bill would additionally authorize the Energy Commission to make a single source or sole source award to public or nonpublic entities that manage a United States Department of Energy national laboratory. The bill would require the Energy Commission, on and after January 1, 2025, to expend at least 50% of the moneys appropriated to the program on programs and projects that directly benefit or serve residents of disadvantaged and low-income communities and low-income Californians. The bill would require the Energy Commission, for any hydrogen application scoring under the program, to provide preference to applicants with the least carbon-intensive proposed fuel, as specified. The bill would also require the Energy Commission, by January 1, 2026, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board and the Department of Motor Vehicles, to propose to the Legislature alternative funding methodologies or fee structures for funding zero-emission vehicle infrastructure for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles. The bill would require the proposal to include an assessment of the economic equity of the alternatives. Existing law requires the Energy Commission, in consultation with the Public Utilities Commission, to develop uptime recordkeeping and reporting standards for electric vehicle chargers and charging stations by January 1, 2024, that only apply to electric vehicle chargers and charging stations installed on or after January 1, 2024, and that received an incentive from a state agency or through a charge on ratepayers. Existing law authorizes the Energy Commission, in consultation with the Public Utilities Commission, to adopt tools to increase charging station uptime and to include incentives, as specified. Existing law repeals these provisions on January 1, 2035. This bill would require the Energy Commission, by January 1, 2025, to set standards for how these stations shall notify customers about the availability and accessibility of publicly available charging infrastructure. This bill also would require, rather than authorize, the Energy Commission to adopt tools to increase charging station uptime. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Signed into law Oct 7, 2023 1 co-sponsor
Primary SB 617
Signed into law · California Senate · Lead sponsor
Public contracts: progressive design-build: local and regional agencies: transit.

Existing law, until January 1, 2029, authorizes local agencies, defined as any city, county, city and county, or special district authorized by law to provide for the production, storage, supply, treatment, or distribution of any water from any source, to use the progressive design-build process for up to 15 public works projects in excess of $5,000,000 for each project that treats, pumps, stores, or conveys water, wastewater, recycled water, advanced treated water, or supporting facilities. Existing law defines "progressive design-build" as a project delivery process in which both the design and construction of a project are procured from a single entity that is selected through a qualifications-based selection at the earliest feasible stage of the project. Existing law requires the selected entity and its general partners or joint venture members to verify specified information under penalty of perjury. Existing law requires local agencies to report to the Legislature by January 1, 2028, regarding the use of the progressive design-build process, as specified. This bill, until January 1, 2029, would similarly authorize a transit district, municipal operator, consolidated agency, joint powers authority, regional transportation agency, or local or regional agency, as described, to use the progressive design-build process for up to 10 public works projects in excess of $5,000,000 for each project. The bill would, similarly, require information to be provided under penalty of perjury and would require submission of a similar report to the Legislature. The bill would specify that this authority to use the progressive design-build process does not include inspection services for projects on, or interfacing with, the state highway system. By expanding the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Signed into law Oct 4, 2023 0 co-sponsors
Primary SB 568
Signed into law · California Senate · Lead sponsor
Electronic waste: export.

Existing law, the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003, enacts a comprehensive system for the reuse, recycling, and proper and legal disposal of covered electronic devices, as provided. The act requires a person who exports covered electronic waste, or covered electronic devices, except as specified, intended for recycling or disposal, to a foreign country, or to another state for ultimate export to a foreign country, to notify the Department of Toxic Substances Control of certain matters concerning the waste or device to be exported. Existing law requires the exporter to include with those notifications specified demonstrations, including a demonstration that exportation of the waste or device will be managed within the country of destination only at facilities whose operations meet or exceed specified recommendations and guidelines of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The act defines a "covered electronic waste recycler" as a person or manufacturer that engages in certain activities for purposes of the reuse or recycling of covered electronic devices. The act becomes inoperative if certain conditions are met. A violation of the act is a crime. This bill would add to the requirements for export of covered electronic waste or a covered electronic device a requirement for the person to demonstrate that they attempted to locate an in-state covered electronic waste recycler and that the waste or device could not be managed by an in-state covered electronic waste recycler. The bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Signed into law Oct 4, 2023 0 co-sponsors
Co-sponsor SB 740
Signed into law · California Senate · Co-sponsor
Hazardous materials management: stationary sources: skilled and trained workforce.

(1) Existing law establishes an accidental release prevention program for the state. Under that law, stationary sources subject to the accidental release prevention program may be required to prepare and submit a risk management plan (RMP) to prevent accidental releases of certain substances. Existing law imposes criminal penalties upon a stationary source that knowingly violates the requirements of the accidental release prevention program. Existing law requires an owner or operator of a stationary source that is engaged in certain petroleum-related activities, and with one or more covered processes that require the preparation and submission of an RMP, when contracting for the performance of construction, alteration, demolition, installation, repair, or maintenance work at the stationary source, to require that its contractors and any subcontractors use a skilled and trained workforce to perform all onsite work within an apprenticeable occupation in the building and construction trades. Existing law defines "skilled and trained workforce" to include, among other criteria, skilled journeypersons who are paid at least a rate equivalent to the applicable prevailing hourly wage rate. This bill would extend that workforce requirement to contracts awarded, extended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2024, by an owner or operator of a stationary source that is engaged in manufacturing hydrogen, biofuels, or certain specified chemicals, or in capturing, sequestering, or using carbon dioxide in specified conditions. By expanding the scope of a crime, and by extending the laws enforced by uniform program agencies to additional stationary source owners or operators and thereby imposing additional duties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law provides for the establishment of apprenticeship programs in various trades, to be approved by the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards within the Department of Industrial Relations in any trade in the state or in a city or trade area whenever the apprentice training needs justify the establishment. Existing law requires apprentice training needs in the building and construction trades to be deemed to justify a new apprentice program only if one or more specified conditions are met, including, but not limited to, there being sufficient capacity for apprentices in a geographic area. This bill would require an above-described stationary source to be considered when determining whether an existing apprenticeship program has sufficient capacity for apprentices in a geographic area. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.

Signed into law Sep 30, 2023 1 co-sponsor
Co-sponsor AB 508
Signed into law · California Assembly · Co-sponsor
Probation: environmental crimes.

Existing law authorizes courts generally to suspend a criminal sentence and make and enforce terms of probation for a period not to exceed 2 years. Existing law authorizes courts in misdemeanor cases to suspend a sentence and make and enforce terms of probation for a period not to exceed one year. This bill would instead authorize a court, for entities with more than 10 employees, to impose a period of probation for a maximum period of 5 years in specified crimes relating to, among other things, dumping in waterways, pesticides, oil dumping and spills, waste management, and animal cruelty. By expanding the punishment for a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Signed into law Sep 30, 2023 1 co-sponsor
Co-sponsor SB 14
Signed into law · California Senate · Co-sponsor
Serious felonies: human trafficking.

Existing law defines the term "serious felony" for various purposes, including, among others, enhancing the punishment for felonies pursuant to existing sentencing provisions commonly known as the Three Strikes Law. This bill would include human trafficking of a minor within the definition of a serious felony for all purposes, including for purposes of the Three Strikes Law, except as specified. By expanding the scope of an enhancement, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Signed into law Sep 25, 2023 1 co-sponsor
Primary SB 760
Signed into law · California Senate · Lead sponsor
School facilities: all-gender restrooms.

Existing law requires every restroom of every public and private school maintaining any combination of classes from kindergarten to grade 12, inclusive, to be maintained and cleaned regularly, fully operational, and stocked at all times with toilet paper, soap, and paper towels or functional hand dryers, and kept open during school hours when pupils are not in classes. Existing law requires that a sufficient number of restrooms be kept open during school hours when pupils are in classes. Existing law authorizes a school to temporarily close a restroom as necessary for pupil safety or as necessary to repair the facility. This bill would revise the conditions under which a restroom is authorized to be temporarily closed to instead be as necessary (1) for a documented pupil safety concern, (2) for an immediate threat to pupil safety, or (3) to repair the facility. The bill would require, on or before July 1, 2026, each school district, county office of education, and charter school, including charter schools operating in a school district facility, maintaining any combination of classes from grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to provide and maintain at least one all-gender restroom for voluntary pupil use at each of its schoolsites that meet specified criteria. The bill would require the all-gender restroom to meet certain requirements, including, among other things, that it has signage identifying the bathroom facility as being open to all genders and is unlocked, unobstructed, and easily accessible by any pupil. The bill would require the local educational agency to designate a staff member to serve as a point of contact for these purposes and to post a notice regarding these requirements in a prominent and conspicuous location outside at least one all-gender restroom. The bill would require these requirements to be subject to compliance review, as specified. By imposing additional requirements on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize a local educational agency to use an existing restroom to satisfy these requirements, as provided. The bill would require the State Department of Education to post on its internet website guidance for implementation of these provisions. Existing law, the Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998 (the Greene Act) , requires the State Allocation Board to allocate to applicant school districts prescribed per-unhoused-pupil state funding for the construction and modernization of school facilities, including hardship funding, and supplemental funding for site development and acquisition. This bill would require the governing board of a school district, a county board of education, or the governing body of a charter school that applies for state funding pursuant to the Greene Act for a school modernization project to include, as part of the modernization project, an all-gender restroom designed exclusively for pupil use for specified schoolsites, as provided. The bill would provide that these provisions apply only to those projects that are submitted for approval on or after July 1, 2026. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Signed into law Sep 23, 2023 0 co-sponsors
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