SACRAMENTO – “The question is, how much faith do we have in our young people?” said Senator Stern as he introduced SCA 2 to extend the right to vote to all Californian citizens one year earlier than every other state. Stern added “If we can ask 17 year olds to join our military, and allow 16 year olds to drive a car, then we must surely trust them to vote.”
Press Releases
SACRAMENTO – While soaring utility gas bills have left a gaping hole in family budgets across the southland, Sempra Energy is facing increasing scrutiny for putting executive and shareholder profits ahead of the customers served by the gas utilities they own.
Sacramento, CA - Today, State Senator Stern announced legislation to bring the State of California to the table in revitalizing the Sepulveda Basin prior to the 2028 Olympics.
SACRAMENTO – In response to the Senate Pro Temp Atkins release of committee assignments earlier this week, Senator Henry Stern (D- Calabasas) said “I’m grateful to Pro Tem Atkins for appointing me to lead the Legislature on climate as Chair of Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies and as the Senate Member on the California Air Resources Board. We had big wins last year in policy and budget, but we have left many questions unanswered about how California will lead the nation and the world to systemic climate change by 2030.”
Sacramento, CA- SB 1472- Ryan’s law, set to take effect January 1, 2023, will give more tools to prosecutors who seek justice for deaths caused by egregiously hazardous driving. This legal change, named after Ryan Koeppel, an Encino teenager killed by a repeat extreme speeder, adds speeding 100+ mph, street racing, and participating in a side show to the definition of gross negligence. Thereby increasing the penalties for fatalities caused by these activities and forcing District Attorneys across the state to recognize the seriousness of these crimes.
Sacramento, CA – Governor Newsom announced appointments to the Governor’s Council on
Holocaust and Genocide Education (Council). The Council was created when evidence showing
a lack of knowledge about the Holocaust and other recent genocides among California students
came to light. The Council will focus on education about the Holocaust and genocides with a
particular emphasis on the public school system.
Sacramento, CA – A new study published in Environmental Science & Technology from researchers at
PSE Healthy Energy found that the gas that is piped into California homes for heating and cooking
contains elevated levels of benzene and other hazardous pollutants. Low-level gas leaks from kitchen
stoves alone can create benzene levels in homes comparable to living with a smoker.
Sacramento, CA. Street racers and extreme speeders will face stricter criminal
prosecution after Governor Newsom signed Senator Stern’s SB 1472 this week. Ryan’s Law
is named after Ryan Koeppel, a Tarzana teenager killed by a repeat extreme speeder taking
a left on August 6, 2020. A number of other residents in the southland and California have
been killed by criminally reckless drivers, including: