Cannabis business groups raise over $50,000 for California’s fire relief efforts this week

SANTA ROSA, Calif. – The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), the nation’s largest trade association representing legal marijuana businesses, and its California affiliate, California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA) hosted a fundraiser on the evening of Monday, Nov. 6 in support of the Redwood Credit Union’s Fire Relief Fund. Held at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in…

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State of California asks to intervene as plaintiff in Equality California’s transgender military ban lawsuit, Stockman v. Trump

LOS ANGELES — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a motion to intervene on behalf of the State of California in Stockman v. Trump, Equality California’s federal lawsuit challenging Trump’s transgender military ban. The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)—the organizations that secured a nationwide preliminary injunction against…

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Gov. Brown - LGBT Weekly

Governor signs bill modernizing California’s HIV laws

SACRAMENTO, Calif.— Gov. Jerry Brown Friday signed into law landmark legislation to reform outdated laws that unfairly criminalized and stigmatized people living with HIV. Senate Bill (SB) 239 was authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Asm. Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) and cosponsored by Equality California, the ACLU of California, APLA Health, Black AIDS Institute,…

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Gov. Brown signs ‘Bill of Rights’ for LGBTQ seniors in long-term care

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill that creates a “bill of rights” for LGBTQ seniors in long-term care.  Senate Bill (SB) 219, authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and sponsored by Equality California, will help protect seniors from discrimination or mistreatment in long-term care facilities. “Our LGBT seniors built…

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Gov. Jerry Brown signs two immigrant protection bills

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Jerry Brown signed two bills today that continues California’s challenge to Trump’s deportation machine and goes further than any state to put immigrant protections into law. The bills, both authored by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco), are AB450, the Immigrant Worker Protection Act, that affirmatively protects workers from immigration enforcement through…

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California’s LGBTQ youth report more negative school experiences than non-LGBTQ youth

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – LGBTQ youth in California reported less connection with school, poorer academic outcomes and more frequent victimization than their non-LGBTQ peers, according to a new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. The report, titled LGBTQ Youth in California’s Public Schools: Differences across the State, explored disparities in school…

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LGBT Data Collection Bill passed by Senate

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Assembly Bill 677 by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco), which would help ensure California public policy meets the needs of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) communities, today passed the State Senate. “We need real data to better understand the obstacles facing LGBT communities and to inform policies to eliminate educational…

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Bill to track sexual assault evidence kits clears Senate Appropriations Committee

SACRAMENTO, Calif.–The Senate Appropriations Committee Friday passed a bill authored by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) and sponsored by Alameda District Attorney Nancy O’Malley that would help reduce the number of untested sexual assault evidence kits throughout California. AB 41 will for first time require law enforcement agencies to report to the California Department of…

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Civil rights groups ask for comprehensive review of law enforcement efforts on hate crimes

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Citing escalating hate crimes by both organized hate groups and individuals, Equality California joined eight other major civil rights organizations to call on the California Legislature to order a comprehensive evaluation of law enforcement agencies’ efforts to protect Californians from hate crimes. The civil rights groups support a request by Assemblymember Kansen…

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