SACRAMENTO – Legislation authored by Sen. Mark Leno that provides new protections for transgender foster youth in California was signed into law Saturday by Gov. Jerry Brown. Senate Bill 731 ensures that all foster youth, including those who identify as transgender, are placed in appropriate homes where they feel safe and accepted. It requires caregivers…
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown signed landmark legislation today that prohibits state agencies from doing business with companies that fail to offer transgender employees the same health care coverage and benefits they provide all other workers. Senate Bill 703, authored by Sen. Mark Leno, builds on existing California law that requires gender nondiscrimination in employee…
SACRAMENTO – The Assembly today passed two bills authored by Sen. Mark Leno that provide protections and equal benefits to transgender Californians. The first bill, SB 703, prohibits state agencies from doing business with companies that fail to offer transgender employees the same health care coverage and benefits they provide all other workers. The second…
SACRAMENTO – California’s landmark legislation requiring all new smartphones sold in California to come pre-equipped with kill switch technology takes effect today. SB 962, authored by Sen. Mark Leno and sponsored by San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón, prompts every consumer to enable a kill switch during the initial setup of a new smartphone. The…
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown signed landmark legislation today addressing the growing epidemic of smartphone theft in California. SB 962, authored by Senator Mark Leno and sponsored by San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón, requires all smartphones sold in California to come pre-equipped with theft-deterring technological solutions to render the devices useless if stolen. The…
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation today that brings state law in line with court rulings that recognize marriage for same-sex couples. While both the California and U.S. Supreme Courts have affirmed the right for same-sex couples to marry, current state laws have not been revised to reflect these changes. Senate Bill 1306, authored…
SACRAMENTO – The full state Senate today approved a resolution urging CalPERS and CalSTRS not to invest future resources from their pension plans in Russia. SR 18, authored by Sen. Mark Leno, passed with a 29-1 bipartisan vote. SR 18 was introduced in response to Russia’s new laws that discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and…
SAN FRANCISCO – Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), is holding a community reception in San Francisco Saturday, Sept. 7 to honor Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, the Bay Area plaintiffs in the Proposition 8 case that was heard before the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year. Sen. Leno and other members of the California Legislative Lesbian,…
SACRAMENTO – A resolution introduced by Sen. Mark Leno that urges the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) not to invest future resources from their pension plans in Russia passed the Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee today with a 4-1 bipartisan vote. Senate Resolution 18 was introduced in…
SACRAMENTO—Today, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the historic School Success and Opportunity Act into law, ensuring transgender youth have the opportunity to fully participate and succeed in schools across the state. Assembly Bill 1266—which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2014—was authored by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano and passed the California State Senate and Assembly earlier this…
