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CAPITOL UPDATE #3 – January 23, 2025

January 23, 2024

Golden State Republican Women
Janet Price, President

        Submitted by the GSRW Legislative Analyst Committee        
Valerie Evans,
Lou Ann Flaherty and Elaine Freeman, 
  

FIRST AND FOREMOST, CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP

On to California

THE CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S BUDGET

Governor Newsom released his 2025 budget plan by the required deadline.

The total budget is $322.3 billion.

This is really a place-holder budget based on best available information and gives the Assembly and Senate parameters to work within.  

It is important to note that the Governor is reporting a surplus with the general fund revenues at $218 billion with revenues expected to be higher.  Caution should be taken because in the last budget year revenues were expected to provide a surplus of $98 billion but when the actual numbers came in, there was a deficit of over $60 billion per the Legislative Analyst office.

It should also be noted that the budget includes taking $7 billion from the “rainy day fund”.

(And do we also wonder what the impact will be of “property tax” losses from the fire ravaged homes!!)

In terms of spending:

  • No projected cuts to education.

Before and after school programs, summer school, and full funding for universal kindergarten and offering free education to about 400,000 four-year-olds are included.

Funding cuts:

  • There are funding cuts for wildfire and forest resilience by more than $10 million. (However, total spending has increased on fire prevention over last six years.)

On the homeless front:

  • The budget proposes more stringent accounting methods to track spending.

(During the last budget there was over $500 million that the auditor could not track, so this is a good thing.) 

  • As part of the plan on homelessness, the budget proposes a new agency to help coordinate homelessness and creating new policies.

An interesting proposal:

  • Budget $7.4 million to provide three (3) months’ supply of diapers for all newborn.

(No real idea yet how this will be implemented.)

The Governor pointed out that with President Trump taking office, the state could lose a lot of federal funding so if the budget goes upside down, he can blame President Trump.

NOT TO MENTION “Trump Proofing” California

California Democrats have reached a $50 million agreement to shore up state and local legal defenses against the incoming Trump administration just a week ahead of the president-elect’s inauguration. Half the money would go to fending off any mass deportation plan the new president might enact early in his administration.


Interesting Bill Review

A bit confusing, but the new bill (SB 51) and the new Resolution (SCR 7) mean that we the people of California who voted in 2018 for “Daylight Savings Time” to be Permanent “Standard Time” would be supported with a Federal approval in 2025.

SB 51, as introduced (01/06/2025), Niello. Permanent standard time.

Existing state law, Proposition 7, an initiative measure approved by the voters at the November 6, 2018, statewide general election, sets the standard time for California and sets daylight saving time to begin each March and end each November.

Proposition 7 authorizes the Legislature to amend these provisions by a 2/3 vote to change the dates and times of the daylight-saving time period, consistent with federal law, and authorizes the Legislature to amend these provisions by a 2/3 vote to provide for the application of year-round daylight-saving time when authorized by federal law.

This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would relate to the implementation of permanent standard time.

California Proposition 7, the Legislative Power to Change Daylight Saving Time Measure. The measure was approved.

A yes vote supported allowing the California State Legislature to change the dates and times of the daylight-saving time (DST) period, as consistent with federal law, by a two-thirds vote, including establishing permanent, year-round standard time or permanent, year-round DST (if federal law is changed to allow for permanent DST).

 

no vote opposed allowing the California State Legislature to change the dates and times of the daylight-saving time (DST) period, as consistent with federal law, by a two-thirds vote, including establishing permanent, year-round standard time or permanent, year-round DST (if federal law is changed to allow for permanent DST).

 SCR 7, as introduced (12/18/2024), Niello. Permanent standard time.

This measure would proclaim that the Legislature acknowledges the health benefits of permanent standard time.

Bill Text

WHEREAS, Changing clocks between standard time and daylight-saving time is disruptive to health, safety, education, and the economy; and

WHEREAS, The California Medical Association, California Sleep Society, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, National Sleep Foundation, Sleep Research Society, and Society for Research on Biological Rhythms advise against permanent daylight-saving time and recommend permanent standard time; and

WHEREAS, Daylight saving time is scientifically proven to contribute to medical errors, heart attacks, car accidents, and student health issues and absenteeism; and

WHEREAS, Permanent daylight-saving time has historically been repealed due to its harm to health, safety, education, and economy soon after its trials during World War II and the 1970s oil crisis; and

WHEREAS, Socially disadvantaged individuals such as shift workers are disproportionally impacted by daylight saving time as their sleep patterns are most affected, and child care is harder to obtain for their families; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature passed Senate Bill 328 (Portantino) in 2019 in support of moving school start times to protect the importance of more sleep to students’ health; and

WHEREAS, Permanent standard time presents a positive impact on businesses as workers are showing up alert, healthy, productive, and on time and can perform their job duties safely; and

WHEREAS, Permanent standard time provides positive implications for religious groups as it relates to prayer times and fasting; and

WHEREAS, Federal law permits permanent standard time by exemption from daylight saving time as the only alternative to biannual changing of clocks; and

WHEREAS, Permanent standard time has historically proven to last without incident for decades; and

WHEREAS, Arizona, Hawaii, all United States territories, Mexico, and most nations already observe permanent standard time; and

WHEREAS, Many states, including, in the Pacific Time Zone, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, are considering restoring permanent standard time; and

WHEREAS, Coordination with nearby states regarding timekeeping is essential to convenience of commerce; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature acknowledges the health benefits of permanent standard time; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.


Legislative Portal links – Express your support or opposition to a bill or directly to the Legislative committee currently reviewing it (as an individual, not as a member of RW or GSRW) click here, or the bill’s author – click here, enter your bill # and look for tab at top of the bill page labeled “Comments to Author”.

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