Top Ten Stories for April 26 through May 2 included good and bad news from Anaheim, an arrest by the CHP, and freedom rallies from sea to shining sea. Top Ten Stories for April 26 through May 2 the most-read stories at Orange County Breeze over the last week (excluding …continue reading
Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) announced today that Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) has appointed her vice chair of a special committee that will review California’s response to COVID-19. The Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response, a bipartisan committee of 11 senators, is tasked with reviewing the …continue reading
While Senate Democrats suppressed Senator Patricia Bates’ (R-Laguna Niguel) bill that would have restored “opt-in” voter registration at the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) last January, she has introduced a new bill that she hopes they will support: clarifying the existing DMV voter registration process to reduce confusion. “DMV …continue reading
ABC 10 News San Diego (KGTV) reported on the concerns that mall Santas have about operating under California’s new “gig” economy law known as Assembly Bill 5. This law significantly redefines what constitutes an “independent contractor.” Legislative Democrats passed the bill and Governor Newsom signed it into law in 2019. …continue reading
Senators Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) and John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) announced that they have jointly introduced the “Voter Roll Accuracy Act” (Senate Bill 994) to increase the accuracy of county voter rolls by requiring jury commissioners to share relevant changes in a prospective juror’s voter registration data with county election …continue reading
Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) announced today that she has introduced two additional bills to help improve outcomes for people recovering from substance addiction. SB 1144 requires the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to take action against an unlicensed facility if it has received a substantiated complaint, or …continue reading
Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) has announced that the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has awarded planning grants to the cities of San Clemente ($310,000) and San Juan Capistrano ($160,000) to help create more housing supply. This is in addition to grants that Senator Bates previously announced …continue reading
Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) announced today that she has introduced legislation in partnership with the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to eliminate filing fees for non-profit organizations applying for a state tax exemption. “I’m pleased to work with the Franchise Tax Board to help non-profits save money, reduce paperwork, …continue reading
Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) issued the following statement today after Governor Gavin Newsom delivered his “State of the State” speech to a joint convention of the California Legislature: “California is a land of dreamers and doers, and I appreciate the Governor’s positive tone about addressing our state’s challenges together …continue reading
Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) announced today that she has introduced legislation in partnership with San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan to extend the presumption of openness that exists in California courtrooms to proceedings under the Sexually Violent Predator Act. “District Attorney Stephan and I believe that court hearings …continue reading
Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) announced today that she has introduced two bills to help newspapers and freelance journalists continue to operate in California by exempting them from the state’s new anti-independent contracting law, Assembly Bill 5 (Gonzalez, 2019). “Assembly Bill 5 took a sledgehammer approach to an employment problem …continue reading
The Senate Health Committee today blocked Senate Bill 486 by Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) that would have prohibited commercially-operated substance abuse recovery residences (also known as sober living homes) from engaging in patient brokering. “It’s sad that today’s decision means that patient brokering for sober living homes will continue …continue reading
Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) has announced that the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has awarded more than $1 million in Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) to Orange and San Diego counties to reduce homelessness. These grants are in addition to the $2.5 million in state funding that …continue reading