in Climate Change, Environmental, Gun Violence, Health care and health policy, Legislative Action, Policy Work, Social Justice, Uncategorized
October 2, 2018

In 2018, San Francisco Bay Area Physicians for Social Responsibility, bolstered by your support, monitored and took action on many policy proposals impacting human health and the health of the environment. We formally supported approximately 30 pieces of state legislation concerning a wide array of issues ranging from stopping gun violence to improving right-to-know protections for salon professionals to reducing the impacts of climate change.

GUN VIOLENCE

AB 3 (Bonta) Support. This bill prohibits selling or transferring a long gun to anyone under the age of 21. Currently, the age limit on long guns is 18 and on handguns, 21. (Died in Committee, but similar Senate bill passed and was signed.)

AB 1927 (Bonta) Support. This bill would create a system so people can self-register to the “Do Not Sell” gun list to help protect themselves from suicide by gun. It also provides for a process by which that person may request to be taken off the list, thereby protecting his or her civil rights. (Governor vetoed. Amended to require the study of this issue.)

AB 2222 (Quirk) Support. This bill would expand the law enforcement agencies that are required to report stolen guns, and would include the California Highway Patrol, University of California and state university police, Department of Fish and Wildlife, school districts, and airports. (Governor signed)

SB 459 (Portantino) Support. Requires PERS to call on gun manufacturers to phase out guns that are banned in CA and if that fails, to adopt a divestment plan from same. (Died in Assembly)

SB 1200 (Skinner) Support. This bill eliminates any fees for requesting a Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) and adds ammunition and magazines to the list of items which must be surrendered. SB 1200 requires law enforcement personnel that serve the order to verbally ask the recipient if they have firearms or accessories and also requires Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVRO) that are issued for a 21-day period to have a hearing within that time period to allow for that GVRO to be extended for a year. (Governor signed)

SB 1092 (Anderson) OPPOSE. Existing law makes it a felony to possess a silencer for a firearm. SB 1092 would constrict that prohibition to only apply to a firearm that is less than 16 inches, thereby allowing silencers to be used on many other guns that are manufactured and available. (Failed in Senate committee)

CHEMICALS POLICY/ ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

AB 2998 (Bloom) Support. Prohibits flame retardant chemicals in juvenile products (including a bassinet, booster seat, changing pad, floor play mat, highchair, highchair pad, infant bouncer, infant carrier, infant seat, infant swing, infant walker, nursing pad, nursing pillow, playpen side pad, play yard, portable hook-on chair, stroller, and children’s nap mat), upholstered furniture, and mattresses. (Governor signed)

AB 2787 (Quirk) Support. Originally prohibited lead in fishing weights and sinkers. Amended to require the Department of Fish and Wildlife to review existing research and data on the impacts of lead fishing tackle on, at minimum, the environment, including wildlife, rivers, lakes, streams, and potential drinking water sources. It would also mandate reviewing efforts in other jurisdictions to regulate the use of lead fishing tackle, and require such a review to be submitted to the Governor and the Legislature. (Failed Senate floor. Bill completely gutted; now is regarding bulk energy storage.)

AB 2775 (Kalra) Support. Requires manufacturers of professional cosmetics to list ingredients on the labels of professional cosmetic products. (Governor signed)

AB 2308 (Stone) Support. Prohibits the use of single-use filters on cigarettes. (Died in committee)

SB 1041 (Leyva) Support. SB 1041 makes it a state goal that all children enrolled in Medi-Cal receive blood lead screening tests by the age of 6 years old, and much sooner for children who are at risk of exposure. It also requires the California Lead Prevention Program to notify health care providers about the dangers of lead exposure and the screening test requirement for children enrolled in Medi-Cal. The state Department of Public health is required to attain certain goals including compiling information concerning the prevalence, causes, and geographic occurrence of high childhood blood lead levels, and identifying and targeting areas of the state where childhood lead exposures are especially significant. (Governor signed)

AB 2370 (Holden) Support. This bill requires that the drinking water at child care centers be tested for lead and cease using any source where levels are elevated. The bill also requires child care centers, when enrolling a child in their care, to give the parents information about lead testing recommendations and requirements. Also requires that the existing health and safety training course for child care center will include instruction in the prevention of lead exposure as a part of the preventive health practices course or courses component. (Governor signed)

AB 2828 (Friedman) Support. Requires that the safety of using oil wastewater is determined before issuing any new permits to use it. (Pulled by author)

SB 1097 (Hueso) Support. Existing law requires the state Department of Public Health to prepare a biennial report describing the effectiveness of appropriate case management efforts, and to make that report available to local health departments and the general public. This bill also requires the report to contain specified information for each county, including the number of children screened for risk of lead poisoning and to post publicly. (Governor signed)

Joint support of the following 6 lead bills; signed onto joint letter:

AB 2073 (Chiu) Protects homeowners from frivolous lawsuits threatened by the lead paint manufacturers if the homeowners participate in the abatement program created by a judgment.  (Ordered to inactive file)

AB 2074 (Bonta) Changes the theory of liability in lead paint suits for injuries, allowing those poisoned by lead-based paint but who are unable to identify the exact manufacturer of the lead paint pigment to pursue litigation and obtain damages. ​ (Author pulled)

AB 2803 (Limón) Codifies several of the strong aspects of the ConAgra lead paint court decision like specifying that residential lead-based paint interferes with a public right if it affects the health of a considerable number of people.  It also establishes that a party may be liable for public nuisance if it promoted lead-based paint with actual or constructive knowledge that it was hazardous. (Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 2934 (Stone) Goal of this bill was to fill a shortage of state inspectors to help bring homes up to safe lead standards by creating a process for authorizing counties to certify inspectors and to inspect. Additional qualified, lead paint inspectors will be needed as work proceeds to remove toxic paint from homes under the judgement. Existing CalOSHA regulations require an employer to ensure that an employee is not exposed to lead at concentrations greater than 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air averaged over an 8-hour period. This bill would require the division to establish a revised permissible exposure limit for lead for workers doing lead paint removal by July 1, 2019. (Died in Senate appropriations comm.)

AB 2995 (Carrillo) classifies the presence of lead-based paint in a home or building as a physical injury to the property, enabling property owners to sue for the cost of abating or removing lead paint to prevent the further deterioration of peoples’ health. Secondly, the bill delays the start of the clock on the statute of limitations to when property owners become aware that lead paint is present, rather than starting the clock at the time of purchase of the home. (Failed on assembly floor)

AB 3009 (Quirk) enacts a fee on paint manufacturers for all paint sold in California to create a fund for residents of single-family or multi-family dwellings to clean up lead paint that has contaminated their homes.  This fee will only be imposed if an initiative passes that states that lead paint is not a public nuisance. (Ordered to inactive file.)

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS/HEALTH

SB 320 (Leyva) Support. Would require each public university student health center to offer abortion by medication techniques by January 1, 2022, with funding provided by private monies. (Vetoed by governor)

AB 2434 (Bloom) Support. Will require the California Strategic Council to create a Health in All Policies Task Force to ensure that health, sustainability, and equity are reflected across sectors and policy areas in California state government. (Died in Senate Appropriations)

SCR 100 (Lara) Support. Urge OEHHA to list processed meat as a carcinogen on its Proposition 65 list. (Died in Senate Committee)

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

SB 834 (Jackson) Support. Would prohibit the State Lands Commission from approving leases or modifications of leases upon tidelands and submerged lands within state waters associated with Outer Continental Shelf leases issued after January 1, 2018. This bill responds to the Trump administration’s move to open up billions of acres of offshore waters, including off the California coast, to oil and gas drilling. (Governor signed)

AB 3001 (Bonta) Support. Removes regulatory barriers at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and California Energy Commission (CEC) and align the building code with California’s greenhouse gas limits to jumpstart the market for clean heating systems, meet our climate goals, and improve the health of our communities. (Pulled by author)

AB 3232 (Friedman) Support. By January 1, 2021, the commission, in consultation with the Public Utilities Commission, the State Air Resources Board, and the Independent System Operator, would assess the potential for the state to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases in the state’s residential and commercial building stock by at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by January 1, 2030. (Governor signed)

SB 1477 (Stern) Support. This bill 1) provides technology-neutral incentives directly to builders and developers to design and build low-emissions buildings, and 2) spurs innovation in the market for space and water heating equipment in California. This bill also targets incentives to Californians who need and deserve the most support. (Governor signed)

SB 1335 (Allen) Support. Calls for use at facilities on state-owned property of only to-go containers that are recyclable. (Governor signed)

SB 210 (Leyva) Would address heavy duty truck emissions through a comprehensive program of vehicle inspection and maintenance, supporting cleaner air and better health for all Californians. (Died in Assembly committee)

 NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Assembly Joint Resolution 30 (Aguiar-Curry) Support. Urges the Congress and Senate of the United States to take up and pass the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017, and send it to the president for his signature. (Passed Assembly and Senate)

AJR 33 (Limon) Support. This measure would urge federal leaders to embrace the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, make nuclear disarmament the centerpiece of U.S. national security policy, and spearhead a global effort to prevent nuclear war. (Passed Assembly and Senate)