SACRAMENTO — The State Senate has passed Senate Bill 1278 introduced by State Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) with a 36-0 vote which would require the Governor to annually proclaim December 1st as World AIDS Day, a day of remembrance and solidarity for those across the globe who have been affected by a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Senate Bill 1278 is a priority bill for the California Legislature LGBTQ Caucus.
Press Releases
SACRAMENTO, CA — State Senator John Laird (D - Santa Cruz), Chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education, released the following statement regarding Governor Gavin Newsom's May Revised Budget.
SACRAMENTO, CA — Today, State Senator John Laird (D - Santa Cruz) unveiled Senate Bill 1188 to promote safe and reliable drinking water for Californians by assuring small water systems meet minimum standards of operation.
“Access to safe and affordable water is a human right that over 900,000 Californians lack,” said Senator Laird. “Senate Bill 1188 helps safeguard this fundamental right by empowering the state to proactively identify and assist small water systems struggling with operational capacity that threatens access to safe, reliable drinking water.”
I wholeheartedly support the recent legislative proposal championed by Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D — Encinitas) recognizing its critical importance in revitalizing the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) rail corridor. It is a vital transportation link for San Luis Obispo to Southern California.
SACRAMENTO — Today, State Senator John Laird (D - Santa Cruz) introduced Senate Bill 977, a proposal to establish an independent redistricting commission for the County of San Luis Obispo.
SACRAMENTO — State Senator John Laird, chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education released the following statement today regarding Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent January Budget proposal for 2024-2025.
SACRAMENTO, CA – This weekend, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 38, authored by State Senator John Laird (D – Santa Cruz). Senate Bill 38, introduced in response to battery storage fires within the community, requires battery storage facilities to establish safety and communication protocols.
“Increasing the state’s battery storage is essential to reaching our clean energy goals,” said Senator Laird, “but we also have to ensure that these facilities have safety systems in place to protect the health and well-being of workers and surrounding communities.”
SACRAMENTO – This weekend, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the signing of Senate Bill 416 authored by Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), which will require new and renovated state buildings to be more energy efficient. It does this by requiring LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold or higher certification on all new state buildings or major renovation projects larger than 10,000 square feet unless certain circumstances are met that require LEED Silver.