Tri-Valley state legislators came out mostly ahead during the trick-or-treat period in Sacramento.
When the dust settled upon the Oct. 13 deadline for California Gov. Gavin Newsom to confirm or deny bills passed by the State Legislature, Sen. Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton) and Asm. Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) each celebrated six signatures and lamented multiple vetoes on legislation they introduced.
McNerney, the former U.S. congressman winding down his first year in the State Senate, considers 2025 “very productive” with 10 original bills passed by both houses and a half-dozen inked by the governor.
“My 2025 legislative package was designed to help make California and our Senate district more affordable, expand water recycling, create clean energy jobs, and ensure that artificial intelligence is safe and beneficial,” McNerney told me by email Tuesday. “I was also proud to secure $10 million in funding for the Valley Link rail project’s first phase, connecting Livermore to Dublin-Pleasanton BART.”
“Although I disagreed with governor’s decision to veto a few of my bills, I will work with stakeholders to reintroduce some of the vetoed legislation next year to help protect workers from losing their jobs due to AI and safeguard ratepayers from skyrocketing utility bills,” he said. “I will also be introducing new legislation designed to reduce the volatility of California’s yearly budget and send less of California’s money to Washington.”
Working backward, McNerney saw his Senate Bill 846, to protect farmworkers from wage theft with updates to laws to hold agricultural employers accountable, signed into law in July.
Then this month, Newsom approved five McNerney bills: SB 711, to better align state tax-filing requirements with federal rules; SB 543, to streamline construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs); SB 279, to allow farmers and winegrape growers to compost large amounts of green waste onsite; SB 86, to extend a program with tax incentives for green energy manufacturers; and SB 31, to expand the use of recycled water in the hopes of protecting the fresh water supply.
McNerney’s four vetoed bills were SB 7, the “No Robo Bosses Act”; SB 24, to strengthen oversight of investor-owned utilities like PG&E; SB 454, to create state PFAS mitigation fund; and SB 787, the “Job Growth in Clean Energy Supply Chains Act”.
Recall McNerney was also a vocal member of the Delta Caucus that helped stop Newsom’s controversial plan to fast-track the $20 billion-plus Delta tunnel project.
“Defeating the tunnel fast-tracking proposal is a major victory for California and the Delta, and for the communities, farms, and historic resources surrounding the largest estuary on the West Coast. The tunnel project not only would devastate much of the Delta region, but is also unaffordable and unnecessary,” McNerney said in a statement last month.
“(We) stand ready to work with the Legislature and governor on alternatives that will cost far less and will safeguard California’s main water supply system without inflicting major harm to it, such as fortifying Delta levees and increasing water recycling, water efficiency, and groundwater storage,” he added.
In the lower legislative house, Bauer-Kahan’s fourth term also saw six bills she served as primary author on receive Newsom’s signature – an outcome she sees as representing “positive momentum forward for our district and for California”.
“Across all six bills signed this year – from protecting reproductive health data privacy to cracking down on AI-generated deepfakes – we’re fighting for affordability, safety, and accountability in every aspect of our lives,” Bauer-Kahan told me Wednesday morning.
“While I’m deeply disappointed by the Governor’s vetoes of AB 432 and AB 1064, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and remain committed to fighting for menopause care equity and protecting our children from exploitative companion chatbots,” she added. “This work isn’t finished, and I’ll continue to be a voice for common-sense solutions that make our community safer and stronger.”
Her Assembly Bill 45 focused on protecting personal and location data related to health care from exploitation against patients, providers or researchers. AB 56 requires social media platforms to display mental health warning labels for users. AB 61, passed unanimously by the Legislature, strengthens civil enforcement options against websites that use artificial intelligence to create nude deep-fakes without consent.
“AB 56 addresses something I’ve heard from parents throughout our community: the very real anxiety about social media’s impact on their children’s mental health,” she told me. “We know that excessive social media use is contributing to unprecedented rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm among young people. By requiring warning labels, we’re empowering families with the information they need to make informed decisions about their children’s online activities.”
There were also AB 290, the FAIR Plan Modernization Act; AB 578, enhancements to the Fair Food Delivery Act; and AB 774, cleaning up the Code of Civil Procedure related to enforcement of judgments in civil actions.
“We’re ensuring that families don’t lose their fire insurance due to simple payment processing issues during wildfire season,” Bauer-Kahan said of AB 290.
“Too many families have faced the nightmare of losing their fire insurance coverage simply because of a lack of an automated payment system and then seen their rates skyrocket when reengaging the fair plan. This practical, bipartisan solution protects homeowners,” she added.
The vetoed Bauer-Kahan Bills were AB 432, the “Menopause Care Equity Act” to ensure insurance coverage for evidence-based treatments and physician training incentives related to medical care during menopause; and AB 1064, which sought to protect kids from AI “companion” chatbots.
For the record, I also sent the same inquiries to the press contacts for Asm. Liz Ortega – who represents a sliver of western Pleasanton and Dublin – Sen. Tim Grayson, whose district goes north from San Ramon.
Crickets.
I get media releases for Ortega (D-San Leandro), so I know much of her focus was on issues such as wage theft, reentry for expelled students, workplace safety, no masking for law enforcement and top priorities for the Latino Caucus. Still, some year-end reflections would’ve been nice.
As for Grayson (D-Concord), I’ve never heard from his staff despite countless attempts during his first year in the upper house, and his official website is starkly devoid of information about his bills, accomplishments and priorities. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen for an active state legislator. Alarmingly so.
If you’re out there reading, senator, I’d love to learn more about what you’re doing and get on your media email list so we can receive what would apparently be your second press release of 2025.
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the associate publisher and editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What a Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com.
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“Tri-Valley state legislators came out mostly ahead during the trick-or-treat period in Sacramento.”
In other news, “water is wet”. Was there really any doubt that Tri-Valley legislators would come out “mostly ahead” when they have supermajorities in the state legislature and the governor is a member of their own party? Crickets. The opposing party can’t stop any legislation from being passed.
We need fewer bills being passed in a one-party rule state that is financially irresponsible, cost prohibitive for middle class residents, and chases businesses out with endless amounts of taxes and regulations. Watch how “affordable” the state becomes when oil refineries cease operations (and fuel prices skyrocket) due to misguided “climate emergency” legislation.