State

When San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk took his bullhorn and rallied crowds at the intersection of Market and Castro Streets in San Francisco, he inspired a generation and helped forge the LGBT civil rights movement, and now steps are underway to make this hallowed ground a fitting tribute to both Milk and the gay rights movement with a major re-imagining of Harvey Milk Plaza, including an international competition to design the space. The project has gained the support of those who knew Supervisor Milk best. Author and activist Cleve Jones, who stood with Milk at rallies in the same plaza […]

Assemblymembers Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego), and Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) announced legislation requiring the state’s pension funds to divest from companies involved in the construction of the president’s wall along the United States-Mexico border.  The announcement follows the request for proposals for border wall prototypes issued Friday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “Californians build bridges not walls.  This is a wall of shame and we don’t want any part of it.  Immigrant stories are the history of America and this is a nightmare,” said Ting.  “Asian Americans know the pains of being blocked from immigrating […]

Covered California released a new comprehensive analysis on Tuesday detailing the financial assistance available through the Affordable Care Act as well as a preliminary analysis of how changes proposed in federal law would affect enrollees. The studies come one day after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that 24 million consumers could lose coverage under the proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA), which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 6. “We are deeply troubled by the CBO’s finding that the amount of support provided for consumers to buy health insurance in 2020 under proposed legislation would […]

  Following a concerted effort by local LGBTQ activists, Los Angeles Pride will take on a decidedly more political atmosphere this year. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure that the people who come to the city, sometimes only once or twice a year, are going to see something familiar [at the pride festival].” That’s Christopher Street West board president Chris Classen, trying to assure folks at a Wednesday night community meeting that this year’s LA Pride in June will still provide a satisfying amount of entertainment, despite the major change in theme. The annual pride parade has been sidelined altogether […]

Equality California (EQCA) today announced the initial 10 sponsored bills of its 2017 legislative package. Rick Zbur, EQCA executive director introduced The package saying, “The LGBT community faces significant challenges in Washington and across the country with attempts to roll back LGBT civil rights along with programs that LGBT people depend on, such as the Affordable Care Act. At the same time, California must not just hold the line, but continue to make progress in our goal of achieving full equality and social justice for LGBT people. In the coming years, our state can serve as a beacon of hope […]

The City Council of the City of West Hollywood, at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 21, approved an item that directs City of West Hollywood staff to take steps in prohibiting West Hollywood City Hall from doing business with entities that provide financial or other benefits to the President of the United States or his revocable trust. The City’s Finance Department will review the financial institutions, hotels, real estate-related companies, investors, and direct affiliates with which the City does business and develop a list in order to evaluate next steps. “Ultimately, this is an ethics issue and a legal […]

Toni Atkins Sen. Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) announced today that she has introduced SB 310, legislation that establishes the right of people incarcerated in state prisons and county jails to access the court to obtain a name or gender change. Currently, people incarcerated in state prisons seeking a court order for a name change or a name-and-gender change must first obtain approval from the warden of their facility, the Division of Adult Institutions Regional Administrator and a corrections case manager before they can even submit their petition. As a practical matter, this cumbersome and subjective process too often results […]

California State Assemblymembers Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) and Adrin Nazarian (D-Sherman Oaks) have introduced a legislative package that builds upon California’s efforts to welcome and successfully integrate refugees from around the world. This legislative package will help refugees access educational and employment resources necessary to become integrated and productive members of the community. “While Donald Trump is putting up racist and possibly unconstitutional roadblocks to keep refugees out of our country, we want California to put out the welcome mat for refugees, many of whom assisted our military as interpreters overseas, to help them normalize their […]