If we’ve learned anything in 2021, it’s that things don’t happen with the flip of a switch. We have to fight for what our communities need step by step.

We face this same reality in our advocacy work: we have to fight for every ounce of progress. And that’s exactly what we did. We brought back several bills that died in the chaos last year and made sure they were signed into law. We endeavored to improve existing laws and hold our government accountable to the voters. We met new problems head on by crafting sound public policy to remedy them. We have accomplished so much this year, and none of it would have been possible without you.

In this 2021 Advocacy Wrap-Up, you can read highlights of our hard-earned victories, some lamentable delays, and a preview of our goals for next year.  As always, detailed letters related to all the bills on which we took positions may be found in our Bill Status Report.

OUR BIGGEST WINS

More Equitable Voter Registration at the DMV
AB 796 (Berman) was our highest priority bill this year because it will improve the voter registration process at the DMV and help more of the 3 million eligible, yet unregistered Californians register and vote. The bill builds on the success of California’s Motor Voter program, codifies best practices developed through the LWVC lawsuit and settlement agreement with the DMV, requires greater transparency and training, and removes impediments to equitable voter registration. Thanks to your support, this bill is now law.

Revitalizing the California Dream
Housing policies that restrict building have contributed to a severe shortage of affordable homes in our state. We successfully supported a package of bills that will incentivize the production of more houses, increase the housing supply, open up rental units, expand the availability of affordable housing, and make the dream of homeownership a reality for more Californians.

• SB 8 (Skinner) extends the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 to continue to streamline the development of homes in California by prohibiting local actions that reduce housing capacity.
• SB 9 (Atkins) allows qualifying homeowners to split their property into two lots and build two homes on each lot.
• SB 10 (Wiener) enables communities to ease some of the barriers to building small multifamily developments.
• SB 478 (Wiener) removes barriers that disincentivize the building of multi-family homes in areas that already zone for them.

We will continue working on more solutions to generate affordable housing and provide meaningful solutions to the homelessness crisis, while keeping in mind additional intersectional challenges such as climate change, transportation, mental health services, and more.

Accountability for Safer Communities
California has finally caught up with 46 other states, and will establish a process to decertify law enforcement officers who have committed serious misconduct. The LWVC lobbied hard, in coalition with other organizations, to ensure the passage of SB 2 (Bradford), which makes our communities safer by ensuring peace officers who are convicted of felonies or other serious crimes that violate a person’s civil rights are held accountable and prevented from committing further misconduct.

Educational Enrichment
Ethnic Studies will be a graduation requirement in California public and charter high schools starting with the class of 2030. AB 101 (Medina) mandates an ethnic studies course that promotes respect and understanding among races, supports student success, and teaches critical thinking skills. We advocated for this bill  because it allows our educational system to move past the Eurocentric lens that is the dominant frame for interpreting United States history and life, a perspective that fails to validate the existence of the majority of California students.

MORE VICTORIES
The following are a few highlights from the nearly 70 pieces of legislation that the League advocated for in 2021. Many bills we supported have been carried over into the second year of the legislative session and we will continue our advocacy to help pass them in 2022.

• California will count more eligible ballots after the passage of SB 503 (Becker), written to ensure that mailed and provisional ballots are not improperly rejected  during the signature comparison process.
• Campaign finance transparency was advanced by the passage of SB 686 (Glazer),  requiring limited liability companies  engaged in campaign activity to provide information about its members and their capital contributions.
• Timelines and definitions for local redistricting were clarified by SB 594 (Glazer), which will help alleviate stress on local officials and ensure there is time for robust community engagement.
• State protections against foreign interference in state and local elections have been put in place with AB 319 (Valladares), which  prohibits contributions, expenditures, and independent expenditures by foreign governments and foreign principals in connection with state and local candidate elections.
• Carbon sequestration was advanced by SB 27 (Skinner), which will help the state meet its  objectives by identifying goals and projects to sequester carbon in natural and working lands.
• Community-based organizations will respond to certain emergencies instead of the police under a pilot program established by AB 118 (Kamlager), the CRISES Act. The program is designed to fill a void in community-based emergency response services for vulnerable populations, and allow them to safely access culturally appropriate, quality emergency services from trained professionals.
• Mandatory minimum sentences for certain non-violent drug offenses has been repealed, and discretion to judges has been restored, with the passage of SB 73 (Wiener). Justice is advanced by promoting sentencing based on the circumstances of individual cases.
• A Youth Empowerment Commission will be established pursuant to the passage of AB 46 (Luz Rivas). The Commission will give young Californians the opportunity to engage directly with policymakers about issues important to California’s next generation of leaders. Also relevant to California’s youth is AB 309 (Gabriel) which directs the Department of Education to create guidance and resources that schools can use to better address students’ mental health concerns, and AB 469 (Reyes) which will connect more students with financial aid by informing them of their eligibility and helping them better understand the application process.

MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
You’ll Receive Your Ballot in the Mail. Then What?
With AB 37 (Berman), every registered voter in the state will receive a ballot in the mail ahead of each election. While universal mailing of ballots is important to expand voter access, it is not without risks that disproportionately impact underrepresented Californians and those to whom vote-by-mail is unfamiliar or inaccessible. The League maintained a support if amended position because a robust voter education and outreach campaign should be required and structured to capitalize on the expertise of community-based and other good government organizations. While some of our requested amendments were included in the bill (e.g. mandatory Dropboxes and making the remote vote-by-mail process available to all voters), it did not include required voter education and outreach. We will continue to advocate for voter education funding in 2022.

Justice Delayed is Justice Denied
Unfortunately, the Racial Justice Act for All (AB 256 Kalra), to make the Racial Justice Act of 2020 retroactive,  is stuck in the Senate Appropriations Committee. The League is helping lead the charge to get this co-sponsored bill back on track in January. The legislation will provide relief for currently and formerly incarcerated people who experienced racial discrimination in their court proceedings. While the delay is disappointing, we remain deeply committed to ensuring that no one is left behind and that everyone with unfair convictions and sentences has an opportunity to pursue justice.

BEYOND BILLS
Our work goes beyond legislation. We also work to guide effective implementation of bills that pass, and we advise the work of key state agencies to ensure they meet the needs of Californians.

• Implementation of Prop 17: Voting Rights for People Who Have Completed Their Prison Term. Californians made history last year when we voted to restore voting rights to people on parole. However, restoring the right to vote is only half the battle. We also need to ensure people who are leaving prison and are on parole know about their rights and how to register and vote. We will continue our work with the Secretary of State and Governor’s office to properly implement Prop 17 to ensure that people on parole have the tools they need to participate in our democracy.
• Citizens Redistricting Commission. Our LWVC Board Director Helen Hutchison and former LWVUS President Chris Carson lead our work with the state’s redistricting commission. Most recently the League, along with coalition partners, filed an amicus letter in support of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission's emergency motion asking the California Supreme Court to extend the Commission's redistricting deadline in light of unprecedented Census delays. The California Supreme Court did not agree to the extended deadlines requested. The first set of draft district maps must be submitted by November 15, 2021, and the final district maps must be delivered to the Secretary of State by December 27, 2021.

• Fair Political Practices Commission. Jenny Waggoner (LWV San Francisco) and Katie Zoglin (LWV Los Altos/Mountain View) represented the LWVC on the FPPC’s Digital Transparency Task Force and greatly contributed to its recently-issued Report & Recommendations to Governor Newsom and the California legislature. Our comment letter can be read here.

LOOKING FORWARD

• The final ballot had not yet been cast in the Recall Election before pundits and state leaders began discussing the possibility of reforming the recall process. We will watch carefully as this conversation unfolds, maintain a presence at legislative hearings, and advocate to ensure that reforms benefit California’s voters.
• As we enter a statewide election year, we are starting to analyze potential ballot measures. The League is currently supporting the following four constitutional amendments, which if approved by the legislature, would then need to be approved by the voters in June or November.
  -SCA 1 (Hertzberg) would switch the meaning of a “yes” vote and a “no” vote on referendum measures to make the meaning more intuitive for voters.
  -SCA 2 (Allen) would repeal Article 34 of the California Constitution, which prevents the development of certain types of low-income housing unless it is first approved by voters.
  -ACA 1 (Aguiar-Curry) ​​would lower the vote threshold for the approval of local general obligation bonds and certain special taxes from two-thirds to 55 percent.
  -ACA 4 (Kiley) would shift the responsibility for writing titles and summaries and ballot labels for statewide measures from the Attorney General to the Legislative Analyst.

How can you help us keep doing this work?

Donations help us continue our hard work lobbying on the issues against big money. Please donate now.