Atkins and Jones at PPIC + Skinner takes on social media + Senate R’s declare victory

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

ATKINS, JONES SHARE THE STAGE AT PPIC

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Public Policy Institute of California hosted an in-person conversation with California legislative leaders.

Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins, a Democrat, and Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, a Republican, both from San Diego, recently joined PPIC President (and former California Supreme Court Chief Justice) Tani Cantil-Sakauye for a conversation about their legislative priorities for the coming year.

Cantil-Sakauye opened by asking the two lawmakers what Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature must take action on this year.

“Overriding everything is obviously the economic outlook, the fiscal situation in the country and thereby what affects our state,” Atkins said.

But she added that the state also must also act on climate change, housing and homelessness.

Jones identified his caucus’ priorities as homelessness, crime, cost of living and education.

Though their parties differ, Atkins and Jones agreed on several subjects during the hour-long conversation, which included questions from the audience.

For example, Jones said Newsom was correct in his position that the state should not dip into its reserves to address the anticipated $22.5 billion shortfall in the budget.

“We’ve solved one problem already. I agree with Sen. Jones that we have to protect our reserves,” Atkins said.

Jones also credited Newsom for expanding broadband access, especially in his district.

But of course, the two differed on a number of issues as well.

On COVID-19 and how the government handled it, Atkins offered praise to her colleagues and said that she has learned that the Legislature can be flexible in times of crisis.

Jones said he came at this “with a little bit more of a libertarian attitude.”

“I was concerned about government overreacting from the beginning,” Jones said.

He went on the say that the government, both state and federal, went “just a little bit too far in telling us how to respond to this pandemic.”

While Atkins and Jones agreed that COVID-19 had set back K-12 education, Jones called for more parental responsibility and said the state budget should be doled out not just to traditional public schools, but also charter, private and home schools as well.

“I think that parents in California are ready for a school choice, they want to be responsible for their kids’ education, and we need to help them in that direction,” he said.

Atkins focused on the importance of addressing not just learning loss, but also the mental health needs of K-12 students, though she conceded that there is just no way to make up for time students have lost.

Perhaps the most notable disagreement was over the gas tax.

Jones said that lowering the tax would help families struggling with inflation, and pointed out that several Democratic-controlled state legislatures and even President Joe Biden have called for suspending the fuel tax.

Atkins acknowledged that everyone, from the governor to her nextdoor neighbor, was frustrated about the cost of gas. But she added that the gas tax goes toward important projects, such as climate change prevention and highway maintenance.

“If I really knew 100% that those dollars would really flow back to consumers if we undid the gasoline tax, I might entertain that conversation. But we do not know that. What I do know is in light of recent situations with flooding and the damage done to our roadways, taking that money away and not fixing our roads is a problem,” Atkins said.

She then mentioned how oil companies are making record amounts of money.

“You have to wonder about those profits,” Atkins said.

She added that lawmakers need more data, so that they can have a proper discussion about what to do about gas prices.

You can watch the entire conversation here.

SKINNER INTRODUCES BILL TO HOLD SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE

Last week, Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, introduced a bill that will be sure to gain the attention of Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and other social media executives.

SB 287 would block social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and TikTok from using their algorithms to drive child users toward ghost guns, fentanyl or harmful diet products, or content that promotes suicide, eating disorders or social media addiction.

Skinner said in a statement that research shows social media companies tailor their products to drive users to specific content, like that listed above.

“Social media companies are no longer passive actors in the online marketplace. They’re active participants that decide what users see and what they don’t. As a result, they must be held responsible when their algorithms purposely target our children with dangerous or harmful content,” Skinner said in a statement.

The bill would impose a fine of up to $250,000 per violation, as well as an injunction and an award of litigation costs and attorney fees.

The bill would exempt companies that conduct at-least quarterly audits of designs and algorithms that could potentially cause or contribute to a violation, provided the platform corrects the issue within 30 days of the audit.

This bill is sure to kick off a fight in Sacramento, as social media companies have resisted past legislative efforts to hold them accountable. Last year, industry lobbyists got lawmakers to kill a bill that would have given prosecutors the authority to sue social media companies for addicting children.

SENATE R’S TAKE CREDIT FOR CPUC DECISION

On Thursday, the California Public Utilities Commission voted to fast track $1.3 billion in credits for ratepayers’ gas and electric bills.

The decision came after the Senate Republican Caucus wrote a letter urging commissioners to vote yes. On Friday, the caucus took a victory lap.

“The CPUC heard the demands of the California Senate Republicans and adopted this program to bring immediate relief to struggling families who have seen their utility bills skyrocket,” said Senate Minority Caucus Chair Janet Nguyen, R-Huntington Beach.

Nguyen vowed that her caucus would continue advocating for reducing the burden on Californians facing the economic effects of inflation and the pandemic.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“P-22 was many things: a celebrity neighbor, the occasional troublemaker, and a beloved mascot for our city. He reminded us of the beauty of the wilderness around us. The postal service looks for iconic images that speak to our culture and values, and I hope they consider P-22.”

- Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, via Twitter.

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