State workers to rally for higher wages + Merced jury acquits animal activists

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

STATE WORKERS TO GATHER TO PUSH FOR HIGHER WAGES

Members of the state’s largest public sector union — SEIU Local 1000 — are set to gather at the Capitol Monday for a “Respect Us, Protect Us, Pay us” rally for better wages.

It comes as the union is preparing to kick off bargaining with the state next month for a new contract.

Attending the rally, which begins at 11 a.m. on the west steps of the Capitol, will be Assemblyman Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, as well as Tammy Rodriguez, a Department of Motor Vehicles employee from San Luis Obispo.

Rally organizers point to a recent study from the UC Berkeley Labor Center showing that state workers are struggling to make ends meet, particularly women, Black and Latino employees.

MERCED JURY ACQUITS 2 ANIMAL WELFARE ACTIVISTS

Animal welfare activist group Direct Action Everywhere declared victory after a Merced jury acquitted two members of the group of misdemeanor theft charges stemming from a September 2021 protest. They removed two sick chickens from a transport truck heading to a Livingston slaughterhouse owned by Foster Farms.

“This is how we shape history, by using our privileges to confront unjust industries that exploit animals,” said Alexandra Paul, a former Baywatch star who, along with Alicia Santurio, was found not guilty by 12 jurors.

According to Direct Action Everywhere, one of the chickens taken by Paul and Santurio died just a few days later, while the other one is still alive and living in an animal sanctuary. A necropsy of the dead chicken reportedly revealed it had E. coli.

Judge Paul Lo allowed the defense to argue that Paul and Santurio acted under advice of legal counsel and under a mistaken understanding of the law.

“This allowed the defendants to testify about conversations they had with lawyers prior to the rescue and what they believed at the time they took action — namely, that they believed they had a right to rescue animals from Foster Farms’ cruelty,” according to the group.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“My great-grandfather — Jeremiah McCarthy — was born in Cork County, Ireland. In 1867, he settled in California, where he worked on a ranch and the railroad. Today, one of his great-grandkids is Speaker of the House. Only in America is my story possible.”

- Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, via Twitter.

Best of The Bee:

• California’s attorney general has warned Elk Grove officials that they must reverse their rejection of an affordable housing development planned for the city’s Old Town or face legal consequences, via Darrell Smith.

• A new report shows Republicans are gaining footholds in some California electoral districts where Latinos make up the majority population, a development that might concern some Democrats moving forward, via Mathew Miranda.

• More than 300 tiny homes are planned for Sacramento as a part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s effort to move unhoused people from encampments across the state, his administration announced Thursday, via Hanh Truong.

• California’s oldest and infamous correctional facility, San Quentin State Prison, is headed for a major transformation as Gov. Gavin Newsom advances his efforts to remake the state’s penal system, via Maggie Angst.