Sen. Wieckowski Introduces Six New State Bills

From the Office of Senator Bob Wieckowski: The bills below, authored by state Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont), will go into effect on January 1, 2017.

“These laws will help protect California consumers and workers, increase the supply of affordable housing, and improve bus rapid transit service in our state,” said Senator Wieckowski, chairman of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.

SB 1069 – Increases the supply of affordable housing in California by reducing some of the barriers homeowners face when trying to construct affordable dwelling units.

SB 1263 – Limits the proliferation of small, unsustainable public water systems by strengthening the permitting requirements for new or altered systems to better protect the public health and improve the quality of water.

SB 1241 – Protects California workers from being forced to vindicate their rights either in another state or according to the laws of another state. Currently, large corporations are writing into their employment contracts requirements that all litigation must take place in another state or that the laws of another state apply to the contract.

SB 1007 – Affirms a person’s right to have a certified court reporter in private arbitration proceedings. It ensures that consumers’ due process rights are protected and a reviewing court will have a transcript that includes evidence when there are instances of bias or misconduct that may have occurred during the arbitration proceedings.

SB 1130 – Allows county attorneys to demand more information from an advertiser if there is reason to believe the advertisement might be false or misleading to the public. It will enable county counsels to efficiently execute their legal duty by giving advertisers time and opportunity to substantiate claims before pursuing costly, and potentially unnecessary, litigation.

SB 998 – Authorizes public transit agencies to ticket motorists who are inappropriately using bus-only lanes and obstructing the operation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) services. The BRT services are designed to effectively accommodate longer distance passenger trips in urban corridors.

Senator Wieckowski represents the 10th Senate District, which includes southern Alameda County and Santa Clara County.

Image courtesy of the Office of Senator Bob Wieckowski