Elevate the 28th Newsletter

Greetings Neighbor,

Welcome to our new newsletter! In my first year representing the 28th Senate District, I’ve had the pleasure meeting many of you at our community events and online gatherings. Thank you for using your voices to help move our district forward.

In this issue, I’ll share about the Senate passing my 2023 bill package as well as the Governor signing SB 150 to create equity and good jobs for California’s infrastructure projects. I’ll also share about my support of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes demanding that the film industry pay fair wages to their writers and working actors. In my District Update, you’ll learn about the summer launch of Freedom Farms, which provides sustainable food access for South and West L.A. communities.

You are always welcome to reach out to our District or Capitol staff with any questions or assistance with accessing state services. And feel free to submit your inquiries or comments by visiting our website here.

Warm Regards,

Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Senator, 28th District

The State Senate passed a package of bills I introduced this year, paving the way for new legislation that will better empower and protect workers across our state. My bill package focuses on addressing the needs of working families, protecting the rights to collectively bargain, and creating employment and social safety net programs that support an equitable economy.

Here’s a snapshot of my bills that were approved by the Senate and is currently in the Assembly for final vote:

SB 16:  Local Enforcement of Fair Employment and Housing

SB 497:  Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Act

SB 521:  Campus Protection for Pregnant and Parenting Students

SB 627:  Displaced Worker Protections Act

SB 725:  Safety Net for Grocery Workers Act

SB 749:  Records Clearing Efficiency Act

SB 830:  Prevailing Wage Protections

SB 864:  The Worker Rights and Education Act

To learn more about my approved bill package, please visit here.

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed SB 150, a bill I joint-authored to require equity and quality jobs for multi-billion dollar federal infrastructure projects planned for California. This legislation will ensure that equitable hiring programs are included in a package of infrastructure bills that will provide career-track job opportunities for California’s working families.

SB 150 is part of a greater infrastructure package initiated by Governor Newsom to address climate change and modernize California’s transportation system. SB 150 will embed workforce and community benefit incentives into federal infrastructure programs, signed into law by the Biden-Harris Administration, that will collectively invest approximately $752 billion into roads, bridges and rail systems.

During the bill signing, I was joined by SB 150 joint authors Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) and Assemblymember Luz Rivas (D-San Fernando Valley), in addition to a group of other legislative colleagues.

I recently joined the picket lines at 20th Century Fox in our district to demonstrate my support of the film industry paying fair wages to film writers and working actors. The SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes come at a time when working families across California are hurting the most, with more than a quarter of our state’s residents living in or near the poverty line.

These strikes also come at a time when we’re seeing a paradigm shift in the film industry’s commitment toward diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) during this post-pandemic recovery. Many of California’s investments and pathways to diversity and inclusion are now being diminished by an industry that has continued to benefit from the state’s expanded $1.6 billion Film & TV Tax Credit Program.
 
It's time for Hollywood to become the equitable partner that the people of California need them to be. That starts with the film industry working together with unions and the state to ensure that good family-sustaining jobs and DEI are prioritized in a real way.

You can read my full statement on the strikes by visiting here.
 

One in four families in Los Angeles County are facing food insecurity. So I was excited to join Partnership for Growth L.A. to celebrate the summer launch of Freedom Farms. Funded by a $7 million state grant, the three-year pilot program will scale urban gardening across South L.A. and West L.A. in an effort to create sustainable food distribution to underserved communities of color.

To learn more about Freedom Farms and Partnership for Growth L.A., please visit here.