Greetings Neighbor,

Welcome to the latest edition of our monthly newsletter! As your Senator, it’s my pleasure to provide our constituents with updates on some of our latest happenings, legislative initiatives, and community events.

With each issue, we have the opportunity to connect, share information and encourage your engagement. Your voice matters, and together, we can make a real difference in shaping the policies and programs that affect us all.

As always, your feedback and input are encouraged. Feel free to reach our District or Capitol staff if you need assistance with accessing state services. And please visit our website to get more updates, submit scheduling requests or read our recent media coverage. 

Warm Regards,

Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Senator, 28th District

This month, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed our bill, SB 1340! Our bill would authorize California’s Civil Rights Department to strategically partner with local agencies to address discrimination complaints within their own cities. SB 1340 would also require contractors to comply with equity hiring metrics to ensure that jobs created from the state’s major infrastructure projects actually go to workers who need them most – those from marginalized communities of color.

We are grateful to Pastor Cue and the Peace & Healing Center for opening their doors for our Skid Row Listening Session held on April 26.

We coordinated the afternoon event to create a platform where we could hear the concerns and ideas of those who live and work in the Skid Row community that is based in our district. We discussed homeless funding as well as challenges ahead, and shaped a roadmap of policy concerns for Skid Row residents.

We appreciate all those who participated in this wonderful event to help foster meaningful exchange with the Skid Row community to ensure their voices are heard.  

The UCLA Labor Center’s report, “A Shrinking Toolbox: The Corporate Efforts to Eliminate PAGA and Limit California Workers’ Rights,” describes how the Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) has become an increasingly important tool for workers to enforce their rights and to change illegal corporate behavior. PAGA allows private citizens to act as “private attorneys general” to take legal action against employers for violations of labor regulations. By enabling individuals to bring enforcement actions on behalf of the state, PAGA ensures that all workers have access to fairness and justice. 

In the report, PAGA addresses gaps in government enforcement, particularly in cases where state agencies lack the resources or capacity needed to pursue every labor violation. According to the report’s findings, between 2018 and 2021, worker whistleblowers filed nearly three times the number of employer violation cases than the Bureau of Field Enforcement inspected during the same period. The report also noted that PAGA penalties are reinvested to enhance labor education and compliance efforts, generating $209 million for the Labor and Workforce Development Agency last fiscal year. 

This is an insightful report on how PAGA levels the playing field by empowering workers with a means to hold employers accountable for labor law violations. We’re grateful for the extensive research done for this report to document how PAGA protects workers and raises standards for employers while also generating millions of dollars in revenue for our state.   

The full copy of the report can be viewed from this link: A-Shrinking-Toolbox.pdf (ucla.edu)

It was an honor when Dolores Huerta – a living legend of the labor rights movement – met at our offices during a visit to the State Capitol earlier this month. We discussed increasing access to necessary healthcare services, like dental care, in underserved communities.

Dolores is one of the farmworkers movement’s most influential civil rights activists, who, along with César Chávez, co-founded the United Farm Workers of America.

We’re thrilled that she has continued her passionate activism and community engagement to this very day!