Press Release

Senate Passes Senator Smallwood-Cuevas’ Bill Package That Puts Working Families First

This week, the California State Senate passed 11 bills authored by Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) that prioritizes economic solutions for working families across the state. Building on her vision of creating a more equitable California, Senator Smallwood-Cuevas’ legislative package focuses on expanding workforce opportunities and strengthening workplace protections to increase economic security for working families, particularly those from vulnerable communities.

 

“My bill package helps tackle the real issues facing working families by providing solutions that address our state’s affordability crisis while unlocking workforce opportunities for Californians who need them most,” said Senator Smallwood-Cuevas. “I’m thrilled that my legislative package received bipartisan support in the Senate, and is now moving forward to the Assembly for approval.”

 

The 11 bills that were passed by the Senate are outlined below. For a full list of Senator Smallwood-Cuevas’ 2025 legislative package, please visit here.

 

  • SB 75 – Establishes apprenticeship programs for formerly incarcerated women. This is a California Women’s Caucus priority bill.

 

  • SB 238 – Requires an employer to annually provide a notice to the Department of Industrial Relations on all the workplace surveillance tools the employer is using in the workplace.

 

  • SB 290 – Removes the sanction requirement for a household that has not submitted documentation of immunization when applying for CalWORKS.

 

  • SB 303 – Enables state and local agencies to engage in bias and anti-discrimination programs while keeping employees' participation in these programs confidential and inadmissible in civil court proceedings.

 

  • SB 423 – Requires CDCR, in consultation with local fire departments and other stakeholders, to establish a post-release hiring program and accompanying procedures for hiring formerly incarcerated firefighters. Would also allow the Los Angeles County Fire Department to establish a Hand Crew Pilot Program to enroll formerly incarcerated individuals.

 

  • SB 442 – Establishes rules for retail stores that provide a self-service checkout option for customers and sets penalties for employers who violate the bill’s provisions.

 

  • SB 464 – Expands pay data reporting requirements to public employers and will make other changes to add job categories, expand salary bands, and other changes to ensure higher quality data from the pay data reports. This is a California Legislative Black Caucus priority bill.

 

  • SB 578 – Requires the Department of Industrial Relations to establish and administer the California Workplace Outreach Project to promote awareness of, and compliance with, workplace protections that affect workers.

 

  • SB 626 – Strengthens existing law to improve maternal mental health by requiring perinatal providers to follow ACOG guidelines, mandating coverage for treatments, training providers, and ensuring long-term accountability.

 

  • SB 648 – Gives the Labor Commissioner the authority to investigate and issue citations or file a civil action for gratuities taken or withheld from employees in violation of existing law.

 

  • SB 756 – Requires the California Film Commission to establish and implement a comprehensive tracking and compliance program to monitor the economic impact of productions receiving motion picture tax credits.

 

Senator Lola Smallwood Cuevas represents the 28th Senate District, which includes the communities of South Los Angeles, Mid City, Culver City, West Los Angeles, Century City and Downtown Los Angeles. Senator Smallwood-Cuevas spent more than two decades serving as a worker rights and racial equity advocate before her election to the State Senate. She resides in the View Park community of South Los Angeles with her family.

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