November Newsletter

Greetings Neighbor,

I’m proud to share that this legislative session we delivered real results for the people of the 28th Senate District! The State Legislature passed my progressive bill package that better protects California workers.

Each of these bills was crafted with one goal in mind — to make life better for working families across the state. We could not have succeeded without the partnership of so many of you — community activists, labor groups and grassroots advocates who share our vision of a more equitable California.

As we move forward, I remain committed to ensuring that these new laws are implemented fairly and effectively, and that your concerns continue to guide the work we do in Sacramento.
Thank you for your trust and engagement. Together, we’re making real change happen.

Warm Regards, 

Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Senator, 28th District

This fall, Governor Gavin Newsom signed my bill package that strengthens worker protections for California’s working families, particularly those from low-wage communities of color. This bill package focuses on protecting employees in bias mitigation training; combating the practice of wage discrimination; legalizing the statewide distribution of worker rights materials; and holding employers accountable for wage theft.

Here's my legislative package that was signed by the Governor:
 

• 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 464 – This a California Legislative Black Caucus priority bill that 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.

   

• 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 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.

To view all of the legislation that I authored this year, please visit here.

I’m proud to share that this year’s state budget delivers important victories for communities across our district and state. In a year of tough budget decisions threatening rollbacks to essential protections, I fought alongside my progressive legislative colleagues to ensure that the urgent needs of working families, immigrants, and communities of color were not ignored. 

Highlights of our budget wins include:
 

• Film & TV Tax Credit Program – Expanded to $750 Million

Historic expansion of this tax credit program to keep production jobs, businesses and contractors in California.

• Wildfire Recovery – $39 Million

Transitions season firefighter positions to permanent union roles.

• California Worker Outreach Project – $13 Million

Funds multilingual outreach, education, and legal rights training for low-wage, immigrant and frontline workers.

• Community Mediation and Reconciliation – $3.9 Million

Supports early intervention in civil rights disputes through a dedicated mediation unit and maintains funding for community-based efforts to deescalate conflict and build trust.

• Historic South Los Angeles Black Cultural District – $2.5 million

Establishes California’s first state-recognized Black Cultural District to preserve Black heritage, promote local economic opportunity, and uplift the legacy of South LA.

• Workforce Training for Industry Needs – $1.5 Million

Creates a statewide strategy aligned with higher education and workforce training with industry needs, expanding access to quality career pathways — especially for underrepresented communities.

• Civil Rights Enforcement – $1.4 Million

Expands the state’s capacity to investigate hate incidents and protect residents from discrimination and civil rights violations.