Sacramento – Sacramento – As Governor Gavin Newsom takes steps to prohibit new oil wells and facilities within a 3,200-foot exclusion area – or setback – from sensitive locations such as homes, schools, and hospitals, State Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica), chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and Co-Chair of the Environmental Caucus, today applauded the proposal that would also require pollution controls for existing wells and facilities within the same areas.

Sacramento – Californians incarcerated due to criminal penalty enhancements that are no longer in state law may soon have those enhancements retroactively removed from their record. Governor Newsom’s signature of Senate Bill 483 last week, authored by Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica), applies the repeal of these demonstrably ineffective enhancements to people currently in jails and prisons, subject to court review and approval. As California’s Committee on Revision of the Penal Code argues, “it is difficult to justify a sentence that is longer than someone else’s merely because it was imposed at a slightly different date.”

Sacramento – The California Legislature today approved Senate Bills 155 and 170, budget measures that will dedicate substantial funding for the state to address the climate crisis in meaningful ways that protect Californians, our environment, and our economy. Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica), chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and Co-Chair of the Environmental Caucus issued the following statement:

Sacramento – In the wake of potential abuse cases (including that of Britney Spears), California’s conservatorship framework is just one step away from being significantly reformed. Assembly Bill 1194 by Assemblymember Low (D – Silicon Valley) and Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica) cleared its final hurdles in the California Legislature today. The bill now heads to the Governor, who has until October 10 to sign it into law or veto.