The Supermajority’s scheme to turn my gas tax bill into a tax increase was such a debacle they’re destroying the evidence it ever happened. This morning the Assembly passed a motion no one had ever seen before, to “strike” the bill out of existence.
This has been the most humiliating episode for the Supermajority in recent memory. With today’s attempt at damage control, they as much as admitted it. But we’re giving them a chance at redemption: another vote to suspend the gas tax is coming soon.
In other news, yesterday the bill to defund police for not enforcing mask mandates was withdrawn by the author for a second straight week. I suspect it’s as good as dead, though he claims he’s going to bring it up for real in two weeks. We need to keep up the pressure.
This follows our victory in stopping AB 1993, the employer mandate. Five other “Vaccine Work Group” bills haven’t even received a hearing. Citing our bill tracker, today CalMatters reported “the aggressive slate of COVID vaccine bills seems to be facing an uphill battle.”
And another awful bill was also defeated last week, as legislation requiring parents to report the guns in their home to school officials failed in committee. But unfortunately, it’s not all good news.
One of the most vile bills ever introduced, AB 2223, has passed its first committee. The bill could “decriminalize killing newborns days or even weeks after birth.” It will next be heard by the Health Committee, whose members are listed here.
Finally, new math scores show California 8th graders testing at the level of 5th graders. This is what Gavin Newsom calls “a model for the nation.” As we know all too well, California is just the opposite: a warning to the nation.