Legislation protecting California voters, small businesses and the environment clear fiscal committee

On September 1, the Senate Committee on Appropriations approved three bills authored by assemblymember Ed Chau (D–Monterey Park).  The bills include measures to safeguard voters from deceptive campaign practices, processes to assist small businesses facing meritless lawsuits, and legislation to ensure the state procures zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.

“I was pleased to see these bills move forward, as they provide a means to address issues that are important to California consumers, voters, and small businesses, while also safeguarding our environment,” said Assemblymember Ed Chau.

Assembly Bill (AB) 739 – would require that at least 15% of specified heavy-duty vehicles, newly purchased by state agencies, be zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) beginning December 31, 2025, and at least 30% of those newly purchased vehicles be ZEV, beginning December 31, 2030.

AB 1104 – would expand California’s political Cyberfraud law, which currently only covers ballot measure campaigns, to include candidate campaigns. Currently, the “California Political Cyberfraud Abatement Act” makes it unlawful for a person to mislead, deceive, or defraud in order to commit an act of political Cyberfraud, and prohibits activities, such as preventing, diverting or redirecting access from a ballot measure website to another website or registering a domain name similar to that of a ballot measure.

AB 1583 – would assist the growing number of small businesses facing lawsuits under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65), by requiring the Attorney General to provide a letter, to both the private enforcer and alleged violator, when it concludes that a lawsuit is meritless. It also clarifies discovery provisions related to the “certificate of merit,” and helps to educate businesses on compliance with the law by requiring the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to provide on its internet website, and in written materials, a disclaimer regarding a business’s obligations and requirements for compliance under Proposition 65.

Assemblymember Ed Chau represents the 49th Assembly District, comprised of the communities of Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, Temple City and portions of Montebello, and South El Monte.