Press Releases

September 8, 2023

SACRAMENTO – The Assembly passed Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) Senate Bill 423, legislation to extend Senator Wiener’s SB 35 (2017), one of the state’s most successful tools for accelerating development of affordable housing. The bill passed 52-8 with bipartisan support and heads next to the Assembly, where it must pass by September 14.

 

September 7, 2023

SACRAMENTO – The Assembly passed Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) and Assemblymember Tina McKinnor’s (D-Inglewood) Senate Bill 4. SB 4 would open over 170,000 acres for affordable housing by allowing faith institutions (such as churches, synagogues, and mosques) along with nonprofit colleges to build affordable housing on their property by-right, even if local zoning prevents this housing. The legislation applies to 100% affordable housing. The bill passed 56-1, and now returns to the Senate for a final sign-off before heading to the Governor for approval.

September 6, 2023

SACRAMENTO – The Assembly passed Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) Senate Bill 58, which removes criminal penalties for the personal possession and use of a limited set of naturally occurring psychedelics, including psilocybin/psilocyn (mushrooms), Dimethyltryptamine (“DMT”), and mescaline (excluding peyote). The bill also triggers a regulatory process to craft policy proposals for group therapeutic use of psychedelics. The bill passed 42-13 and returns to the Senate for final sign-off before heading to Governor Newsom’s desk for his final review.

August 21, 2023

SACRAMENTO – Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) announced a pause on SB 532, Senator Wiener’s legislation to enact a temporary $1.50 increase to the toll on Bay Area bridges to fund public transportation and avoid service cuts.

July 24, 2023

SACRAMENTO – Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) issued the following statement in response to Israel’s Knesset passing a new judicial overhaul law that eliminates judicial review of legislative actions. Senator Wiener serves as co-chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus but issues this statement in his personal capacity:

 

July 6, 2023

SACRAMENTO – The Assembly’s Transportation Committee passed Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) Senate Bill 532, which provides public transportation with critical funds to avert service cuts and improve the system’s safety, cleanliness, and reliability through the enactment of a bridge toll. The bill passed 10-4 and heads next to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

June 30, 2023

SACRAMENTO – The Supreme Court issued a ruling in Creative LLC v. Elenis that overrules state laws that protect for LGBTQ people’s access to public accommodations, and enshrines anti-LGBTQ discrimination. In response, Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) issued the following statement:

June 28, 2023

SACRAMENTO – The Assembly Health Committee passed Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) Senate Bill 339, which improves access to youth mental healthcare and preventative HIV medication, and ensures health plans abide by medical providers’ recommendation of medication dosage. 

June 28, 2023

SACRAMENTO – The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee passed Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) Senate Bills 4, 423, and 593. These measures seek to tackle the deepening crisis of housing affordability in California by extending landmark streamlining provisions, allowing faith institutions and nonprofit colleges to build affordable housing, and opening up new funding sources to correct the legacy of racist housing mass-demolition in San Francisco.