News

It’s an all-too-familiar scene in Sacramento. A group of friends heads to midtown for a night of partying and drinking, but one friend has to miss out on the fun and stay sober to be the designated driver.

A new law that takes effect Jan. 1 may not only let everyone join in on the fun, but it’ll also mean more money for the bubbly.

Under Assembly Bill 711, alcohol manufacturers and licensed sellers can offer free or discounted rides to transport drinkers home safely through ride-sharing services, taxicabs or other ride providers.

Hate can happen anywhere—on BART, a school campus or while just casually walking down the street, says Assemblyman Evan Low.

The former Campbell mayor said during a community meeting on Nov. 27 that he’s heard plenty of stories from people who have been attacked because of their identity, whether it be because of ethnicity, religion, sexuality, political affiliation or a combination.

That’s why Low teamed with the Council on American-Islamic Relations to participate in bystander intervention training.

An audit released Tuesday found the election office in Santa Clara County made numerous errors over the past decade and changes need to be made.

As a voter, you trust the registrar's office is giving you the right information during election time. But a state audit found 26 errors were made in election materials provided by the Santa Clara County Registrar's Office. In one case, voters were sent ballots with missing information. It proved to be costly.

SAN JOSE — A state audit of Santa Clara County’s elections office — which has been plagued with an inordinate amount of mistakes over the years — found that it lacks detailed policies employed in other counties to prevent errors and analyze them fully when they do occur.

With a final flurry of bill signings and vetoes by Gov. Jerry Brown this past weekend, the 2017 legislative session is officially behind us. So who came out ahead? (Not that it’s a competition!)

Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, and Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Campbell, led the pack with 16 new laws chaptered apiece, according to a list of legislative actions provided by the Governor’s Office.

California law enforcement agencies will have to preserve and count all of their untested rape kits and ensure they inform sexual assault victims of their rights under new laws signed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown.

The three measures are part of ongoing efforts in Sacramento to tackle rape kit backlogs at law enforcement agencies and to increase the number of victims who report sexual assault and seek treatment.

By JULIA BAUM | jbaum@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group

Assemblyman Evan Low, one of California’s youngest lawmakers, stopped by his alma mater Leland High School last week to bring his message that youths need to become more politically engaged. Low, D-Campbell, was 31 when elected three years ago. He and several other Assembly members tried but failed recently to gain support for a state constitutional amendment allowing 17-year-olds to vote in local and state elections.

Civics classes — where high school students learn about the three branches of government — end with a cumulative exam, but the real test for politically-minded young people comes when they cast their first vote. High schoolers are reminded to register for these classes, but many students are still 17, and therefore, too young to vote. At 18, many teens are going off to college, which often means a change in address or even home state, making voter registration difficult and confusing.

Youth commissioners, in middle school and high school, from West Valley cities traveled to Sacramento last week to voice support for lowering the state voting age from 18 to 17.

On Aug. 29, 30 youth commissioners from Campbell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, San Jose and Saratoga traveled by bus to the state capitol building to show support for lowering the voting age and to learn about their state government.

California lawmakers said Tuesday that they plan to protect young adults whose immigration status is jeopardized by the end of the DACA program. 

At news conference at the Capitol attended by more than 20 legislators, Senate Speaker Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) said California should be "beacon of hope and opportunity."