Lorena Gonzalez

LA MESA JOINS CITIES NATIONWIDE TO CAP FEES ON FOOD DELIVERY APPS; LORENA GONZALES PROPOSES SIMILAR BILL IN CALIF. STATE LEGISLATURE

By Alexa Oslowski

March 9, 2021 (La Mesa) – On January 26, the La Mesa City Council voted unanimously to pass a temporary emergency ordinance placing a cap on commissions that can be charged by delivery apps (Postmates, Uber Eats, etc.) to restaurants.

“People have been using delivery services during the pandemic at higher rates than they have in the past, myself included,” Councilmember Colin Parent said during the City Council meeting. “One of the things I’ve come to understand is some of those apps can charge really exorbitant fees.”

The ordinance, which was proposed by Parent, received overall support in comments by members of the public, which were read in the meeting by City Clerk Megan Wiegelman.


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COUNTY TAKES STEPS TO ADDRESS COVID-19 DISPARITIES IN LOCAL LATINO COMMUNITIES AFTER ECM REPORTS, BUT THE PROBLEM IS NATIONWIDE AND SYSTEMIC

Hear audio of our interview with Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez aired on KNSJ: click here

In exclusive interviews, ECM spoke with Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez and Chicano Federation leaders on the problems and potential solutions

By Briana Gomez

July 28, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) – After ECM’s special report on May 28 on the high rate of COVID-19 among local Latinos, the County of San Diego announced on July 21 that it is launching a new TV, radio, online and signage outreach campaign to the local Latino community aimed at overcoming information barriers on COVID-19. As of July 21, of more than 24,000 COVID-19 cases in our county with known race/ethnicity, about 60% are Hispanics or Latinos, yet Hispanics/Latinos make up only about 34% of the local population.

Audio: 


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AB 5 SILENCES YOUR VOICES AND VIOLATES CONSTITUTION SEVERAL WAYS: PLEASE HELP US PROTECT A FREE PRESS

By Miriam Raftery, Editor, East County Magazine

I fought a case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the rights of freelance journalists.  AB 5 takes that away – and hurts the public by restricting your voices from being heard in local media. 

Note: I grant free reprint rights on this editorial to any publisher who wishes to repost it in its entirety.

September 6, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – A bill to be heard any day now in the  State Senate and then head to the Governor for signature will destroy a free press in California – and we need your help to protect the public’s voices in out media outlet and others. The bill violates the U.S. constitution on multiple grounds.

AB 5 would prohibit media outlets such as ours from paying ordinary citizens to write articles on areas in which they have expertise, or hiring columnists who aren’t professional journalists, or even paying an eyewitness for photos of breaking news such as a wildfire or plane crash. A newspaper also won’t be allowed to pay for a column or editorial  unless the writer owns a journalism business or is an employee.

We've trained many citizen journalists here at East County Magazine -- including some who won journalism awards. We've run many paid pieces written by community members, too, to include a broad diversity of voices. But we won't be able to do so anymore if this becomes law.

This violates the First Amendment of the Constitution which guarantees freedom of the press and your freedom of speech.


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WEDDING BELLS RING FOR LOCAL POLITICIANS LORENA GONZALEZ AND NATHAN FLETCHER

 

By Miriam Raftery

January 2, 2017 (San Diego) - On New Year’s Day, two prominent San Diego politicians posted a wedding announcement on Twitter.  Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, former head of the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council, married former Assemblyman and ex-mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher in Balboa Park. 


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ASSEMBLYWOMAN GONZALEZ HUMAN TRAFFICKING REFORM LEGISLATION HEADS TO GOVERNOR

 

AB 1708 would implement statutory reforms and increase penalties for purchasers of sex

East County News Service

September 1, 2016 (Sacramento) - Human trafficking legislation by California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) that would create minimum penalties for those attempting to purchase sex was approved by the Assembly today on a unanimous 63-0 vote. It will now be submitted to the Governor.


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ONE DAY FAST IN SUPPORT OF FARMWORKERS

 

By Jonathan Goetz

Top: Photo Credit: Robert Longer

Right: Photo Credit: Emily Davenport

Bottom: Photo: Tom Lemmon

 

August 17, 2016 (San Diego) -- Throughout California yesterday, legislators and community leaders fasted in support of agricultural workers, who do not currently receive the same overtime benefits as non-agricultural workers despite the physically demanding nature of their job. This could change if South Bay Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez’ Assembly Bill 1066 is passed and signed into law.


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GONZALEZ BILL PROVIDING FAIR CIVIL AWARDS TO PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION STATUS HEADS TO GOVERNOR

 

By Miriam Raftery

August 2, 2016 (San Diego) -- A bill by California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) aims to assure that an injured person in California receives fair compensation for future income loss and future medical costs regardless of their immigration status.  It was approved by the State Senate on a bipartisan 28-11 vote yesterday and next goes to the Governor for signature.


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GONZALEZ BILL TO PREVENT SEXUAL ASSAULT OF JANITORS ADVANCES

 

AB 1978 would establish janitorial workforce protections against sexual harassment

April 23, 2016 (Sacramento) -- A bill by California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) to establish janitorial workforce protections against sexual harassment and create a janitorial contractor registration system was approved on a 5-2 vote by the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment last week.


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ASSEMBLYWOMAN GONZALEZ PROPOSES OVERTIME EQUALITY FOR FARMWORKERS, GAINS CLINTON ENDORSEMENT

 

AB 2757 would establish an 8-hour workday and 40-hour workweek standard for California farmworkers

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Pixabay

March 10, 2016 (Sacramento) – California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) announced legislation to establish equitable overtime standards for farmworkers in line with other Californians, as well as the support of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for the idea.


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VOTER’S WATCHDOG: BILL WOULD LET TEENS VOTE FOR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS

 

By Miriam Raftery

February 14, 2016 (San Diego) -- Should teenagers be allowed to vote?  Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez thinks so – at least in some cases.


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ASSEMBLYWOMAN GONZALEZ, STUDENTS UNVEILS VOTE AT 16 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

 

Legislators, educators, youth rally to support expanded voting rights

Source: News Release

February 12, 2016 (Sacramento) - Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) rallied on the steps of the State Capitol today with lawmakers, educators and young adults to announce the introduction of an amendment to California’s constitution allowing 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in their local school board and community college district governing board elections.


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GOVERNOR VETOES BILL THAT WOULD HAVE ENDED WORKERS’ COMP PRACTICES THAT PENALIZE WOMEN WORKERS

 

 

East County News Service

October 7, 2015 (Sacramento) – Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed Assembly Bill 305, a measure that sought to eliminate gender bias against female employees in the awarding of workers’ compensation benefits in California.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), author of the bill, issued a statement voicing disappointment in the Governor’s action.  “I have said time and time again how much I admire and believe in this governor, but on this issue, he is dead wrong. With all due respect, a woman’s breasts are worth as much as the prostate of a male coworker and they should be valued as such if they were lost in a workplace injury,” said Gonzalez, a former labor leader and the Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Women in the Workplace.

She added, “Women should not be penalized for being pregnant or going through menopause, or be told the loss of a breast due to cancer acquired in the workplace has no value in California’s workers compensation system. I remain more committed than ever to continuing this fight for true equality in the workplace.”


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DISABILITIES ACTIVITIES RALLY IN SAN DIEGO, SACRAMENTO URGING RESTORATION OF FUNDING CUTS

 

East County News Service

Photo: People with developmental disabilities, their families and caregivers rally outside Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins’ office in San Diego on September 1st.

September 6, 2015 (San Diego)—Over 24,000 people with developmental disabilities in San Diego and Imperial Counties rely on state services to survive.  Yet California’s funding levels have fallen to the lowest in the nation, according to the Association of Regional Center Agencies (ARCA).


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BILL SEEKS TO PROTECT CHEERLEADERS, REDUCE INJURIES

By Miriam Raftery

Photos: Creative Commons images by Deus X Florida and Kirsten 5400  from Wikipedia

June 1, 2015 (Sacramento) – Two-thirds of all catastrophic sports injuries among female high school and college athletes nationwide occur in cheerleaders, according to a report by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

San Diego Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, a Democrat and former cheerleader, says cheerleading is “the most dangerous sport for high school athletes,” the Sacramento Bee reports. This week, Assembly Bill 949, a measure by Gonzalez aimed at improving safety for high school and collegiate cheerleaders, passed the Assembly by a 71 to 3 vote.   


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ASSEMBLYWOMAN GONZALEZ TO CHAIR NEW SELECT COMMITTEE ON WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE

 

April 8, 2014 (San Diego)--California State Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez today announced the creation of the Assembly Select Committee on Women in the Workplace and named Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) as its chair.


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ASSEMBLYWOMAN LORENA GONZALEZ PROPOSES PAID SICK DAYS FOR CALIFORNIA'S WORKERS

 

Gonzalez’s AB 1522 Would Require Workers Are Compensated For At Least Three Days Lost To Illness Annually

January 22, 2014 (San Diego) – California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) this week announced she has introduced legislation to guarantee workers in California at least three days of paid sick leave annually.


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GONZALEZ BILL PROVIDES IMMIGRANTS PROTECTION FROM FRAUD

 

By Miriam Raftery

August 20, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez has announced plans to introduce legislation to prevent payment for immigration reform services until federal immigration reform is enacted and to ensure that other consumer protections are provided to immigrants pursuing a pathway to U.S. citizenship under the federal immigration reform act pending in Congress.


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LOCAL UNIONS HELP 500 FAMILIES HAVE CHRISTMAS DINNER AND TOYS FOR THEIR CHILDREN

By Nadin Abbott

December 18, 2012 (San Diego)-- it was raining and it was cold this morning at Qualcomm Stadium, as union members prepared to give 500 families the  fixings for a Christmas Dinner and toys for their children.

One of the recipients was Veronica, who did not share her last name. She is a member of the ATU, local 1309. She drives  transit buses for a living. We just talked for a second. But the problem Veronica has, like many other low income families in San Diego, is that she does not get enough hours to make ends meet. She is a mother of several children.


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“HEROES AT WORK” HONORED AT CPI GALA

Group focused on rights of working San Diegans also takes stands for Prop 30, against Prop 32

By Miriam Raftery

October 11, 2012 (San Diego)—At its 15th anniversary gala last night, the Center on Policy  Initiatives  (CPI) honored “every day heroes”  for providing education and training, “seeds of a strong future.”

In a packed ballroom at the Holiday Inn on the Bay, State Senator Christine Kehoe  praised CPI for “shining a light” on truth with the organization’s research into issues such as poverty, wages and other issues impacting working people in San Diego County.  “We need CPI  more than ever,” she noted, adding “We have  a very large voice of corporations."


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LABOR COUNCIL LEADER LORENA GONZALEZ TO SPEAK MAY 2 IN LA MESA

April 28, 2012 (La Mesa) – Labor Council Leader, Lorena Gonzalez, will be speaking at the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club's May 2 General Meeting on labor's increasingly important role in the 2012 election. The program will be held at the La Mesa Community Center at 4975 Memorial Drive, La Mesa, from 7 to 8:30 pm.

She will discuss how Citizen's United has pushed labor into an ever more important role in many races across the country. The Citizen's United ruling opened the floodgates for unfettered and unaccountable corporate campaign-giving. As a result, labor and working people have been required to raise funds to counter the influence of the enormous funds corporations raise.


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SUPERVISORS BAN PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS, TO DISMAY OF LABOR

 

 

UPDATE FEB. 23:  The Board has voted unanimously to outlaw project labor agreements through an ordinanance, instead of putting a similar measure on the ballot. 

 

February 20, 2010 (San Diego) – San Diego's Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on whether to place a ballot initiative before voters that would ban project labor agreements (PLAs). PLAs, adopted in other jurisdictions but not by the Supervisors, mandate that government contracts for public construction projects go to contracts that hire union workers.  

 

Supporters of PLAs say they are needed to assure that jobs will go to local workers paid decent wages, not cheap labor imported from elsewhere.  Opponents contend that outlawing PLAs will cut costs and save money for cash-strapped jurisdictions.


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