BERKELEY

State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, has announced new legislation to strengthen California’s laws to protect those who access abortion or gender-affirming care.

The bill, introduced this week, would add protections for people who come to California seeking refuge from prosecution by other states that have criminalized abortions or health care that supports and affirms an individual’s gender identity.

Skinner’s proposed “Safe Haven” legislation would make it illegal for bail agents or bounty hunters to apprehend people in California who have left another state to avoid criminal prosecution or imprisonment related to that state’s criminalization of abortion or gender-affirming care. The bill would also ensure that benefits such as food and housing assistance would not be denied to individuals who left another state and traveled to California for purposes described above but would otherwise be eligible for such benefits.

“Last year the Legislature, Governor Newsom and California voters took bold action, guaranteeing the right to an abortion and gender-affirming care. But a growing number of states have done the opposite, putting residents who seek essential health care at risk of being prosecuted. My ‘Safe Haven’ bill will ensure that those who come to California fleeing persecution by other states will be free from the worry that a bounty hunter could snatch them up and send them back,” Skinner said.

Since the antiabortion majority of the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, at least 13 states now have laws on the books making it a felony to receive or perform an abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute. In addition, four states have enacted laws or regulations banning gender-affirming care, and 15 additional states are considering legislation to do so, according to a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

During the most recent legislative session, Gov. Newsom signed AB 1242 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda and SB 107 by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, as well as other laws that made California a sanctuary state for abortion services and gender-affirming care. In addition, in the November election, California voters passed an amendment to the state constitution guaranteeing the right to abortion and contraception.

The new legislation by Sen. Skinner builds on those landmark laws by barring California judges from directing bounty hunters or bail agents and making it illegal for bounty hunters and bail agents to apprehend people who fled criminal prosecution or imprisonment in other states for providing, receiving or supporting an abortion or gender-affirming care. Bounty hunters and bail agents who violate the new statute would be guilty of a misdemeanor and face up to a year in jail and forfeiture of their license to operate in California.

“Now that some states have shown a willingness to aggressively enforce antiabortion and gender-conformity laws, it won’t be surprising to see bounty hunters trying to track down people who seek refuge in California. My ‘Safe Haven’ law will send a message to any bounty hunter who tries to enforce another states’ reactionary law: Do so and you’ll face jail time and lose your license,” Skinner added.

— state Sen. Skinner’s office

Help build community center for local unhoused youth

Sustainable Housing at California (SHAC) is an interdisciplinary team of UC Berkeley students working with Youth Spirit Artworks (YSA), a Berkeley-based nonprofit that provides art jobs and job training programs to unhoused youth to be an environmentally sustainable part of the solution to the Bay Area’s housing crisis.

SHAC is designing and building the Sustainability, Education and Arts Development (SEAD) Center that will anchor the expansion of YSA’s existing Tiny Home Empowerment Village for unhoused youth to house 20 to 30 additional local youth. Based on desires voiced by current Tiny Home Empowerment Village residents and input from industry experts, the SEAD Center will provide a venue for youth to study, socialize and receive professional development services while incorporating sustainable technologies and practices to reduce its environmental impact.

SHAC needs the public’s help to build the next Tiny House Empowerment Village and SEAD Center. Please support this project by donating or sharing SHAC’s GoFundMe campaign (gofund.me/7e838641) to help cover construction and material costs to bring critical housing and recreational space to unhoused youth in Oakland.

— SHAC

ALBANY

Bird walk, mural dedication, butterfly viewing on Sunday

Celebrate nature and culture on Albany Hill with Friends of Albany Hill from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Scheduled activities include a bird walk with Ralph Pericoli that starts at 9 a.m. (meet at Pierce St. and the Cerrito Creek Bridge).

A ribbon-cutting and dedication of the mural “Symbiosis — Host Plants and Albany Hill Butterflies” will be at 1:30 p.m. (meet at the Albany Children’s Center at 720 Jackson St.). Lastly, a monarch butterfly migration viewing with Carole Fitzgerald will be at 3 p.m. (meet at the Taft Street turnaround at top of Albany Hill). All or any of the activities would be canceled in the event of rain.

— Friends of Albany Hill

BERKELEY

City reminds residents to reduce waste this holiday season

As you celebrate the holidays, staff at the city of Berkeley’s Zero Waste Division hope you also take some steps to reduce holiday waste.

When selecting your tree this holiday season, consider a plan that reduces waste and is made with the city’s disposal rules in mind for when the season is over. Living trees can be rented for the season or planted in your yard after the holidays to avoid waste altogether.

If you decide to buy a cut tree or have other ideas for your holiday tree experience, know how to dispose of it later. If you’re considering a cut tree, know that the city only composts the tree itself. Avoid trees that have been “flocked” — covered with chemicals mimicking snow — as they cannot be composted.

When it’s time to dispose of a compostable tree, you’ll have to remove all lights, decorations, tinsel, plastic bags and plastic tree stands. You’ll also have to cut them into pieces less than 3 feet long to fit inside your green compost cart with the lid closed.

If you don’t have the tools to cut your tree to fit into your cart, you can borrow them for free from the Berkeley Tool Lending Library (bayareane.ws/berktoolibrary) at 1901 Russell St. Trees left on the curb won’t get picked up, as they can damage the city’s side-loader collection trucks.

You may prefer dropping off discarded trees at the city’s Transfer Station (bayareane.ws/berktranstation) at 1201 Second St., off Gilman Avenue, which is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays except for Christmas and New Year’s days, when it’s closed.

For compostable trees, the Transfer Station offers free drop-off in January. Starting Feb. 1, the station will charge $27.75 plus a $3.50 environmental compliance fee. For flocked or plastic trees, the station charges a $38.50 fee plus the $3.50 environmental compliance fee.

— city of Berkeley

EL CERRITO

City’s minimum wage rising to $17.35 an hour on Jan. 1

Starting Jan. 1, the city’s minimum wage will increase from $16.37 per hour to $17.35 per hour. The city minimum wage standards require all employers to pay their employees no less than the minimum wage for all hours worked in the city of El Cerrito, regardless of where the business is headquartered (employees who work less than two hours a week within El Cerrito are exempt).

Each year, the wage will increase based on changes in the local Consumer Price Index. Employers and workers with questions about the El Cerrito minimum wage
ordinance can visit el-cerrito.org/wages or email wages@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us.

— city of El Cerrito

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