Press Releases

State Senator Henry Stern (D–Los Angeles) and other legislators submitted a public letter to the California Air Resources Board urging the Board to strengthen the state’s Cap-and-Invest program and reject recent proposed changes that would weaken its effectiveness, jeopardize pollution targets, and redirect billions of dollars away from public investments.




State Senator Henry Stern (D–Los Angeles) will join Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator Josh Becker (D-Palo Alto), and California’s senior climate leaders, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30) in Brazil next week.  The Trump Administration is absent from COP 30, and Secretary Rubio has personally been calling other nations' ambassadors to threaten them with financial or revoking their ability to disembark at American ports for attempting to advance key agreements in sectors like shipping and methane.   




The Assembly Appropriations Committee advanced SB 820, authored by Senator Henry Stern (D–Los Angeles), a bill that will help make sure people with severe mental illness who commit misdemeanors have a chance to receive lifesaving medication while in jail.  The legislation will address persistent gaps in California’s treatment of individuals deemed incompetent to stand trial for misdemeanor offenses (MIST).




The Assembly Appropriations Committee advanced SB 820, authored by Senator Henry Stern (D–Los Angeles), a bill that will help make sure people with severe mental illness who commit misdemeanors have a chance to receive lifesaving medication while in jail.  The legislation will address persistent gaps in California’s treatment of individuals deemed incompetent to stand trial for misdemeanor offenses (MIST).




Today, the California State Senate passed two bills and one resolution authored by Senator Henry Stern (D–Los Angeles) that directly address some of California’s most urgent challenges: climate-driven disasters, wildfire resilience, and the mental health crisis within the justice system. All three measures now move to the State Assembly, where they will undergo policy committee review in the coming weeks.




When firestorms swept through Southern California this January, millions of homes were left in the dark due to Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). Now, the California State Senate is stepping up with a legislative push to protect ratepayers and improve how outages are handled. A group of key bills has just cleared the Senate Energy and Communications Committee, signaling a strong commitment to enhancing reliability, equity, and communication during these increasingly common blackouts.




In solemn recognition of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Senator Henry Stern delivered a powerful and unifying speech on the floor of the California Senate, honoring Holocaust Survivors and reaffirming his commitment to ensuring that the atrocities of the Holocaust are never forgotten.




In response to a rise in hate, California lawmakers are turning their attention to gaps in Holocaust and genocide education in the state’s schools. Today, Senator Henry Stern (SD27 – Los Angeles) introduced SB 472, a bill aimed at addressing these gaps. The bill will implement two key recommendations from a statewide study: providing direct funding to school districts to teach this critical material, and establishing a system to monitor and evaluate educational outcomes.