Ridley-Thomas loses a client + Republican privacy + Cannabis taxes
Former Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas has already lost his first lobbying client.
Ridley-Thomas’ lobbying firm Millennial Advisors reported the former lawmaker would lobby on behalf of the Los Angeles Unified School District, according to a lobbying disclosure firm filed earlier this month.
In response to questions from The Sacramento Bee, the district confirmed that it had a four-week contract with a lobbying firm that employed Ridley-Thomas. But the district says it terminated the contract the day the state Assembly announced Ridley-Thomas violated its sexual misconduct policy.
An investigator hired by the Assembly found Ridley-Thomas likely made an unwanted sexual advance toward an Assembly employee and likely made another staffer uncomfortable by winking at her and holding her hand.
Ridley-Thomas has denied the allegations. He registered as lobbyist earlier this month.
Los Angeles Unified, the state’s largest school district, recently reached an agreement with its teachers union after protracted negotiations and an six-day strike. The district argued it didn’t have enough money to cover the teachers’ demands and is asking the state for more funding.
The district said its contract was with Lucien Partners, a firm run by Darryl Lucien, Ridley-Thomas’ former chief of staff in the Legislature. Millennial Advisors’ lobbying disclosures indicate it was a subcontractor of Lucien’s firm.
Lucien Partners did not respond to requests for comment.
BILLS, BILLS, BILLS!
GOP privacy plan – This morning, members of the Assembly Republican Caucus will reveal a package of bills that will implement data privacy protections that are “strongest in the nation,” according to a release. The announcement comes on the heels of a sweeping data privacy law that was passed in California last year, which grants consumers the right to request information from businesses about what personal information they collect and how they use it.
Why are Californians still buying black market weed? – California’s collection of taxes from cannabis companies failed to meet expectations last year, and a group of lawmakers wants to put licensed pot businesses on better footing to compete with black market operators. They’ll unveil a proposal to help support companies already complying with the state’s new and existing regulations at 10 a.m. today.
Less water, more beer – State Sen. Scott Weiner will announce legislation that makes it easier for wineries and breweries to reuse water on site. Beer brewing can generate large quantities of wastewater, with some studies showing that, depending on the brewing process, as much as 10 liters of wastewater can be generated for every one liter of beer produced. Weiner will introduce the proposal at Tank18 Restaurant and Winery in San Francisco at 10 a.m. this morning.
BANKRUPTCY SAGA CONTINUES
PG&E dodged one potentially bankruptcy inducing penalty last week when Cal Fire determined it wasn’t responsible for the deadly Tubbs Fire. Still, the giant utility is in dire straits and it’s asking the Public Utilities Commission for permission to borrow up to $6 billion. The San Francisco company will make its case this morning when the commission meets at 9:30 a.m.
