Latest news with #JerryMcNerney
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New CA legislation looks to fight back proposed PG&E rate hikes
(KRON) — With utility companies constantly raising rates, two Bay Area state lawmakers are proposing legislation designed to restrict how that money is spent. The goal is to make sure the money you pay them is being spent to benefit customers and not on things like political campaigns and advertising. Proposed rate hike would give PG&E highest profit rate of any utility in the country When you're utility bill comes each month, keep a lookout on what you are paying for and what you should not be paying for. 'We don't want the utility companies, the investor-owned utility companies, to be using ratepayer money to do political advertising, to do lobbying,' said California State Senator Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton). Bay Area lawmakers in both the state senate and the state assembly are working on legislation to strengthen state law to do just that. 'Last year, PG&E, in their rate making process with the PUC, tried to get $6 million that was they spent on these PR campaigns, on these advertising campaigns. They initially tried to get it to be rate payers that paid for that,' said California State Assemblyman Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park). Berman says the bill would prevent ratepayer money being spent on political lobbying, public relations, or shareholder travel. Revel brings EV fast charging station to San Francisco: 'We are open for business' Similar prohibitions can be found in new legislation from McNerney. However, it would prevent utilities from shutting off power when air quality is unhealthy as well as require power be turned back on for those who have already been shut off. For its part, PG&E says it's committed to stabilizing customer bills but says the 'proposed legislation would not lead to any notable or immediate bill reductions. They point out that current state law already prohibits utilities from using customer funding for political contributions and certain advertising. If the CPUC determines that any safety communications do not meet the criteria for recovery, shareholders would cover those costs. Now, this is just the first step in the process for both of these bills. If they get the needed approval, it's likely they could get to the governor's desk sometime in the fall. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
East Bay politician introduces bill to ensure human oversight of AI in workplace
(KRON) — An East Bay elected official has introduced a bill to require human oversight in the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace. Senate Bill 7, known as the 'No Robo Bosses Act,' was introduced by State Sen. Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton). The legislation, according to McNerney's office, is designed to 'require human oversight of artificial intelligence systems in the workplace to help prevent abuses.' SB 7 would bar employers in California from primarily relying on AI systems known as automated decision-making systems (ADS), to make 'hiring, promotion, discipline, or termination decisions,' without human oversight. SB 7 would also prohibit employers from using ADS systems from using the personal information of workers to 'predict' what they might do in the future. Salesforce joins growing list of companies ending diversity hiring initiatives 'Businesses are increasingly using AI to boost efficiency and productivity in the workplace,' said McNerney. 'But there are currently no safeguards to prevent machines from unjustly or illegally impacting workers' livelihoods and working conditions.' 'SB 7 does not prohibit ADS in the workplace, rather it establishes guardrails to ensure that California businesses are not operated by robo bosses — by putting a human in the loop,' he continued. 'AI must remain a tool controlled by humans, not the other way around.' The legislation is sponsored by the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO. If the legislation is passed, McNerney's offices said it will be the first of its kind in the nation. AI and ADS systems are increasingly being used by employers in California and around the world. However, McNerney's office cites examples of 'bossware' products that prioritize efficiency and cost-savings over health and safety. In the health care industry, nurses have reportedly had their hours and wages set by algorithms with no human oversight. McNerney's office also cites examples of people being mistakenly terminated from their jobs by AI. ADS models have also reportedly used 'predictive behavior' models that collect personal data from workers and initiated 'adverse actions against a worker based on what the AI 'predicts' the worker will do.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
06-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
California lawmaker introduces "No Robo Bosses Act" to regulate AI in the workplace
A Northern California lawmaker has introduced a proposal seeking to regulate artificial intelligence used to manage employees in the workplace, including a ban on using software to hire and fire employees without human oversight. State Sen. Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton) announced Senate Bill 7, which he dubbed the "No Robot Bosses Act." McNerney said the measure aims to regulate automated decision-making systems (ADS) powered by AI. "Businesses are increasingly using AI to boost efficiency and productivity in the workplace. But there are currently no safeguards to prevent machines from unjustly or illegally impacting workers' livelihoods and working conditions," the senator said in a statement. McNerney stressed that the measure does not prohibit ADS. "AI must remain a tool controlled by humans, not the other way around," he went on to say. Under the senator's proposal, the measure would require human oversight and independent verification for promotion, demotion, firing and disciplinary decision using ADS tools. The proposal would also bar such systems from predictive behavior analysis based on a worker's personal information that results in an "adverse action" against a worker. Systems would also be barred from obtaining or inferring a worker's immigration status, ancestral history, health history, credit history or other statuses protected by state law. Employees would also be able to appeal decisions made by ADS under the measure. In McNerney's statement, the lawmaker cited examples of software prioritizing efficiency and cost-savings over worker health and safety, including gig-nursing apps that set hours and wages without human oversight, along with software mistakenly firing people from their jobs. "No worker should have to answer to a robot boss when they are fearful of getting injured on the job, or when they have to go to the bathroom or leave work for an emergency," said Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, which is backing the measure. If approved, Senate Bill 7 would be the first law of its kind in the country. The senator's office did not say when the measure would be considered in the legislature.
Politico
06-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
Inside Jerry McNerney's new AI strategy
Hello California Playbook PM readers! We're excited to bring you a special, two-week preview of our new daily newsletter POLITICO Pro Technology: California Decoded in this space. If you like what you read, you can subscribe here. California Playbook PM will return on March 17. QUICK FIX — A former AI player in Congress brings his battle to Sacramento. — Lawmakers vow to crack down on digital scammers through tech and banking. Welcome to California Decoded! Happy Thursday. Send feedback, tips and story ideas to tkatzenberger@ and chasedf@ Driving the day EXCLUSIVE: ENTER BIG FISH — Former Rep. Jerry McNerney — a vocal advocate of AI rules on the Hill — is today pushing his first bill on tech as a California state lawmaker in ambitious new legislation shared first with POLITICO. The Stockton Democrat tells us he feels more confident about success in his deep-blue home state after 16 years of jumping through hoops in a divided Congress. 'You actually can do things here,' McNerney told California Decoded in an exclusive interview. 'I'm really thrilled about that.' McNerney's maiden bill on the technology since his election last November, SB 7, seeks to crack down on AI in the workplace by prohibiting employers from using automated decision-making tools to make hiring, promotion, disciplinary and firing decisions without human oversight. The so-called 'bossware' systems would be barred from obtaining — or using AI to infer — personal information about employees, such as their immigration status, sexual orientation or credit history. Companies would be forbidden from taking adverse actions against workers based on inferences about their future behavior generated by predictive AI tools. 'We're really excited about this one,' McNerney said. 'This is probably going to be our biggest achievement this year.' It's nothing to sneeze at. His 'No Robo Bosses Act' (insert Terminator jokes here) is one of the influential California Labor Federation's three flagship, first-in-the-nation bills aimed at regulating how companies can use AI-powered systems to monitor and manage workers. That makes it prime turf for another tense battle pitting labor unions against Big Tech-aligned business groups, which argue their tools already offer privacy protections in compliance with existing state and national laws. But it's not the earth-shattering entrance that some California tech watchers might have expected from the eight-term representative and former congressional AI Caucus co-chair. McNerney told us that's on purpose. 'Oh no, no, nothing like that,' he said when asked if he would carry anything rivaling SB 1047, state Sen. Scott Wiener's sweeping AI safety bill that triggered Big Tech backlash and pitted leading congressional Democrats like Nancy Pelosi up against AI doomers like Elon Musk. 'This is my first year here, so I want to map out a long-term plan,' McNerney explained. 'But some things I think are urgently needed right now, and so that's where we're focused.' McNerney said he's still mulling other ways to push the envelope on AI regulations that fit his pragmatic approach. He declined to share more details for now but expected he'll soon flesh out a placeholder bill, SB 833, that would keep 'humans in the loop' when AI systems oversee 'critical infrastructure,' like water and electric projects. 'Establishing standards is an important part of the process, but we also want humans to be a part of the process,' he said. 'We don't want AI to just go rogue and make decisions without any kind of oversight.' McNerney's not the only lawmaker stepping back from the brink after industry opposition and Gov. Gavin Newsom's veto pen killed some of the Legislature's most ambitious proposals to rein in AI last year. Wiener told us last week that he significantly pared back his latest AI safety push, SB 53, in response to Newsom's veto of his SB 1047 last September. Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, a Yolo County Democrat, similarly trimmed her latest push to stick human safety operators behind the wheel of some autonomous delivery vehicles after Newsom sank it last year. NEWS BREAK: President Donald Trump delays most tariffs on Mexico for one month … Trump says Musk lacks unilateral authority to fire federal workers. HAPPENING TODAY 2 p.m. PT — California's privacy watchdog, the CPPA, holds a closed-door board meeting to discuss a potential new executive director after former leader Ashkan Soltani departed in January. Soltani helped build out the CPPA following its creation in 2020, including its enforcement division, and made rulemaking recommendations, which faced legal challenges. It comes as the agency weighs sweeping proposed rules on automated decision-making that have attracted fierce criticism from tech and business groups. The draft regulations would require businesses to scale back their use of automated tools in a wide array of scenarios if customers ask to opt out, ranging from targeted advertising in online shopping to facial recognition software used at ticketing gates. State Capitol BILLIONS WITH A B — Californians are losing billions of dollars every year to increasingly sophisticated financial scams that authorities have long struggled to combat since online tricksters often reside abroad. So state lawmakers are promising to introduce more bills this session to crack down not just on scammers, but also the tech and telecom companies they use to bilk billions from the state's economy. 'I suspect we will continue to see bills this legislative cycle to address this,' said state Sen. Monique Limón during a hearing Wednesday on tech-enabled scams at the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee. California residents have lost at least $2.5 billion to scammers in the last year, U.S. Secret Service San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Shawn Bradstreet told the committee. Speaking to the committee and representatives from tech industry group TechNet and JPMorgan Chase, Limón said previous bills on the issue had been difficult to advance. She said she hoped to find common ground on heading off scams that target people on social media, through their cell carriers and elsewhere. Dylan Hoffman said on behalf of TechNet that social media companies have worked hard to detect and flag scammy accounts, many of which originate from overseas, on their sites. 'These are incredibly sophisticated criminal organizations,' Hoffman said. Options are limited for the state, and even the feds, to bust up overseas crime rings since they lack jurisdiction. Telecom providers are federally regulated and states can't force them to further clamp down on digital shysters. But putting more pressure on tech companies and banks in California is an option the committee appears to be considering. State Sen. Laura Richardson, for example, has authored a bill that would require increased security for digital payment apps. State Sen. Tim Grayson, who chairs the committee, told California Decoded a bill Newsom vetoed last year could be resurrected this session. Authored by former state Sen. Bill Dodd, that effort was aimed at preventing financial abuse of seniors by requiring the flagging and delaying of transactions that could be the result of fraud. Grayson said he wouldn't know for sure if the legislation is coming back until after the deadline to flesh out spot bills. Byte Sized — Anthropic submits AI proposal to Trump's White House (POLITICO Pro) — Former Meta official's 'explosive' memoir to be published next week (AP) — Crypto can't stop fighting itself (POLITICO) — California's list of failed tech projects just keeps growing (CalMatters) — DOGE's play for government data is straining a law inspired by Watergate (POLITICO) Have a tip, event or AI spaghetti video to share? Do reach out: Emma Anderson, California tech editor; Chase DiFeliciantonio, AI and automation reporter; and Tyler Katzenberger, Sacramento tech reporter.
CBS News
20-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
California senators grill CPUC over approval of 6 PG&E rate hikes in past year
SACRAMENTO – California's utility bills and the state's affordability crisis were front and center at the Capitol on Wednesday. California senators grilled the California Public Utilities Commission over the approval of six PG&E rate increases in the past year and skyrocketing utility bills. "Ratepayers are not a bank," Senator Aisha Wahab said. "I'm just going to be very clear about that." "A $500 bill breaks the bank," State Senator Susan Rubio said. "I don't think you're answering my question," Senator Jerry McNerney said. "Can some of this be shifted to the shareholders?" "People on social security, people those with union jobs do not get six increases to their pay and yet PG&E gets six increases to be able to toss on to ratepayers," Wahab said. "Can you explain?" "So we're approving work for the utility they work that the utility is requesting to do," California Public Utility President Alice Reynolds said. Reynolds took the blistering examination with measured responses. "We do make efforts to reduce the amount that they're seeking as much as possible and force them to be efficient and force and force them to do a better job," Reynolds said. The hearing comes as PG&E has raised its rates by 56 percent in the last three years The utility says many increases are from work they did at legislators' requests. "PG&E shares California leaders' focus on delivering a safe, reliable, resilient energy system at the lowest possible cost for customers," the utility said in a statement. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say the utility affordability crisis is now a political problem. "My district elected me to tackle the affordability crisis," Republican Senator Suzette Valladares said. "Nobody wants to be sitting in front of a committee being treated in a bad way," Democratic Senator Jerry McNerney said.
