Latest news with #TinaMcKinnor
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Labor unions urging lawmakers to improve Cal/OSHA enforcement
( — California Labor for Climate Justice (CLCJ), a coalition of 16 labor unions, hosted a press conference and rally Tuesday morning, urging lawmakers to pass legislation aimed at strengthening Cal/OSHA. 'We are living through a climate crisis. The wildfires are burning hotter and more often. Our air is getting dirtier. And extreme heat is putting lives at risk,' said Assemblymember Tina McKinnor. CLCJ and union members pleaded for California lawmakers to strengthen Cal/OSHA's workplace safety enforcement amid growing climate hazards. 'In all seven of the last eight years, California has recorded record high temperatures while workers from our state's fields to our commercial kitchens, from our warehouses to our schools continue to work in dangerously high heat conditions,' said Norman Rogers, Vice President of United Steelworkers Local 675. CLCJ is now advocating for its California Worker Climate Bill of Rights. It's a series of senate and assembly bills focused on creating jobs in the low-carbon economy, investing in climate-resilient schools, and granting oil and gas workers training records. Workers should not be denied of their own records, which they have worked hard to get. Senator Maria Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles CLCJ's priority is Assembly Bill 694, sponsored by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor. AB 694 aims to ensure Cal/OSHA's enforcement agency is fully staffed with inspectors who've worked in threatening conditions. 'Nearly half of it's enforcement division is vacant. That means unsafe work sites are going unchecked,' said Assemblymember McKinnor. Amber Parrish, Executive Director of United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council, which represents workers throughout the food chain, says climate bills must be enforced. She mentioned Cal/OSHA's indoor heat requirements are in effect when the indoor temperature is greater than 82 degrees Fahrenheit. 'We had one day in L.A. that got about 107 degrees. And inside the store, it was into the 90s,' Parrish said. 'Make sure that if workers are suffering adverse reactions to indoor heat, that they're able to cool off the temperature of the worksite.' AB 694 also creates pathways for Cal/OSHA to hire union oil and gas workers. 'I know from everyday work what is hazardous and what is not, because I can see it,' said Laurie Wallace, a refinery worker a Phillips 66. 'There's nothing better for me than to have this idea in my head that I can go into another refinery and see something that could potentially be hazardous and correct it, and not only protect the workers, but protect the entire environment.' Assembly republicans that we reached out to also expressed bipartisan support for AB 694. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tired of apartments with no fridges? California bill would require landlords to supply them
Tired of scouring Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for a decently used refrigerator because your new apartment didn't come with one? This headache could become a thing of the past with a new bill in the California Legislature that, if approved, would require landlords to provide refrigerators and stoves in their rentals. The simple answer is landlords don't have to provide a refrigerator. Existing California law requires any building with a dwelling unit to maintain "certain characteristics in order to be tenantable," which includes maintenance of adequate heating and hot water systems. Even though cooking and storing food might seem like a necessity in order to live in any kind of housing situation, legally the appliances are categorized as amenities. The number of Californians who have entered new leases without such luxuries is far greater than any other state, according to a Times analysis in 2022. Read more: Why do so many L.A. apartments come without fridges? Inside the chilling mystery Research showed that Los Angeles and Orange counties "offered the fewest number of apartments with refrigerators among nearly two dozen large metropolitan areas nationwide." It's the added cost of purchasing the appliance. The average monthly rent in the city of Los Angeles is $2,347, higher than the national average of $1,995, according to Zillow. But the highest average rent in the surrounding area is $4,500, in Ladera Heights. When entering a lease, you're providing the landlord with the first month's rent and a security deposit. If a refrigerator isn't provided, you're looking at spending on either a new appliance or searching online for a used one. Product analysts say the average price of a new refrigerator is between $600 and $2,300, the basic one is between $200 and $600 and the high-end one is between $2,300 and $5,000. If you're in the market for a used refrigerator, the cheapest listing The Times found on Facebook Marketplace is $25 for a two-door Whirlpool. The seller described it as not "looking so good on the outside but perfect for a garage or even outside." When Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Hawthorne), whose 61st District covers communities from Inglewood to Marina del Rey, introduced Assembly Bill 628, she realized refrigerators and stoves were legally labeled as amenities. She decided to make it a necessity with the new bill. The bill, if passed, would add a stove and refrigerator in good working condition and capable of safely generating heat for cooking and storing food, respectively, as a requirement of landlords starting Jan. 1, 2026. Read more: The Times podcast: Why L.A. has fridge-less apartments McKinnor said she has regular town halls with her communities and the main topics of concern she's heard from constituents are affording rent, rising grocery prices and everyday bills. "We know that people are really struggling out there with the high cost of food, gas, household goods, and on top of that, lots of people spend more than half their income on rent," she said. She wants renters to have one less payment to think about when entering a new lease. If the bill is approved, a landlord "cannot have you in a rental without a refrigerator just like they can't have you in there without hot running water or a heater" starting next year, McKinnor said. There are some rentals that come with the appliance, but McKinnor wants everyone to have the much-needed item. Similar to a heater in need of repair or replacement, McKinnor said the landlord will be in charge of fixing or replacing a refrigerator. Read more: L.A. housing authority turning luxury Woodland Hills apartments into affordable housing In the city of L.A., landlords can increase the rent once every 12 months by the allowable rent increase percentage required by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Rentals that are not subject to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance include: Single family homes Affordable housing or luxury housing units exempted by the Los Angeles Housing Department A rental built after Oct. 1, 1978 A converted commercial building that converted to rental units after Oct. 1, 1978 Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
04-04-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Tired of apartments with no fridges? California bill would require landlords to supply them
Tired of scouring Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for a decently used refrigerator because your new apartment didn't come with one? This headache could become a thing of the past with a new bill in the California Legislature that, if approved, would require landlords to provide refrigerators and stoves in their rentals. The simple answer is landlords don't have to provide a refrigerator. Existing California law requires any building with a dwelling unit to maintain 'certain characteristics in order to be tenantable,' which includes maintenance of adequate heating and hot water systems. Even though cooking and storing food might seem like a necessity in order to live in any kind of housing situation, legally the appliances are categorized as amenities. The number of Californians who have entered new leases without such luxuries is far greater than any other state, according to a Times analysis in 2022. Research showed that Los Angeles and Orange counties 'offered the fewest number of apartments with refrigerators among nearly two dozen large metropolitan areas nationwide.' It's the added cost of purchasing the appliance. The average monthly rent in the city of Los Angeles is $2,347, higher than the national average of $1,995, according to Zillow. But the highest average rent in the surrounding area is $4,500, in Ladera Heights. When entering a lease, you're providing the landlord with the first month's rent and a security deposit. If a refrigerator isn't provided, you're looking at spending on either a new appliance or searching online for a used one. Product analysts say the average price of a new refrigerator is between $600 and $2,300, the basic is between $200 and $600 and the high-end is between $2,300 and $5,000. If you're on the market for a used refrigerator, the cheapest listing The Times found on Facebook Marketplace is $25 for a two-door Whirlpool. The seller described it as not 'looking so good on the outside but perfect for a garage or even outside.' When Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Hawthorne), whose 61st District covers communities from Inglewood to Marina del Rey, introduced Assembly Bill 628, she realized refrigerators and stoves were legally labeled as amenities. She decided to make it a necessity with the new bill. The bill, if passed, would add a stove and refrigerator in good working condition and capable of safely generating heat for cooking and storing food, respectively, as a requirement of landlords starting Jan. 1, 2026. McKinnor said she has regular town halls with her communities and the main topics of concern she's heard from constituents are affording rent, rising grocery prices and everyday bills. 'We know that people are really struggling out there with the high cost of food, gas, household goods, and on top of that, lots of people spend more than half their income on rent,' she said. She wants renters to have one less payment to think about when entering a new lease. If the bill is approved, a landlord 'cannot have you in a rental without a refrigerator just like they can't have you in there without hot running water or a heater' starting next year, McKinnor said. There are some rentals that come with the appliance, but McKinnor wants everyone to have the much-needed item. Similar to a heater in need of repair or replacement, McKinnor said the landlord will be in charge of fixing or replacing a refrigerator. In the city of L.A., landlords can increase the rent once every 12 months by the allowable rent increase percentage required by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Rentals that are not subject to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance include:
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Landlords may soon be required to provide stoves, fridges under proposed California bill
A recently introduced California bill aims to require landlords to provide stoves and fridges in rental housing. State law doesn't require units to include a refrigerator, a standard in other parts of the country. A 2022 Los Angeles Times story found that L.A. and Orange Counties have the fewest refrigerator units among large urban areas nationwide. Assembly Bill 628 was introduced by State Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood); if passed, it would require California landlords to provide stoves and refrigerators for all apartment leases after Jan. 1, 2026. Los Angeles County sales tax hike takes effect: What you need to know The bill initially called for landlords to provide stoves and fridges purchased within the last 10 years, but after pushback from the California Apartment Association, that was removed, according to LAist. Now, the bill specifies that stoves and fridges must be in good working order and 'capable of safely generating heat for cooking purposes and capable of safely storing food, respectively.' However, the bill will include some exemptions. Permanent supportive housing, single-room occupancy, a unit in a residential hotel, and a dwelling unit within a housing facility that offers shared or communal kitchen spaces to its residents, like an assisted living facility, would be exempt from the bill. The bill is currently undergoing a first committee review. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Bloomberg
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
California Lawmaker Proposes $5 Los Angeles ‘Metro Tax' on World Cup, Olympics Tickets
A California lawmaker wants those attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles to take the city's mass transit in an effort to curb road traffic. California Assemblymember Tina McKinnor introduced a bill on Friday that would impose a $5 fee on official ticket purchases for these games. The fee — equal to the cost of an LA Metro day pass — would be transferred to the transit agency, and ticket purchasers would be able to use their event admission to access the system's buses and rail lines.
