Belmont Beacon
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 - SEPTEMBER 21, 2014
belmontbeacon.com
New law requires paid sick leave for California workers by jennifer schlueter According to the governor’s office, “about 40% of California’s workforce — an estimated 6.5 million people — have no paid sick leave benefits at all,” stated the Los Angeles Times. This will change July of next year, because last Wednesday, Governor Jerry Brown signed the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014 (AB 1522). For both part-time and full-time employees working more than 30 days per year, the legislation requires employers to grant them three days of paid sick leave. For every 30 hours of labor, employees can earn a minimum of one paid sick leave hour to recuperate themselves, or assist a sick family member. Unions and worker’s rights groups have long favored the new law and Brown called the bill by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego “real step forward” for, especially middle-class, workers, who had to choose between forcing themselves to work while sick and thus possibly endangering coworkers, or recover at home losing essential income and fearing job loss. The governor added in a statement: “Whether you’re a dishwasher in San Diego or a store clerk in Oakland, this bill frees you of having to choose between your family’s health and
Port helps fund homeless center garden and solar carport Port contributes $330,000 to green projects
said Mayor Robert Garcia. “This development is a great illustration of the City’s commitment to providing modern, safe, and affordable living options for all Long Beach residents. The building is located at 3290 E. Artesia Blvd., near Ra-
In a festive ceremony, two Port of Long Beach grantfunded environmental projects had their grand openings Wednesday morning, Sept. 10, at the Century Villages of Cabrillo homeless rehabilitation complex in West Long Beach. Century Villages at Cabrillo was awarded grants under the Port’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Grant Program. One $161,455 grant went toward a solar energy system that will provide 150,000 kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually, and another $170,000 grant for a picturesque urban garden to beautify and also capture harmful emissions. “The Port of Long Beach is proud to support Century Villages through green and sustainable projects that raise the quality of life for its residents as well as the greater Long Beach community,” said Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners President Doug Drummond. The other funding partners were Wells Fargo, NeighborWorks USA, and Southern California Edison. The solar energy grant project involved installing a solar power system on the
Please see page 4
Please see page 4
Governor Jerry Brown -Photo by Terry Miller
your job.” After Connecticut in 2011, California has become the second state to grant paid sick leave. Five years prior, San Francisco County was the first county nationwide to adopt such a law for workers within the county.
According to the LA Times, the bill exempts not only “workers subject to certain collective bargaining agreements and airline flight crews and attendants who are under federal labor laws,” Please see page 2
Grand opening of low-income senior living community The City of Long Beach today celebrated the grand opening of Ramona Park Apartments, a two-story, 61-unit rental complex that will provide affordable, quality housing for low- and very low-income seniors. Together with The Long Beach Community Investment Company (LBCIC), Palm Communities, and
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Western Community Housing, the City is proud to open the doors to this warm and contemporary senior living community. “Sustainable housing developments such as Ramona Park Apartments celebrate the multigenerational diversity of our City and further promote a network of strong, viable communities,”