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Bills would provide more financial aid to California college students

(As excerpted from the San Francisco Chronicle)

More relief for the heavy costs of college — fees, books, food and housing — could become available for California students under two bills introduced Thursday in the Legislature.

AB542 would add 3,000 additional grants to the Competitive Cal Grant program for low-income students, which turns away thousands of qualified students, according to a statement by Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, D-Van Nuys, who introduced the bill.

“For my family and so many others, California’s public higher education system was a ticket into the middle class,” Gabriel said in a statement. “We must ensure that our young people have access to the education they need to secure good jobs.”

ASSEMBLYMEMBER JESSE GABRIEL INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO MAKE COLLEGE MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR CALIFORNIA STUDENTS

SACRAMENTO – Yesterday, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D – San Fernando Valley) introduced legislation to increase financial aid for California residents who are admitted to one of California’s public universities or colleges.  This legislation—which has been designated Assembly Bill (AB) 542—would expand the Competitive Cal Grant program by providing 3,000 new scholarships each year to California residents who demonstrate financial need and meet certain academic requirements.  According to the California Student Aid Commission, the Competitive Cal Grant Program is greatly oversubscribed and does not provide financial aid to thousands of California residents who meet the eligibility requirements.

On guns, California wants to be a model for states. Should that matter to Pennsylvania?

As excerpted from the Philadelphia Inquirer

Background checks for ammunition sales. A lifetime gun ownership ban on anyone convicted of domestic violence. A sales limit of one gun per person per month.

Those are among the restrictive new laws and proposals that could reduce gun violence in California. The state already has stricter gun-control laws than most; legislators said this week they hope to position their state as a model for the rest of the nation.

California’s Democratic Supermajority Plans Raft of New Gun Control Laws

As excerpted from the Times of San Diego

California already has 109 laws on the books that regulate the use of firearms, more gun-control rules than any other state. More, it seems, are on the way.

Last week an all-Democratic contingent of lawmakers announced plans to send a raft of new gun-related bills to the governor before the end of the legislative session. The 16 lawmakers were joined by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, a gun control advocate and mass shooting survivor, along with representatives of the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

California Lawmakers Banding Together For Stricter Gun Laws

A group of 16 Democratic lawmakers in California are banding together for stricter gun laws. At the state capitol this week, Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel of San Fernando Valley announced the group and said it aims to craft new legislation:

California Democrats Unite to Strengthen Gun Control Laws

As excerpted from US News & World Report

DEMOCRATIC California lawmakers joined former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona Monday to announce the creation of a gun violence working group.

The group, comprised of 16 members of both the state Assembly and state senate, met with Giffords, who survived a mass shooting in 2011, for a roundtable before they held the press conference.

The lawmakers have voiced concern over Washington's lack of response to the nation's growing gun violence and are proposing laws such as new taxes on firearms and monthly limits on gun purchases, according to Courthouse News Service.

"Thoughts and prayers from Washington won't keep our kids safe," Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel said Monday. "What we need are common-sense gun laws that will protect our schools, our families and our communities."

California lawmakers form gun-violence working group after meeting with Gabrielle Giffords

As excerpted from the Los Angeles Times

Sixteen California lawmakers met Monday with former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who was gravely wounded in a 2011 mass shooting, and agreed to form a working group to develop and pass gun control laws that can serve as a model for other states and the nation.

The working group will put together a package of gun laws, including new taxes on firearms for anti-violence programs, and submit them to Gov. Gavin Newsom for approval.

The Democratic state legislators said they are frustrated by inaction in Washington on the issue of gun violence and are hopeful that Newsom will be sympathetic to their efforts to further restrict the availability of firearms in California.

“Thoughts and prayers from Washington won’t keep our kids safe,” said Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel of Van Nuys after the closed-door meeting with Giffords. “What we need are common-sense gun laws that will protect our schools, our families and our communities.”