The state’s auditor issued a review of the city of Anaheim’s lease with the Los Angeles Angels for Angel Stadium, criticizing a lack of access for inspections and its revenue-sharing terms, which compare unfavorably to other stadiums in the state.
A pair of powerful California lawmakers is teaming up to pass legislation that would require device manufacturers to ascertain the age of users, with the goal of providing kids with age-appropriate online experiences. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Tom Umberg (D) and Assembly Appropriations Committee Chair Buffy Wicks (D) announced Tuesday that they will work together to advance the Digital Age Assurance Act.
A bill in the California Legislature could change the way public officers and candidates raise money for their campaigns by allowing them to use public funds, with some rules in place.
If you agreed to a mind-meld with Spock, you wouldn’t expect the Vulcan to share all of your deepest thoughts with the entirety of the United Federation of Planets, would you? That’s exactly what Sen. Tom Umberg’s newest bill would prevent in the real world, where brain-computer interfaces are becoming more of a reality rather than a phenomenon from “Star Trek.”
The Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) is proud to announce the distinguished recipients of its highly coveted 2025 annual awards. LACBA will celebrate the following three exceptional individuals for their outstanding achievements and remarkable contributions to the legal community at its Installation and Awards Dinner on Friday, June 20, 2025, at the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Proposition 36 will be less expensive to enforce than critics have claimed – and the state will pick up the tab. That was Sen. Tom Umberg’s message while speaking to a conference of nurses and public health officials in Sacrament on Wednesday. “I say this without seeing exactly how the Senate’s going to respond to the budget, but I think it’s a state responsibility,” the Santa Ana Democrat said of the tough-on-crime measure passed by over 68% of California voters in November. “I don’t think it’s a county responsibility.” Umberg added, “I think that there are some exaggerated estimates as to what the additional costs may be.”
Many of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrectionists are free from criminal charges, courtesy of a mass pardon from Trump, but they are not free to serve in the California National Guard, a state lawmaker said in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom last week. Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, a retired U.S. Army colonel, sent a letter to the governor reminding him that SB 901, which Newsom signed last September, gives Newsom the power to “to refuse entry of any of the convicted January 6th Insurrectionists from commission or enlisting in the California National and State Guards.” Umberg called Trump’s pardon “gravely concerning.” Trump has called the Capitol rioters “hostages” and has said that they were the victims of a politicized U.S. Department of Justice. Rioters injured more than 140 police officers in their attack on the Capitol, according to NBC News. “Those who would violate their oaths to the Constitution by violently attempting to overturn the results of a legitimate election by the people should not be allowed to defend it. Moreover, we should not use taxpayer money to train them in the use of lethal force,” Umberg wrote in the letter.
Democratic lawmakers were flanked by (adoptable!) puppies as they announced new legislation meant to block the flow of neglected dogs into the state. California prohibited retail stores from selling animals like dogs, cats, and rabbits in 2017. This was to help end the puppy mill industry, where dogs are bred en masse, leading them to be born and raised in filthy and neglected conditions.
Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Orange) and Assemblymembers Marc Berman (D- Menlo Park) and Steve Bennet (D-Ventura) came together on the west steps of the Capitol to introduce three bills targeting the underground pet market in California uncovered by the LA Times last fall. They were joined by animal advocates and two five-month-old puppies from Sacramento County Animal Services.