SB 1370
SB 1370, the bill sponsored by Senator Leland Yee to protect high school and college journalism instructors from being disciplined or removed for protecting their student’s freedom of the press, will be heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee on June 10th.

The bill passed out of the Senate and now must be heard in the Assembly Committee and, then, voted on by the Assembly.

SB 1370 comes in the wake of 12 documented cases of journalism advisors being punished after refusing to pull critical stories written by student journalists.

AB 2379
AB 2379 will also be heard on June 10th in the Senate Judiciary Committee, after having passed out of the Assembly. AB 2379 is a bill written by Assemblymember Noreen Evan and co-sponsored by the California Newspaper Publishers’ Association. It attempts to streamline the court records request process and eliminate unnecessary waiting times.

The bill would eliminate appeals of orders to unseal court records that were improperly sealed. This will bring about quicker writ review and eliminate delays. It is also similar to the process that has been speeding up California Public Records Act requests since 1989.