AB 2257, follow up legislation to AB 5, was signed by Governor Newsom on September 4, 2020 and goes into effect immediately. The law includes new exemptions for musicians, performing artists and fine artists. Learn more about these new exemptions in this webinar moderated by Julie Baker, Executive Director, California Arts Advocates/Californians for the Arts; guest speakers Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, 80th District, Author AB 5 and AB 2257; Assembly Majority Leader Ian C. Calderon, 57th District, Principal Co-author AB 2257; John Acosta, President, AFM Local 47; and Sara B. Boyns, Attorney, Fenton & Keller.

All questions must be submitted by Wednesday, September 30. Registration will remain open until the end of the webinar. Please use the registration form to submit your questions.

This webinar is scheduled for 75 minutes.
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This event will be recorded.

Speakers

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez

Assemblywoman, California State Assembly, 80th District

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez was elected in May of 2013, promising to fight for our state’s working and middle classes, and she hasn’t stopped yet. In 2015, The Atlantic Magazine labeled her “The California Democrat setting the National Agenda” for her practical, progressive legislation aimed at alleviating real issues in people’s lives.

In 2014, Lorena authored historic legislation to allow 6.5 million Californians the ability to earn paid sick leave. When AB 1522 was signed by Governor Brown, California became the first state in the nation to guarantee earned sick days for every single private sector worker regardless of employer size or sector. The next year, Lorena brought the idea of Automatic Voter Registration to life for nearly seven million unregistered citizens by authoring and passing California’s New Motor Voter Act. In 2017, Lorena succeeded in making California the first state in the nation to subsidize diapers for parents in need -- hardworking mothers and fathers struggling to juggle job and parenting responsibilities. AB 480, the Diaper Affordability Act, was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on Oct. 12, 2017.

Lorena has passed critical bills to protect the jobs of grocery workers, fight the misclassification of employees as independent contractors, create the first workplace bullying training requirement in the nation, limit excessive CEO compensation in the utility industry, protect immigrant communities from legal services fraud and mandate that public schools test their drinking water for lead. Taking on women’s equity issues large and small, Lorena co-authored the nation’s toughest rules to close the gender pay gap and wrote the legislation that finally forced California to classify high school cheerleading as a sport. 

Lorena is the first Latina in California history to Chair the Assembly Appropriations Committee. She is also Chairwoman of the Select Committee on Women in the Workplace and Chair of the Latino Caucus.

Lorena’s father immigrated to California from Mexico and initially worked in the strawberry fields in North San Diego County. Her mother was a nurse. Lorena is a graduate of Stanford University, has a Master’s degree from Georgetown University and a Law Degree from UCLA. She remains a member in good standing of the California State Bar.

Prior to being elected to the Assembly, Lorena was a labor leader and organizer, serving as the first woman and first person of color to be elected CEO and Secretary-Treasurer for the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO. Lorena also previously worked as the Senior Advisor to California’s Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante, and she served on the California State Lands Commission and the California Coastal Commission.

Lorena’s most cherished title, nonetheless, is that of mother. In the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego, Lorena and her husband, Nathan Fletcher, have a home with four of their children. Lorena's eldest child, her daughter Tierra, lives in Los Angeles. 

Majority Leader Ian Calderon

Majority Leader, California State Assembly, 57th District

Majority Leader Ian Calderon was elected in November 2012 to represent California's 57th Assembly District, becoming the first millennial elected to the State Legislature.

A product of the 57th District, prior to his election to the Assembly, Ian worked as a field representative for the Legislature, which allowed him to assist residents in his community to navigate state and local government.

In March 2016, Ian became the youngest Majority Leader in the history of the state of California. As Majority Leader, Ian has led the Assembly to pass landmark legislation, such as raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2022 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He is particularly proud of legislation he authored that allows terminally ill Californians to attempt experimental treatments to try to save their own lives.

Majority Leader Calderon currently serves as the Chair of the Select Committee on Technological Advances, Co-Chair of the Legislative Technology and Innovation Caucus, and Co-Chair of the Legislative Millennial Caucus. He is a member of the Insurance Committee, Appropriations Committee, Accountability and Administrative Review Committee, Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee, and the Elections and Redistricting Committee.

In recognition of his work to foster innovation in California, Majority Leader Ian Calderon was named Legislator of the Year by TechNet, received the Internet Champion Award from the Internet Association, and was named TechAmerica’s 2014 California Tech Champion, as well as the 2016 CompTia California Tech Champion. A staunch supporter of arts education, Ian received the California Association of Museums’ 2015 President’s Award and was named a Legislative Arts Champion by Californians for the Arts.

Ian graduated from California State University Long Beach where he earned a degree in Political Science with a minor in Communications. He resides in Whittier with his wife Elise and their daughters, Charlie Nicole and Hartley James, and their newborn son, Crew Colson.

John Acosta

President, American Federation of Musicians Local 47

John Acosta currently serves as President of the American Federation of Musicians Local 47 representing over 7,000 professional musicians in the southern California area. John also serves as an International Executive Board member of the AFM, Vice President on the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Executive Board, President on the Music Fund of Los Angeles Board of Directors, Director on the Actors Fund Western Council and Director on the Verdugo-Workforce Investment Board. John hails from the Bronx, New York. His father Juan Acosta was a percussionist from Cuba who worked as a touring musician with Latin jazz greats such as Tito Puente and Celia Cruz. In California, John began his recording career working as a composer, guitarist, producer and engineer for artists on Warner Brothers, DreamWorks, Geffen, BMG, Elektra and Capitol Records. John's work as a musician lead to his work with Local 47, advocating for musicians rights.

Sara B. Boyns

Attorney, Fenton and Keller

Sara represents employers with regard to a wide variety of workplace issues, including discrimination and harassment, wage and hour claims, employee misclassification issues, employment policies, leave issues, workplace investigations, defense of post-employment claims, and in home caregiver agreements. Her 30+ years of experience in areas of law ranging from civil litigation to estate planning complements her expertise in employment law, and provides a unique perspective to problem solving for her clients. Sara is proactive and responsive when assisting managers and employers in complying with complex employment laws, preventing and solving day-to-day workplace problems, and developing a productive, profitable work force. Sara presents interactive and current educational seminars on employment related topics for clients and the general public, including the California statutorily required harassment prevention training seminars for employees. Sara has also been a featured speaker at the HFTP Club & Hotel Controllers Conference, and she frequently speaks to local community groups on employment law topics. Sara also conducts workplace investigations for a wide range of clients and is an Association of Workplace Investigators Certificate Holder (AWI-CH). With contributions from her colleagues, Sara writes a bi-weekly article for the Monterey Herald addressing workplace law issues, and she is also responsible for the content in the Fenton & Keller newsletter. A member of the firm since 2000, Sara is involved in community activities primarily related to education and youth. In early 2019, the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce named Sara Businesswoman of the year.