GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
In his first year in office, Senator Min introduced Senate Bill (SB) 264 which banned gun shows at the Orange County Fairgrounds. The Senator continued to follow through on protecting Californians when, in 2022, he wrote SB 915, a bill that ultimately ended the sale of firearms and ammunition on all state property–the first piece of legislation in the United States to do so. Senator Min also teamed up with the Brady Campaign to pass SB 1384, which requires licensed firearms dealers to reform antiquated policies by carrying liability insurance and having onsite surveillance.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: ENDING THE CYCLE OF ABUSE
Senator Min has been a proud advocate for strengthening, enhancing, and protecting the rights of those affected by domestic violence and abuse. In just the past two years, Senator Min has passed bills protecting domestic violence survivors and foster youth from debts coerced by their abusers (SB 975), codifying that Domestic Violence Restraining Orders may be renewed as many times as necessary (SB 935), expanding the scope of Domestic Violence Review Teams (SB 863), first-in-the-nation protections for victims of reproductive coercion (SB 374), and (SB 654) defending the rights of children in custody battles.
CLIMATE ACTION & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
California’s vibrant ecosystems, environment, and coastline are the jewels in the crown of our great Golden State. It is critically important that we work to address the climate crisis with urgency and bold action. When an oil spill devastated the Orange County coast in 2021, Senator Min was the first legislator to spring to action, introducing SB 953, legislation to ban offshore oil drilling in state waters, once and for all. Solving climate change requires us to think creatively about how we can support green innovation in California, especially with the passage of his SB 500 directing that all autonomous vehicles be zero-emissions by 2030.
Preserving our lands in perpetuity is one of the Senator’s utmost priorities. In his first year, Senator Min helped secure funding for the protection of Banning Ranch, California’s largest, unprotected wetlands habitat. Senator Min is proud to have held over a dozen beach cleanups and community service events aimed at protecting our local environment.
SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF & COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Senator Dave Min recognized the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses both in Orange County and across California, and took action by authoring SB 87. This bill provided $4 billion in grant relief funding statewide, with more than $60 million distributed to more than 5,000 local small businesses, helping them to survive during the pandemic. The resiliency of these small business owners was remarkable, as they adapted to new ways of operating while facing the challenges of the pandemic. To bolster this relief, the Senator coauthored AB 80, which allowed businesses who received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) assistance not to have the income taxed by the State of California as taxable income.
Modernizing how Californians access services is not only good governance, it has become increasingly important since the start of the pandemic. Entering office at the height of COVID-19 lockdowns, Senator Min returned an estimated $10 million back to constituents from EDD. In addition, he authored SB 391, which codified common interest developments (HOAs)’s ability to meet virtually and meet their fiduciary duties. Senator Min also authored SB 308 to streamline the unclaimed property process by expanding the use of electronic funds and transitioning the remittance process away from paper checks.
INVESTING IN PUBLIC EDUCATION
As a member of the Senate Committee on Budget, Subcommittee #1 on Education, Senator Min piloted historic state investments in our public schools, community colleges and universities. As a new Legislator, one of his first major tasks was working closely with our school districts to safely and quickly reopen during the pandemic. Thanks to the Senator’s leadership, California expanded early childhood education, tackled food insecurity among school children, and championed innovative programs to address Covid-related learning loss. The University of California system also added nearly 11,000 slots for California residents. He also authored important bills to provide crucial pathways for our students: SB 312 expanded access to higher education for foster youth and SB 1299 which invested in the UC’s COSMOS program, a program offered to middle school and high school students with an aptitude for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
PROTECTING A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the summer of 2022, California leadership stepped up to enshrine abortion rights in our state’s constitution. Senator Min cosponsored Senate Constitutional Amendment 10, which now protects reproductive freedom for all Californians. In addition to protecting a woman’s right to choose statewide, Senator Min was also a leading voice for bringing an end to the Providence and Hoag affiliation among local hospitals. The merger had not only interfered with access to basic health care, but also led to discriminatory practices against LGBTQ+ patients and reproductive services on the basis of religious beliefs.
SAFER PUBLIC TRANSIT
California public transit must be safe and accessible for everyone. From the first mile to the last, no one should feel unsafe traveling to work, school, or anywhere. That’s why Senator Min partnered with Stop AAPI Hate and LA Metro to introduce data-driven safety solutions to increase ridership and put a stop to street harassment. SB 1161 creates a framework for the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University to understand how we can make public transit safer and develop ways California transit agencies can strategically address public safety, and overall experiences with safety.
CYBERSECURITY & IDENTITY THEFT PREVENTION
In 2020, Senator Min founded the new Senate Select Committee on Cybersecurity. As Chair, the Senator has worked hard to explore solutions and best practices for how the state can aggressively address the growing problems of cybersecurity, identity theft, digital privacy, and other emerging threats to data security. Using findings from committee hearings, Senator Min introduced and passed SB 844, a bill that establishes oversight reporting on State fiscal spending on cybersecurity improvements.
EXPANDING LANGUAGE ACCESS
California is home to the most diverse populations in the country, and our public services should reflect the diversity of our state. Senator Min has fiercely defended language access at the Department of Motor Vehicles, intervening when the Administration sought to remove driver testing offered in Korean. Similarly, new Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) requirements at first only offered English and Spanish languages for the state’s Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) Training Program. Based on a new law designed to improve the restaurant industry’s training about the dangers of serving minors and overserving patrons, RBS Training left many servers at a disadvantage. Senator Min worked in partnership with ABC to ensure that the law was enforced with test offerings for the state’s many thousands of businesses who rely on employees who speak Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Hindi, and Punjabi.
ADDRESSING ANTI-ASIAN HATE
As the only Korean American in the Legislature and Vice Chair of the California AAPI Legislative Caucus, Senator Min helped secure the passage of the historic AAPI Equity Budget. In response to the rise in anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic, the $156.5 million investment addresses longstanding racial inequities, provides services to victims of hate crimes, and funds prevention efforts designed to keep all Californians safe. In 2021, over 80 AAPI nonprofits were awarded “Stop the Hate” grant funding to fight anti-Asian hate.
FUNDING LOCAL PROJECTS
In the past three years, Senator Min has secured nearly $80 million in direct investments for local projects across Orange County. From funding for firefighters, to parks and open spaces, fighting for OC’s fair share of state funding has been a top priority.
Senator Min championed the following items:
- $16.95 million to the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) for a new Wildland Hand Crew Station that will house up to 60 personnel, 30 vehicles, HeloPods, and fire equipment.
- $10 million to the City of Costa Mesa for the park upgrades at Jack Hammett Sports Complex, TeWinkle Athletic Complex, Fairview Park Mesa, and Shalimar Park.
- $4.8 million to the City of Tustin for modernization and infrastructure improvements at Centennial Park, located near the City’s Historic “Old Town Tustin” District.
- $15 million to the ALERTWildfire Phase 2 expansion. ALERTWildfire is an incredibly successful wildfire prevention program, relying on 700 remote cameras to provide early detection for wildfires. Phase 2 of this program will provide an infrared map of the fuel concentrations of fire-prone areas.
- $14.5 million to the City of Irvine for the completion of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail (JOST). A critical element of the region’s open space plan, JOST links existing bike and pedestrian trails, connecting the coastline to the Santa Ana Mountains and Cleveland National Forest.
- $5 million to the Orange County Sustainability Decathlon. This year, 20 teams from around the world will compete at the OC Fairgrounds to design, build, and operate green energy-powered houses that meet net-zero energy building standards.
- University of California, Irvine: $1 million to the Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable and Able Leaders for Water program, which will promote education, training and career placement of under-represented groups in the state’s water sector.
- Irvine Police Department: $990,000 to obtain Real Time Crime Center Dispatch Equipment. The funds will be used to replace current patrol vehicles with electric vehicles and acquire equipment for the Criminal Investigation Division Unit and general police safety.
- City of Newport Beach: $1.6 million for the acquisition of an aquatic trash interceptor to be located in the San Diego Creek, upstream from the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve. The trash interceptor will be installed on a floating platform with a boom system to direct trash through a spinning rake onto a conveyor belt and deposit trash, removing the debris before it reaches the Nature Preserve.
- City of Laguna Beach: $1.525 million for the rehabilitation of the Moss Street Beach concrete pathways, stairways, and bridge structures for improved public beach access. In addition, there is funding for the construction of a dog park play area at Moulton Meadows Park that will have new benches for users, new trash and recycling receptacles, and planter area.
- City of Huntington Beach: $1.45 million for the HB Ride Circuit Shuttle Program to improve micro-mobility, reduce car traffic, and provide low cost, on-demand transit to residents and visitors on all-electric shuttle. In addition, funds will be allocated to the Navigation Center, a 174-bed shelter and multi-service center for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
- Pacific Symphony: $2 million for the expansion of Education and Community Enrichment Programs including Symphony on the Go, Symphony in the Cities, Heartstrings, Music and Wellness, Elementary School Education, and Veterans Initiative.
- Orange County Museum of Art: $250,000 for the Museum's educational public programs that provide access to art free of charge for the broadest possible audience.
- Orange Coast College: $950,000 to replace the campus based Early Childhood Lab School and outdoor classroom equipment.
Senator Min’s Bills Authored, Coauthored, and Signed by the Governor:
- SB-264 Firearms: OC Fair and Event Center
- SB-308 Unclaimed Property: Electronic Funds Transfer
- SB-654 Child Custody
- SB-863 Domestic Violence: Death Review Teams
- SB-935 Domestic Violence: Protective Orders
- SB-975 Debt: Coerced Debts
- SB-374 Protective Orders: Reproductive Coercion
- SB-391 Common Interest Developments: Emergency Powers and Procedures
- SB-500 Autonomous vehicles: Zero Emissions
- SB-512 Public Postsecondary Education: Support Services for Foster Youth: Foster Youth Educational Support Program
- SB-607 Business and Professions
- SB-844 California Cybersecurity Integration Center: Cybersecurity Improvement: reports
- SB-915 Firearms: State Property
- SB-1161 Transit Operators: Street Harassment Survey
- SB-1299 California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science
- SB-1384 Firearms: Dealer Requirements
- SB 87 California Small Business COVID-19 Grant Program
- SCA 10 Senate Constitutional Amendment: Reproductive Freedom
- AB 80 Taxation: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act: Federal Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021