iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

This work is essential to a healthy democracy. It’s about keeping journalists at work asking hard questions, holding people like me accountable, telling stories that would otherwise go untold. Thank you @governor.ca.gov for recognizing what’s at stake & signing AB 2222 into law.

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This vital tax credit will also grow over time & make an ongoing difference as we regrow + support journalists and newsrooms across the state.

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I introduced the Journalism Preservation Act in 2023, which evolved into an innovative partnership w/ @CAGoBiz awarding grants to news orgs across the state, & is amplified by Berkeley’s groundbereaking journalism fellowship program which continues to grow & evolve each year.

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Buffy Wicks @buffywicks.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I am ecstatic that @governor.ca.gov just signed AB 2222, historic legislation I authored w/ @asmchrisward.bsky.social that vaults CA to the forefront of protecting & rebuilding journalism in our communities. This is the capstone to vital work that began 5+ yrs ago, & our road has not been easy.

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Local news is essential to a healthy democracy — & there’s no single fix for the crisis it’s facing. I talked w/@brierdudley.bsky.social about what we’ve learned in CA, the tools we’re putting to work, & why all of us should join in the fight to save journalism. www.seattletimes.com/opinion/cali...

seattletimes.com

California legislator's advice on passing policies to save local news

If it's signed into law, California's new journalism support bill will raise the bar for other states looking to save local news. A sponsor has advice for them.

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Reposted by Buffy Wicks

Governor Newsom Press Office @govpressoffice.gov.ca.gov · 11/09/2026

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Today, @governor.ca.gov Gavin Newsom signed landmark legislation to: ✅ Create the strongest companion chatbot regulations in the nation

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Buffy Wicks @buffywicks.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Adam Raine should be here. Nothing we do in Sacramento can change that. But because his family turned unimaginable loss into action, Adam’s story will protect other kids. Today, @governor.ca.gov signed Adam’s Law — putting critical guardrails in place to make AI safer for our kids.

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Reposted by Buffy Wicks

Ross Bernet @rosszb.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I am deeply honored to receive the endorsement of California State Assemblymember @buffywicks.bsky.social As a dedicated champion for housing, Assemblymember Wicks continues to lead the charge on making housing more abundant and affordable across our state. Grateful for her leadership 🙏

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Buffy Wicks @buffywicks.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Also excited for BeHere / 1942, opening 9/17, which examines the forced removal of Japanese Americans during WWII through an immersive lens. I wrote my senior thesis on their incarceration, so this one is especially close to my heart. Thanks Lori Fogarty for showing us around!

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Buffy Wicks @buffywicks.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

There’s so much East Bay history inside the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA). Loved getting a tour yesterday of Mildred Howard: Poetics of Memory — celebrating a Berkeley-raised artist whose work explores family, history, identity and home.

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Buffy Wicks @buffywicks.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Gloria taught generations of women that telling the truth about our own lives could itself be an act of political change — and I’m one of many deeply influenced & inspired by this. Her courage made it easier for us to speak up, take up space & fight for the lives we deserve. RIP ❤️

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So while I’m upset about this outcome, I’m inspired by those pushing for change: big city mayors, cities, YIMBYs, labor, business, enviros & those who build homes at all levels of affordability. With this incredible diverse coalition, I have no doubt we can bring back something even stronger.

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And ultimately I had a bill Friday morning that I truly believe would have unlocked condo construction to serve our working class families desperate for homeownership opportunities.

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We put hundreds of hours, months of negotiations, and endless stakeholders engagement and coalition building. I know more about water intrusion and moisture barriers than I ever thought I would.

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Our job as legislators is to solve problems, and sometimes that means doing hard things. This is one of those things. This issue has been a third rail. Structural change is necessary.

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I am incredibly disappointed & frustrated that AB 1903, my bill to reform construction defect liability, just died in the Senate. Critical components were amended out Friday & it was ultimately held by the Senate late last night — missing the midnight deadline for concurrence.

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I’m deeply grateful to the bipartisan coalition of attorneys general who kept pushing for real, enforceable protections for kids — and especially to California @agrobbonta.oag.ca.gov, whose spine of steel helped bring this fight all the way to this historic result.

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Our law has spent years tied up in the courts, but many of its core protections are reflected in the changes Meta will be required to make — a huge validation of what we've been fighting for. Accountability can take longer than it should, & today's proof that persistence matters.

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In 2022, I authored California’s bipartisan Age-Appropriate Design Code, building on the groundbreaking work of Baroness Beeban Kidron, who has been a tireless global leader in the fight to make the digital world safer for children.

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The billions Meta will pay — & just as importantly, the changes it will be required to make to its platforms — are a significant step toward creating a safer digital world for kids. Lawmakers & advocates worldwide have been working toward this kind of accountability for years.

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Meta agrees to pay $17B, adopt kids’ safety features to resolve states’ lawsuits

This historic settlement sends an important message, one that doesn’t end with one company: tech platforms cannot put profits ahead of the safety of kids, and they must be held accountable when their choices cause real harm. www.politico.com/news/2026/08...

politico.com

The tentative agreement is a massive concession from the tech giant.

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Sacramento Report: Trying to Buy a Condo? One Bill Aims to Give Market a Boost

Housing policy is rarely simple. But if we want more Californians to have a shot at owning a home, we have to be willing to modernize laws that are no longer producing the outcomes they were intended to achieve. That's the work we're continuing on AB 1903. voiceofsandiego.org/2026/07/10/s...

voiceofsandiego.org

Meanwhile, lawmakers kill a separate effort meant to increase California’s condo supply.

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We also know this won’t solve the whole problem around creating homeownership housing. For example, there are still issues around deposits and subdivisions to address. But industry experts say reforming the construction defect liability process is the biggest change we can make.

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To get the balance right, we still have more work to do. Once we incorporate amendments from Senate Judiciary (expected to be in print Aug. 3),we still need to revise the standards for defects to be fair to good builders while making sure health and safety issues are fully protected.

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Importantly, AB 1903 isn't about protecting bad builders. Homeowners deserve safe homes and meaningful accountability when something goes wrong. Consumers should not be on the hook for shoddy work. Bad developers should be held accountable.

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AB 1903 aims to restore the original balance. The goal is straightforward: ✅ Make it easier to identify legitimate defects ✅ Improve transparency in the claims process ✅ Create a true "right to repair" ✅ Create more certainty so builders are willing to build condos again

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California bureaucracy locks young people out of home ownership. Here’s the fix

That means fewer attainable homeownership opportunities for teachers, nurses, young families, first-time buyers, and older Californians looking to downsize while staying in their communities. www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/open...

sfchronicle.com

OPINION: California once built tens of thousands of new condos per year. Today, it builds closer to 3,000. One law is to blame, Oisín Heneghan writes.

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The result? A complete lose-lose where homeowners don’t get timely fixes for real defects, and because builders lose money on their existing condo projects, they refuse to build new ones.

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Additionally, - Claims often lack enough detail to quickly identify and fix problems. - Builders can still be sued even after making repairs. - Homeowners can spend years waiting for litigation instead of getting repairs.

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Under today’s system, builders have to pay HOAs and their lawyers for things that “might” cause problems in the future. This flies in the face of every other aspect of law, where plaintiffs can’t get damages unless there is actual damage.

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Why? The law was originally intended to encourage builders to fix problems before anyone ended up in court. Instead, over time, it's become a system that often rewards litigation over repair.

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But over the last two decades, condo construction has fallen off a cliff. When California's current construction defect law took effect in 2003, condos made up about 27% of new housing in major metro areas. Today, it's less than 5%.

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Condos are one of the most affordable paths into homeownership. They're typically 20–30% less expensive than single-family homes and allow people to own a home close to jobs, transit, and the communities where they already live.

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If we want to make homeownership more attainable in California, we have to start building condos again. Today, we barely do. Here's why that matters — and why I'm working on reforming California's construction defect laws. 🧵

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Oh & amidst all the craziness last week (👇) let's not forget, we passed my $11B housing bond! It took me 4 years, but we got it done. This will expand housing for veterans, first-time homebuyers, farmworkers, our unhoused neighbors & more. A good reminder that government can still deliver.

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The issue that brought me into this fight in the first place hasn't gone away. California still needs to build more housing. That's where I'll keep focusing my energy: on fighting for solutions that strengthen our communities instead of forcing us into impossible choices.

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That's why I'm opposing “my own” measure. The emergency that led to its creation is over. Now, voters have the final say. I'm asking them to vote NO on ACA 22.

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But here's the important part: Just because ACA 22 got the more dangerous measure off the ballot *doesn't* mean ACA 22 should pass on the ballot. You should vote No on ACA 22.

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It worked. The Taxpayer Protection Act came off the ballot. Billions in local funding, protected. The immediate crisis, averted.

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I authored ACA 22 not because I wanted it to become law – but because it was the only path left to get the more dangerous initiative off the ballot before time ran out.

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Politics doesn't always give you good choices. Sometimes the choice is between bad — and much worse. That's where we found ourselves.

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At that point, the deadline was hours away. The clock was running out, and we had a choice to make: Leave a retroactive measure on the ballot that threatened billions in local funding, or accept a much narrower constitutional amendment that I still believed was bad policy.

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Then, the deal collapsed. The people negotiating it ultimately couldn't deliver. The person who actually controlled the initiative refused to pull it. We were back to square one.

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The deal wasn't perfect – but it protected a majority of local funding. It addressed many of the transfer tax concerns that got me involved in the first place. And, it would have gotten the dangerous initiative off the ballot.

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The Governor's office brought everyone to the table. Cities. Labor. Affordable housing advocates. Business groups. Developers. After weeks of negotiations, we reached a deal -- AB 736.

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