ACCOMPLISHMENTS
LEGISLATIVE
SCORECARDS
*Scores range from 2017 - 2023
Steve Bradford has been at the forefront of efforts to address California's housing affordability crisis and homelessness epidemic. With a commitment to equitable solutions, he has pushed for legislation to increase affordable housing stock, protect tenants' rights, and implement strategies to combat homelessness and housing insecurity in communities across the state. This includes authoring a first-in-the-nation rent reporting bill that requires certain landlords of subsidized housing to offer tenants the option to have their rent payments reported to credit bureaus, aiming to help low-income renters build credit.
HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS SOLUTIONS
Steve Bradford has been a tireless champion for expanding healthcare access and improving health outcomes for all Californians. His unwavering commitment to affordable and quality healthcare has led to the support and co-sponsorship of legislation aimed at addressing healthcare disparities, expanding coverage, and enhancing access to vital healthcare services statewide.
HEALTHCARE
ACCESS
INVESTING IN WORKING FAMILIES
Steve Bradford has been a steadfast advocate for the economic well-being of working families in California, championing policies to uplift and support workers and small businesses. From advocating for fair wages to promoting access to essential services, Senator Bradford has been a driving force behind initiatives aimed at improving the lives of hardworking Californians and ensuring their financial stability. This also includes championing innovative financial literacy policies, like authoring the law that created the CA Financial Empowerment Fund to provide grants to nonprofits for financial education and empowerment tools to unbanked individuals.
EDUCATION
ADVOCACY
Steve Bradford's unwavering commitment to education advocacy underscores his dedication to ensuring that all Californians have access to quality educational opportunities and support services. He continues to make significant contributions to the advancement of education reform, student empowerment, and equitable access to education in California. This includes authoring the pioneering Fair Pay to Play Act, which allowed college athletes for the first time to profit from their name, image, and likeness and obtain professional legal representation, as well as provide financial literacy courses to these athletes.
IMPROVING CALIFORNIA'S ECONOMY
Steve Bradford has been a driving force in advancing initiatives to bolster California's economy and promote economic prosperity across the state. With a focus on fostering innovation, creating job opportunities, and supporting small businesses, Bradford has championed legislation and funding initiatives aimed at stimulating economic growth, attracting investment, and building resilient communities.
REPRODUCTIVE
FREEDOM
Steve Bradford has been a champion for reproductive rights and access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare for all Californians. Through his legislative efforts and support for key initiatives, Bradford has championed policies aimed at safeguarding individuals' reproductive choices, promoting gender equality, and ensuring access to essential reproductive health services.
HOLDING UTILITIES ACCOUNTABLE
As Chair of the Senate Energy Utilities and Communications Committee, Steve Bradford held utilities accountable and presided over investigative hearings that garnered national attention in the wake of devastating power outages across California. He also authored tough laws protecting taxpayers from the outstanding bond debt of certain public power plants, and holding utilities accountable for safety spending by requiring an electrical or gas corporation report when money for maintenance or safety is redirected for other purposes.
CREATING A FAIRER INSURANCE MARKET
Steve Bradford worked to make the California insurance market fairer and more equitable. During his time in the legislature, Bradford voted on bills that expanded protections for wildfire survivors, and authored legislation to reinstate and expand the Insurance Diversity Survey, requiring large insurers to report on supplier and board diversity, as well as establish an Insurance Diversity Task Force. This includes authoring a law that created the Family Electric Rate Assistance Program, which provides a significant bill assistance program for middle income households.
CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION
Steve Bradford has emerged as a leading voice in the fight against climate change, spearheading efforts to mitigate its effects and transition towards a sustainable future. Through his policy leadership, Bradford has championed initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions, promoting renewable energy adoption, and fostering environmental resilience statewide. He has also authored a law that provides the structures to ensure that tomorrow’s electrical grid is renewable and strong.
PROTECTING IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES
Steve has always believed in creating a California for all, regardless of citizenship status. That’s why he is proud to have stood up for immigrant communities during the constant attacks from the Trump administration to ensure they have access to the necessary resources and protections, including fighting to make California a sanctuary state for all people.
ENSURING SAFER COMMUNITIES
Throughout his tenure in the State Senate, Steve has fought to ensure safer communities across California, advocating for policies to curb gun violence and keep our communities safe. This includes cracking down on smash and grabs and fentanyl dealing, as well as passing common-sense gun safety legislation to help get illegal guns off our streets.
SOCIAL & CRIMINAL
JUSTICE REFORM
Steve Bradford has pushed for social justice, equality, and civil rights throughout his legislative career. His commitment to addressing systemic inequities and promoting fairness is reflected in several key initiatives aimed at advancing social justice in California. This includes authoring the Kenneth Ross Jr. Police Decertification Act to create an impartial statewide process with due process safeguards to revoke a law enforcement officer’s certification for a criminal conviction and certain acts of serious misconduct, a law to ensure that job applicants with an expunged criminal history are not denied employment for a position if the crime they committed is irrelevant to the job, and the California Cannabis Equity Act of 2018 to assist underserved communities to participate in California’s legalized cannabis industry. Bradford also authored a pioneering law to return Bruce’s Beach in Manhattan Beach to living descendants of the owners from whom the land was taken in the 1920s because of their race. He also co-authored the Keep Kids in School law to end school suspensions for "willful defiance" in California, with the intention of addressing racial disparities in school discipline for Black and Brown students.