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The State and Local Tap: California legislature confirms new attorney general

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April 24, 2021Issue No. 251

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Week in review
On tap next week

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Here's what happened in State and local politics last week.

State Politics: The Week in Review

Ballot Measures Update

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Monday, April 19

Hunter Roberts appointed secretary of South Dakota’s new Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources

  • Hunter Roberts assumed office on April 19 as secretary of the newly-formed South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Governor Kristi Noem (R) appointed Roberts to the position in August 2020.
  • The Department of Agriculture and Department of Environment and Natural Resources officially merged on April 19. Noem had announced her intention to combine the two departments last August and signed an executive order establishing the new department on Jan. 19, 2021. Roberts had served as the state's secretary of environment and natural resources since 2019.
  • Roberts was appointed interim secretary of agriculture in September 2020 and served in both roles until the departments merged in April 2021. South Dakota also has an elected state office—commissioner of school and public lands—that is responsible for supervising lands designated for educational use by the federal government.
  • Agriculture commissioners are elected in 12 states and appointed in 38, while natural resources commissioners are appointed in 44 states and elected in five. Of those five states, three—Arkansas, New Mexico, and South Dakota—have both an appointed and elected officeholder responsible for managing natural resources. Wyoming is the only state without a natural resources commissioner.

All U.S. adults became eligible for COVID-19 vaccine starting April 19

  • Everyone 16 and older became eligible on April 19 to receive the coronavirus vaccine in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Alaska was the first state to offer vaccines to all residents 16 and older on March 9.
  • The final six states that opened vaccine eligibility to all adults on April 19 were:
    • Hawaii
    • Massachusetts
    • New Jersey
    • Oregon
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
  • Four of the last six states to open eligibility have Democratic governors and two have Republican governors. The animation below shows the expansion of eligibility by age group between March 15 and April 19.
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Tuesday, April 20

Hawaii sets date to exempt intra-island travelers from quarantine requirement

  • Hawaii Governor David Ige (D) announced on April 20 that fully vaccinated residents traveling between islands will be exempt from the requirement to submit a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine for 10 days beginning May 11.
    • Under the policy, individuals will be considered fully vaccinated on the 15th day after their last shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Before traveling to another island, individuals will need to upload a digital copy of their vaccine card and carry the physical copy with them in case they are asked to produce it.
    • Ige said the policy could expand to include travelers from other U.S. states by summer but did not provide a date. He also said the program would include international travelers later in the year.
  • On April 22, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment updated its travel quarantine list to include people who've traveled from Minnesota on or after April 22. People who traveled to that state, as well as the countries of Argentina, Aruba, Bahrain, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Sweden, and Turkey, on or after April 22 must self-quarantine.
    • Kansas’ quarantine list now includes Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and New York.

Wednesday, April 21

Missouri House of Representatives expels member

  • The Missouri House of Representatives voted unanimously on April 21 to expel Rep. Rick Roeber (R). On April 19, the House Ethics committee released a 13-page report following its investigation into allegations that Roeber had abused his children. The Committee found the testimony and allegations of Roeber’s now-adult children to be credible and recommended Roeber’s expulsion.
  • Ethics Chair Travis Fitzwater (R) and House Speaker Rob Vescovo (R) issued a joint statement, saying: “Our caucus and our institution have a zero tolerance policy for anyone who would endanger the well-being of a child, and it’s clear that Rick Roeber’s heinous actions make him not only unfit for office, but should also make him the subject of a thorough investigation by law enforcement.”
  • Roeber was first elected to represent District 34 in November 2020. The seat had been left vacant since July 2019, following the death of his wife and former Rep. Rebecca Roeber (R).
  • This year, there have been 40 state legislative vacancies in 22 states. Twenty-seven (27) of those vacancies have been filled. Only one other state legislator—Luke Simons (R-N.D.)—has been removed from office in 2021. The North Dakota House of Representatives had expelled Simons on March 4 by a vote of 69-25.

North Dakota legislature overrides governor’s veto of law prohibiting future statewide mask mandates

  • The North Dakota legislature voted to override Governor Doug Burgum’s (R) veto of legislation that would prohibit future statewide mask mandates on April 22. The House voted 66-27 to override the veto, while the Senate voted 32-15 to do the same. Burgum vetoed the bill on April 21. Under the law, local governments and public schools can still require masks.
  • North Dakota’s mask order lasted 65 days, from Nov. 14 to Jan. 18.
  • In total, 39 states issued statewide public mask requirements during the pandemic. Twenty-six states currently have statewide mask orders, including 21 of the 23 states with Democratic governors and five out of the 27 states with Republican governors.

Thursday, April 22

California legislature confirms Assemblyman Rob Bonta as attorney general

  • The California legislature confirmed Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D) to be the state’s next attorney general on April 22. Bonta was nominated by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) after former Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) was appointed secretary of health and human services by President Joe Biden (D). Bonta was approved by the State Assembly 62-0 and by a 29-6 vote in the state Senate.
  • Bonta, who has represented District 18 in the California State Assembly since 2012, will be the first Filipino-American to serve as attorney general of California. Bonta’s seat in the state legislature will be filled by a special election.
  • The attorney general of California is the state’s chief law officer and primary legal counsel. The attorney general represents state agencies and officers in legal matters, provides legal advice on request, and plays a role in policymaking and law enforcement efforts.

Special Elections


Local Politics: The Week in Review

  • In 2021, Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population and all state capitals. This encompasses every office on the ballot in these cities, including their municipal elections, trial court elections, school board elections, and local ballot measures. Ballotpedia also covers all local recall elections, as well as all local ballot measures in California and a selection of notable local ballot measures about elections and police-related policies. Recent and upcoming local ballot measure elections are listed below:
    • April 6 in Alaska: Voters in Anchorage decided eleven ballot measures: seven bond measures, one property tax measure, and three annexation issues. Voters approved nine measures and defeated two measures.
    • April 6 in Colorado: Voters in Colorado Springs approved one local charter amendment concerning the length of ballot titles for tax or bonded debt increases.
    • April 6 in Missouri: Voters in Kansas City and St. Louis renewed local 1% earnings taxes. Voters in the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District also approved five local charter amendments and one bond issue. Voters in the Platte County R-III School District approved a $73 million bond issue.
    • April 6 in Wisconsin: Voters in Madison decided on four advisory questions concerning the Madison Common Council. They advised the city to
      • not make the common council full time,
      • leave the size of the common council the same,
      • not increase the length of terms for alderpersons from two years to four years, and
      • enact term limits of 12 consecutive years for alderpersons.

Tuesday, April 20

Jury finds Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in death of George Floyd

  • A jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the 2020 killing of George Floyd. Chauvin faces up to 40 years’ imprisonment. His sentencing was set for several weeks following the verdict announcement.
  • The trial in Minnesota v. Derek Michael Chauvin began on March 8. It charged Chauvin with the unlawful killing of Floyd in May 2020. The jury in the trial was selected on March 23, and opening statements were made on March 29. Closing statements were made on April 19. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presided over the case.
WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK

Here's what is happening in State and local politics this week.

State Politics: What's On Tap Next Week

Saturday, April 24

Three Louisiana offices to be decided in runoffs

  • Three offices in Louisiana will be decided in runoff elections on April 24. These elections became necessary after no candidate received a majority of the votes in primary elections on March 20. Ballotpedia is covering elections for the following offices:
    • Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) District 4,
    • Louisiana Second Circuit Courts of Appeal District 1, and
    • Louisiana House of Representatives District 82.
  • Cassie Williams (D) and Michael Melerine (R) are running to succeed Tony Davis (R) for a seat on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Davis left office to devote more time to his job as a senior director at the National Association of Manufacturers on January 20.
  • Marcus Hunter (D) and J. Garland Smith (D) will face off for the District 1 place on the Louisiana Second Circuit Courts of Appeal. The seat became vacant on October 1, 2020, when Judge Felicia Toney Williams (D) retired. Williams had served on the court since 1993.
  • Edwin Connick (R) and Laurie Schlegel (R) are running for the Louisiana House of Representatives District 82 seat after Charles Henry (R) resigned on January 12.

States in session

Thirty-nine states—Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin—are in regular session.

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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

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