California’s legislative session ended Thursday night. We take a look at some of the bills now headed to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk for final approval. Then, for Democracy Day, we hear about current concerns for democracy in San Diego County and beyond.
S1: This week on Roundtable. California's legislative session officially ended this week. We're looking at the bills that made it to the governor's desk.
S1: Then it's happy hour or happy hour. The San Diego beer industry is large in our region , but it's seeing some consolidation. S1: So there were so many bills up for debate. I mean , let's start in the labor sector here. Everything from minimum wages for health care workers and fast food employees to even expanding paid sick leave. All that was on the table.
S1: It sounds like some legislation on guns also made it through , including an effort to change the US Constitution relating to background checks. S1: Among the bills that did not make it or a couple of public safety bills that law enforcement had lobbied against. S1: Nicole Nixon covers politics for Cap Radio in Sacramento. And Nicole. Thanks so much for being here and catching us up on all the latest.S1: Coming up on Democracy Day , we're taking a closer look at the threats facing American democracy.
S5: The late Tip O'Neill , former speaker of the House , said all politics is local and that means all democracy is local. If you kill democracy at the grassroots , the rest of it's going to wither and die. And what you've seen is national level partisanship and polarization has gone back to infect the local level , which is just going to make the cycle worse.S3: At least 13 states have passed stricter voting laws since the start of this year.
S3: And they say that they're ready for the fight. They know what censorship is. They see the effort to ban books as censorship. They're not on board with it in neither , they say , are the communities that their libraries are in. S1: And we know that San Diego is not immune to shrinking of local news. Earlier this year , the San Diego Union-Tribune , which is our region's largest newspaper , it was sold to a hedge fund and soon after its newsroom began shrinking in size. People taking buyout offers , people leaving the company.
S1: And as we wrap up here , there's one concerning fact that you mentioned in your story for Democracy Day , and it's about how the number of Americans who see political violence as something that's justified and it's rising. S1: That's coming up just ahead on Roundtable. Welcome back to Kpbs Roundtable. I'm Matt Hoffman. San Diego is the ultimate beer creation destination. That's according to the San Diego Brewers Guild , who also calls our region capital of Craft with more than 150 independent craft breweries. And while there's a lot of options , it's also creating a lot of competition. Over the past year , more than a dozen breweries have closed.
S1: And I think you also kind of noted in that article that some some breweries or some of their operations , you know , maybe not closing for good , but stepping away for a little bit while they kind of refigure. But I guess generally , Brandon , when you look at the craft beer scene here locally , you know , I've heard you talk on podcast before about how this industry has had many ups and downs over the years.
S1: And , you know , Brandon , oftentimes we hear a lot about things like gas prices , but what about the price of beer like ? An individual beer with all this competition. Is that low ? I mean , I know people might be familiar going places and maybe even seeing beer as high as 10 or $12 for one if you're actually going out to a venue.
S1: I've been speaking with Brandon Hernandez with San Diego Beer News. And Brandon , thanks so much for being here with us today.S1: Now it's time for the roundup where we take a look at some other stories happening in and around San Diego. And with us , as always , is Kpbs roundtable producer Andrew Bracken. Andrew , happy Friday. Hey , Matt. Great to have you here. All right.S1: Is getting more and more expensive.
S7: And also here locally , we're seeing some of the bioluminescence at some local beaches. Gary Robbins from the Union Tribune wrote about it. It's been , you know , pretty common this time of year. And La Jolla Shores , Encinitas , parts of North County , but also several parts of San Diego. Right now , you can catch that plankton that kind of lights up at night. It's kind of an interesting experience if you haven't checked it out.S7: San Diego had a report on scooters.