Attention workers of the world - California's state assembly has passed a measure that would prevent you from being fired from your state job if you're a member of the Communist Party.
The measure, introduced by Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) would strike language from a 1953 California law that warned of a 'clear and present danger which the Legislature of the State of California finds is great and imminent, that in order to advance the program, policies and objectives of the world communism movement, communist organizations in the State of California and their members will engage in concerted effort to hamper, restrict, interfere with, impede, or nullify the efforts of the State...and their members will infiltrate and seek employment by the State and its public agencies."
The statute goes on to say that public employees who register as a member of the Communist Party can be dismissed.
However, the bill still allows the state to dismiss employees if they knowingly advocated the violent overthrow of the American government.
"It's an old and archaic reference," Bonta told the Los Angeles Times about the specific language in the 1953 law about communism. "Part of having a functioning democracy and a fair and equitable society is to make sure you're actually basing your decisions to take someone's job away ... based on their actual conduct, their actual behavior and actual proof and evidence, not just some loose label that could be applied overbroadly in a way that is unfair and unjust," he said.
Assembly Bill 22 managed to make it through the Assembly with a 41-vote majority, but still faces the gauntlet in the California state Senate,
So, take heart, if you're a state employee and you're feeling a yearning for state sponsored TV and collective ownership of all property, at least California won't fire you for your Marxist tendencies.