Assemblymembers Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) and Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) last week added their names to a growing list of California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) members who have introduced legislation aimed at addressing the state’s retail theft problem.
To mark Black History Month, the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) held a virtual ceremony honoring people with the group’s Unsung Heroes award – people who exemplify selflessness, courage and service, and whose work to lift others often goes unrecognized.
This week, Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson), Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Police Reform, held a hearing regarding the Peace Officer Bill of Rights (POBR). The discussion included experts in academia, a civil rights attorney whose firm represents families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, counsel of rank and file officers, as well as police chiefs.
The California Department of Justice (DOJ) launched the investigation responding to allegations of excessive force, retaliation, and other misconduct, including a number of reported incidents involving LASD management and personnel.
Last week, the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) elected Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) chair of the group comprised of African Americans serving in State Legislature.
Bradford, 60, who is the longest serving member in the caucus and the only African American member in the California Senate, is succeeding the CLBC’s outgoing chair Dr. Shirley N. Weber (D-San Diego).
“The Black community is already subject to a lot, and we’re not thought about all the time. It’s important for us to take matters into our own hands and really be prepared for what’s to come because sometimes we’re not considered in the game plan as far as what the world needs to do,” Sidqe said.
On Aug. 17, the “Yes On Prop 17” campaign held its Official Proposition 17 Campaign Virtual Kick-Off on Facebook Live. The event featured testimony from previously incarcerated persons on why more than 50,000 parolees in California deserve the right to vote. Prop 17, which passed the state legislature as ACA 6 in June, is a measure on the November ballot. If Californians vote to approve it, Prop 17 would amend the state constitution, granting any eligible person who is not currently incarcerated the right to vote. If passed, California would join 17 states that allow parolees to vote. Initiate Justice Co-founder and Executive Director Taina Vargas-Edmond hosted the event that featured Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D – Sacramento), author of ACA 6, as well as Brandon Flynn, an activist and actor on the Netflix show “13 Reasons Why.”
The state chapters of the National Urban League (NUL) and the National Action Network (NAN) have teamed up to oppose the bills. They say the proposals amount to a “step backward” for African American charter school parents and their children.
Legislation is first of its kind in the nation
Three charter school bills the Assembly Education Committee cleared recently leave too many unanswered questions, says Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego). She is the chair of the Legislative Black Caucus and a member of the Assembly Education Committee
Similar laws requiring the independent investigations of officer involved shootings are currently in place in the states of Wisconsin, New York, Illinois and Connecticut.