CFA Hosts Its First Virtual Lobby Day

As the legislature continued debating new legislation, CFA hosted its first ever virtual Lobby Day on April 19-21. Ninety CFA members and 19 students participated, with an opportunity to meet with their district or senate representatives to discuss CFA’s priority bills and budget requests. 

Those priority bills included:

• Assembly Bill 48 Prohibition on Kinetic Projectiles or Chemical Agents (sponsored/Gonzalez) – this bill would prohibit the use of kinetic energy projectiles or chemical agents by any law enforcement agency to disperse any assembly, protest or demonstration, except in compliance with specified standards, and would prohibit their use solely due to the violation of an imposed curfew, verbal threat or non-compliance with a law enforcement directive.
• AB 89 PEACE Act (co-sponsored/Jones-Sawyer) – this bill would increase the minimum qualifying age to become a peace officer from 18 to 25 years old.
• AB 655 CLEAR Act (co-sponsored/Kalra) – this bill would require that the current background investigations conducted on peace officer candidates include an inquiry into whether a candidate has engaged in membership in a hate group, participation in hate group activities or public expressions of hate.
• Senate Bill 4 Broadband for All Act (co-sponsored/Gonzalez) – this bill would require the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, known as “GO-Biz” to coordinate with other relevant state and local agencies and national organizations to explore ways to facilitate streamlining of local land use approvals and construction permit processes for projects related to broadband infrastructure deployment and connectivity.
• SB 271 County Sheriffs’ Eligibility Requirements (co-sponsored/Wiener) – this bill would restore California’s long-standing eligibility criteria for candidates seeking the office of Sheriff.

CFA also hosted two Campus to the Capitol lunch events featuring conversations to link our campus organizing and experiences with legislative action. The first panel was a California Legislative Black Caucus conversation with the CFA African American Caucus. Sen. Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Assemblymembers Mike Gipson and Reggie Jones-Sawyer shared their legislative priorities and ways we can continue to work together. CFA members Tracey Salisbury, George Station and Chris Cox shared their experiences with campus activism, while Moe Miller facilitated the panel. At the second lunch, CSU Long Beach’s Sabrina Alimohamad presented on the work of the Parents and Caregivers Coalition throughout the last year, while chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, Assemblymember Christina Garcia, answered questions on the caucus’ statewide priorities and welcomed opportunities to work together.