By Shane LaVigne, Capitol Advocacy

With “Super Tuesday” – the primary election – and the Legislature’s bill introduction deadline in the rearview mirror, the stage has been set for an interesting 2024 both at the ballot box and before the State Legislature.  First, the bill introduction deadline of February 16 yielded a total of 2,124 bills introduced, with 1,505 bills in the Assembly, and 619 bills in the Senate. Last week’s Presidential primary election saw near-record low voter turnout – just above 33%, which is customary when the incumbent Presidential hopeful is the same party as the majority of the state’s registered voters. However, lower voter turnout significantly impacted down-ticket races including local offices, state legislators, members of Congress, and the only proposition on the ballot.  

As results from the primary election continue to be tallied, we are keeping an eye on those races that are especially contentious. One such race includes Prop. 1, Governor Newsom’s mental health bond. The Governor has been raising money aggressively for Prop. 1, which will allocate funding for mental health beds and treatment facilities.  Given that 2024 is not a gubernatorial election year, Newsom has been able to focus significant effort and resources into this initiative. While the race remains extremely close, Governor Newsom’s office is confident that it will pass.

The current results of a few noteworthy elections are as follows:

President

Joe Biden (D) – 89.4% Democrat Voters

Donald Trump (R) – 78.9% Republican Voters

U.S. Senate

Adam Schiff (D) – 32.4%

Steve Garvey (R) – 31.7%

Ballot Measures

Prop 1 – Bonds for Mental Health Treatment Facilities

Yes – 50.4%

No – 49.6%

*Close Contest*

Below are updates on the legislation we are following for CSLEA:  

Legislative Update

AB 1794 (McCarty) Crimes – Recently introduced

This bill, which currently does not have substantive language, will eventually be the bill to target repeat offenders of retail crime and individuals charged with repetitive drug offenses, re-evaluate public safety accountability measures, and modify Proposition 47. We will engage with the author, and new Chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, on this measure as it moves forward.

AB 1839 (Alanis) Peace officers: education and hiring grants – Support

This bill would establish the Law Enforcement Officer Grant Program to provide grants for individuals enrolled in a modern policing degree program at a California community college who commit to work as peace officers at a law enforcement agency for four years. The bill would also award grants to significantly understaffed local law enforcement agencies to provide hiring bonuses to newly employed peace officers. On March 12, the bill was heard in the Assembly Higher Education Committee and overwhelmingly passed out of committee. Next, the bill will be heard in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

AB 1941 (Quirk-Silva) Local public employee organizations – Support

This bill would authorize a recognized employee organization to charge an employee covered by the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act for the reasonable cost of representation when the employee holds a conscientious objection or declines membership in the organization and requests individual representation in a discipline, grievance, arbitration, or hearing from the organization. The bill has been referred to the Assembly Public Employment & Retirement Committee.

AB 2042 (Jackson) Police canines: standards and training – Oppose

This bill is a reintroduction of AB 742 (Jackson) from 2023’s legislative session that aims to address the use of canines in policing. The bill would require the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to develop standards and training guidelines for the use of canines by law enforcement. This bill will be an ongoing issue we anticipate will be settled this session.

AB 3241 (Pacheco) Law enforcement: police canines – Support

This bill would require the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) to adopt minimum standards and to certify courses of training for all law enforcement canine handlers, and those law enforcement supervisors directly overseeing canine programs. The bill would require each law enforcement agency, by or before July 1, 2025, to maintain a policy for the use of canines by the agency that, at a minimum, complies with the guidelines adopted by POST, and would require law enforcement agencies to establish a training regimen that includes POST-certified course. This bill has been referred to the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

SB 905 (Wiener) Unlawful entry of a vehicle – Support

This bill would make forcibly entering a vehicle with the intent to commit a theft therein a crime punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period of up to three years. This bill has been referred to the Senate Public Safety Committee.

SCR 110 (Umberg) California Peace Officers’ Memorial Day – Support

This measure would designate Monday, May 6, 2024, as California Peace Officers’ Memorial Day. This resolution is currently on the Senate Floor.