California Police Chief- Fall 2013 CPCA_2017_Spring Magazine.v3 | Page 10

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

CAPITOL Update

By Chief Jennifer Tejada , Chair of the Law and Legislative Committee
The Cal Chiefs ’ Legislative Committee hit the ground running this year , weighing in on no less than 300 bills impacting public safety and law enforcement . From immigration to marijuana and everything in between , 2017 is certainly shaping up to be one of our busiest years at the Capitol . This is in large part due to a recent rule change at the Capitol allowing legislators to introduce ten additional bills a year . The result ? Over 2,700 bills introduced at the Capitol in one year .
If the increase in bills introduced this year wasn ’ t enough to keep our team on the move , the increase in lobbying efforts by social justice and marijuana groups certainly is . In the past year alone , over 20 marijuana groups have acquired lobbyists at the Capitol . The ACLU continues to grow , seeing surges in donations following the 2016 election and new niche groups continue to pop up , fueled with a passion to “ resist ” the Trump Administration , even if public safety suffers as a consequence . Elected officials , knowing this attitude polls well in their districts , have been quick to support legislation to limit law enforcement interactions with federal immigration authorities ( SB 54 ) and federal drug enforcement authorities ( AB 1578 ).
It ’ s not all defense at the Capitol this year . Cal Chiefs is sponsoring four bills and supporting 72 that strengthen public safety and support the law enforcement profession . Included in this list are bills to restore DNA collection for Prop 47 offenses ( AB 16 , SB 781 ), tackle drug-impaired driving ( AB 6 , AB 64 , SB 65 , AB 903 ) and classify a number of “ serious felonies ” as violent felonies in response to the passage of Proposition 57 ( AB 27 , AB 67 , SB 75 , AB 197 , SB 770 ).
We ’ ve also continued our goal of working with nontraditional partners as well . In response to the rise in retail theft , the California Retailers , California Grocers and the United Food and Commercial Workers have all joined us to reinstate Section 666 of the California Penal Code , commonly referred to as petty with a prior . This section was deleted with the 2014 passage of Proposition 47 . Their support reinforces our messaging that our priorities don ’ t just impact law enforcement , but our entire communities .
In addition to monitoring and influencing the channels at the Capitol , our efforts in Sacramento are also focused on implementation of ballot initiatives and previous legislation . AB 953 ( 2015 ), requiring the collecting and remitting of all stop data , is particularly contentious . Draft regulations promulgated by the Department of Justice earlier this Spring included overly onerous reporting requirements . Together with our partners at the State Sheriff ’ s Association and PORAC , we were able to unite and push back against original regulations that would have resulted in significant losses in officer time .
We have also been heavily involved in working to minimize the negative impacts of Proposition 57 and 64 by working with the Governor ’ s office on regulations and necessary changes to statute . When each initiative ’ s set of regulations becomes public , we will be weighing in during the public comment period as well .
It is critical that Chiefs continue to educate legislators on the impacts of the never ending “ reforms ” to our criminal justice system , the legalization of marijuana , and recruitment challenges . Often , those with decision-making power at the Capitol lack reallife knowledge of the impacts of their legislation and rhetoric . I encourage everyone to connect with our legislative staff at the Capitol , attend legislative day , and meet with your legislators when they are in the district . After all of the chaos at the Capitol , a text from a police chief can change a legislator ’ s mind on a bill . ■
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