The bill, written by Republican State Sen. Shannon Grove, attempts to keep repeat offenders behind bars longer and make them ineligible to be released from prison early. The bill, which Grove has worked on for three years, passed unanimously through the Democratic-controlled State Senate earlier this year.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle were shocked Tuesday when the bill didn’t have enough votes to clear the Assembly Public Safety Committee, with all six of that committee’s Democrats abstaining from the vote.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he called Grove to talk about the measure, “which is indicative of my desire to see what we can do,” Newsom told reporters Wednesday morning. “It’s an area I care deeply about, I have since my time as mayor, as a supervisor working with then District Attorney Kamala Harris. I appreciate Shannon Grove’s efforts on this and wanted to make sure she knew that today and we’ll be following up and will have more to say shortly.”
The governor noted last year’s state budget earmarked $25 million for services for children who had been victims of sex trafficking. “I want to understand exactly what happened yesterday,” Newsom said. “I take it very seriously.”
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas fielded numerous questions on the issue at a luncheon in Sacramento Wednesday afternoon.
When asked if the committee made the right decision, Rivas responded, “It’s a serious problem.”
“It’s very clear, the processes in the Assembly, they need more transparency and cohesion,” Rivas said. “We are very much engaged, and we have been since last night. It’s something that we are addressing, and something we are going to get right.”
Rivas stepped into the leadership position 12 days ago following a contentious power struggle in the Assembly between him and former Speaker Anthony Rendon. Rivas is currently weighing who will lead which powerful committees.
KCRA 3 asked Rivas if the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee Chairman, Reggie Jones-Sawyer would remain in that leadership position after this legislative session. Jones-Sawyer has already faced political pressure this year after refusing to hear a set of fentanyl-related public safety bills this spring.
“I’ll have more to share about that as we get closer,” Rivas said. “If I’m going to make changes, I’ll have discussions with my colleagues first, I don’t want to surprise anybody. The foundation of my leadership is trust and respect, and that’s never going to change. You’ll know when the time is right.”
Jones-Sawyer has not responded to a request for comment on Newsom and Rivas’ statements. He said in a statement Tuesday night that the bill would have made no new corrective actions of enhancements to laws already in place.
“Ultimately, members of the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee understood the author’s intent but recognized this bill needs considerable work and granted reconsideration,” Jones-Sawyer said.
Grove’s office confirmed she met with Jones-Sawyer late Wednesday afternoon. She told reporters after the meeting that she wants the Assembly to suspend the rules for her bill to bypass the committee to be voted on by the full house.
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The first question that comes to my mind is “who benefits, both politically and economically, from blocking this obvious moral bill?”
The answer to that question will say everything we need to know.