Look West - A unique view of the people representing you in the State Assembly who are leading California to a better future for all. A series of conversations with California State Assembly members and the people they represent, the Look West podcast brings you a unique view of the people leading California to a better future for everyone.

California’s foster care system is in desperate need of an upgrade. The list of problems is long…and the outcomes for foster youth have been poor in far too many cases. May is Foster Care Awareness Month so we sat down with Assemblymember Dr. Cory Jackson, a leading voice in the effort to improve the child welfare system, to talk about what needs to be done to fix the problems facing California’s foster care children.

Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

Building Better Foster Care

New Bill Stops Landlords from Denying Housing to Tenants with Pets The chair of the California Legislative Renters Caucus, Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) has introduced legislation that prohibits blanket pet bans in rental units in California. AB 2216 will require landlords to have reasonable reason(s) for not allowing a pet in a rental unit and only allows landlords to ask about pet ownership after a tenant’s application has been approved. California has the second highest number of tenants in the country, with 17 million families and individuals renting — close to 12 million, or 70% of these renters are pet owners. Unfortunately only under current law only 30% of available rentals in any given city are pet friendly. In San Francisco only 21% of the available rentals currently on the market allow for pets. Similarly, despite having close to 3 million pet owning renters, only 26% of Los Angeles rentals allow for pets. “One of our main strategies to address the housing crisis has been building more housing,” said Assemblymember Haney. “We have to keep building housing, and much faster, but we won’t be able to solve this crisis if 12 million people across the state are being denied access to that housing because they have a companion pet.  The majority of renters in our state, pet owners, are denied access to the majority of rental units. That makes no sense at all and it's dramatically exacerbating the housing crisis.”  The lack of pet friendly housing is causing more than 829,000 tenants to have pets in their units without the knowledge of their landlord. This leaves landlords without adequate coverage for potential damages that could be mitigated if they knew their tenants had a pet such as pet insurance, or reasonable pet restrictions. “My partner and I searched for over a month for a 2 bedroom rental unit that would allow for my small cattle dog mix,” said Andrea Amavisca, a Sacramento resident. “Landlords that initially liked our application would suddenly stop answering our calls once they found out we had a dog. Or others would require a pet deposit close to $1,000 that would put the unit totally out of our budget. Every rental had a different pet policy with fees that varied based on discretion. It felt unfair.” “Like it or not humans have pets, they always have and they always will,” said Haney. “Blanket no companion pet policies are causing landlords to miss out on good tenants who get rejected without even getting a chance to apply for a place to live. The current system is bad for everyone.” “Along with millions of pet owners across California, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) firmly believes that household pets are an integral part of our families.  Housing is a fundamental right that should not be limited because tenants are forced to choose between keeping their pet or putting a roof over their head,” said Jenny Berg, California State Director of the Humane Society of the United States. “As we’ve shown through our prior legislative efforts, HSUS supports removing barriers to accessing housing, like unnecessary and unwarranted pet restrictions, and are proud to sponsor AB 2216 with Assemblymember Haney.”  Many tenants are being forced to surrender their pets to already overrun shelters that don’t have adequate resources to take care of more animals. A survey of 240 California based shelters revealed that 67,881 pets were surrendered by their owners, with the leading cause being a lack of access to pet friendly housing.

Growing Renters Caucus Amplifies Tenants’ Voices

Throughout the month of February extra focus is on the history of African-Americans, as the country marks Black History Month. For more than 50 years, the California Legislative Black Caucus has been at the forefront of efforts to make sure the real history of Black America is told and improve the lives of Blacks in California. Assemblymember Lori Wilson is the current Chair of the CLBC. In this episode with her we’ll review the Caucus’ reparations legislative package,  look back at black history in California and look forward to what might be the next chapters in black history.

Black History Month and Healing the Trauma

California State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas has announced the formation of a new Select Committee on Retail Theft, and has named Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood) as Committee Chair. The Select Committee is comprised of bipartisan members from across the state, including from areas most impacted by retail theft. The committee will provide a forum to engage impacted stakeholders – including large retailers, small businesses, criminal justice reform advocates, law enforcement, and representatives of workers and the public – to identify policy solutions to this ongoing crisis.The 11 Committee members are:Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood) – Committee Chair Assemblymember Juan Alanis (R-Merced & Stanislaus) Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-San Diego) Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda & San Francisco) Assemblymember Vince Fong (R-Kern & Tulare) Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) Assemblymember Liz Ortega (D-Alameda) Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco (D-Los Angeles & Orange) Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Orange) Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D-Los Angeles)Retail theft – which encompasses shoplifting, commercial burglary, and commercial robbery– has seen an alarming rise in California, most notably, but not exclusively, in the Bay Area, the Central Valley, and Los Angeles County. Currently, Los Angeles County has the highest rate of commercial robbery, which is a violent crime defined as theft involving the threat or use of force. Commercial burglary has increased statewide, becoming the most common type of retail theft in recent years, and is at its highest rate since 2008. In 2022, Kern, San Francisco, and Fresno experienced the highest rates of commercial burglary, and rates in Fresno, Alameda, and Orange Counties were 50 percent higher than before the pandemic.In 2023, the Governor and Legislature, recognizing the gravity of this issue, awarded the largest-ever single investment to combat organized retail crime in California history — sending over $267 million to 55 cities and counties to increase arrests and prosecutions for organized retail crime. The funding, part of the Governor's Real Public Safety Plan, was dispersed on October 1, 2023, to 34 police departments, 7 sheriffs' departments, one probation department, and 13 district attorney offices to prevent and investigate cases of organized retail theft and arrest and prosecute more suspects. The Select Committee on Retail Theft will review and explore additional policy solutions to address the crisis."Californians have had enough of these smash-and-grab crimes and shameless shoplifting incidents," Speaker Rivas said. "They're appalling and affect everyone. The Assembly understands we must do more to address root causes, protect businesses owners and fight criminal activity. It's my expectation that the Retail Theft select committee will act with focus and urgency.""I applaud and thank Speaker Rivas for prioritizing this important issue," said Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur. "We are seeing increasing store closures across the state attributed to shoplifting, as well as commercial burglary and commercial robbery. Widespread retail theft is not only bad for business and a source of shopper inconvenience – it's an issue of safety, and the perception of safety, for workers, business owners, and the public. Speaker Rivas and members of the Assembly are committed to responding with smart and effective solutions to this trend of retail thefts and organized crime, and the Select Committee is ready to get to work."The Select Committee on Retail Theft will convene this fall and continue its work through the 2024 legislative session.

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Look West: How California is Leading the Nation by Democratic Office of Communications and Outreach

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