Recent News in the 43rd District

SACRAMENTO - Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s (D-Los Angeles) bill to help save California’s citrus industry from devastation passed the Senate Agriculture Committee today with a 3-0 vote.  AB 571 would dedicate much-needed resources to stop the spread of Huanglongbing (HLB), a disease that destroys citrus trees and has no known cure.

HLB was spotted in Southern California last year but has not yet crossed into the Central Valley, where California’s citrus industry produces 82% of the nation’s fresh fruit and directly employs more than 14,000 people.  If it does, growers are worried that our state’s citrus industry will be destroyed, taking tens of thousands of jobs and more than $500 million dollars in tax revenue with it.  Other jurisdictions have faced similar devastation – Florida, for example, lost 8,200 jobs and $4.5 billion in lost crops over the last five years.  It has also hurt severely the citrus industry in Asia, Africa, Brazil, and Central America.

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We've all heard about harnessing energy from the sun and wind, but what about from your own two feet?

Instep Nanopower has created an in-shoe charging system that will allow users to power their mobile devices through the power of movement.

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Sacramento, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s (D-Los Angeles) legislation to prohibit local governments from fleecing motorists who park at broken parking meters passed the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee today by a vote of 11-0.  The bill, AB 61, will encourage cities to fix their meters in a responsive and timely manner by prohibiting them from passing laws that allow for ticketing at malfunctioning meters.

“Taxpayers already pay for street maintenance, meter installation, and meter upkeep,” said Gatto.  “Local governments should take responsibility and keep parking meters in good working order, not squeeze a double-penalty out of cash-strapped citizens.”

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(Sacramento) – It will be easier and less costly for local governments to build dog parks under legislation from Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles). Assembly Bill 265 has been approved by the Assembly and will now be considered by the Senate. Under current law, cities often hesitate to open dog parks because dog parks can subject cities to massive liability from litigants who claim, for example, that they were unaware of the potential dangers (i.e., dog bites) that can occur at such parks.  Assemblyman Gatto’s AB 265 limits liability for cities and counties that operate dog parks. Here’s more in this Assembly Access video.

(Sacramento) - A bipartisan effort led by Democratic Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) and a Republican colleague was successful today in calling for an investigation of County Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies in California.  Assemblyman Gatto implored the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) to audit CPS programs in three counties, citing recent failures that led to the death of an eight-year-old boy in Los Angeles County and caused a five-month-old infant to be taken from the arms of his mother in Sacramento County.  The committee agreed to the audit, by a unanimous vote of 12-0. More details in this Assembly Access Video.

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Assemblyman Mike Gatto spoke at The City of Glendale's 12th annual commemoration of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2013. Gatto commemorated the 98th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide by remembering the tragic events that led to the loss of so many lives and calling for worldwide recognition. "We again come together to ask the government, both in Ankara and Washington D.C. to once-and-for-all recognize the Armenian Genocide," said Gatto. He also recognized the lasting accomplishments of those in attendance by saying "Your presence, is a testimony to the fact that the Ottomans did not win."

Sacramento, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) honored Robin Goldsworthy and the Crescenta Valley Weekly today at the California Small Business Day Awards Ceremony in Sacramento.  The annual awards ceremony honors the contributions of small businesses to the State of California.

“To be recognized at this level is so very humbling,” said Goldsworthy.  “There are many California business owners like me who took a leap of faith to invest in what they believed in, so to be singled out by Assemblymember Gatto is very gratifying.”

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When Proposition 65 was approved by voters in 1986, the goal was simple: to protect California’s drinking water from chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm, and to warn members of the public about the presence of those chemicals in their environment to help them avoid exposure.  Since its enactment in 1989, Prop. 65 has helped to protect the public by incentivizing businesses to renovate their facilities, reformulate their products, and update their manufacturing processes to eliminate the use of listed chemicals.  There are currently 774 chemicals on the list, and it keeps growing.

But what determines whether or not a chemical causes cancer or reproductive harm?  That is the question – the answer depends on what standard is used.  Two California Appellate courts have interpreted Prop 65 to require only the listing of “known carcinogens.” However, due to different standards that are used by the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, there can be – and often is – ambiguity.

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California does not have so much freeway capacity that the state can afford to leave some lanes mostly empty for much of the day. The state Senate should back a bill that would open some car pool lanes in Los Angeles County to regular traffic during non-rush hours. And the Legislature should extend that approach to other Southern California counties, as well.

The Assembly last month passed AB 405, by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, by a 72-0 vote. The bill would allow regular traffic to use car pool lanes on portions of Highway 134 and Interstate 210 during non-peak hours. Gatto structured the bill as a pilot project, but he clearly wants to extend the same approach to other freeways in Southern California.

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(From left) Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) met with baby Sammy and his parents, Alex and Anna Nikolayev, Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks), and Slavic Community Leader Florin Ciuriuc last week at the California State Capitol.

Assembly Appropriations Committee Chairman demands answers following the murder of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez and seizure of 5-month-old Sammy Nikolayev

SACRAMENTO — Assemblymembers Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) and Tim Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks) are calling for an investigation of County Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies in California following recent failures that, in one case, led to the death of a child in Los Angeles County and, in another, caused an infant to be taken from the arms of his mother in Sacramento County.  In a letter to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC), Assemblyman Gatto requested an audit of CPS programs in three California counties.  Gatto will present the request at the JLAC hearing tomorrow, June 5, 2013.

Gatto’s request comes in the wake of numerous disturbing incidents involving the actions of CPS agencies across the state.  Most recently, Los Angeles officials failed to remove an 8-year-old boy from his home, resulting in his horrific murder.  According to media accounts, eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez was an abused child.  He had shown up to school with injuries consistent with severe beatings, had told authorities that his parents beat him regularly, and that he contemplated suicide.  Nevertheless, the “investigation” by County officials lingered two months past a legally mandated completion deadline.  When authorities finally acted, it was too late.  Little Gabriel had BB pellets embedded in his lungs and groin, a cracked skull, broken ribs, burned and bruised skin, and two teeth missing, from the latest round of abuse.  He died at the hospital.

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