Recent News in the 43rd District

Representatives from government offices joined those from PTAs, religious organizations, businesses, and local nonprofits to wish happy birthday Monday to the Burbank Coordinating Council, which turns 80.

President Eileen Cobos welcomed the more than 50 members and guests to the event at the Little White Chapel Social Hall, where community leaders thanked the council for creating some of the vital and enduring programs -- Burbank Temporary Aid Center, Holiday Baskets and others -- that make the city such a great place to live.

Read more...

by Mike Gatto

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - From approximately 1935 until 2012, if a motorist in California came across a broken meter, that motorist could park for free. The logic was sound. If a city failed to keep the meter in repair, a driver shouldn’t be ticketed. After all, we taxpayers pay for maintenance of the street, installation of the meters, and the salaries of those who monitor them and keep them in working order.

In an all-too-familiar theme of governments inconveniencing the average citizen, some cities are chipping away at this tradition. Certain municipalities have enacted ordinances that ban parking at a space with a broken meter, leading to tickets for motorists. The Los Angeles City Council voted in December to institute just such a law.

Read more...

BURBANK (CBSLA.com) — Commuters who have long suffered from carpool lane envy could soon find some relief if one San Fernando Valley lawmaker has his way.

Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Burbank) has introduced Assembly Bill 405, a measure that will create a pilot program of sorts to ease such traffic congestion by permitting single-occupancy vehicles to access the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes – also known as carpool lanes – on the 134 Freeway during non-peak hours.

Read more...

"I’ve gotten many tickets just cause I have missed the meter by a minute or so," she told KCRA 3 on Wednesday.

Shankle said she knows she is out of time, and has paid the price -- but she thinks it's unfair for a city to ticket drivers who park at meters that are broken.

Read more...

Sacramento, CA – It's happened to anyone who lives in Southern California.  A late-night accident or mysterious slowing clogs the rightmost freeway lanes, while the carpool lane sits empty.  Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) has introduced Assembly Bill 405, a measure that will create a pilot program of sorts to ease such traffic congestion by permitting single-occupancy vehicles to access the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes (also known as carpool lanes) on State Highway Route 134, during non-peak hours.

A recent CalTrans report indicated that Southern California’s HOV lanes are not being utilized to capacity during non-peak hours, leaving single-passenger vehicles idling in slow-going or stand-still lanes.  Unlike Northern California, where HOV lane restrictions are in place only during peak commute hours, HOV lanes in Southern California, including those on the 134 Freeway, are restricted on a 24-hour basis.

Read more...

Did you ever open a cookie stand hoping to rake in enough cash from sales to sympathetic neighbors to purchase the latest toy? If you answered yes, up until last year, you were breaking the law (!).

That's right, selling homemade food made in unlicensed commercial kitchens was prohibited, unless for charity, by statutes and local ordinances, many of which had been unchanged since the 1920s. Two San Francisco children even had their brownie stand shut down for lacking the appropriate permits.

Read more...

Legislators meet with the Consul General of the Republic of Armenia
(From left to right) Asm. Adrin Nazarian, Asm. Katcho Achadjian, Deputy Consul General Artak Galstyan, Consul General Grigor Hovhannissian, Asm. Mike Gatto, Asm. Scott Wilk, Asm. Richard Bloom

SACRAMENTO - Assemblyman Mike Gatto and other legislators met with Grigor Hovhannissian, Consul General of the Republic of Armenia this afternoon at the State Capitol in Sacramento. The meeting provided a rare opportunity for Assemblymembers with significant Armenian constituencies to gather together and discuss the unique concerns of Armenians in communities across California.

Throughout the meeting, Consul General Grigor Hovhannissian emphasized the close ties between Armenia and California, both in terms of population and industry. Assemblyman Gatto reiterated the unique relationship and expressed his desire to work more closely with the Consul General and other Armenian officials.

"Armenian-American people are part of the backbone of some of California's most important industries," said Gatto. "From technology, to entertainment, to agriculture, people of Armenian decent have worked hard to help make California's economy, cultural diversity, and intellectual capacity thrive. By working together and building new partnerships, we can strengthen the relationship between these two great states and ensure a more prosperous and secure future for everyone."

Others in attendance at the meeting included Deputy Consul General Artak Galstyan, Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian (D-Van Nuys), and Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian (R-San Luis Obispo).

For quite some time I have written about a small group of trial lawyers who have made it their practice to file shakedown lawsuits against businesses under the guise of Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.

Prop 65 encourages “citizen enforcement,” i.e., lawsuits, against businesses and landlords who fail to adequately warn consumers if products or business areas will lead to exposure to certain chemicals at levels above specified thresholds. Presently, the state maintains a list of more than 800 chemicals, and damages for failing to properly notify the public can lead to lawsuits seeking damages of up to $2,500 per day.

Read more...

Shakedown lawsuits have been a problem for business owners for years. States, including California, have passed laws to help protect the business owner from these lawsuits while continuing to support and protect the rights of the public. But the lawsuits have continued despite the efforts of legislators.

In response to a discussion with his Small Business Advisory Commission, Assemblymember Mike Gatto has taken action to help prevent these types of frivolous lawsuits.

Read more...

Sacramento, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) has been appointed to the California Film Commission (CFC).  The Film Commission enhances California's status as the leader in motion picture, television and commercial production by keeping film industry jobs and projects in the state.  A one-stop office for filmmakers, the Commission supports productions of all sizes and budgets.  Services include tax credits for in-state production, an extensive digital-location library, free-online permitting, low-cost use of state properties as shooting locations, and production assistance.

Assemblyman Gatto, who represents the 43rd Assembly District, has a particularly strong interest in the film and television industry.  His district, which includes the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and a large portion of Hollywood, is home to numerous film and television studios and post-production facilities.  The district is also home to thousands of people who rely on the health of the entertainment industry for their livelihoods.

Read more...