Recent News in the 43rd District

Sacramento, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s (D-Los Angeles) legislation to limit corporate “personhood” for federal corporate campaign contributions overcame its first major legislative hurdle today, passing the Assembly Judiciary Committee by a vote of 7-2.The legislation, AJR 1,employs an exceedinglyrare procedure outlined in Article V of the United States Constitution, whereby states may demand that Congress act to begin the process for amending the Constitution. Once ratified by 2/3 of state Legislatures, AJR 1 will require Congress to call a Constitutional Convention for the exclusive purpose of nullifying the US Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

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GRIFFITH PARK—The 36-year-old bicyclist who was victim to a hit and run that dragged him 600 feet down the Interstate 5 onramp near the Los Angeles Zoo in February, Damian Kevitt, may lose both his legs but will survive the brutal incident.

Meanwhile, his accident has sparked increased awareness of bicycle and pedestrian safety in the region, and may help lead to stricter hit-and-run legislation statewide.

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The hit-and-run driver of the minivan that struck bicyclist Damian Kevitt one morning near Griffith Park must have felt and heard the impact. He probably saw Kevitt caught on his hood. Yet as horrified eyewitnesses gaped, the driver — a young, well-groomed Latino — took off down the on-ramp to the 5 freeway, sucking Kevitt under his minivan and dragging him 600 feet.

Trapped facedown, the 36-year-old cyclist was battered against the pavement, shearing off parts of his feet and big areas of skin. As he tried to free himself by grabbing at the road, the ends of some of his fingertips were ground off.

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California should not confuse bounty hunting with consumer protection. Predatory legal shakedowns under Prop. 65 burden businesses while doing nothing to safeguard the public. Legislators should back a bill that would curb abuses while ensuring compliance with the law.

Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, has a sensible proposal that would protect the goals of Prop. 65 while combating abusive lawsuits. His AB 227 would give businesses that receive notice of a Prop. 65 violation 14 days to correct the issue — and thus avoid costly lawsuits and fines of up to $2,500 per day.

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Legislation by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) to beef up enforcement of penalties for hit-and-run offenses unanimously cleared the Public Safety Committee this week.

The bill, which passed on a 7-0 vote, now moves on to the Appropriations Committee, where Gatto is chairman.

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Sacramento, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto's bill to address the epidemic of hit-and-run offenses in Southern California cleared its first legislative hurdle today, passing the Assembly Public Safety committee by a unanimous vote of 7-0. The legislation, AB 184, provides an additional tool to law enforcement officers investigating hit-and-run offenses by extending the statute of limitations for such offenses to three years from the date of the offense, or one year after a possible suspect is identified by law enforcement, whichever is later.

Currently, motorists who flee the scene of an accident can simply "run down the clock" to avoid any liability whatsoever. If a motorist is not identified (which is often very difficult) within three years, the motorist cannot be prosecuted. The Legislature has passed similar changes to statutes of limitations for crimes with hard-to-identify perpetrators, like clergy abuse.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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"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.

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