Recent News in the 62nd District

Assembly Member Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) issued the following statement upon passage of the state budget:

“I applaud my colleagues in the Legislature for coming together on a responsible budget that begins to pay down our debt, creates a rainy day fund, and strengthens the middle class.

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Assemblymember Bradford and his Small Business Award Honoree Patricia L. Watts of SCI Management Consultants in Los Angeles.

(Sacramento) -- The Single-family Affordable Solar Homes Program (SASH) is a highly successful California PUC ratepayer funded program that helps low income homeowners access the benefits of solar power. Unfortunately, the program is set to expire in a couple of years. California State Assemblymember Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) is committed to seeing the program continue. That's why he authored Assembly Bill 217. If passed, AB 217 would expand and extend the SASH program to 2021; ensuring a greener, cleaner and more energy efficient state, at half the cost.

"This is a common sense measure," said Assemblymember Bradford. "Enabling communities to access the jobs and cost-savings from renewable energy is beneficial not just for low-income families, but for us all."

The Mendoza family of Long Beach are living proof that the SASH program is working in low income neighborhoods. Assemblymember Bradford, along with Governor Jerry Brown and other dignitaries recently attended a SASH installation on the Mendoza home. Learn about this solar success story in this Assembly Access Video.

The State Assembly yesterday approved a bill that fixes an incongruity in current drug laws that allows prosecutors to charge a person in possession of drugs with trafficking and distribution simply for walking down the street, no matter the amount.

AB 721, by Assembly Member Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), clarifies the Legislature’s original intent to discourage and punish drug trafficking by making it expressly clear that a person charged under this statute must have the intent to sell.

“It’s simply unfair and unwise to abuse the broad interpretation of a single word to punish people for a relatively minor crime,” Bradford said.

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Convicted persons who have served their sentences and demonstrated rehabilitation will have a better chance at gainful employment and staying out of prison thanks to a bill by Assembly Member Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), which was approved by the Assembly yesterday.

The bill, AB 651, is a reintroduction of a bill Bradford carried last year that permits courts more discretion to expunge certain non-serious, non-violent, non-sexual offenses from a person’s record.

“Employers and property owners are hesitant to work with someone with a criminal record, even a minor one,” Bradford said.

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State leaders, experts and youth support policies to reform school discipline, keep kids in school, increase graduation rates and improve health through Affordable Care Act implementation

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California state legislators today announced their continued agenda to improve the lives of young people of color. The legislative agenda of the Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color includes a focus on advancing common sense school discipline, increasing graduation rates and improving health access for young people through Affordable Care Act implementation.

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Sacramento, CA – Assemblyman Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) and California State Assemblyman Jeff Gorell (R-Camarillo) announced today they have joint-authored two bills on the growing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or “drone” industry.  Assembly Bill 1326 will attract manufacturing jobs in this rapidly growing industry to California by providing state tax incentives, while Assembly Bill 1327 intends to protect the privacy rights of Californians.

“The defense industry has been a huge incubator of jobs in California, especially Southern California,” stated Assemblyman Bradford.  “We want these well-paying, high-tech manufacturing jobs to continue to grow here in California.”

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The bill has been introduced by Assembly Member Steven Bradford.

California is proposing new legislation to extend its low-income solar programmes with a budget of US$108 million.

The two programmes, the Single-Family and Multi-Family Affordable Solar Homes Programs (SASH and MASH), offer solar rebates for families which meet strict income requirements and live in affordable housing, while creating solar job training opportunities in a fast-growing industry. The programmes began in 2009 through the California Solar Initiative and are slated to end in 2015.

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Continuation of successful programs ensures equal access to clean energy while investing in job training

Sacramento, CA—Thousands of low-income families across California could gain access to money-saving solar technology and clean energy jobs in the coming years with new legislation to extend California’s groundbreaking low-income solar programs.

The two programs, the Single-Family and Multi-Family Affordable Solar Homes Programs (SASH and MASH), offer solar rebates for families who meet strict income requirements and live in affordable housing, while creating solar job training opportunities in a fast-growing industry. The first of their kind in the nation, the programs began in 2009 through the California Solar Initiative and are slated to end in 2015.

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Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez announced that he has appointed Assembly Member Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) to chair the Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color in California.

“I am honored to lead this important committee,” Bradford said. “We will continue the great work Assembly Member Sandré Swanson did leading this committee in the past.

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Assembly Member Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) has introduced a bill designed to allow local governments more flexibility when meeting to discuss urgent threats or security matters.

Current law under the Brown Act requires all meetings of local legislative bodies—including city councils and public commissions—to be open to and reviewable by the public. Certain exemptions are allowed for security reasons, e.g., when local agencies meet with the Attorney General, district attorney, local sheriffs or chief of police, etc.

AB 246 includes the Governor among the list of officials with whom meetings may be exempted from the Brown Act, under specific conditions.

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Assembly Member Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) issued the following response to Governor Jerry Brown’s State of the State address today:

“Thanks to the hard work of the Legislature, and the leadership of the Governor, we have set California on a responsible path forward that stabilizes our finances, prioritizes critical investments, and secures our children’s future.

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Assembly Member Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), Chair of the Utilities and Commerce Committee, expressed deep concern over the results of a report from the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) which showed various violations by Southern California Edison during a major windstorm and power outage in the fall of 2011.

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Assembly Member Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) earned Summa Cum Laude honors from the California Small Business Association (CSBA), the group announced on its website. The group's honor roll is designed to "thank those legislators partnering with us on small business issues and concerns."

"I am honored to be recognized by the California Small Business Association, and to receive their highest award," Bradford said. "Small business is the backbone of our economy, the source of a lot of our innovation, and a key driver not just in economic growth, but in the American Dream."

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Assembly Member Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce, expressed grave concern about the California Public Utilities Commission's (PUC) governance and finances after a state audit revealed several deficiencies.

"As the custodian of ratepayer monies it is deeply concerning to learn that the PUC lacks even basic duty statements for personnel assigned to budget positions," Bradford said. "I thank the Department of Finance for bringing these issues to light."

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