| | Published October 26th, 2022
| Newsom signs important legislation into law
| | | By Jennifer Wake | | |
Both Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and state Sen. Steve Glazer, whose districts cover Lamorinda, had multiple bills signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, including Bauer-Kahan's much touted AB 988, co-authored by Glazer, which implements 988, the Mental Health Crisis Hotline, which went live on July 16 for the purpose of connecting individuals experiencing a mental health crisis with suicide prevention and mental health services.
The two co-authored several other bills, including AB 2282 Hate Crimes: Nooses, Crosses, and Swastikas, which equalizes the penalty for the crimes of hanging a noose, displaying a symbol of hate, including a Nazi swastika, and burning or desecrating religious symbols, on specified property, for the purpose of terrorizing, and expands and aligns the places where this conduct is prohibited for each offense. And AB 2374 Crimes Against Public Health and Safety: Illegal Dumping, which increases the maximum fines for illegal dumping for persons employing more than 10 full-time employees, and requires any person convicted of illegal dumping to remove or pay the cost of removing the waste matter they were convicted of illegally dumping.
As the chair of the Assembly's Select Committee on Reproductive Health, Bauer-Kahan has championed abortion rights with AB 1242 and AB 1666.
Signed by the Governor in June, AB 1666 protects those who aid, receive, or provide abortions from civil penalties they face from other state's extremist anti-abortion laws. AB 1242, which was signed in September, is a groundbreaking measure crafted with Attorney General Rob Bonta to protect abortion providers and their patients from criminalization and create a path for California companies to keep personal data and messages private when served with warrants from extremist states.
"California has no obligation to be complicit in the criminalization of the right to abortion," said Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan. "AB 1666 and AB 1242 ensure safe essential care stays legal, putting up a legal shield to protect from arrest, information sharing, and civil penalties." |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA