What Bills Did Your Inland Empire Representatives Introduce?

By Aidan McGloin, CalMatters Reporter

The legislative deadline for introducing bills this year was Feb. 20. Here is a roundup of the bills the Inland Empire legislators introduced.

San Bernardino County’s Board of Supervisors districts would be independently drawn by a 14-member independent commission under a bill brought by Sen. Eloise Gomez Reyes (D-Colton). Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and four other counties already have independent commissions. If created, the commission would be formed by Dec. 31, 2030, and would redraw the maps every ten years. The maps are currently drawn by the Board of Supervisors.

“San Bernardino County is one of the most diverse and fastest-growing regions in California, and our communities deserve a redistricting process that is fair, transparent, and rooted in the voices of residents — not politics,” Reyes said in a news release.

Litigants appearing in court can’t be arrested around courthouses under a bill brought by Reyes. The bill was brought in response to reports of arrests by federal judicial officers, including some at Riverside Superior Court. The exact terms of the bill are not decided yet.

People secretly recording others in private settings using wearable technology, such as smart glasses, would be guilty of a crime on the same level as wiretapping a telephone under a bill brought by Reyes. A first-time conviction would result in a fine up to $2,500. A repeat offender would have to pay at most $10,000. Prosecutors can charge as either a misdemeanor or a felony. 

“Californians have a constitutional right to privacy, and our laws must evolve as quickly as technology, to prevent harm,” said Reyes. 

Protective orders could last for two years after the restrained person’s release from prison or jail under a bill brought by Assemblymember James Ramos (D-San Bernardino). Protective orders currently last for up to ten years. The bill would set the orders to expire at the later date between the two options. It would only apply in cases where the restrained person was convicted of domestic violence, human trafficking, gang-related crimes, or a registerable sex offense. 

Communication to a victim about an offender’s release, parole hearing, escapes or parole conditions would become automated under a bill brought by Ramos. 

“The current process is burdensome on victims because they must complete a form to receive notifications about an offender although the courts and attorneys already have the victim’s information on hand,” Ramos said in a press release.

Another bill brought by Ramos would increase the duration of concealed carry weapons licenses from two years to three years at its initial issuance and six years upon renewal. 

Sentences longer than six years must be served in the state prison rather than county jails under a bill brought by Assemblymember Natasha Johnson (R-Lake Elsinore), the IE’s newest representative.

Complaints filed by employees against public agencies would have to be verified under penalty of perjury in a separate bill brought by Johnson. 

Parents who forfeit their children at a safe-surrender site could not be prosecuted for child abandonment if they put the child in an infant safety device under another bill brought by Johnson.

Counties would be required to provide one ballot drop off box per 7,500 registered voters, accept mailed ballots that arrive 10 days after election day and prohibit the enforcement of federal immigration laws within 200 feet of voting locations under a bill brought by Sen. Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside). The bill would allow an elections official to keep the polls open if they believed electioneering or federal immigration law enforcement disrupted the voting process.

California State University campuses and community colleges would have to beef up their civic engagement lessons under a bill brought by Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley). A separate bill brought by Jackson would cause county elections to be overseen by precinct board members that are randomly selected. 

“If everyday people are trusted to sit on juries, they can be trusted to help run our elections,” Jackson said in a press release. “Democracy works best when more people are inside the room, not locked out of it.”

Riverside County would get more funds to grow electric vehicle education and production under a different bill brought by Jackson.

“We must bring the right resources and incentives into our county to strengthen and grow this high-growth sector,” Jackson said.

Tips would be deducted from state income taxes under a bill introduced by Sen. Rosillicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Redlands) and Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield).

“California is one of the most expensive places in the country to live, and for many working families, tips are a gesture of gratitude for going above and beyond their duties, helping keep food on the table and the lights on,” said Ochoa Bogh in a press release.

Californians would be notified they could claim surplus funds from a DMV lien sale under a bill brought by Sen. Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta). Seyarto cited a CalMatters investigation which found that the DMV collected $8 million from 5,300 vehicle auctions, money that Californians could have claimed if they knew they could.

“For many Californians, losing a vehicle is already a serious financial hardship. If a lien sale generates surplus funds, those funds belong to the vehicle owner,” Seyarto said in a press release.

Assemblymember Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) is attempting to reform the DMV’s regulation of drunk drivers, with assistance from two Democratic assemblymembers. Their bipartisan package would increase the likelihood drunk drivers lose their license, allows drunk drivers to be charged with felonies on their second DUI instead of their third, and extend the timeframe in which the DMV can revoke a person’s license from three to eight years.

“It’s about saving lives. Every DUI death is preventable, and we owe it to families to stop repeat offenders before anyone else suffers this unimaginable loss,” Lackey said.

CalMatters has been extensively reporting on the DMV’s relaxed treatment of drunk drivers in the series License to Kill.

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