PRESS RELEASE: Assemblyman Gatto Introduces Resolution to Recognize Nagorno-Karabakh

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        Contact:  Justin Hager (818) 558-3043

January 6, 2014                                                                  Mobile (415) 889-9762

Assemblyman Mike Gatto Introduces Resolution

to Recognize Nagorno-Karabakh

SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) joined with people of Armenian descent around California and the world in calling for the United States to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as a sovereign state.  The resolution, AJR 32, invokes strong language from the United States’ own history regarding the rights of the people to “self-determination and democratic independence.”  If Gatto's resolution passes, it would make California the most populous governmental entity to call for Nagorno-Karabakh recognition, or to recognize it outright.

In 1921, the Soviet Union illegally severed Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, from Armenia, and placed it under the newly created Soviet Azerbaijani administration.  Seventy years later, the people there formed the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.  On 6 January 1992, the democratically elected legislature of the Republic formally declared independence.  Since proclaiming independence, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has registered significant progress in democracy building, including a presidential election last year that was assessed by international observers as free and transparent.

Three organizations that have already expressed support for the legislation are the Armenian Council of America (ACA), the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), and the Unified Young Armenians (UYA). 

Assemblyman Gatto has worked closely with each of these organizations on legislation he has authored in the past, including a resolution calling for U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide and on legislation extending the statute of limitations for victims of the genocide to file insurance claims.  The Assemblyman has also supported events sponsored by each organization, including their stellar efforts to raise money for Armenians in need around the world. "The community is united in support of recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh," stated Gatto.

“It has been my privilege on this resolution to work with the leaders of the local Armenian American community and their outstanding representatives,” said Gatto.  “I am especially honored to introduce this legislation on a day when Armenians around the world are celebrating Christmas with family and loved ones.”

Once passed by both houses of the California Legislature, a copy of AJR 32 will be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Secretary of the United States Senate, the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, and to each member of the California delegation to the United States Congress.

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto 

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PRESS RELEASE: Assemblyman Gatto Takes Action to Protect Victims of On-Campus Rapes and Similar Crimes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                     Contact:  Justin Hager (818) 558-3043

January 6, 2014                                                               Mobile (415) 889-9762

Assemblyman Mike Gatto Takes Action to Protect

Victims of On-Campus Rapes and Similar Crimes

SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) introduced legislation today to ensure that crimes committed on college campuses are properly reported and investigated.  The legislation, AB 1433, would require colleges to report certain crimes occurring on or near campus to local law enforcement to investigate, if the victim does not request anonymity. 

The legislation comes after several California colleges have been accused of covering-up on-campus sexual assaults because of concerns that higher crime statistics would lead prospective students to choose elsewhere.  The unwillingness of campus officials to involve proper non-campus law-enforcement professionals greatly diminishes the chance that a perpetrator is arrested and convicted.  This, of course, can allow a perpetrator to strike again.

“Victims of crime should not see their chances of justice hurt, nor should perpetrators be allowed to victimize others, because a school values its public image more than victims' rights,” said Gatto.  “Colleges should focus on teaching, and leave the investigation of crimes to the professionals -- local police and sheriffs.”

Two southern California colleges are currently the subject of a federal investigation for their handling of on-campus sexual assaults and other violent crimes.  In addition to the federal investigation, five U.S. campuses, including three in California, are the subject of a federal lawsuit alleging violations of Title IX and the Clery Act.  The Clery Act is the federal law that requires colleges and universities to disclose (once a year, in an annual report) information about crimes that happen on or near campuses.

In addition to failing to report crimes, several California colleges have also been criticized for failing to notice signs of dangerous or abusive criminal activity.  At one state university, the administration admittedly failed to recognize the brutal, racially based abuse of a seventeen-year-old African-American student by his roommates.  The abuse was discovered only after the young man was allegedly held captive in his room with a bicycle lock chained around his neck. 

“Crimes that occur on campus should not be treated any differently than those that occur elsewhere in our community,” said Assemblyman Gatto.  "California law needs to make sure that college administrators involve law enforcement when appropriate.”

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto 

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PRESS RELEASE: Assemblyman Gatto Introduces Bill to Improve Child Abuse Reporting in Schools

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                           Contact:  Justin Hager (818) 558-3043

January 6, 2014                                                                      Mobile (415) 889-9762

ASSEMBLYMAN MIKE GATTO INTRODUCES BILL TO IMPROVE CHILD-ABUSE REPORTING IN SCHOOLS

SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) introduced legislation today to prevent child abuse in schools by ensuring that school employees identify the abuse and stop it in its tracks.  Recent reports showed that certain abuse was prolonged because large numbers of school personnel were unaware of the processes and their responsibilities for reporting abuse.  Gatto's legislation, AB 1432, would require teachers and other school officials to pass an online course on how to identify and properly report abuse, as a prerequisite before the start of each school year.

Enacted in 1963, the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA) requires certain professionals, known as mandated reporters, to report to law enforcement or protective services known or suspected instances of neglect, or physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.  Mandated reporters include educational professionals like teachers, instructional aides, teachers’ aides, school administrators, and counselors.  Despite CANRA’s requirements, current law does not require school districts to train personnel on detecting and reporting child abuse.

“We can't allow unfamiliarity with the signs of abuse and the proper way to report it to serve as excuse for permitting child abusers to continue working in our schools,” said Gatto.  “AB 1432 is a common-sense approach to the problem, since every year, education professionals will be reminded of their duties.”

There have been several incidents recently of unreported child abuse, where one or more school employees were aware of the incident but failed to report it to law enforcement.  In the Redwood City School District, five staff members knew, but failed to tell authorities, about a teacher’s abuse of two five-year-old special-needs students. The abusing teacher was ultimately arrested, and the five staff members were fired.  In the Brentwood Union School District, eleven employees did not alert authorities of a case in which a special-education teacher, who had already been convicted of child abuse, pulled an autistic student from his chair and kicked him.  The incident resulted in a $950,000 settlement paid by the district, and eight additional students’ families have come forward with similar claims against the same teacher.

“The system has failed, when unreported instances of child abuse prolong kids' misery,” said Gatto. “AB 1432 is a simple, cost-effective means of making sure school personnel know the techniques and their responsibilities for protecting our children from predators.”

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto 

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Assemblyman Mike Gatto Forms 2014 Small Business Advisory Commission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                  Contact: Justin Hager (818) 558-3043

December 10, 2013                                                             Mobile: (415) 889-9762

Assemblyman Gatto Seeks More Public Input on Reforms to Improve the State's Business Climate Following the Passage of Historic Legislation Developed by his 2013 Commission

Burbank, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) is seeking applications from local business owners to serve on his 2014 Small Business Advisory Commission.  The Commission will meet several times in the months ahead, with the goal of formulating one or more legislative proposals that will be introduced by Gatto in the upcoming legislative session.

With small businesses employing more than 37% of all workers in the state, Assemblyman Gatto welcomes input from the people working hard to keep our business community strong.   “Small-business owners face the brunt of challenges that affect the economic development of our community.  Incorporating our business members into this dialogue enhances the state’s ability to create a more sensible and less burdensome regulatory environment for our businesses,” said Gatto.

Last year’s Commission voted to ask Gatto to introduce AB 227, momentous legislation which reformed Proposition 65 to protect small businesses from meritless lawsuits.  To the relief of business owners in the 43rd Assembly District and statewide, Governor Brown signed AB 227 into law this year.  The Commission has been an instrumental voice in advising Assemblyman Gatto on challenges facing local small-business owners throughout California.  “Listening to those who have been shortchanged by the law first-hand is an imperative and sacred duty of lawmakers.  I am proud of the historic achievement of last year’s Commission and look forward to working with the 2014 Commission,” said Gatto.

Individuals interested in participating on the Commission should e-mail Assemblyman Gatto at Assemblymember.Gatto@assembly.ca.gov with the subject line 'Business Commission.’

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto 

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PRESS RELEASE: First-of-a-Kind Resolution on International Wage Parity Passes California State Assembly

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                             Contact: Justin Hager (818) 558-3043

August 20, 2013                                                                            Mobile (415) 889-9762

Mike Gatto's AJR 12 Contains Cutting-Edge Proposal to Protect American Jobs and Industries, Stop Outsourcing

Sacramento, CA – Yesterday, the California Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution authored by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) that directs the federal government to use its constitutional treaty powers to require trading partners to gradually raise their minimum wages, raising the standards of living in those countries, and making U.S. workers and exports more competitive.

Artificially depressed global wages, like Indonesia’s minimum wage of 46 cents an hour, make it nearly impossible for higher-paying nations to compete.  These practices are increasingly viewed as a form of unfair trade, much like the currency manipulation that Mitt Romney so famously decried during his 2012 presidential campaign.

Congress, by statute, has ordered the United States Trade Representative to seek input from the fifty states on the effects of, and policies relating to, globalization.  Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR) 12 provides such guidance.  It enshrines the position of the state of California that future treaties, trade agreements, and relevant international protocols should require a gradually increasing wage in signatory nations.

Since the dawn of the republic, the United States has used its treaty power to require things like free elections (with Iraq, after the Iraq war), respect for U.S. companies’ patent and intellectual property rights (in various treaties), and of course, currency valuations (in the various Bretton Woods accords, etc.).

The Assembly passed AJR 12 by a vote of 52-21.

“American workers and companies are having trouble competing because workers are paid inhumane rates in some other countries,” said Gatto.  “This ‘race to the bottom’ hurts workers around the world and causes thousands of U.S. jobs to be sent overseas each year.  Gradually increasing international wages, even from 50 cents an hour to one dollar, would make U.S. exporters, from movie makers to automakers, more competitive, and would help raise billions out of poverty.”

Gatto’s floor speech endeavored to connect the bill to each of his colleagues and their constituents.  He stated that a “no” vote on AJR 12 was tantamount to a statement that one likes calling one’s cell-phone or computer provider, only to be routed to an overseas call center.  Traditionally, such customer-service jobs have been among the most vulnerable to outsourcing from artificially depressed global wages.

The concept in AJR 12 has been supported and championed by economist Richard Duncan, author of “The Corruption of Capitalism: A strategy to rebalance the global economy and restore sustainable growth,” and a frequent television contributor.  Duncan is the Chief Economist for Blackhorse Asset Management, which is affiliated with several high-performing hedge funds.  Duncan is not alone among cutting-edge economists who view this policy as one of the few proposals that can actually help correct the vast trade and currency imbalances caused by globalization.

AJR 12 now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto

PRESS RELEASE: Small Business Advisory Commission Generates Legislation to Help Small Businesses Avoid Shakedown Lawsuits

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                      Contact: Justin Hager: (818) 558-3043

February 5, 2013                                                                                 Cell: (415) 889-9762

Assemblyman Gatto’s Business Advisory Commission

Generates Legislation to Help Small Businesses Avoid Shakedown Lawsuits

SACRAMENTO – On Saturday, February 2, members of Assemblyman Mike Gatto's (D-Los Angeles) Small Business Advisory Commission voted to ask him to introduce legislation to address a new breed of shakedown lawsuits plaguing small businesses in Southern California.  On Monday, February 4, Assemblyman Gatto did what the Commission asked, introducing legislation that allows a business owner who receives notice of a Proposition 65 violation to remedy a violation, and achieve compliance within 14 days, without facing exorbitant retrospective fines.  

Prop. 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, was passed by voters in 1986 and provides that a business in California may not expose individuals to chemicals known to cause cancer and/or reproductive toxicity without first giving clear and reasonable warning.  The State of California publishes a list of more than 800 chemicals known to cause cancer, reproductive harm, or birth defects.  Originally intended for serious exposures or failures to warn, Prop. 65 lawsuits have recently been abused by unethical attorneys.  A coffee shop owner in Gatto's district was sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars for failing to notify his customers that beer could cause cancer.

Such suits exist because the law allows for fines of $2,500 per day, enforced by any plaintiff.  Most people suing businesses expect that a small business, wary of litigation costs, will opt for a quick settlement to make the lawsuit go away. 

As introduced, AB 227 would further the original intent of Prop. 65, which was obtaining compliance with warnings for chemicals present on a site.  It would therefore allow a business that receives a notice of a private action to correct the violation, i.e., post the Prop. 65 warning, within fourteen days without being subject to the retroactive $2,500 per day fine. 

“The voters passed Prop. 65 to be protected from chemicals that would hurt them.  They did not intend to create a situation where shakedowns of California’s small-business owners would cause them to want to close their doors,” said Gatto.   

Assemblyman Gatto formed the Small Business Advisory Commission this year to advise him on challenges facing local small-business owners.  The eight member commission discussed a variety of concerns impacting small businesses and voted unanimously for Gatto to introduce the bill to reform Prop. 65 so that the law’s intent is not undermined.

 

“I had the opportunity to listen to concerns of local business owners on the Small Business Advisory Commission.  The severe negative impact of shakedown lawsuits under Prop. 65 was immediately apparent,” said Gatto.  “Most business owners work hard to protect customers so that the customers return.  This is especially true with small-business owners whose customers are neighbors, friends, and relatives.  This common-sense bill will help small businesses avoid costly litigation while ensuring that the public has the proper warnings about potentially dangerous chemicals.”

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly.  He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, and portions of the Hollywood Hills and East Hollywood.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto

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PRESS RELEASE: Assemblyman Mike Gatto Bill Makes it Harder for Hit and Run Drivers to Evade Arrest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                            Contact:  Justin Hager (818) 558-3043

January 25, 2013                                                                        Cell (415) 889-9762

Assemblyman Mike Gatto Bill Makes it Harder for Hit and Run Drivers to Evade Arrest

                                                                                    

Sacramento, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-43) introduced legislation today to help curb the epidemic of hit-and-run offenses in Southern California.  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.  Gatto's bill extends the statute of limitations for such offenses to three years from the date of the offense, or one year after the suspect is identified by law enforcement, whichever is later.  The Legislature has passed similar changes to statutes of limitations for crimes with hard-to-identify perpetrators, like clergy abuse.

Eric Bruins, Planning & Policy Director for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, noted that bicyclists and pedestrians are particularly vulnerable to hit-and-run collisions that result in death or serious bodily injury.  “It's hard for us to encourage people to bike and walk when our streets are treated like the Wild West,” said Bruins.  “The LA County Bicycle Coalition commends Assemblyman Gatto for bringing attention to this issue and giving hit-and-run victims hope that their perpetrators might be brought to justice once identified.”

“Many hit-and-run victims suffer very serious injuries, often because they are unable to dial 9-1-1, and, of course, because the person fleeing the scene does not.  Allowing hit-and-run criminals to avoid prosecution just adds insult to these injuries,” said Gatto. 

An investigation by the LA Weekly found about 20,000 hit-and-run crashes are recorded annually by the Los Angeles Police Department.  These 20,000 incidents made up an astonishing 48 percent of all vehicle crashes in 2009, compared to an average rate of just 11 percent nationwide.  State data shows that 4,000 hit-and-run incidents a year in Los Angeles lead to injury or death.  Unfortunately, most of these incidents are never prosecuted, in part, because of the statute of limitations running out.

“This is a relatively easy and sensible fix to the law, so that people who would otherwise hit-and-run realize that they will be prosecuted, no matter how long it takes."

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly.  He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, and portions of the Hollywood Hills and East Hollywood.   www.asm.ca.gov/gatto 

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PRESS RELEASE: Gatto Secures Funding for Cutting Edge Piezoelectricity Project

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                  Contact: Justin Hager: (818) 558-3043

December 17, 2012                                                                                                   Cell: (415) 889-9762

Gatto Secures Funding for Cutting Edge Piezoelectricity Project

SACRAMENTO – After two years of work, Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) has found a new partner in the fight for green transportation and domestically produced alternative energy.  Building on an idea of Gatto’s, the California Energy Commission (CEC) has announced that it will fund preliminary research on the potential of using California’s roadways to generate green electricity.

The research will focus on the large-scale energy-harvesting capabilities of piezoelectric materials, which are currently used in everything from lighters to smart phones.  The research stems from a bill authored by Gatto, AB 306, which passed the legislature in 2011 with bipartisan support but was vetoed by Governor Brown because of a lack of funding for the project.  In the veto message, the Governor encouraged Gatto to work through the CEC’s grant process to obtain funding for the project, and a year later, the assemblyman has successfully secured the funding.

“I am excited to see movement on this important research,” said Gatto. “California is the car capitol of the world.  Just think how much energy we could create if we can harness some of the wasted energy produced by cars and trucks as they rumble down the roads.”

The science of piezoelectric roads works as follows:   When a car or truck passes over pavement, the pavement vibrates.   By placing relatively inexpensive piezoelectric sensors underneath a road, the vibrations can be converted into electricity to power roadside lights, call boxes, and neighboring communities.  It may sound like something out of science fiction, but this technology has been used for years in sonar, and is used every day in touch-screen phones to convert pressure into electrical impulses.  There is no extra energy needed for the car to transverse piezoelectric highways, because the sensors are located in the pavement itself.

Several countries have experimented with a road-based version of piezoelectric technology, including Israel, which has already placed this technology under some of their highways.  In 2009, the East Japan Railway Company installed piezoelectric flooring in their Tokyo railway station.  The energy generated by passing pedestrians is sufficient to power all the displays in the station.  More recently, Italy has signed a contract to place the technology under a stretch of the Venice-to-Trieste Autostrada and a dance club in San Francisco has piloted the technology under their dance floor to run their lighting.  Then-Mayor Gavin Newsom worked on piloting the technology in pedestrian walkways in downtown San Francisco.

“Now, California can join the ranks of nations who are actively seeking uses for this exciting new technology,” said Gatto.  “Thirty years ago, very few people would have believed that black silicon panels left in the desert could generate ‘solar’ power.  And just ten years ago, people were skeptical when you described a Bluetooth device. This technology is very real.  I’m glad the state is taking steps to keep California on the cutting edge of energy policy and I’m very pleased the CEC has embraced the possibility.”

The Energy Commission should complete initial research on the technology by the end of January, 2013 and will determine, based on their findings, if a small-scale-test project will be conducted by the State.

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly.  He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, and portions of the Hollywood Hills and East Hollywood.   www.asm.ca.gov/gatto 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s Closely Watched California Homemade Food Act Signed into Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                        Contact:          John Ferrera (916) 319-2043

September 21, 2012                                                                           after hours:  (916) 402-8900                                             

Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s Closely Watched California Homemade Food Act Signed into Law

Sacramento, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s (D-Los Angeles) Assembly Bill (AB) 1616, the California Homemade Food Act, was signed into law today. The California Homemade Food Act legalizes the sale of homemade, “non-potentially hazardous” foods by creating a two-tier system of “cottage food operations” based upon the point of sale. Having captured the imagination of food lovers in California and beyond, AB 1616 was among the most anticipated bills to be considered by the Governor this year.

The Assemblyman made a commitment to helping aspiring micro-entrepreneurs start their businesses by improving access to locally produced, artisan foods after his constituent, Mark Stambler, was shut down by the Los Angeles Department of Environmental Health for selling his homemade, brick-oven breads to a neighborhood cheese shop. “I am proud to have delivered this victory to my constituents and to aspiring business owners throughout the state that are looking for ways to develop their businesses and purchase healthier, more locally produced foods for their families.”

Prior to the California Homemade Food Act, outdated statutes and local ordinances strictly prohibited everyone from home-based, artisanal bread bakers to small-scale, jam and preserve vendors from selling their products. Now, cottage food producers will be permitted to produce and sell every-day foods such as breads, tortillas, dry roasted nuts and legumes, cookies, granola, churros, jams, jellies and other fruit preserves to their communities. Producers choosing to sell directly to consumers will register with the local health department, and those choosing to sell to local retail shops, such as the neighborhood coffee shop or corner store, will be subject to initial inspection and permitting by the local health department. All producers will also be required to complete a food processor course, verify that the home kitchen meets specific standards, and disclose on the product label that the product was made in a home kitchen.

“Providing people with the opportunity to make and sell these foods directly to their neighbors at the local farmer’s market or through the specialty shop up around the corner is a matter of access to opportunity,” said Gatto. “I am happy that the Governor has joined me in my efforts to restore economic activity to our neighborhood economies and to the state of California by allowing people to produce and healthy, nutritious or culturally relevant foods in their homes.”

The California Homemade Food Act is consistent with similar laws of at least 33 other states, none of which have reported a food-borne illness from non-potentially hazardous foods. The legislation contains numerous provisions that will ensure cottage food operations remain small-scale, neighborhood-based activities that respect the importance of public health. More than 6,000 people throughout the state, as well as small and large business, non-profit, and interest organizations such as the Lost Angeles Bread Bakers, the Sustainable Economies Law Center, Whole Foods Market Northern California, the California State Grange and the City of Los Angeles, expressed support to the Governor.

“This is a huge win for food for food makers like Mark, stay-at-home parents, culinary enthusiasts, job seekers and all those who want to know where their foods come,” commented Gatto. “I am proud to have created a legal structure for the safe, in-home production of particular foods that respects the importance of public health but that will spark more economic activity in our local economies and in California.”

Get “Behind the Bill” and hear the story of the California Homemade Food Act in this Assembly Access Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnS_gqTIdAE&feature=youtu.be

Mike Gatto represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and parts of Los Angeles, including Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and Atwater Village.  He is the Chairman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto

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