STREETSBLOG LA: Brown Vetoes Road User Safety Laws Including Hit-and-Run, Vulnerable User

Jose Vasquez leaves a candle at the ghost bike memorial for
Andy Garcia, killed in a vicious hit-and-run last year.
Sahra Sulaiman/LA Streetsblog

In the last hours before the deadline for signing legislation from this year’s legislative session,
California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a batch of bills that could have improved safety for bicyclists, pedestrians, and other road users.

Included in the list of vetoes are three bills addressing the problem of hit-and-run crimes. Two of them would have increased penalties for convictions, and one would have made it easier to catch hit-and-run perpetrators. This brings to a total of four bills on the issue that passed both houses of the legislature with very few no votes—some unanimously—only to end up on the governor’s chopping block.

The governor’s general objection to creating new crime categories and increasing penalties was his excuse for declining these bills.

For similar reasons, Brown also vetoed Assemblymember Mark Levine’s “vulnerable user” bill that would have defined bicyclists and pedestrians, and a few other groups, as a special category of road users, and raised fines for conviction of violations that result in injury to them.

Another bill vetoed today was one that would have assessed a violation point against a driver’s record if convicted of using a cell phone or texting while driving. A second provision of the bill, requiring the Department of Motor Vehicles to include at least one question on the driver’s license exam addressing the dangers of distracted driving, may happen anyway. Brown, in his veto message [PDF], writes that he has directed the DMV to add such a question.

Here’s a list of bills [originated by Assemblymember Mike Gatto] that would have made the roads safer but were axed by the Governor:

• A.B. 1532, from Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles), which would have required an automatic six-month license suspension for anyone convicted of a hit-and-run collision in which a person was hit, whether that person was injured or not. Assemblymember Gatto’s intent was to enforce the notion that people must stop when they are involved in a crash, no matter what. The governor disagreed, citing his usual reluctance to create new categories of crime and stiffen penalties. “I don’t find sufficient justification for creating a new crime when no injury to person or property occurred. I think the current law is adequate,” says his veto message [PDF]. 

• A.B. 47, also from Gatto, which would have created a new “Yellow Alert” system, similar to the existing Amber Alert that broadcasts information about child abductions quickly throughout the state. The Yellow Alert would have broadcast descriptions of vehicles suspected of being involved in hit-and-run crimes using freeway changeable message signs and other outlets to help law enforcement apprehend criminals who leave the scene of a collision. Governor Brown refused to sign this bill because of another bill, which he did sign, that adds developmentally disabled people to the groups for which the Amber Alert system can be used. “This expansion should be tested before adding more categories of individuals that could overload the system,” he wrote [PDF]. It’s doubtful that the families and friends of hit-and-run victims would agree that this wait-and-see approach is sensible. 

You can read this complete article and more at Streetsblog LA by clicking HERE

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

KTLA-5 Reports on my "Yellow Alert" system

Here's a report by KTLA's Kacey Montoya on AB 47, my bill to use extant infrastructure to catch hit & run perpetrators.

PRESS RELEASE: ASSEMBLYMAN GATTO HONORS BEACHWOOD CANYON RESIDENT MEG GILL, OWNER OF ATWATER VILLAGE’S GOLDEN ROAD BREWERY AS SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Earlier this week, it was awesome to honor Meg Gill, of Golden Road Brewery, as our district's Small Business of the Year!

ASSEMBLYMAN GATTO HONORS BEACHWOOD CANYON RESIDENT MEG GILL, OWNER OF ATWATER VILLAGE’S GOLDEN ROAD BREWERY AS SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Sacramento, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) honored local business owner Meg Gill and Atwater Village’s Golden Road Brewery on Monday, June 16, 2014 at the California Small Business Day Awards Ceremony in Sacramento.  The annual awards ceremony honors the contributions of small businesses to the State of California. 

“Meg Gill and Golden Road Brewery are an inspiration to us all,” said Assemblyman Gatto.  “Her entrepreneurship creates jobs and helps other young women to believe that with hard work and perseverance, anything is possible.”

Meg Gill, the co-founder of the Golden Road Brewery, was nominated by Assemblyman Gatto for her tireless dedication to building a successful small business that gives back to the community as much as it takes.  At 28-years-old, Gill is the youngest female brewery owner in the country, was recently named to Forbes magazine’s 30-under-30, and her brewery is the largest craft brewery in Los Angeles County.  But more importantly, in addition to building a vibrant small business, Gill and Golden Road co-founder Tony Yanow have also remained focused on building a vibrant Los Angeles.

"We're incredibly grateful for the support we've received from Assemblyman Gatto and the city of Los Angeles to help us, and fellow breweries, cultivate and drive demand for craft beer and its community-driven culture,” said Gill.  “In under three years, Golden Road has grown to more than 150 employees and brings 20,000+ visitors a week to our restaurant and pub.  Being recognized as the Small Business of the Year will help us continue to foster our commitment to local organizations such as Heal the Bay and the Greenway 2020 project.”

Founded in 2011, Golden Road Brewery produces and distributes its beers using environmentally sustainable production methods, and utilize their restaurant and brewery to create meaningful contributions to the community.  They have partnered with local nonprofit organizations, including Heal the Bay and the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation, to help support socially- and environmentally-minded projects such as producing a specific craft beer called the Greenway IPA to support the Los Angeles River Greenway 2020 project. 

“Local businesses and their owners are the backbone of a strong local and state economy,” said Gatto.  “It is important that we recognize these businesses for their innovative and positive contributions to our neighborhoods and economy.”

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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NBC4 LA: Lawmakers Consider Hit-and-Run Alerts

My AB 47 proposes an Amber Alert-style system to catch drivers who flee the scene of accidents. See more here from NBC News Los Angeles

Crescenta Valley Weekly: American Legion Remodeled

By Robin Goldsworthy | May 8, 2014

The American Legion Post 288 is in the midst of a facelift – a much needed facelift.

For years the building has been struggling with plumbing issues, outdated appliances and carpet that defied cleaning, but all of that is changing thanks to Home Depot.

“Home Depot has a core value of giving back,” said Chuck Messig, community captain for District 26 at Home Depot.

In 2011, Home Depot committed $80 million specifically for veterans organizations. The grant values vary. “The [average] value of a grant is $15,000. In this case, [Post 288] got so lucky. We were granted $20,000 in a materials grant, ” Messig said.

The grant provided materials like kitchen and bathroom appliances and carpeting. The labor for all of this comes from the American Legion and  Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1614 that share the building, community members and volunteers from Home Depot.

“Our volunteers do everything but kitchen cabinets and counter tops and doors. For those, we partner with our service providers,” Messig said. Those partners are paid for by the grant. The idea for this project came from Susanne Dunwell, former senior field representative for Assemblymember Mike Gatto. Dunwell, who recently retired, returned to the American Legion on Friday to kick off the remodeling project at the American Legion. “I had worked with [American Legion] veterans when we did the Two Strike Park memorial,” she said. 

Although there was a memorial wall at Two Strike Park, over the years it had become tattered and there was a very limited amount of space for names of those who had served. Members of the American Legion and VFW, along with community members and organizations, raised funds to replace the memorial with one that could contain names of all Crescenta Valley military personnel that had made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. During this time, Home Depot had been contacted by Gatto’s office and a grant of $5,000 was donated to the project.

“I saw how focused the veterans were on the memorial and how much time they [donated] to the [project], ignoring there own [Post] needs, ” Dunwell said. She approached Shari Caraway, program manager of the Home Depot foundation western division. “Shari was the hero in this,” Dunwell said. “I talked to the veterans, asked them to put a list together of everything they needed and I submitted it to Home Depot.” Shari approved the grant. Dunwell said this goes beyond just a gift for the veterans; it is a gift for the community. Messig agreed. “If you think about it, this is more than just about the veterans. They have families, they live in our community,” he said.

Photo By Dick CLUBB

 

After the remodel, the  American Legion lodge will be a place that local individuals, veterans and non-veterans, as well as organizations, can rent. It is a win-win for the community and the veterans, Messig said. The veterans and members of the community came out in force to help with the remodel. Messig was impressed with the community support.

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This article originally appeared in the CRESCENTA VALLEY WEEKLY. You can read this article and more by visiting the CRESCENTA VALLEY WEEKLY HERE.

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

VARIETY: Mayors Urge California to Expand Production Tax Credit

Ted Johnson- Senior Editor
May 13, 2014 | 10:29 AM

Seeking to boost prospects for expanding California’s production tax credit, mayors from 10 of the state’s largest cities announced their support for legislation to make the Golden State more competitive with dozens of other states that are luring production away.

Mayors from Sacramento, San Francisco, Fresno, Bakersfield, Oakland, San Jose joined with civic leaders from Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Ana and San Diego in an effort to show that support for an expanded credit extends beyond the state’s production centers in Southern California...

...A letter from the mayors was released in advance of an Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee hearing on Tuesday to consider legislation from Assemblymen Mike Gatto and Raul Bocanegra that would make big-budget motion pictures eligible for the credit as well as more categories of one-hour drama series and post production work.

Still to be announced is exactly how much money lawmakers will seek to expand the program, which is currently at $100 million per year. That figure is expected later this month as the legislation moves through the Assembly...

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You can read this entire article and more by visiting VARIETY HERE.

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

GNP: Gatto's social media bill headed to a vote

By Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com - April 26, 2014 | 2:05 p.m.

A state bill that sets social media-monitoring standards for schools is now heading to the full State Assembly for a vote.

Introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake), AB 1442 passed with a 7-0 vote by the Assembly Education Committee. It would require educators monitoring bullying online to inform parents when their child’s Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account is being viewed.The proposed legislation would also require schools to delete any collected photos or other posts to be deleted within a year of a student turning 18.

“Imagine the harm that could be caused if a hacker, mean-spirited employee or even a careless IT worker were to expose a database of all the things a person said or did as a teenager,” Gatto said in a statement.
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Follow Arin Mikailian on Twitter: @ArinMikailian.

You can read this article and more at the Glendale News Press by clicking HERE

Cal. Newswire: Mike Gatto’s AJR 1 Historic Constitutional Resolution Passes California State Assembly

Campaign finance reform is so important. This weekend, I participated in a panel at UCLA School of Law sponsored by Common Cause (See photo above), on this topic and my AJR 1, which is discussed in the California Newswire article below:

by Christopher Simmons on Thu, 30 Jan 2014

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — This week, California Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s (D-Los Angeles) AJR 1, a measure to begin the process to amend the United States Constitution to address the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, took a major step forward, passing the California State Assembly by a vote of 51-20. In Citizens United, a deeply divided Supreme Court held that corporations are due the same free-speech rights enjoyed by natural persons.

The decision spawned “Super PACs,” which have flooded unlimited and largely anonymous corporate money into federal elections. According to the Federal Election Commission, Super PAC spending in 2012 federal elections totaled more than $567 million.

“Most Americans are fed up with the notion that money is speech and that moneyed interests can therefore drown out the speech of average citizens,” said Gatto.

Historically, all amendments to the U.S. Constitution have started in Congress, and been ratified later by 3/4 of the states. AJR 1 takes advantage of the rarely-used Article V process for amending the federal Constitution, which allows states to demand that Congress act. If 2/3 of the states make such a demand, Congress must call a constitutional convention on the topic. Several states and municipalities have already passed informal resolutions condemning the Citizens United decision, but Gatto’s AJR 1 is the first to utilize the Article V process which could compel Congress to act.

The state-initiated process in Article V has been tried several times, with limited success. Although the process has never resulted in a constitutional convention, it has spurred Congress to take action several times. According to a 2007 article in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, at least four different amendments to the U.S. Constitution have been proposed by Congress in part because of Article V actions. For example, the amendments that repealed prohibition and allowed for the direct election of Senators were first demanded by state legislatures under Article V.

AJR 1 calls for a convention that would be expressly limited to campaign-finance and corporate-personhood issues. Now that it has passed the State Assembly, the resolution will next go to the California State Senate, after which other states could similarly act, triggering the convention. Its passage is further significant because it is the first time in recent memory that a Democratic-controlled legislature has passed an Article V demand. Several Republican-controlled statehouses have recently passed Article V resolutions for the Balanced Budget Amendment or simply to establish rules for a future Article V convention. Today’s passage of AJR 1 signifies broad, nationwide, bipartisan action, by the legislators closest to the people, to demand action on Congress on big issues.

“I doubt our Founding Fathers had the free-speech rights of multi-national and foreign corporations in mind when they drafted the First Amendment,” said Gatto. “But the Founding Fathers did anticipate that every once in a while, the states would need to prod Congress to act to amend the Constitution. That’s what we are doing.”

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

Glendale News-Press: Gatto: New legislation would protect victims of on-campus rapes, other crimes

Mark Kellam- Glendale News-Press
January 6, 2014

If legislation introduced Monday by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) becomes law, college officials across the state would be required to report certain crimes occurring on or near campuses to law enforcement to investigate, if the victim does not request anonymity.

AB 1433 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, Gatto said.

The unwillingness of campus officials to involve proper non-campus law-enforcement professionals greatly diminishes the chance that a perpetrator is arrested and convicted, he added.

 
“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,” Gatto said in a statement. “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, Gatto said.

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

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This article originally appeared in the GLENDALE NEWS-PRESS. You can read this article and more by visiting the GLENDALE NEWS-PRESS HERE.

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

California Newswire: Calif. 2014 Water Conservation Bill Clears First Committee as Drought Looms

By Christopher Simmons- California Newswire 

March 25, 2014

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — A key water-conservation bill introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) passed the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee today by a vote of 13-0. AB 2636 establishes CalConserve, a revolving-loan program to provide loans to home owners and businesses to help finance water-efficiency projects. The program will reduce urban, per-capita water use and help cities and counties reach their water-use reduction goals.

Conserving water has long been a goal of California policymakers, but with the state in the midst of a disastrous drought, conserving precious water resources has never been more important. For the first time in history, water exports to Central Valley farms and Southern California homes have fallen to zero. Crops are dying, cities are running out of drinking water, and streams are running dry. The drought is even forcing children in the Central Valley to leave school, as their parents are forced to abandon drought-scorched crops in search of work elsewhere.

“The technology already exists to save millions of gallons of water, but the infrastructure of our homes and businesses needs to be updated,” said Gatto. “This legislation would provide funds for homeowners and businesses to make water-saving infrastructure upgrades.”

Gatto’s bill authorizes the Department of Water Resources to administer a state revolving-fund program that will be a self-renewing source of funding for water-use efficiency. By helping private entities pay the upfront infrastructure costs of installing water-efficiency technology, CalConserve will allow more homeowners and business to save water. As they begin seeing savings on their water bill, these private entities will pay the infrastructure loan back to CalConserve.

“California can save water without asking taxpayers to spend a single dime,” noted Gatto. “Instead of giving away limited state resources in grants to pay for retrofits, we can help people pay the upfront costs and let them pay us back slowly from their water-bill savings.”

AB 2636 now moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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This article originally appeared in CALIFORNIA NEWSWIRE.  You can read this article and more by visiting CALIFORNIA NEWSWIRE  HERE.

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
 

LA Times: California film tax credit bill OKd by Assembly panel

The proposal, which aims to stem so-called runaway film and TV production, would renew and boost a state tax credit to better compete with subsidies and studios elsewhere.

Proposed legislation would extend the California film tax credit program… (Michael Robinson Chavez)

Marc Fisher - LA Times

March 25, 2014

SACRAMENTO — Proposed legislation aimed at providing more tax credits to attract so-called runaway movie and television productions back to the industry's birthplace in California won initial approval from a legislative committee Tuesday. The proposal would renew and increase a state tax credit — amounting to as much as $400 million a year — to better compete with generous tax subsidies available in more than 40 states, including New York, Louisiana, New York and Michigan, as well as studios in Canada and Britain.

The tax credit would allow most film and TV production companies to reduce their tax liability by 20% of the cost of many production expenditures.

The movie industry, supporters said, is too important to California's economy, history and image to be allowed to slip away. "This is our industry to keep or lose," said Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica). "We need to send a message to New York, England and other states competing for our jobs and say, 'It stops here.'"

The bill, AB 1839 by Assemblymen Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) and Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima), passed Tuesday on a 7-0 bipartisan vote by the Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media Committee. Gatto said he expects an easy transit through the Assembly but conceded that the bill might face more skepticism in the Senate and governor's office. Gov. Jerry Brown has not taken a public position.

Representatives from movie-related trade unions, studios, caterers and other service providers, film commissions and local governments, including the city and county of Los Angeles, filled the ornate Capitol hearing room with spontaneous applause. The measure now moves to the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee.

"We can't afford to let any more jobs abandon our state," Gatto said. "This effort is a rare example of government appropriately taking steps to ensure well-paying jobs stay in California."

About 70 lawmakers have signed on as coauthors of the bill, which has solid support across party lines and in all regions of the state. The only public opposition came from the California Teachers Assn. and the California School Employees Assn. The two groups said they opposed giving special tax breaks to a particular industry. The money, they suggested, would be better spent on K-12 education.

The Gatto-Bocanegra bill, if passed, would replace a 2009 law that has provided $100 million a year in credits. To date, it has funded about 270 projects, generated $4.75 billion in economic activity and created 51,000 mainly high-paying jobs, many for skilled workers such as electricians, carpenters, animators and cinematographers, the legislators said.

The proposed legislation would extend the program until 2022. It would broaden eligibility to include big movie productions, all television series and provide a special incentive for shooting outside the traditional Los Angeles-centered area.

According to Gatto's office, film production in California has declined by half in the last 15 years. Just last year, 21 of 23 prime-time television series were filmed outside California, transferring jobs to other states and forcing many longtime California residents to move away, Gatto's office said.
"I don't want to move, but there's tons of work in Atlanta," said Ed Gutentag, a Topanga cameraman who says he's moving to Georgia in a few weeks.

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This article originally appeared in LOS ANGELES TIMES by Marc Lifsher.  You can read this article and more by visiting LOS ANGELES TIMES HERE.

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

Asbarez: Community Makes Homenetmen, Woodbury Leadership Seminar a Success

Speakers and organizers of the 'Elevate 2014' Leadership Seminar at 

Woodbury University's Fletcher Jones Foundation Auditorium

 Participants hear from distinguished leaders from government, medicine, business, entertainment, and academia

Asbarez
April 4, 2014

BURBANK–Well over 250 excited and eager attendees packed the Fletcher Jones Foundation Auditorium at Woodbury University early on Saturday morning to participate in “Elevate 2014” Leadership Conference Seminar. Hosted by the Homenetmen Glendale “Ararat” Chapter and the Woodbury University Center for Leadership, this one of a kind event was originally conceived in 2012 through a partnership of the aforementioned entities and sought to unite and engage concerned community leaders who recognized its tremendous and immediate need and was established in response to growing community calls for a vehicle to exist which develops and instills, within its youth, the leadership skills that elevate and empower them to become productive citizens and influential members of society.

“We are beyond pleased with this event. It was so uplifting to see so many young people here so early on a Saturday morning to attend a leadership seminar,” remarked Homenetmen Glendale “Ararat” Chapter Chairman Tomik Abrahamian. “When you put so much time, energy and effort into an event of this kind and it yields the positive response and interest it does, you cannot help but be proud, reinvigorated and encouraged. We thank all of our speakers, sponsors, participants, attendees and Dr. Calingo and his staff at Woodbury University for their cooperation and support in this effort and hope to build on our unique partnership with Woodbury University on future events and projects.”

 Homenetmen Glendale 'Ararat' Chapter Chairman Tomik Abrahamian, Academy Award winning producer at Pixar Animation Studios Katherine Sarafian, and Homenetmen Glendale Chapter Executive Director Armond Gorgorian

This capacity room event featured a unique list of accomplished and renowned speakers which included: Katherine Sarafian, Academy Award winning producer at Pixar Animation Studios; Luis Ma. R. Calingo, Ph.D., President of Woodbury University; Mikayel Israyelyan, entrepreneur and CEO of Muse Lifestyle Group; Scott Ochoa, City Manager for City of Glendale; Arby Nahapetian M.D., VP of Medical Affairs and Quality at Glendale Adventist Medical Center; and longtime community leader and philanthropist and founder and President of Massis Kabob, Hacop Baghdassarian, who was honored with the “2014 Elevate Leadership Award.” Also attending were California State Assembly member Mike Gatto, Mayor of the City of Burbank Emily Gabel-Luddy, City of Burbank Councilmember Jess Talamantes, Glendale City Clerk Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian, and Glendale Community College Member of Board of Trustees Dr. Armine Hacopian.

Certificates of Recognition were provided to the participants and honorees by the offices of Congressman Adam B. Schiff, Calif. State Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, Calif. State Assembly Members Adrin Nazarian and Mike Gatto, Calif. State Controller John Chiang, LA County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, Calif. State Senator Carol Liu, City of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and Los Angeles Councilmembers Paul Krekorian and Felipe Fuentes.

“I was very impressed with the large turnout and assemblage and quality of speakers who participated in today’s seminar. There was something special for everyone that came here today to learn to lead and grow effectively,” stated Dr. Luis Ma. R. Calingo, President of Woodbury University. “The various fields and disciplines represented here was extraordinarily unique and we are extremely proud to host this event, for the second time now and look forward to partnering with the Homenetmen Glendale “Ararat” Chapter on the next ‘Elevate’ Seminar and other similar events.”

After the event, attendees were treated to a special luncheon hosted by the University at its Alumni Quad, during which they had further opportunities to meet and mingle with the speakers and one another. Through an extra special arrangement, UFC and MMA superstars Edmond Tarverdyan (UFC Bantamweight Champ Ronda Rousey’s trainer), Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke, Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler, and Marina Shafir were on hand to sign autographs and participate in photo opportunities with attendees.

The “Elevate 2014” Leadership Development Conference Seminar Series of the Homenetmen Glendale “Ararat” Chapter and the Woodbury University is the largest and only Armenian-American Leadership Incubator of its kind and draws and directs the wisdom and experience of the nation’s top Armenian-American corporate and business leaders, public figures and accomplished and recognized leaders from the fields of the arts and sciences, entertainment, athletics and civic and community leaders and academics and identifies and instills within today’s Armenian-American youth the leadership skills and organizational tools required to prepare them to become tomorrow’s influential citizens and community leaders. This Leadership Development Incubator focuses on character shaping and leadership development.

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This article originally appeared in ASBAREZ.  You can read this article and more by visiting ASBAREZ HERE.

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

THE TEMPEST: New bill offers hope to assault victims on college campuses

Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles

Addi Simmons, TEMPEST Staff Writer
January 29, 2014

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, less than five percent of completed or attempted rapes against college women are reported to law enforcement. That’s 95 percent of sexual violence going unnoticed and therefore, unpunished.

California Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, hopes to change that by proposing an assembly bill (AB 1433) that would require colleges to report violent crimes (forcible rape, willful homicide, robbery or aggravated assault) and hate crimes to local law enforcement for investigation unless the victim requests otherwise, according to a press release from Gatto’s office.

Originally, Gatto’s proposed bill required campus police to report these crimes to local law enforcement regardless of the victim’s wishes, but after speaking to sexual assault survivor and UC Berkeley Junior, Sofie Karasek, he amended the bill. Karasek told Gatto that if she knew that by reporting the crime to campus police the case would be transferred to local law enforcement, she never would have come forth to report it in the first place, according to an article in Newsweek.

A lot of the time, sexual assault survivors choose not to report the crime because they’re afraid of not being believed, fear reprisal, or simply don’t want to go through the long, tedious process of trial. It can be detrimental to the victims to have to relive details of the attack and most don’t feel comfortable opening up to prosecutors about their experience because it seems too personal to share, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.

However, if the crimes aren’t passed on to the police department, often times the victims don’t see justice and the assaulters are able to victimize others. If this bill were passed, it would prevent future occurrences by not allowing the criminals to walk away without punishment and would dissuade other potential assaulters from committing the same crime.

According to Gatto’s website, a number of colleges in California were found to be allegedly discouraging victims from reporting their assaults in order to protect the reputation of the school. Now, multiple organizations and policymakers have taken notice and are stepping up to the plate in order to change things. This includes, not only Mike Gatto, but President Obama as well.

On Jan. 22, 2014, Obama signed a presidential memorandum creating a task force to protect students from sexual assault.

“To help them come up with better ways to protect and respond to sexual assault on their campuses, and then we’ll help them put those ideas into practice,” President Obama said in a press briefing at the Whitehouse, according to media reports.

The assembly bill Mike Gatto is proposing is only the beginning in a slew of action finally being enforced upon college campuses that fail to take these incursions seriously. Although we still have a long way to go in combating sexual assault, AB 1433 seems to be taking a step in the right direction.

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This article originally appeared in THE TEMPEST, the student voice of Solano Community College.  You can read this article and more by visiting the Tempest HERE

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 

OPINION EDITORIAL: Crime on campus: Local police should investigate incidents like San Jose State's

By Mike Gatto

Special to the Mercury News

The stories are undeniably tragic.

At Occidental College in Los Angeles, the administration allegedly did not report on-campus rapes to law enforcement, apparently concerned that higher crime statistics would make prospective students choose elsewhere.

At San Jose State University, the administration admittedly failed to recognize the brutal abuse of a 17-year-old African-American student, who was targeted for his race, by his roommates.

The failure of administrators in these cases to recognize dangerous warning signs, properly train staff and take student-crime reports seriously has prolonged these students' misery and harmed their chances of seeing justice.

In the roommate abuse case, the young man was allegedly held captive in his room for short periods of time with a bicycle lock around his neck. The university's president has admitted that by "failing to recognize" the warning signs and not "intervening earlier," it "failed" this young man.

Similarly, the unwillingness of officials at Occidental to involve non-campus law-enforcement professionals in on-campus sexual assaults resulted in numerous students not receiving the medical attention they needed, and surely diminished the ability for them to someday see an arrest and conviction of their rapists.

If only the stories ended there. They don't.

Two Southern California colleges are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for their handling of on-campus sexual assaults and other violent crimes.

In addition, five U.S. campuses, including UC Berkeley and two Southern California campuses, are the subject of a federal lawsuit alleging violations of Title IX and the Clery Act. The Clery Act requires colleges and universities participating in federal financial-aid programs to disclose information about crimes that happen on or near campuses.

Victims of violent and demeaning crimes face numerous obstacles to a full recovery. For deeply personal reasons, some victims may choose not to report a crime to administrators or police. But those victims that do report should expect to be taken seriously, and for non-campus law enforcement to be notified immediately.

I think colleges should focus on instruction, and leave law enforcement up to the professionals. Victims of crime should not see their chances of justice hurt, nor their agony prolonged. I suspect that involving local police or sheriffs will result in greater prevention and threat assessment than if such things are left up to university administrators.

For these reasons, on Monday I introduced urgency legislation that would require colleges to promptly report on-campus crimes to local law enforcement. This legislation, AB 1433, strikes a balance between the right of a victim to not report a crime and the need for crime reports to be taken seriously.

It may not address all circumstances. Situations like the one at San Jose State demand additional training beyond the scope of this legislation to help administrators and staff to recognize the warning signs earlier.

But it will ensure that when students do come forward, their voices will not be silenced by bureaucracy or by concerns about student recruitment and retention.

Our college campuses may look like bubbles from the outside. But the crimes that occur there are no different in their effects on victims than crimes occurring elsewhere in our community.

Let's give independent law enforcement the knowledge they need to fight sexual assault and other crimes on campus.

Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, is chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly. He wrote this for this newspaper (Mercury News.com).

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Capitol Public Radio: No More Tickets At Broken Meters

California cities will be prohibited from ticketing people who park at broken parking meters. A new law for 2014 nullifies any city ordinance that had allowed the practice.

Listen to the interview with Assemblyman Gatto by visiting Capitol Public Radio HERE


Thursday, January 02, 2014 
By  Bob Moffitt

Sacramento, CA - Until this last July, meter readers in Los Angeles ticketed people who parked at broken meters. Democrat Assemblyman Mike Gatto argued the practice should be illegal.

"There were a number of cities across California that were considering policies like this that would have undone almost 90 years of parking meter law," said Gatto.

"Since the dawn of parking meter, it was just an accepted fact that if the meter was broken and if the city had failed to fix it, that you could park there for free."

~Assemblyman Mike Gatto

The law protects against any meter failure including power or phone service interruptions to newer, multi-space kiosks...

...Assemblyman Gatto said Los Angeles was the largest city to allow broken-meter tickets, but other cities had considered or implemented similar practices. He calls them unfair.

"They do I guess what's called 'congestion pricing' in San Francisco where the price of certain digital meters goes up if there is fewer digital meters online," he said. "So, what was happening in San Francisco is they were leaving the meters broken so that the price of the existing meters could go up."  

The Los Angeles City Council repealed its parking ordinance in July -- after the State Assembly and Senate had passed Gatto's bill.

The State Legislature will likely review this subject again in the next few years. The law expires in 2017.

You can listen to the interview with Assemblyman Gatto and read more from Capitol Public Radio HERE

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: 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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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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MundoFOX 22: Mano dura para los Conductores que huyen de la escena de un accidente

Buen informe de Anabel Muñoz sobre huyendo de la escena y mi AB 184!

Watch this video and more at http://www.mundofox22.com/noticias22 

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

LA Times: Lawmakers to offer new plan for TV and film production tax breaks

Dylan O'Brien rehearses in December 2012 a scene from the MTV series "Teen Wolf," which relocated from Georgia to Los Angeles to take advantage of a California tax credit. Two L.A. legislators will propose a new film and TV incentive package when the Legislature reconvenes in January. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times / December 10, 2012)

By Melanie Mason - October 4, 2013

SACRAMENTO --Two Los Angeles legislators announced this week they'll be pushing a new plan for tax breaks for film and TV production when the Legislature comes back to work in January.

California has had incentives for the entertainment industry since 2009, in an effort to fend off other states trying to lure film and TV shoots with generous tax breaks.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed the latest round of tax credits last year, which authorize $100 million in credits annually until July 1, 2017.

Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) said in an interview that his plan with state Sen. Kevin De León (D-Los Angeles) would be more than an extension of the current plan.

"I view this as a rather new product with different ideas," said Gatto, who serves on the California Film Commission, which allocates the tax credits.

Those new proposals include a tiering system that would give the maximum credit to productions that pay wages to California residents and incentives to build sound stages and post-production facilities.

Gatto said there would also be a credit for shoots that take place in under-utilized areas of the state, a provision that could address "the perception problem with the [current] credit that it’s purely for Southern California."

“Given the vulnerable state of our economy we can’t afford to hemorrhage any more good-paying jobs,” said De León in a statement. “First thing in 2014, we need to extend the film tax credit and improve it to maximize job retention and bolster this home-grown industry..."

...The entertainment industry last year originally sought a five-year extension of the credits, but ended up with two additional years.

And there's been much back-and-forth as to the economic benefit the credits have delivered. Studies by UCLA and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. said the incentives have provided an economic boost; the state's Legislative Analyst's Office said the program caused a net loss in state revenues.

"If this was just an expansion -- a very inelegant, blunt direct expansion of the current credit -- I’d probably have a problem with that myself," Gatto said.

"The only reason why I feel comfortable doing this now is I believe it's possible to craft it in a way that really does maximize benefit to the community as a whole," he said.

You can read this article and more by visiting the Los Angeles Times HERE

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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

LA Times: Brown signs law amending state's anti-toxins law, Proposition 65

California Gov. Jerry Brown, center, signed a law giving businesses that are in violation of Proposition 65 two weeks to post the required notices before they are subject to lawsuits or steep fines. (Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press / January 24, 2013)

By Melanie Mason - October 5, 2013

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday signed into law changes to Proposition 65, the state's landmark anti-toxins law, that aim to reduce lawsuits and fines for businesses.

The initiative, which voters approved in 1986, requires businesses to post notices about the presence of possibly dangerous chemicals, which include alcohol, carcinogens found in parking garages and byproducts of coffee roasting.

Some business owners, particularly owners of bars and coffee shops, complained the law had spawned a wave of frivolous lawsuits and excessive fines over improper signage.

The measure by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) gives businesses that are in violation of the law two weeks to post the required notices before they are subject to lawsuits or steep fines.

Gatto said he was in a "state of disbelief" that his bill, AB 227, had become law, particularly because making changes to the initiative required two-thirds approval in the Legislature.

"Nobody has been able to do this since 1986," he said...

You can read this article and more by visiting the Los Angeles Times HERE

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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