Look West: How California Is Leading The Nation

This episode features a poignant conversation between Assemblymember Alex Lee and Palm Springs Mayor Lisa Middleton because trans rights are under new attacks across much of the country. It started with keeping kids out of sports and bathrooms. Now, states are classifying parents who seek healthcare for their trans and gender non-conforming youth as child abusers. California’s State Legislature has set out to create a safe haven for LGTBQ youth, including those who identify as trans and gender non-conforming.

Assemblymember Laura Friedman talks with her guests about her bill AB 452, which would require schools to inform students' parents or guardians each year about California’s safe storage laws. Look West also catches up with Sarah Kirby-Gonzalez, a teacher and school board trustee, whose district has already implemented a plan to notify parents of safe storage requirements.

Assembly Democrats Mike Gipson and medical Dr. Akilah Weber know the real reasons behind poor health outcomes in Black communities. In this Black History Month episode of Look West the Assemblymembers talk openly about health problems in African-American communities, what causes those problems and what needs to be done to build healthier communities.

California has often led the way on human rights. From the 1959 Unruh Civil Rights Act paving the way for the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to same-sex marriage to farmworker overtime, California sets the tone that the nation eventually follows. But California isn’t perfect. Look West caught up with Majority Leader Eloise Gómez-Reyes to discuss how California can protect human rights. .

California has new laws going into effect in 2022. Look West took to the streets in Sacramento to see what folks think.

The California State Assembly Democratic Caucus continues to grow and change. Over the past months three new Californians have joined the Assembly. One from Los Angeles, one from San Diego and one from the East Bay. On this special bonus episode of Look West Assemblymembers Isaac Bryan, Dr. Akilah Weber and Mia Bonta introduce themselves. You’ll find out where they grew up, what their top priorities are as an Assemblymember and why they went into politics.

In this episode, we focus on the history of missing and murdered Native American people and how the allocation of new funds will help Native American communities. Murder is the 3rd leading cause of death for Native American women. In 2019, over 5,500 Native American women were reported missing. Assemblymember James Ramos introduced AB 3099 to create a program to develop law enforcement training on policing and investigations on tribal lands. It will also determine how to increase state criminal justice protective and investigative resources for reporting and identifying missing Native Americans in California, particularly women and girls. This bill allocates $5-million over a 5 year period to develop this program in hopes of addressing this huge issue.

1.8 million veterans live in California. Our state is home to the largest number of veterans in the nation. Regretfully areas like Southern California, is also the where 1 out of every 10 homeless veterans live. We speak to Assembly Veterans Committee Chair Jacqui Irwin, CalVet Deputy Director Keith Boylan with Governor Newsom’s administration and Steve Peck, President of US Vets, the largest veterans organization in the country about what is being done and what is needed. On an added note, is the customary “thanks for your service” well received by veterans? The answer may surprise you.

The state is on fire. Over 7,000 fires and 2.5 million acres have burned in 2021 alone, and the year is not even over yet. In this episode of Look West, Assemblymembers Wood and Bloom discuss the unique ways the fires have impacted their communities, as well as their thoughts on long-term fire prevention. Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter then weighs in with his expertise in how to be personally prepared for fires, some of the most common ways fire start in California, and what his short-term and long-term goals are for reducing California's risk for fire.

Around the world, parents-to-be who aren’t able to make a baby the traditional way wonder whether their rights will be protected if, some day, a donor or surrogate makes parental claims. On the flip side, some potential donors or surrogates hesitate to provide services out of fear of being held financially or legally responsible for potential offspring. On this episode we dive into the subject with Assemblymember David Chiu (who will be leaving the State Assembly to become the San Francisco City Attorney on November 1st) and Mary Hernandez, a mother of two, who opens up about her journey to parenthood.

The episode begins by talking to kids as they get their vaccine. Julia and her parent discusses vaccines and what she is looking forward to on her way to get vaccinated. Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris and her kids talk about how the pandemic affected their family and how things are changing now that they are vaccinated. The episode concludes with an interview with pediatrician Dr. Shannon Udovic-Constant who discusses her experience with kids during the pandemic, unvaccinated kids going to school, and encouraging parents to get their kids vaccinated when it is their turn.

California approved a new law to address the needs of landlords and tenants while avoiding evictions. We spoke to Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Reyes, Assemblymember David Chiu, and advocates of both sides of the rental crisis about how this law was accomplished and what comes next.

We started this episode doing research on the number of people from the same family that have served in the State Legislature. Our first interview was with Gene and Kevin Mullin. A Father and son that have represented the same area in the State Assembly. With the passing of Gene Mullin, we offer their views on having been Assemblymembers in the same communities in different decades.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted something many already knew before it struck last year – California needs to expand and improve high speed internet, or broadband, to everyone. Availability, Affordability, Devices and Digital Skills are just a few of the challenges facing Assembly Democrats as they work to close the digital divide and provide high speed internet to everyone. On the this episode of Look West Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon talks about broadband in California.

Learn about Earth Day and legislation authored by Assembly Democrats that can protect our environment.

As California works tirelessly to make sure everyone has access to vaccines, it is left to each individual county to determine how they are distributed. Listen in as Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula speaks with two local health experts Tania Pacheco-Werner, PhD, and Joe Prado about COVID-19 vaccine distribution efficiency and equity.

Marked annually on March 8, International Women's Day is a global day of celebrating the social, cultural and political achievements of women. California continues to lead in the inclusion of women and their leadership. Meet some of the amazing leaders in the CA State Assembly: Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes, Chief Clerk Sue Parker and Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore Rebecca Bauer-Kahan.

Water is an issue addressed by the California State Legislature every session. We had the opportunity to speak with Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath, grassroots organizers Susana De Anda, Executive Director of Community Water Center and Michael Claiborne, Directing Attorney of Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability. Our guests discuss the complexity of water issue and how every aspect of it is related to affordability, accessibility, pollution, COVID-19, and climate change.

The novel vaccines are on the cutting edge of science. While the technology has been studied for years, this is the first in-human use of this technology, so some are slow to say Yes to being vaccinated. On this episode Dr. Shirley Weber describes her experience receiving her vaccine. Plus - a conversation about the cutting-edge nature of the vaccine with Assemblymember Dr. Jim Wood and Nurse Practitioner Christy Sillman. Sillman has written about how she owes her life to "living at the cutting edge of science," and sees the vaccine as an extension of that.

Get to know Speaker Anthony Rendon like never before. Join us as he shares how a son of Mexican immigrants came to be the Speaker of the CA State Assembly.