California Assemblymembers Blanca Rubio and Wendy Carrillo talk about immigrating to the United States

Building Better Foster Care: California’s foster care system is in desperate need of an upgrade. The list of problems is long…and the outcomes for foster youth have been poor in far too many cases. May is Foster Care Awareness Month so we sat down with Assemblymember Dr. Cory Jackson, a leading voice in the effort to improve the child welfare system, to talk about what needs to be done to fix the problems facing California’s foster care children. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

18 min listen

Growing Renters Caucus Amplifies Tenants’ Voices: With a rallying cry of “the rent is too damn high” Assemblymember Matt Haney created the California Legislative Renters’ Caucus. An overflow crowd squeezed into a bar near the State Capitol for the Caucus’ first ever meetup event. Haney and the other Members of the Renters Caucus told the overflow audience they’ll work to protect renters’ rights and create more tenant-friendly policies in California. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

24 min listen

Black History Month and Healing the Trauma: Throughout the month of February extra focus is on the history of African-Americans, as the country marks Black History Month. For more than 50 years, the California Legislative Black Caucus has been at the forefront of efforts to make sure the real history of Black America is told and improve the lives of Blacks in California. Assemblymember Lori Wilson is the current Chair of the CLBC. In this episode with her we’ll review the Caucus’ reparations legislative package, look back at black history in California and look forward to what might be the next chapters in black history. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

23 min listen

New Committee Investigating the Rise in Retail Theft: Videos of smash and grab robberies have many people thinking about retail theft, including state lawmakers. A new Select Committee is investigating the reasons for the rise in retail theft, its impacts on businesses and employees and what can be done about it. Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur is the Chair of the new Committee. He told Look West retail theft is a much more complicated crisis than just the viral smash and grab videos. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

21 min listen

New Monument Honors the Real History of California’s First People: Long before the State Capitol was built the Miwok Indians lived, hunted and fished in what became Sacramento. Now – for the first time - California’s First People have a monument in Capitol Park to honor the Indigenous People of California. Assemblymember James Ramos, the only Native American in the State Legislature, is leading the way to right the historical wrongs, educate everyone on the real history of Native Americans in the Golden State and honor tribal ancestors. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

21 min listen

California Leading the Way on Veterans Issues: California is home to more military bases than any other state. And there are 1.3-million military veterans living in California. What are the issues and challenges for them? What can California do to help? As we honor military veterans this month, Look West went looking for answers to those questions with the new Chair of the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, Pilar Schiavo. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

29 min listen

Next Generation Workers' Rights: Thousands of young workers are being exploited every year. The U.S Department of Labor says the employment rights of 2,819 minors were violated in 2021. Employers were fined $3.4 million. Assemblymember Liz Ortega – a former labor organizer - aims to fix that. She wrote AB 800 – which will require high school juniors and seniors to learn about their rights as workers during the annual Workplace Readiness Week each May. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

20 min listen

LGBTQ+ Inclusivity Improves Schools for All Students: Despite the progress made in California, LGBTQ+ students still face bullying and worse in California schools. The harsh treatment has led to high dropout rates. Which, in turn, lead to a cycle of homelessness, poverty and health & wellbeing disparities in the LGBTQ+ community. Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur and the Assembly Democrats are working to better equip the teachers, staff and students to support LGBTQ+ students. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

30 min listen

A New Voice for the Central Coast: There is power in numbers. That’s one reason why California’s Central Coast lawmakers have banded together and formed the Central Coast Legislative Caucus. There are ten Members of the CCLC representing the coast from Ventura County to Santa Cruz. Take a trip with us to Morro Bay to hear from CCLC Chair Dawn Addis and other Members of the new Central Coast Legislative Caucus. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

30 min listen

Meet the New Speaker: From very humble beginnings, Robert Rivas has risen to be the 71st Speaker of the California State Assembly. His story begins in Salinas Valley farmworker housing. It continues today with his election to one of the most powerful political positions in the 4th largest economy in the world. As you’ll hear in this episode Speaker Robert Rivas has many passions, interests, and some concerns, that he is planning to address during his tenure as Assembly Speaker… by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

22 min listen

“40 Acres and a Mule” California’s Reparations Task Force: The idea of reparations for African-Americans has been around since President Lincoln signed Field Order 15, promising “40 acres and as mule” to former slaves. The order was rescinded by President Andrew Johnson after Lincoln was assassinated. Over the many, many decades since, multiple efforts have been made to come up with a reparations plan but none have been successful. Enter AB 3121, written by former Assemblymember and now CA Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber. It created a Reparations Task Force and that Task Force is about to deliver its proposal to the State Legislature. Will these recommendations result in reparations? We talk with Task Force Member and Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

24 min listen

Fentanyl: One Pill Can Kill: Fentanyl. Stronger and more deadly than heroin and much, much more widely available. Just a tiny amount of fentanyl can kill. Law enforcement, political and community leaders and parents are waging a war against fentanyl on multiple fronts. Assembly Democrats are in the fight with new legislation to stop fentanyl trafficking, expand the availability of anti-overdose medication and spread the word about the dangers of fentanyl. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

16 min listen

Rap On Trial: Decriminalizing Artistic Expression: Under the recently enacted Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act, written by Assemblymember Reginald Jones-Sawyer (D-South Los Angeles), artists, particularly rap music artists, will not have their work used against them in a courtroom in California as a sole way of connecting them with a crime. In this episode of the Look West podcast Assemblymember Jones-Sawyer sits down with Harvey Mason jr, CEO of the Recording Academy, GRAMMY – Award winning Hip-Hop icon and Founder and CEO of Rock the Bells LL COOL J, and Professor of Criminology, Law & Society Charis Kubrin. In a very animated conversation they talk about why this new law is so important, what it means for creative expression and avoiding implicit bias in the treatment of artists, particularly young men of color. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

31 min listen

Mass Shootings Spur Assembly Democrats to Continue Fight Against Gun Violence: Gun Violence continues to be rampant in California and the United States. 2023 began with two tragic mass shootings in the cities of Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay. Before January was over, 40+ incidents of mass shootings had occurred in the United States. Assembly Democrats have continued to lead the nation on how to combat gun violence. In this episode, we speak with those who have experienced the gun violence and the lawmakers who are working to stop it. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

31 min listen

Records Set, Records Broken – Women of the CA Assembly Democratic Caucus by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

28 min listen

For the Benefit of All: Assembly Democrats have been working to improve the lives of all Californians with laws that took effect earlier this year and new proposals that keep fighting the good fight going forward. Successes include increased protection for reproductive rights, policies allowing more affordable housing, bereavement leave, eliminating the "Pink Tax" and ending citations for safe jaywalking. In 2023, Assembly Democrats are working to assist the unhoused, deal with climate change, protect workers, and much more…For the Benefit of All. by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

13 min listen

Assembly Democratic Caucus Incoming Class Sets Numerous Records - Part 1: Assembly Democratic Caucus Incoming Class Sets Numerous Records - Part 1 by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

25 min listen

Assembly Democratic Caucus Incoming Class Sets Numerous Records - Part 2: Assembly Democratic Caucus Incoming Class Sets Numerous Records - Part 2 by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

26 min listen

Climate Change and California’s Transportation Future: Climate Change and California’s Transportation Future by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

30 min listen

Pulling Plastics from the Pollution Pipeline: Pulling Plastics from the Pollution Pipeline by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

25 min listen

Assemblymember Ramos Forms Native American Legislative Caucus: Assemblymember Ramos Forms Native American Legislative Caucus by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

18 min listen

Majority Leader Reyes Brokers Deal on Medical Malpractice: Majority Leader Reyes Brokers Deal on Medical Malpractice by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

25 min listen

AB 540 – Generations of Learning: AB 540 – Generations of Learning by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

31 min listen

COVID Today – What You Need to Know: COVID Today – What You Need to Know by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

36 min listen

Keeping Democracy Safe in California: Keeping Democracy Safe in California by Look West: How California is Leading the Nation

34 min listen

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California Assemblymembers Blanca Rubio and Wendy Carrillo talk about immigrating to the United States

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