Kamala Harris in CA legislative records
On Civil Rights:
Eliminate "gay panic" tactic for criminal defendants
Legislative Counsel's Digest: A "gay panic" or "trans panic" defense allows a criminal defendant to claim that the victim's sexual orientation or gender identity provoked them to violence. This outrageous tactic sends the message that
violence against members of the LGBT community is understandable or acceptable. These defense tactics also hurt survivors and loved ones of victims by asking the jury to find that the victim's sexual orientation or gender identity excuses the
defendant's actions. AB 2501, the first bill of its kind in the nation, eliminates "gay panic" and "trans panic" as a tactic for criminal defendants, ensuring that attacks on members of the LGBT community can be seen for what they are.
Legislative Outcome: Co-sponsored by Attorney General Kamala D. Harris; 8/26/14: Passed Senate, 25-9-6; 8/27/14: Passed Assembly, 58-15-6; signed by Governor Brown
Source: California legislative voting records for AB 2501
Aug 27, 2014
On Civil Rights:
Refused to defend Prop. 8 gay marriage ban
There's no love lost between Kamala Harris and Proposition 8. San Francisco's District Attorney, soon to be California's Attorney General, made her position clear this week: when Prop 8 comes to the 9th Circuit court of appeals, her office will not
defend the marriage ban. Harris has stated that she believes the law is unconstitutional because it violates the equal-protection clause in the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.
Source: NBC Bay Area: California legislative voting records: Prop. 8
Dec 2, 2010
On Crime:
Improve criminal justice reporting; increase accountability
[Attorney General Kamala Harris' press release on OpenJustice Data Act]: The OpenJustice Data Act, said Harris, "will bring criminal justice data reporting into the 21st Century."Assembly Bill 2524 will convert Crime in California and other annual
reports published by the California Department of Justice into digital data sets that will be published on the Attorney General's OpenJustice Web portal. These reports provide statistical summaries including numbers of arrests, complaints against
peace officers, hate crime offenses, and law enforcement officers killed or assaulted. The OpenJustice Web portal will transform the way this information is presented to the public with interactive, accessible visualization tools, while making
raw data available for public interest researchers.
Legislative outcome: Aug/24/16 passed Senate 39-0-0; Aug/30/16 passed Assembly 80-0-0; Sep/21/16 signed by Governor Jerry Brown
Source: California legislative voting records: AB-2524
Mar 21, 2016
On Environment:
Civil business penalties should go to protect public health
Harris has introduced a series of regulatory changes to Proposition 65 meant to curb frivolous lawsuits. The law, originally passed by voters in 1986, forces businesses to post warnings about the presence of toxic chemicals in products, homes and in the
workplace. The proposal seeks to ensure that a greater share of civil penalties paid by businesses go to fulfilling the law's purpose of protecting public health, said Kristin Ford, press secretary for Harris.
Source: BizJournal: California legislative voting records: Prop. 65
Sep 29, 2015
On Government Reform:
Neighborhood districting increases minority representation
ACLU argument in favor of AB 182: The 2002 CA Voting Rights Act empowers challenges to race-based vote dilution in local at-large elections. AB 182 extends these protections to single-member district systems and designs remedies to avoid
diluting the voices and votes of protected communities.SFGate.com veto analysis:Gov. Brown said in his veto message that existing laws "already ensure that the voting strength of minority communities is not diluted." The 2002 law allows
minority groups to challenge at-large (city-wide) elections, increasing the likelihood of control by a white majority. [Since 2002] over 100 local governments switched to district elections. The [new] law could challenge district lines if intended to
dilute minority votes. Minority advocates and state Attorney General Kamala Harris, supported it.
Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 26-14-0 on 9/3/15; Passed Assembly 53-24-3 on 9/8; Vetoed by Gov. Brown on 10/10.
Source: ACLU on California voting record AB 182
Oct 2, 2015
Page last updated: Mar 09, 2024