Leading and Legislating on behalf of the 47th District

Statement by Holly Mitchell, Chair, Budget Subcommittee 1

Regrettably, the May revision to the 2012/13 state budget, even in the face of a 16 billion dollar deficit, is a profound disappointment on many levels, promising to compound the blows of the past by continuing pain into the foreseeable future.

California now faces unacceptable infrastructure decay, the slide of education to last place, police layoffs, and elimination of investments in people and projects that would create jobs.

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(Sacramento, CA) AB 1709, authored by Assemblymember Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) and requiring that a minor have the right to a jury trial if the verdict or decision in the case may legally affect his sentence or status in future criminal cases, has passed the Assembly Committee on Public Safety.

"Our juvenile justice system is supposed to protect and rehabilitate minors to prevent future incarceration," noted Assemblywoman Mitchell. "But if a juvenile crime is serious enough to count later as a "third strike", the minor should get a jury trial. Adult rights must be afforded where there are adult consequences."

AB 1709 has been introduced because many youths are subject to inequitable justice through the juvenile court system, which does not allow for jury trials, even when a minor is being tried for offenses that would count as a "strike" against their criminal record. Instead of protecting minors, the current system prevents minors from having the same level of protection that would be afforded to adults.

Since Proposition 21 passed, minors have been subjected to increased criminal penalties and incorporated into the adult system, swelling the courts' backlog and the prison system. Currently, juvenile adjudications that are "strikes" can be used as factors to determine in future conviction sentences. Implementation of this law has subjected juveniles to a system that treats adults with greater fairness and benefit of the doubt than children. Potentially, minors can be subjected to life in prison based on offenses committed while they were under the age of 16, despite the reality that he/she was not entitled to have a jury decide his innocence or guilt. AB 1709 proposes to correct this inequality by assuring that minors have a right to due process through the jury trial system.

"At its core, this bill is about fairness," said Assemblymember Mitchell (D-47) "California's prisons and jails are filling up with youths who will find it forever difficult to be accepted back into society at large. The least we can do, having failed to rehabilitate them, is ensure that they get the same due process to which hardened, career criminals are entitled in court."

AB 1709 will now be considered in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 2348 will expand access to women seeking reproductive health care A bill by Assemblymember Holly Mitchell (D-Culver City) that will increase access to birth control for poor and rural women has passed the Assembly Business & Professions committee on a 6-3, party-line vote.

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SACRAMENTO – In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) recipients and their caregivers spoke movingly today to lawmakers of how often the program is all that stands between lives lived at home in familiar communities – and stark institutionalization. After hearing the testimony and weighing the fiscal, legal and human impacts, the Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services voted, in accord with the recommendation of its chair, Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), to spare the program from a cut to key services.

“The state’s budget is a value statement,” said Mitchell. “I’m not okay with acting in a way which tells the most vulnerable among us, ‘You aren’t valued.’”

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“Jackie” Dupont-Walker, for over 42 years, has been a professional in the public and private sectors. Mrs. Dupont-Walker’s strong commitment and calling to “faith centered and empowering” development has made her a prophetic voice locally and nationally. Early in life she was impacted by the models of an entrepreneurial and visionary father and maternal grandfather who taught her self-determination and self-reliance in the in the context of a strong faith and a commitment to community service. Her maternal role models included a clever “sistah” Grandmom and Mother-dear who demonstrated and expected excellence. “Jackie” pioneered in desegregating a major university, and has trail blazed on behalf of women and people of color in many arenas.

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Democratic Legislators Act to Relieve Burden of Rising Public College Fees on Middle Class

Los Angeles—Assemblymember Holly Mitchell (D-47) joined Assembly leaders today in introducing major new legislation to create the Middle Class Scholarship program. AB 1501, introduced by Speaker John A. Pérez and co-authored by Assemblywoman Mitchell, whose district includes UCLA, would provide thousands of dollars in savings for middle-income families with students enrolled in California's public higher education system.

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(Sacramento) – After the Governor’s State of the State Address, California State Assemblymember Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) said we need to think big and act boldly as we move toward California’s bright future. Mitchell was impressed with both the Governor’s and Lt. Governor’s optimism about what lies ahead for our great state. We may face some difficult choices while dealing with California’s large budget deficit. However, Assemblymember Mitchell is committed to helping our state’s schools and working families, while keeping cops on the beat. She also believes the most wealthy among us should contribute a little more to California’s recovery. Learn more in this Assembly Access Video.

California federal and state legislators hold special event to recognize women vets and announce available assistance for servicemembers

LOS ANGELES – During a special event to recognize the commitments and sacrifices of women veterans, Assemblymember Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) and Congressmember Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) honored a female vet, Lauren Williams, and a veterans service organization, Military Women in Need, for their exemplary service to America's veterans.

As the fastest growing segment of the veteran population, women veterans often face unique challenges when returning home from combat. With more than 166,000 women veterans in California, the largest number in the country, California federal and state legislators are developing solutions to provide vets with assistance to find adequate housing, healthcare and jobs.

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