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May 01, 2023

Catalytic converters, fires, fentanyl: Public safety top of mind for local politicians this legislative season

Local elected officials occupying seats in the state Legislature tackled a wide

Local elected officials occupying seats in the state Legislature tackled a wide variety of issues this session — everything from addressing the California Public Records Act and attempting to reduce the cost of breast pumps to requirements for football fields.

One common theme emerges when glancing through bills introduced by the four legislators representing parts of Kern County: public safety. That topic could cover a variety of issues such as crime, fire safety and public health.

Now that deadline to introduce new legislation this session has passed, here's a look at what bills will be making their way through the halls of the State Capitol and might ultimately wind up on the governor's desk.

Dates when each bill will be discussed in committee have not yet been scheduled.

Assembly members Jasmeet Bains, D-Delano, and Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, introduced separate bills to curtail the high rate of catalytic converter thefts affecting hundreds of people in the local community.

Fong's Assembly Bill 641 would make it a misdemeanor for a person to have six or more used catalytic converters that have been cut from a vehicle if he or she is not a licensed automobile dismantler or is excluded from being a licensed automobile dismantler.

"Thieves continue to steal catalytic converters, while victims foot the bill and must wait for months on end for repairs. Law enforcement needs more tools to hold thieves accountable and protect California motorists," Fong said in a statement. "This bill will help discourage theft, increase penalties on criminals and bring relief to California families, businesses and nonprofits."

Bains introduced Assembly Bill 1519, which would make it a misdemeanor to "remove, alter or obfuscate" any vehicle identification number or a "unique marking" added to a catalytic converter. It also would make it illegal to "knowingly have three catalytic converters" that have these markings "removed, altered or obfuscated," according to an analysis of the bill.

The removal of a VIN or marking on a catalytic converter wouldn't be illegal if a person is attempting to apply a new VIN or a unique marking because the catalytic converter is going to be installed on a different car. It also would not be illegal if an individual were destroying a lawfully possessed catalytic converter.

Separate analyses for each bill noted creating a misdemeanor could add to the workload for trial courts, which could create the need for increased court funding. The bill could also lead to overcrowding in jails because a misdemeanor charge generally leads to a punishment of jail time or fines up to $1,000. Local jails are already packed with inmates and don't have enough room, the analyses stated.

Catalytic converters contain valuable metals such as rhodium, valued more than $14,000 per ounce, and palladium, costing about $2,500 per ounce, according to an analysis conducted by the state Assembly.

Both bills passed out of the Assembly with minimal opposition.

Just one year ago, state Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, passionately rallied to reclassify human trafficking as a violent crime in California, which could allow stiffer penalties for repeat offenders.

Her bill — Senate Bill 14 — died in a party line vote last year. But she reintroduced it during this legislative cycle and the exact opposite happened: It passed with flying colors by getting votes from those who opposed the bill in the previous legislative session.

"It's hard to believe that selling a human being over and over again is not considered a serious crime in California," Grove said in a statement. "Senate Bill 14 will protect countless children who are being trafficked and prevent this horrific crime from happening. This bill is one of the missing pieces that is needed in order to address one of the most lucrative crimes in the world that is happening in communities across our state."

The highly addictive drug has taken over the streets of Bakersfield, and its overwhelming presence has prompted Bains to introduce two bills attempting to stop its spread.

AB 33 would create a Fentanyl Addiction and Overdose Prevention Task force to bring together law enforcement, prosecutors, addiction experts, public health officials and health-care providers to discuss solutions, according to Bains. It would be co-chaired by the state Attorney General and the California Surgeon General.

The Assemblywoman said her intent is to bring together a wide swath of experts to inform lawmakers what tools are needed to fight this death.

"That may mean Democrats have to stomach implementing additional penalties for dealers and repeat offenders," Bains said in a statement. "And that may mean Republicans have to support diversion programs and other strategies that prevent the over incarceration of black and brown communities. It means we need to think outside our partisan boxes and recognize that we are all guilty of allowing the deadliest drug outbreak in our nation's history to transpire on our watch."

The San Francisco Public Defender's office opposes this bill because there's already decades of research showing there's a need for solutions such as access to housing, job training, syringe services programs and supervised injection sites. Methods such as these must be implemented rather than having a task force with a heavy law enforcement perspective, according to an analysis of the bill.

The second bill introduced by the first-term legislator says a person administering emergency treatment for a person overdosing from fentanyl should generally be exempt from civil damages.

An overdose can be reversed if an individual administers Naloxone, an over-the-counter medication.

Senate Bill 486, introduced by state Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, is aimed at holding state football championship games at a location "comparable" to the location of all other state championship games.

Hurtado's legislation came after Shafter High School's Generals were beset by muddy conditions during their game battling for the CIF Division 5-A title last year. It is intended to level the disparities between high- and low-income schools.

The city of Shafter has thrown its support behind the bill and stated there were clear differences in the environments other high school football teams competed in while Kern's rural town wallowed in mud.

"For teams competing within the first five divisions, their competitions took place at a neutral location — a college football facility — with better field conditions, medical accessibility, seating and sideline and media participation. The remaining CIF State Championship games — made up typically of small and rural schools — were not given the same level of significance or attention," according to a statement by the city of Shafter.

Assembly Bill 1203, introduced by Bains, would make breast pumps, breast pump collection and storage supplies, breast pump kits and breast pads all exempt from sales tax.

Increased costs imposed on these items put a financial burden on families and working parents, even as infant formula is tax-exempt, according to an Assembly analysis of the bill.

Assembly Bill 724, created by Fong, would tackle brush and trees growing rampantly alongside highways, which often leads to wildfires in Kern County when cars drive by.

Caltrans has a backlog of roads that need to be cleared of such flammable material, according to Fong, and AB 724 would hasten the department's efforts. If a local government body informs Caltrans there's a clear danger of overgrown shrubbery, then state officials would have to begin necessary maintenance work within 90 days.

You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.

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