Holden Authored Bevy of Bills, Secured Public Library Funds In 2021 Legislative Session

Six major bills authored by Assemblymember Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, have been signed into law during this legislative session.

Signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 30 was Holden’s Assembly Bill 26, which establishes clear guidelines for police responsibility and accountability when witnessing the use of excessive force by another member of the police force.

The measure, known as the “George Floyd Law,” specifically requires police officers to intercede when witnessing excessive use of force by their colleagues and report the incident to a dispatcher or a watch commander.

Holden, who previously served on the Pasadena City Council, filed the bill in response to the murder of 46-year-old George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Michael Chauvin in May 2020.

Floyd died after Chauvin pinned him to the ground using his knee during an encounter. His murder sparked a series of protests across the country, including Pasadena.

Another public safety measure that was introduced by Holden and signed by Newsom was AB 229, which requires the use of force training for private security. The bill was intended to ensure officers providing private security services receive proper training to avoid unnecessary harm or death to others.

It also requires private patrol operators to report within seven business days any physical use of force or violence on any person by a security officer while on duty.

The bill was filed in response to the death of Mario Matthews and Angel Zapata Hernández in 2019 as a result of the use of deadly force by private security.

AB 229 requires the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services to develop curriculum and mandatory training courses on the appropriate use of force for private security service employees in consultation with the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.

AB 948 is another bill authored by Holden that was signed by Newsom this legislative session. The bill seeks to address supposed discrimination against black homeowners.

In introducing the bill, Holden claimed Black Americans are getting their homes appraised for less money than their white neighbors.

AB 948 would require the Bureau of California Real Estate Appraisals to gather data on demographic information of buyers and sellers of property and compile data of homeowners from protected classes who file complaints based on low appraisals.

The legislation also requires appraisers to take anti-bias training when renewing their licenses.

Newsom also signed into law Holden’s AB 100 which bans the manufacture and sale of water faucets and fixtures with excess lead. The new law restricts the amount of lead leaching from faucets and fixtures to no more than one microgram, which is five times lower than the current industry standard.

Holden’s AB 242 and 1297 were also signed into law by Newsom. AB 242 expands the definition of “covered wild-fire” for the purpose of paying property damage claims through the Wildfire Fund in which an electrical corporation is involved while AB 1297 expands the financing authority of the California Infrastructure and Economic Bank to include housing projects.

Meanwhile, Holden also scored local victories through a budget bill approved last June, which is AB 129, known as budget trailer bill. The local bills include $4 million for the Pasadena Central Library, $1.6 million for the Pasadena Playhouse, $1 million for a study of the Gold Line extension to the Hollywood-Burbank Airport, and $250,000 for the Altadena Central Library District.

The budget also provides funding for a state school nurse consultant within the Department of Education, and $89.9 million funding for developmental disability service providers that will grow to $1.2 billion in the next five years.