Last month, Assemblymember Mike Gipson celebrated the signing into law five major bills he authored, at the Student Union at Los Angeles Harbor College. The event highlighted the impact the bills will have on the everyday lives of Californians.
The press conference honored partnerships that enabled Gipson to get the legislation signed into law. Gipson told his audience that his office listened to the constituents in 2024, and replied “We got you.”
The bills that were passed were AB1879 (Wet Signatures), AB2181 (Court Schools), AB2975 (Metal Detectors), AB2984 (D’Ancee’s Law), and AB3085 (Street Racing).
Los Angeles County Assessor Jeffrey Prang gave Gipson an assist by explaining that the Wet Signature assembly bill allows the public to sign state property tax forms with electronic signatures. The bill authorizes electronic signatures instead of manual, facsimile, or other signatures as long as certain requirements are met. A digital signature is a more secure type of electronic signature that uses encryption and a unique digital certificate issued by a trusted authority (e.g., DocuSign, Adobe Sign). It ensures the signature is authentic, tamper-proof and legally binding. Digital signatures are often required for government, legal, or high-security documents. Prang said this assembly bill allows for any property tax document requiring a taxpayer’s signature to be electronically signed by the taxpayer, and not just via a digital signature.
AB2181 expands opportunities for juvenile court school pupils to stay in high school to complete local graduation requirements and engage in A-G courses (courses that California students must complete to be eligible for admission to the University of California and California State University systems), dual enrollment, and career technical education opportunities. In short, AB2181 allows system-impacted youth to stay in school longer if they choose.
AB2975 (Metal Detectors) mandates that Cal/OSHA requires hospitals to use metal detectors to screen and identify instruments “capable of inflicting death or serious bodily injury” at the main public entrance, the entrance to the emergency department and the entrance to labor and delivery.
Photo courtesy of Gipson’s office.
Two nurses, Guillermo Mendoza Lujan and Brittany Brandon, spoke on this assembly bill, explaining that hospital personnel will feel safer and that medical care will improve. Lujan noted that nurses are the ones who must check a patient’s belongings and screen for weapons, a task that could sometimes take up to an hour. Brandon, a union steward, added that this is a union-supported law. This comes as violence against healthcare workers is on the rise. KNX News reported in June 2024 that the bill would also require hospitals to document and retain “any written record of any violent incident against a hospital employee” for five years.
Under this bill, hospitals must also assign personnel, other than healthcare providers, to monitor and operate the devices. These personnel must receive at least eight hours of training on the detectors, de-escalation and implicit bias. The California Association of Highway Patrolmen president, Jake Johnson, spoke about Assemblymember Gipson.
Before discussing AB2984, D’Ancee’s Law, Johnson recounted his long relationship with the reserve police officer-turned assemblyman and said officers respect Gipson for standing by his principles, even when they disagree.
Johnson noted that D’Ancee’s Law was born from tragedy, alluding to when Gipson’s son, D’Ancee, was killed in a 1989 hit-and-run collision. Gipson has worked to remove the statute of limitations on hit-and-runs since 2015 when then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed his first bill into law. It allowed charges within one year of identifying a suspect, as long as it was within six years of the crime. Gipson hopes this prevents cold cases from closing and brings justice to mourning families.
AB3085 (Street Racing) expands the authority of law enforcement to impound a vehicle involved in street racing for up to 30 days upon a magistrate’s order even if the vehicle isn’t found until later. Specifically, a notice of the impoundment will be sent by electronic means with the consent of the defendant. It also requires the person or agency who executed the warrant or court order to receive notice of the post-storage hearing within 48 hours of impoundment.
Gipson closed the press conference by extending deep gratitude to all those who helped him get these bills passed. He also encouraged people to participate in the upcoming annual 65th Autism 5K run/walk on April 12, from 8 to 11:30 a.m. The assembly member added that this run is the reason local parks are friendly for children with autism. The run/walk starts at Wilmington Waterfront Park on C Street, in Wilmington.
Portions of press conference: https://tinyurl.com/Gipson-bills