Look West: How California is Leading the Nation Democratic Office of Communications and Outreach

California has been trailblazer for LGBTQ+ rights for more than two decades. When the Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus was formed 22 years ago it was the first such caucus in the nation. The current Caucus Vice Chair Assemblymember Chris Ward from San Diego says the Caucus has many of the same goals today that it had when it was formed…to raise awareness about the issues affecting LGBTQ+ Californians and work to insure equality and justice for all Californians.

The month of May is Older Californians Month. This year California is also celebrating the 50th anniversary of the trend setting California Department of Aging. With that in mind we’re featuring a conversation with Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains, Chair of the Aging and Long Term Care Committee and California Department of Aging Director Susan DeMarois discussing the growing population of Californians over the age of 60, the challenges they face and ways California is working to make their lives better.

California’s foster care system is in desperate need of an upgrade. The list of problems is long…and the outcomes for foster youth have been poor in far too many cases. May is Foster Care Awareness Month so we sat down with Assemblymember Dr. Cory Jackson, a leading voice in the effort to improve the child welfare system, to talk about what needs to be done to fix the problems facing California’s foster care children.

With a rallying cry of “the rent is too damn high” Assemblymember Matt Haney created the California Legislative Renters’ Caucus. An overflow crowd squeezed into a bar near the State Capitol for the Caucus’ first ever meetup event. Haney and the other Members of the Renters Caucus told the overflow audience they’ll work to protect renters’ rights and create more tenant-friendly policies in California.

Throughout the month of February extra focus is on the history of African-Americans, as the country marks Black History Month. For more than 50 years, the California Legislative Black Caucus has been at the forefront of efforts to make sure the real history of Black America is told and improve the lives of Blacks in California. Assemblymember Lori Wilson is the current Chair of the CLBC. In this episode with her we’ll review the Caucus’ reparations legislative package, look back at black history in California and look forward to what might be the next chapters in black history.

Videos of smash and grab robberies have many people thinking about retail theft, including state lawmakers. A new Select Committee is investigating the reasons for the rise in retail theft, its impacts on businesses and employees and what can be done about it. Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur is the Chair of the new Committee. He told Look West retail theft is a much more complicated crisis than just the viral smash and grab videos.