Garners endorsement of Governor, Senate and Assembly Leaders
(From Press Release) – Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber (D-San Diego) announced Thursday that AB 392, use-of-force legislation she authored with Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), will move to a vote on the Assembly Floor after amendments have removed opposition of law enforcement groups.
“With so many unnecessary deaths, I think everyone agrees that we need to change how deadly force is used in California,” Weber said. “We can now move a policy forward that will save lives and change the culture of policing in California.”
AB 392 will require that officers use deadly force only when there is an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to themselves or others. The bill also makes clear that officers must use other resources and techniques, whenever safe and feasible, to address threats instead of using deadly force. These changes will be reflected in both law enforcement agency policy and officer training statewide.
As it moves to a critical vote over the next few days, AB 392 has also gained support of Governor Gavin Newsom in addition to Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon who 
became co-authors of the bill.
Governor Gavin Newsom
“This is an important bill, one that will help restore community trust in our criminal justice system,” said Governor Newsom. “I would like to thank Assemblymember Weber, Senate Pro Tem Atkins, Speaker Rendon and our legislative leaders who all worked tirelessly to get us to this point.”
Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins
“Last session, I made a commitment to Dr. Weber that we would not stop working on use-of-force legislation that addressed the need to end preventable deaths and to do so without jeopardizing the safety of law enforcement officers. The decision to hold the legislation last year proved to be the right choice. We spent countless hours as soon as session ended last year right up to today, bringing the different groups together so we could begin the difficult conversations needed to arrive at a negotiated agreement. Doing nothing was not an option. I commend all involved for their commitment to continue this work and for not walking away from the discussions, even when those discussions were difficult. I want to thank Dr. Weber for her passion and commitment to this incredibly important issue for all Californians.”
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon
“It is because of the moral strength of Assemblymember Shirley Weber that we have been able to bring this critical matter to this point,” said Assembly Speaker Rendon. “We need this resolution to save lives, protect public safety, and guarantee justice in every community.”
If signed into law, AB 392 would move California from one of the most permissive states to one with the strongest use-of-force laws in the country.
ACLU Statement on Historic Legislation to Reduce the Number of Police Shootings in California
(From Press Release) –Today, Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) announced that AB 392, historic legislation she introduced to change California’s use of force law and reduce the number of police shootings, would move onto a floor vote after law enforcement removed their opposition to the bill.
AB 392 is supported by Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate President Toni Atkins, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon.
Peter Bibring, Police Practices Director for the ACLU of California, had this to say in response to today’s announcement:
“We are proud to stand with Assemblymember Weber in support of AB 392. For far too long, California has ignored the problem of deadly police shootings, their devastating aftermath on families and communities, and the enormous racial disparities that accompany these shootings.
By requiring that officers use deadly force only when necessary, AB 392 will finally address this serious problem head on and establish one of the strongest state use of force laws in the country.
This groundbreaking bill draws directly from use of force policies that individual law enforcement agencies have successfully adopted throughout the country – and that we know work to reduce use of force incidents while also keeping officers safe.
By incorporating these best practices into state law, AB 392 will change the way every California officer is trained so that they pursue other, non-deadly resources or techniques whenever it is feasible and safe to do so, and thus help achieve the ultimate goal of saving lives.”
The one thing I miss about Jeff and Keith, no one more discussions on the police stuff. That’s too bad because this is critical.