Legislative and Advocacy (L&A) Committee members Deborah Dentler and Karena Jew sat down with Assemblymember Gregg Hart at Handlebar Coffee on November 15, 2023 to discuss not only his first year in the assembly, but specific areas of interest that reflect our SBWPC position papers.
Hart is proud of his diverse staff. Having been asked about it “a lot” he was able to quickly rattle off a breakdown that demonstrated diversity across race, gender, sexual orientation, and geographic area.
We always ask elected officials and candidates about their efforts to mentor feminist women, one of our top priorities. As an acclimating new legislator, he has found his own feminist mentor in Senator Monique Limón, from whom he has learned so much about serving in the legislature. And he has been walking with new candidates for Assembly.
Steps taken as an officeholder to address inequities (such as bills sponsored to protect rights of minorities/women): Asked about his authorship or support for legislation benefitting women and minorities, Hart touted his successful “navigation” of the change of leadership in the Assembly, which resulted in a change in the Speakership from Rendon to Rivas, with whom Hart has a good relationship. It is up to the Speaker to make committee assignments, so having a good relationship with the new speaker is key. Hart hopes in the future to be placed on the committee that addresses childcare (he and his ex-wife owned and operated a successful childcare center in Santa Barbara for decades).
Hart is particularly pleased by the Democratic-led Assembly’s ability to come together under Rivas’ leadership to accomplish the following: increase the number of subsidized childcare slots; increase the minimum wage for certain healthcare workers (who are predominantly female); and increase public funding of anti-violence/violence prevention measures thanks to an 11% tax on guns and ammunition.
Hart is also proud of having authored 8 bills signed into law, including:
AB 590 Allows non-profit organizations that are recipients of state funding to receive 25% of their funding allocation in advance (a measure intended to address the problem of untimely payments to non-profits that struggle to pay bills and make payroll while awaiting funds, by improving the mechanism by which state contractors to get paid).
AB 631 An environmental bill increasing penalties for remediation of oil spills, by indexing fines to the rate of inflation and authorizing courts to order injunctive relief in addition to imposing fines.
AB 1345 A bill addressing predatory practices by certain real estate developers who are “bad apple actors” who prey on unsuspecting homeowners, particularly seniors, by getting them to agree to liens they don’t understand or realize they have agreed to.
In addition to the above bills he authored, Hart wanted us to know he “proudly supported” several bills that more directly addressed issues of interest to SBWPC:
SB 385 Expanded physician assistance training and allows non-physicians to perform certain types of abortions.
SB 487 Prohibits health insurers and the state from penalizing medical providers sanctioned in other states for performing abortions or gender-affirming procedures that are legal in California.
SB 848 5 days of unpaid leave for reproductive loss.
AB 5 Requires schoolteachers to do online training re: gender identity.
SB 447 Repealed the “travel ban” that prohibited state employees from travelling for their jobs to states that passed so-called bathroom laws and other discriminatory anti-LGBT measures (this repeal was sought by the same organizations that originally advocated for passage of the travel ban, but changed their positions on the ban upon realizing it was doing more harm than good).
AB 521 Requires gender-neutral bathrooms at construction sites.
AB 467 Simplified the process for domestic violence victims to obtain domestic violence restraining orders.
AB 1418 A bill to reduce discrimination against the formerly incarcerated, in rental housing.
Regarding future trends and challenges he foresees, Hart stated that the population of Santa Barbara County is declining, due primarily to lack of affordable housing. A declining population coupled with a housing crisis will ultimately impact our region’s “economic viability.” Hart also expressed concern for a growing “insurance coverage crisis” in our region, due to insurers ending coverage or raising rates in response to the impacts of climate change (i.e., wildfires and sea level rise).
Hart also mentioned the formation of the first-ever Central Coast Caucus in the Legislature, of which he is a proud member. This caucus was the brainchild of Senator Limón who suggested forming the caucus to increase the visibility of legislators from the Santa Barbara/SLO region and help highlight issues of special concern to Central Coast residents.
Asked if he’d be open to holding an annual update gathering for SBWPC members, Hart gave an enthusiastic “yes,” so look out for an invite in the future.