Assembly Public Safety Committee advances vendor vetting, transit-worker protections and stiffer minimum for child torture; other measures pass on consent

The California State Assembly Public Safety Committee met Oct. 27 in Sacramento and advanced several bills affecting public safety, procurement, and criminal justice policy.

AB 458, the Firearm Procurement Act, authored by Assemblymember Stephanie, cleared committee as amended after proponents argued it would prevent state agencies from buying firearms, ammunition or accessories from dealers with serious compliance histories. Supporters, including Rebecca Marcus of Brady and Jonathan Feldman of the California Police Chiefs Association, said vendor vetting would curb trafficking and prevent taxpayer dollars from supporting dealers with repeated federal violations. Opponents including Adam Wilson of Gun Owners of California argued the proposal imposes burdensome data requirements and amounts to subjective ‘‘political gatekeeping.’’ The committee passed AB 458 as amended to Appropriations.

AB 394, sponsored by Assemblymember Wilson, passed to the Judiciary Committee. The bill clarifies that enhanced battery penalties apply to all transit employees, expands which workers can be covered by workplace-based temporary restraining orders (TROs) and makes TROs systemwide (covering vehicles, stations and facilities). Transit labor and operators (ATU Local 256 and other unions) and numerous transit agencies testified in support, citing rising assaults, service disruptions and a small number of frequent offenders who cause outsized harm to system reliability. County Connection’s general…