The controversial Assembly Public Safety Committee will be under new leadership.
California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D–Hollister) announced new committee assignments on Tuesday.
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The big picture: Asm. Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D–Los Angeles) has been removed by Rivas as the Chair of the Public Safety Committee.
- Asm. Kevin McCarty (D–Sacramento) has been selected as Jones-Sawyer’s replacement.
- The Public Safety Committee has been controversial under Jones-Sawyer’s leadership, receiving major public backlash after blocking some bills on fentanyl and leading to Democratic leadership forcing its hand to reconsider some bills.
- Jones-Sawyer has been removed from the committee entirely.
- Asm. Mia Bonta (D–Alameda) has also been removed as the Chair of the Budget Committee. Earlier this year she came under fire for leading the committee that controls the budget of the Attorney General’s Office, which is run by her husband Rob Bonta.
- Rivas appointed Bonta to serve as the Assembly Health Chair.
- Rivas did not make any changes with any representatives in the Central Valley.
What they’re saying: McCarty said in a statement that he welcomes the appointment and looks forward to moving balanced and common sense policies next year.
- “Californians have a right to be safe in their homes and on their streets. I’m confident Assemblymember McCarty will bring commitment and conscientiousness to this role,” Rivas said in a statement.
