Take a behind the scenes look at the end of the 2019 legislative year with Assembly Democrats and their staff as they describe to us the crazy and exciting last week of session in the Capitol. We spoke to Assemblymembers, Chiefs of Staff, Legislative Directors, Legislative Aids, and Assembly Fellows about the long hours and the snacks that got them through the week and heard their thoughts on the protests that rocked the Capitol during the last week of session.

This episode of LookWest features some of the best and brightest segments that have been covered since the inception of the show. Topics include civil rights, aging and Alzheimer’s, Millennial leadership, restorative justice and more.

On this episode of Look West, Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner Horvath and Carlsbad City Councilmember and 3x Women’s World Longboard Surfing Champion, Cori Schumacher, discuss equal pay for equal play, and why gender pay inequity is still an issue in the world of sports.

Earlier this year, Assemblywoman Boerner Horvath introduced Assembly Bill 467, which ensures equal compensation prizes for the male and female categories in competitions that take place on state lands. You can find the bill text for AB 467 on the California Legislative Information website.

The CA State Assembly annually celebrates Pride by honoring those who are making a difference in the LGBTQ community and beyond. On this episode of Look West, Assemblymember Todd Gloria meets with Pride Award recipient and former NBA player, Jason Collins. Jason shares his experience on coming out as a professional athlete, what it’s like to meet Oprah, and the work he’s doing to advocate for LGBTQ individuals and families who are struggling to survive the migrant crisis on the southern border.

Each year the California State Assembly holds a special ceremony to highlight the achievements of people in the Asian Pacific Islander communities. In this episode of Look West, Assemblymember David Chiu talks with a Michelin star chef from Oakland (James Syhabout), the screenwriter of Crazy Rich Asians (Adele Lim) and the first Asian American to host a cable network news program (Richard Lui).

#APICaucus #AsianPacificIslander #jamessyhabout #adelelim #richardlui #commis #crazyrichasians #msnbc #assemblydems #diversity

Assembly Constitutional Amendment 4 is a measure to allow 17 year olds to vote in the primary if they are 18 by the general election. It is an effort to increase civic participation among young people and to encourage interest in the electoral process for a lifetime. The idea has been around for more than 30 years and was first introduced by former Assemblmember Gene Mullin. At that time, although, it received a majority of votes, he could not receive the 54 needed for passage. Today, with youth even more involved and an atmosphere more conducive to the idea, Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (Gene’s son) has reintroduced the idea as ACA 4. Listen to the story of the idea from the two Mullins and hear what today’s students think of the idea as well.

On this episode of Look West, Assemblymember Robert Rivas sits down with civil and labor rights leader Dolores Huerta. Together, they discuss how California’s Housing Crisis is negatively impacting farmworkers and their families. Rivas’ legislation, the ‘Farmworker Housing Act of 2019’ hopes to address the issue.

On this episode of Look West, Assemblymembers Adrin Nazarian and Laura Friedman, Holocaust survivor Ruth Wildorff, and descendants of genocide survivors Vanndearlyn Vong, Nora Hovsepian, Esq., and Mihran Toumajan discuss why genocide education is so important.

On this episode of Look West, Assemblymember Monique Limón sits down with EDC’s Linda Krop and CAUSE’s Lucas Zucker at the site of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill - the largest spill in California’s history. They discuss the different roles of the coastal environment and why it continues to be so important to fight for environmental justice, especially here in California.

On this episode of Look West, Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon sits down with the creators and cast of the film, “El Chicano” to discuss the challenges Latino productions face in the film industry and how the California Film Commission’s Tax Credit Program empowers filmmakers to prioritize diversity.