Steyer Calls on California to Pass Critical Police Reform Bills

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Category: Beltway Insider

Published on Saturday, 05 September 2020 13:36

Written by Contributing Editor

Climate activist, NextGen America founder, and former presidential candidate Tom Steyer released the following statement calling on the California state legislature to pass a suite of police reform bills including legislation to decertify police who become criminal offenders.

Specifically, Steyer called for the Legislature to reconsider critical, common sense legislation to decertify police officers who break the law, release personnel records following certain serious incidents, and to give the Attorney's General office the resources to investigate police shootings. 

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"Every one of us must stand against the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Stephon Clark and too many others. But we have an even greater responsibility to address the racist, systemic conditions and policies that led to their deaths. California is no exception. Although the Legislature made strong strides on several key reforms like the Racial Justice Act, too many of our elected officials settled for the status quo. That's why I'm calling on the Legislature to reconsider critical legislation to decertify police officers who break the law, release personnel records following serious incidents, and immediately give the state's Attorney General's office the resources to investigate police shootings once the Governor signs AB 1506 into law and hold them accountable despite the Attorney General's objections. Over the last several decades, California's progressive policies have served as a model for the rest of our country. Police reform should be no exception."

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About Tom:

Tom Steyer left his successful investing business seven years ago to give his own money and all his time and energy to fighting for progressive causes. He soon became one of the country's leading forces in registering more young voters and voters of color, fighting climate change, working for racial justice, and helping secure better lives for all Americans.

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Tom has led a number of people-first, grassroots campaigns that have repeatedly defeated powerful special interests, beating big oil to win clean air laws, forcing big tobacco to pay its share of healthcare costs, and closing a billion-dollar corporate tax loophole to fund public schools.  

Tom and his wife Kat Taylor were early signers of the Giving Pledge, a commitment to give the bulk of their fortune to good causes before they die. Tom's dedication to doing what is right comes from his parents.

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His father was a lawyer who prosecuted Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials; his mother was a journalist and teacher who volunteered to teach prisoners in New York City jails. Tom says his parents showed him the power of having the courage to do the right thing. Their greatest lesson, he says, was that our actions speak louder than our words – what we do is more important than what we say.