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CalMatters
California lawmakers’ safety gets new attention after Trump shooting
By Lynn La,
1 day ago
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Former President Donald Trump evaded serious injury, or death, by mere centimeters after a bullet struck his upper right ear during a campaign rally Saturday in Pennsylvania. The Republican presidential candidate pumped his fist, his face bloodied, as Secret Service agents hustled him off the stage following the shooting. But one spectator was killed, two were critically injured and the Secret Service killed the suspected shooter, identified by the FBI as a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man .
Saturday’s mayhem is the most recent known assassination attempt of a president or presidential candidate since the 1981 shooting of President Ronald Reagan , and renewed conversations about the country’s deep partisan divide, gun safety and dangerous political rhetoric — especially violent threats toward officials and candidates.
So it’s no wonder that beefing up personal security has been a priority for some lawmakers. As explained earlier by CalMatters Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal , the Secretary of the Senate and chief administrative officer of the Assembly said that there has been heightened concern about political violence in recent years, and a bill is underway to protect California lawmakers and candidates from rampant threats .
The measure, Assembly Bill 2041 , would allow candidates and elected officials to use more campaign funds for personal security for themselves, family members and staff. Democratic Assemblymember Mia Bonta of Oakland is carrying the bill and said she hopes to “see it across the finish line for the safety of candidates across the state.” If passed, Bonta’s measure could be enacted in time for the November election.
Bonta , in a statement: “(Saturday’s) events show that political violence continues to plague our democracy. … This bill has had bipartisan support because people on both sides of the aisle recognize the safety needs in this charged political climate.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose office did not immediately reply to a request for comment, vetoed similar legislation last year, saying that the bill did not clearly define “ security expenses .” Bonta’s newest bill, however, has been amended to specify what’s considered a security expense, as well as clarifies disclosure requirements for transparency.
The bill sailed through the Assembly this year and is expected to be up for a floor vote in the Senate shortly after the Legislature returns from summer recess in August, according to Bonta’s office. It has received no vote in opposition so far, though three Republican senators voted against last year’s bill. During a March hearing in the Assembly’s elections committee, Republican Assemblymember Tom Lackey of Palmdale raised concerns about the “ broad potential interpretation of security expenses .”
California is no stranger to shootings tied to the Oval Office. In 1975, a member of the Manson family cult attempted to shoot President Gerald Ford near the state Capitol in Sacramento while Ford was en route to meet then-Gov. Jerry Brown. And in 1968, U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy died shortly after being shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles while running for the Democratic presidential nomination.
On Sunday, Newsom said he has deployed 61 Highway Patrol and police officers to assist local, state and federal law enforcement during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which kicks off today. “Public safety transcends party lines,” said Newsom in a statement. The plan to send these officers has been in the works since May.
Read more about California’s controversial gun control laws — which include banning certain AR-15-style guns such as the one used in the attempted assassination of Trump — in our comprehensive explainer .
Hate in the Inland Empire: Our partner Zócalo Public Square is hosting an event in Riverside at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday exploring the tension between intolerance and resistance. Find out more and register here.
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CA leaders condemn attempt on Trump’s life
Former President Donald Trump reacts following an assassination attempt at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. Photo by Gene J. Puskar, AP Photo
Assembly GOP leader James Gallagher said in an initial statement that “we must completely shut down those who would use violence to snuff out their political opponents.” Sunday, he followed up with a post asserting that “calling Trump a modern day Hitler and making crazed assertions about the end of democracy has not been helpful to the chaos that we now find ourselves in.”
In a statement, Senate Republican leader Brian Jones urged “Americans to take a step back and acknowledge the need for common ground, rather than seeing politics as a polarizing exercise.”
And former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose husband Paul was struck in the head with a hammer by an assailant in their San Francisco home, posted on social media : “I know firsthand that political violence of any kind has no place in our society. I thank God that former President Trump is safe.” (Trump taunted the Pelosi family over that attack at a campaign event in California and elsewhere last year .)
Saturday’s chilling incident comes at a key point in the 2024 presidential race.
Democrats have been divided over whether to rally behind Biden — or to find a way to push him off the 2024 ticket. Republicans, on the other hand, were already in lockstep behind Trump as they gather in Milwaukee to officially nominate him — and see him reveal his running mate.
California is sending the biggest delegation to the convention — and thanks to the state GOP changing its rules for a winner-take-all primary in March, all 169 are pledged to Trump. It’s only one sign of how firmly Trump controls the California party .
And while Biden — or any Democrat — is the odds-on favorite to secure California’s 54 electoral votes in November (of the 270 needed to win), Republicans hope Trump’s coattails and Biden’s troubles, fueled by his weak performance in the June 27 debate, will help them add to the dozen congressional seats they now hold (compared to 40 for Democrats).
“We resolve political differences at the ballot box, through activism and by participating in political discourse,” said California Secretary of State Shirley Weber in a statement. “There is absolutely no room for political violence.”
Prison union spends big bucks
A row of uniforms for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation hang at Halby’s in Blythe on May 8, 2023. Photo by Pablo Unzueta for CalMatters
In his efforts to reduce California’s prison population, Gov. Newsom has moved to close three prisons, canceled the contract of another private prison and called to transform San Quentin State Prison into a rehabilitation center last year.
The CCPOA, which represents 26,000 state prison guards, has poured more than $9.3 million on political campaigns in the last 20 years. In the past few years, Newsom has been its biggest recipient: He has taken $2.9 million from the union since he was elected governor — about 31% of all political spending by the union since 2001.
For some, the money could be seen as a flex: One of California’s richest unions is reminding its top politicians how much it can spend in support of them — or against.
Brian Kaneda , deputy director for Californians United for a Responsible Budget: “The CCPOA has a stranglehold on Sacramento politics. Everyone’s struggling right now, but prison guards are getting a $1 billion raise . Explain how this could possibly be the right move for California as we tussle with this historic budget deficit.”
But as inmate populations decline, the union also faces a complex political environment, and the spending spree could be seen as a reflection of the union’s anxiety and potentially waning influence.
A sign warns beachgoers to keep out of the water because of contamination in Imperial Beach on Oct. 19, 2023. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters
SoCalMatters airs at 5:58 p.m. weekdays on PBS SoCal and is available on YouTube .
California Voices
Cal/OSHA’s exemption of prison workers from its indoor heat protection standard is “cruel, racially biased and wrong,” writes Anastasia Christman , a senior researcher and policy analyst with the National Employment Law Project.
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters is away.
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