By Julie BUTCHER

Assemblymember Laura Friedman hosted “Coffee & Conversation” in the late morning on Saturday at the McCambridge Rec Center in Burbank. Former Assemblymember Mike Gatto was there, too, saying he was pleased to see the “great turnout, especially on a rainy Saturday.”

He added that Coffee & Conversation is a tradition for Friedman, giving her an opportunity to share her first impressions of Sacramento and share the highlights of her legislative agenda, “but mostly she’s here to listen.”

Silver Lake Neighborhood Council activist Terry Jackson explained how he had become a supporter of Friedman during her run for the 43rd Assembly District.

“Someone called me from a phone bank for her and I had a question they couldn’t answer. Sure enough she called me directly; we spoke for a long time,” Jackson said. “I may not always agree with her position but I sure appreciate that kind of responsiveness and engagement.”

“That’s what I’m all about; the only way we’re going to get anything done is by listening to each other like normal, civil people. Take Silver Lake. We’ve come such a long way in 30 years,” added Jackson. “No one would have envisioned the meadow, the jogging trail, the dog park. But things take time and we need to talk to each other from a place of openness and inclusiveness.”

“That’s what I’ve learned, what I’m learning, in public office: so often when people see things differently, they’re both right, from where they stand,” said Friedman. “My goal is to figure out what’s best for the whole community. I promise to listen. I know what open and honest communication can achieve.”

She went on to explain how different things are in Sacramento when compared to the City of Glendale, where she previously served on the City Council.

“With 80 members of the Assembly and 40 in the Senate, that’s a lot more than on the City Council!” she said.

Issues that are important here are not huge in Sacramento, Friedman told the crowd of more than 100.

“Given what’s happening at the federal level, I feel like we have even more of a responsibility to set an example for the rest of the country, that we can build a better quality of life and economic prosperity by celebrating our diversity,” she said.

Friedman summarized her 2017 legislative agenda before opening the floor to questions.

Fixing a loophole for foster kids attending college before they turn 18, AB 766 would allow the use of existing benefits to cover college costs. Friedman’s announcement that the measure passed on consent was met with warm applause.

To add a tool in the fight against reckless driving, specifically street racing, AB 1393 mandates a 30-day vehicle impound penalty and requires that a modified vehicle be restored to its normal operation before being released back to the owner. According to Freidman, this type of aggressive enforcement is reported to have effective public safety results.

Protecting California’s 1,362 miles of rivers under the Wild and Scenic Rivers designation – again given the uncertainty of the federal government’s ability or willingness to protect these resources – is a top priority for Friedman, she said, and AB 975 would extend that protection to all of California’s state rivers.

Friedman added that she intends to take the lead on issues of water resources and conservation, given her experience and expertise.

“We’ve introduced four bills [AB 1000; AB 1667; AB 1668; and AB 1669] to help lead the state in the right direction when it comes to water.”

“I believe in transparency,” Friedman continued. “That’s why I introduced AB 1458, which would very simply require all political campaigns to add a link to the front page of their campaign website linking to campaign finance and disclosure information. It should be easy for every voter to find.”

“In clinics and hospitals across California, nurse practitioners and midwives and other highly-skilled medical practitioners at the highest levels are hampered by an arbitrary supervision ratio. My AB 1560 removes the cap to allow facilities to determine the best staffing under existing law,” the Assemblymember explained.

Regarding AB 562, the recently introduced single-payer healthcare system measure, Friedman announced that she is a co-sponsor.

“I’m not at all sure what the future of this looks like,” she said. “What I am sure of is that it is not acceptable that we go back to seeing frontline health care delivered in the emergency room. That is not acceptable.”

Answering many general and specific questions from the audience, Friedman ran through her committee assignments: arts, entertainment, sports, tourism, and Internet media; transportation; water, parks, and wildlife; rule; and appropriations.

“Apparently, the entertainment committee assignment comes with the district,” she joked. “And we’ve added an ‘A’ to STEM now making it STEAM – we’re never going to win the future if we don’t teach creativity and the arts.”

Finally, in response to questions about immigration, Friedman expressed support for two senate bills, SB 54 and SB 31. The legislation affirms the practice of local police organizations focusing on local policing and not specifically enforcing federal (immigration) laws.

“We’ve got a lot of undocumented workers here in our district and I do not want them to be afraid of reporting crime or interacting with a local police officer,” Friedman explained. “We’ve already started to see a reduction in the number of kids utilizing free and reduced lunches out of fear. Kids are going hungry. Parents are not coming to parent-teacher conferences. We cannot afford to have our community terrorized. [But] this is not a get-out-of-jail-free card for serious felons.”

Freidman went on. “I’ve talked to Kevin De Leon and he has no intent to shelter criminals by this. I’ve also spoken at length to law enforcement experts about these policies. At the end of the day, this is about keeping everyone safe and secure.”

After the event, District Director Sarojini Lall reported that the Assemblymember was pleased with the coffee, particularly with the large attendance, and that she appreciated the opportunity to reflect and talk through complicated issues.

“Laura is inspired by the level of civic engagement throughout the District,” Lall added. “Folks in the district are extremely well-informed and eager to get facts and information on the issues that are important to them.”

Laura Friedman was elected in November 2016 to the 43rd Assembly District, which includes the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and La Cañada Flintridge, as well as the communities of La Crescenta and Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, Beachwood Canyon, Los Feliz, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, and Silver Lake.

  Julie BUTCHER