Update from Sacramento

Over a year ago, when I was just a few months into my first term as an Assemblymember, I was tapped by leadership to chair a subcommittee of the Assembly Rules Committee that would perform what we thought would be a routine review of the Assembly’s policies and procedures on harassment and retaliation. None of us anticipated the work that the presumably quiet subcommittee would have been tasked with.

The Harvey Weinstein scandal that broke last fall was the match that set a fire bringing to light innumerable other high-profile scandals across the country, inspired the rise of the Me Too movement and quickly ended up on the steps of the Capitol. Along with over 140 other women, I signed a letter that circulated around the Capitol community hoping to send a message. I’ll be honest; after the decades of workplace harassment women have endured, I did not think anything was going to change.

It was only a matter of a few days when the subcommittee I had been appointed to lead was tasked with taking on the Assembly’s response to these revelations and devising a total overhaul of our harassment policies and procedures. Just as we began to assess the scope of the problem, the reports of sexual harassment by sitting legislators came out and our work took on even greater urgency. We began as simply an Assembly effort but, realizing this problem was too great for each house to continue operating in its own silo, the Senate and Assembly united in a rare joint effort, and it was my honor and privilege to serve as the chair of the Joint Rules Subcommittee on Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response.

Since we started six months ago, I have held nine hearings during which we heard over 13 hours of testimony from experts, advocates and victims. We have read reports and dived deep into a vast amount research. From the beginning, our central goal was to truly understand the scale and depth of harassment in the workplace so that we could find the best way to combat both harassment and retaliation it in the legislature. The result of these efforts was a package of reformative recommendations made to the Joint Rules Committee – which just were officially adopted at the end of June.

These new policies are a dramatic shift for the legislature in several ways. First of all, the recommendations were adopted by both houses, ending an age-old problem of having two different systems. Both houses will also have the same protections for victims and share resources. Our policies also set up an independent unit charged with assessing and investigating harassment claims. The independent unit will have a panel of experts to adjudicate each claim and make recommendations for any discipline or penalty. Other critical pieces we have introduced are robust transparency requirements and improved training for both staff and members. Finally, we have set an aspirational and understandable policy that promotes respect, diversity and civility.

I am proud of the work my colleagues and I have been able to accomplish on this committee. From the beginning, I felt that we had a responsibility to set an example for local governments throughout our state and legislatures across the nation. The success of this committee came from our ability to work together, to confront the problems that have plagued the halls of the Capitol for too long, and from our approach to base the new policies not on postulation but on the facts from the victims’ and their advocates’ own experiences. It’s worth noting that we were able to put politics aside, tackle the problem, and develop real reform on a bipartisan basis with unanimous support from the entire Joint Rules Committee.

The culture that existed before our work, the one that assumed this subcommittee would be quiet and routine, the culture that simply responded to harassment by brushing it into the shadows – that culture is done. The changes are not going to happen overnight, but they will come. I stand committed to continuing to put my efforts into seeing the implementation through as we all grow to work and trust this new system. I look forward to the day when all people can come to work in the Capitol without the fear of harassment and retaliation – when those leading us in Sacramento set the example for those they represent to follow.

I hope you will continue to follow our progress, share your thoughts and reach out to us with any questions or concerns.