Press Releases

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez named Nancy Sakurai of Chino as the Woman of the Year from the 52nd Assembly District. Sakurai is a 27-year resident of the City of Chino and a dedicated community volunteer.

"Nancy exemplifies what it means to serve your community," said Rodriguez. "She has dedicated much of her time to local community organizations and the residents of Chino have undoubtedly benefitted from her commitment. I am honored to be able to recognize her as our Woman of the Year."

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez, Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management, will hold an informational hearing on the December 2, 2015 incident at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. The hearing will take place on Friday, March 18th at 10:00 am at the San Bernardino County Government Center in San Bernardino. The subject of the hearing is “The San Bernardino Shooting; Lessons Learned.”

“Tragedy struck our community on December 2nd  and the emergency responders from throughout the Inland Empire performed heroically,” said Rodriguez. “Reviewing the emergency response after a major incident such as this is important. I want to hear directly from the first responders to find out what went well, what could have been done better and how we can improve emergency preparedness across the state.”

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez, in partnership with San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon, introduced AB 1769 which seeks to prevent the county's new 'Text to 9-1-1' system from being abused. Current law makes it a misdemeanor to "nuisance call" the 9-1-1 system. AB 1769 would expand existing law to include nuisance texts to 9-1-1.

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez introduced AB 1719 which will ensure high school students learn CPR before they graduate high school. AB 1719 holds the power to create a generation of lifesavers.

According to the American Heart Association, sudden cardiac arrest is one of the most lethal public health threats in the United States. Nearly 326,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside the hospital each year, and sadly, only 10 percent survive. Effective bystander CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival, but only 32 percent of cardiac arrest victims get CPR from a bystander.

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez today introduced AB 1680 to clarify that drones interfering with the duties of an emergency responder is a crime.

"As the popularity of commercialized drones increases, so does the danger they pose to first responders," said Rodriguez. "We need to send a clear message to the public that interfering with emergency responders in any way, including flying a drone in the vicinity of an emergency situation, is not ok and is putting public safety at risk."

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez has joined forces with the Safe Routes to School National Partnership to introduce AB 1659 which would extend the boundaries of school safety zones. Under the legislation, school zones would be extended to a quarter-mile from the school grounds and would grant local jurisdictions the ability to extend that perimeter up to one mile as needed.

“There are too many incidents of children being hit by vehicles while commuting to and from school,” said Rodriguez. “In Upland, 11 year-old Isaiah Shelton was killed after being hit by a car on his way to school. That tragedy is still fresh in my mind. The current school zone boundaries are insufficient and do not go far enough to protect children who walk and bicycle to school. This bill will give school districts the tools they need to keep our kids safe.”

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez’ request for a state audit of the Los Angeles County Fair Association will be heard before the Joint Legislative Audit Committee on Wednesday, January 13th at 9:30 am in the State Capitol.

Assemblymember Rodriguez requested the state audit after a Los Angeles Times investigation raised serious and alarming concerns about the Association’s finances. The investigation found that the association lost a total of roughly $6.25 million from 2010 through 2013, though it rewarded its top executives with large bonuses and incentive pay, somewhere in the amount of $8.75 million dollars. The executive salaries are grossly out of line with other fairs in California. The Association’s President and CEO James Henwood received nearly $900,000 in total compensation in the year 2013 despite the Association losing $3.4 million that same year.

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez released the following response to the 2016-2017 California State Budget Proposal released by Governor Jerry Brown today:

“The budget proposal released today by Governor Brown is a great start for our work on the Assembly Budget Committee. I applaud Governor Brown’s commitment to securing our financial future and bolstering the State’s Rainy Day Fund by an additional $2 billion.

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez introduced AB 1563 which seeks to help victims of violent crimes receive a timely response on their application for compensation. The legislation would create a timeline of 6 months for the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board to respond to appeals received by crime victims who have had their initial applications for compensation denied.

“When someone becomes the victim of a violent crime, their life can be turned upside down,” said Rodriguez. “Victims apply to the Board seeking financial help so they are not left destitute because of crime. This bill will help speed up the appeals process and ensure that victims are not left waiting for answers.”

Assemblymember Rodriguez issued the following statement regarding the shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino:

"I am appalled by the tragic shooting at the Inland Regional Center. This is a facility that is dedicated to helping individuals with developmental disabilities live full, independent lives and their environment was shattered by a senseless act of violence.

San Bernardino County has an exceptional network of first responders who performed heroically today treating victims and relentlessly pursuing their murderers. I am grateful for their bravery and service.  My thoughts and prayers tonight are with the victims, their families, the people of San Bernardino and the employees and clients of the Regional Center. This is a sad day."