Bill co-sponsor UDW applauds new law strengthening California’s police use-of-force standard
For Immediate Release
August 19, 2019
Contact: Cherie Parker 619-806-4677
SACRAMENTO — With today signing of AB 392 by Governor Gavin Newsom, California now has one of the strongest police use-of-force standards in the country. These standards are necessary to keep people with disabilities safer when they encounter law enforcement.
United Domestic Workers (UDW/AFSCME 3930), a union of 110,000 home care providers, co-sponsored AB 392, authored by Assemblymember Dr. Shirley Weber, and worked diligently to ensure that the rights and experiences of people with disabilities were included in crafting and passing this landmark legislation.
“On behalf of our members and the clients we care for, we want to thank Assemblymember Shirley Weber for her courage, perseverance and wisdom as she worked to make AB 392 a reality. We also want to express our deep gratitude to the family members of those killed by police who came forward to share their pain and loss. We’d also like to thank Governor Newsom, Senate pro Tempore Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon for building consensus for AB 392,” said UDW Executive Director Doug Moore. “Though much remains to be done to stop unnecessary police killings, AB 392 gives us new tools to expect greater accountability from law enforcement. We will remain vigilant in demanding that accountability.”
UDW’s co-sponsorship of AB 392 reflects the fact that many UDW members are people of color and their families live in over-policed communities that have grieved far too many lives lost to unnecessary police killings. It also reflects that, as caregivers, UDW members are committed to protecting the human and civil rights of people with disabilities — a group that makes up nearly half of people killed by police.
UDW members and their families are counted among these deaths. In 2018, Butte County UDW member Myra Micalizio was killed by police responding to a trespassing call. Myra, who cared for seniors in her community, was experiencing a mental health crisis. The police report says officers began firing their weapons 15-30 seconds after arriving on the scene.
“As we work toward accountability for my mother’s death, the passage of AB 392 gives me hope,” said Myra’s daughter Hali McKelvie, who was present for the bill signing. “We can never get my mother back, but we can help save other families from this pain.”
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United Domestic Workers of America (UDW/AFSCME Local 3930) is a home care union representing 110,000 in-home caregivers in 21 counties throughout California. UDW caregivers provide critical personal care services through the state’s In-Home Supportive Services program (IHSS), which allows over half a million California seniors and people with disabilities to remain in their homes with dignity and independence.
