The relentlessness of 2020, with its fears and misery, continues to weigh on another fire weather forecast that no one wants to hear. But an upcoming wind event that begins Sunday will bring the greatest danger so far, according to a meteorologist. Supervisor Shamann Walton, who introduced the bill in July, said in a statement that the law should prompt residents to think twice before calling police about their black or minority neighbors for a non-emergency. With the red states restricting reproductive rights, California will now, as the governor promised, be a “safe haven” for women seeking abortions. While Republican leaders are blocking gender care for minors and banning discussion of L.G.B.T.Q. issues in classrooms, California will provide legal protection for transgender children. The state will expand tax breaks for film production to bring home Red State Hollywood movie shoots and offer bonuses to individuals who sue manufacturers and dealers of assault weapons and “ghost guns.” Against environmentalists, he brought together lawmakers from both parties to expand operations at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant to keep the lights running. He sided with law enforcement and vetoed bills that allowed supervised drug injection sites in cities and severely limited the use of solitary confinement in prisons. He rejected two proposals for mandatory kindergartens, citing tax concerns. In fact, Bontas AB 1550 is designed to run alongside the so-called CAREN Act — that is, the Non-Urgent Racial Exploitation Warning Act — introduced this week by San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton. I admit that I am a little sad that he could not find a word that starts with “k” to officially make it the KAREN law.

In a way, this argument could be made about a new bill by MP Rob Bonta (D-Alameda). His Bill 1550 in the Assembly would essentially create new ways to punish people (mostly white) who call 911 on people (mostly black) for harmless daily activities. The bill, named after the slang term given to people who make the free calls, means that violations would be subject in court to general damages of at least $1,000, plus attorneys` fees and expenses, as well as punitive damages. “Under current law,” Walton said, “there are no consequences for people who make fraudulent emergency calls based on another person`s perception as a threat based on their race, religion, ethnicity, religious affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or outward appearance.” If passed, the CAREN Act and AB 1550 would make a subpoena by police officers to treat a person perceived as threatening solely because of their race, religion or gender, or belonging to a protected class. This legislation is similar to AB 1550, proposed by Rep. Rob Bonta of Oakland, California. This national bill calls discriminatory 911 a hate crime and discourages people from arming law enforcement for racial purposes. In his online press release, Assembly member Bonta said the changes to AB 1550 would provide civil redress for victims of these appeals and create civil liability for the perpetrators. Anyone who makes a non-urgent discriminatory appeal is liable to an offence and a penalty of up to one year in prison and/or a fine of $1,000 if convicted. Bonta also assured his constituents that the purpose of this law is not to prevent the use of 911 in danger, but to prevent “the further [deterioration] of community-police relations and [its contribution] to the inaccurate and harmful overcriminalization of black and brown communities.” The bill would protect millions of Californians from being subjected to demoralizing, degrading, and unnecessary scrutiny by law enforcement and the public. Overall, this would reduce the number of viral “Karen” videos appearing online. If there`s one thing I can count on as a Californian, it`s that whenever there`s an injustice in society — especially if it stays in the news for more than a week — a Sacramento legislature will come up with a bill to try to fix it.

Other places have taken steps to make the location of racist 911 calls a hate crime. California`s governor recently signed a measure that makes the crime a misdemeanor punishable by jail time and a fine.