1 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the Thing 2 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:10,399 Speaker 1: from my Heart Radio. My guest today falls into one 3 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: of my favorite categories, politicians to keep an eye on, 4 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:20,479 Speaker 1: because they're doing amazing things. Lorraina Gonzalez represents California's eightieth 5 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: Assembly district in southern San Diego. She was first elected 6 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 1: in two thousand thirteen and got into politics after years 7 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:33,240 Speaker 1: of working as a labor leader. She's a progressive Democrat 8 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: who supports working in middle class Californians with an impressive 9 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 1: list of wins, including paid sick leave, overtime for farm workers, 10 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: protecting janitorial workers against sexual assault, automatic voter registration at 11 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 1: the d m V diaper tax relief. The list goes 12 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: on and on. Growing up, Assemblywoman Gonzalez saw first hand 13 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: what government can do or not do to help working 14 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:06,039 Speaker 1: class families. She was raised by a single mom who 15 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:09,400 Speaker 1: put in long hours as a nurse to support Gonzalez 16 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: and her two older brothers. Today, Lorraina Gonzalez has five 17 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:17,319 Speaker 1: kids in a blended family with her husband, Nathan Fletcher. 18 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: He's also in San Diego politics as a county supervisor. 19 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: Gonzalez and Fletcher are both Democrats, but that wasn't always 20 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: the case. He was a Republican. He was actually a 21 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: Republican assembly member, and at the time I was the 22 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: head of the a f l c I O in 23 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: San Diego, and he was always a much more moderate Republican. 24 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 1: But through the process when he ran unsuccessfully for Mayror, 25 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 1: we had a ton of discussions. This is before we 26 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: started dating or anything, and he saw the light. He 27 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: became a Democrat. Then we started dating, then we got married. 28 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: That makes sense to me. The first thing I think 29 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: about when I look at your biography and so forth, 30 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: beyond your family, the thing that strikes me most is 31 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 1: my goodness. You have the trifecta of academic credentials here 32 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: Stanford undergrad, Georgetown Masters, u c l A. Law school. 33 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 1: You have the credentials to have done a lot of 34 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: things for yourself. You know, you're certainly the whole Goldman 35 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: Sacks material academically and everything, and yet labor organizer, state Assembly. 36 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: What is it? What was the calling for you that 37 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: you wanted to forego taking care of yourself in order 38 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 1: to take care of other people. I put a lot 39 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: of that on my mom. So my mom for most 40 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: of my life was a single mom. She just worked 41 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: her ass off. I don't know else to put it. 42 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:44,839 Speaker 1: I don't ever remember her having a forty hour work week. 43 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: She worked fifty sixty seventy hours a week, multiple jobs 44 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: at times, all to make life better, not just for 45 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: me and my brothers, to give us an opportunity to 46 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:56,799 Speaker 1: go to college and do things, but also to make 47 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 1: life better for her patients, for people she was serving. 48 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: She taught me that in life, what actually matters isn't 49 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: how much money you have in your bank account or 50 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: how many trips you get to go on, but how 51 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: much you do to save the world. And we laugh now, 52 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: my husband and I, and it's it's a question do 53 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: you want to savor the world or save the world. 54 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: We're still on the save the world trajectory. At some point, 55 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: you know, it's everybody's right to take a step back 56 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: and savor the world a little bit. There's just so 57 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 1: much work to do, and I think that I saw that, 58 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: and I saw hard working people and saw what they 59 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:31,399 Speaker 1: go through, and just wanted to ensure that I could 60 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:34,360 Speaker 1: try to make other folks lives a little easier. I 61 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: moved to l A three for the first time, to work. 62 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 1: I lived in l A. I remember coming to California 63 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: then and it was very much a dialogue and very 64 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: much a part of the culture was migrant workers, and 65 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: the California was the great state of the migrant worker 66 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: in Chavez and all that legacy in the central California thing. 67 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,640 Speaker 1: Now in northern San Diego County, you have a migrant 68 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: worker a labor community. Correct. We have small family farms 69 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: in San Diego. When I say small family farms, they 70 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: have somewhere between twenty five and fifty maybe up to 71 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: a hundred farm workers. So it's not like the massive 72 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: farms that you have in the central Valley. But we 73 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 1: do have small strawberry fields, flower fields, um in farm 74 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: workers where your father worked, Correct, your father worked in 75 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:20,679 Speaker 1: the strawberry was it a migrant worker community by and large. 76 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 1: There it's less migratory, if you will. Um, it's more 77 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: farm workers who stay there, but they're immigrants primarily from Mexico, 78 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: and they often stopped in me their homes. In North 79 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:34,480 Speaker 1: San Diego County and San Diego County, we have avocado 80 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 1: groves as well. So my father, like like most of 81 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: the workers even today, his father was Brasseto so it 82 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 1: was part of a program during the World War two 83 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: to ensure we had enough farm workers. They brought individuals 84 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:50,159 Speaker 1: up from Mexico to work the farms at substandard wages 85 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: and sent them back home. And so my grandfather's Brasseto. 86 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: So my father, after hearing the stories, also wanted to 87 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 1: come to the United States. Uh, so he came. He 88 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: started in the straw fields in north San Diego County. Yeah, 89 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:04,680 Speaker 1: I asked, because and you say the preferred world is 90 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: migratory workers, not migrants. Correct, Well, there's different. They're considered 91 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: immigrants or migrant workers. But I sometimes people think of 92 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 1: probably in the eighties, and there was a time when 93 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 1: we had workers who would come and they might work 94 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 1: in the fields and Imperial during certain seasons and then 95 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:24,600 Speaker 1: migrate north and work other seasons in the pistachio or 96 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 1: almond fields, you know. And so they would travel throughout 97 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: California and all the way up to Washington for the 98 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: apple season. And that was a little bit different than 99 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: what we're seeing today when a lot of immigrants come 100 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 1: in and work one farm. Now, my friend Christina since Soon, 101 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:42,000 Speaker 1: who once ran and I think co founded the Workers 102 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: Defense Fund. She mean for the Senate in Texas this 103 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:50,159 Speaker 1: last election, and Christina since soon has run organizations to 104 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 1: protect migrant workers in Texas. In the construction industry, people 105 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:56,599 Speaker 1: would would they would lose a limb, they would have 106 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:59,040 Speaker 1: their their hand chopped off in an accident, and if 107 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 1: no benefits and nobody sources to help them deal with 108 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: their unemployment or whatever or workers compensation. So she worked 109 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: very hard and very successfully to address that. Is that 110 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 1: still a problem in California, whether it's in northern San 111 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 1: Diego County or up north of there, that these workers 112 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:17,440 Speaker 1: lacked the protections that other workers have. It is and there. 113 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: So you brought up construction. So let's take it in 114 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:21,840 Speaker 1: two different ways. And I think it's important for people 115 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:25,000 Speaker 1: to understand this. Farm workers in the United States don't 116 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:28,039 Speaker 1: have the same rights as other workers. There are two 117 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: sets of workers. Way back in the FDR days, right 118 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:33,520 Speaker 1: when they pass a Fair Labor Standards Act, there are 119 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:35,359 Speaker 1: two sets of workers that were taken out of that. 120 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: The Fair Labor Standards Act is what gives us minimum wage, 121 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:41,719 Speaker 1: overtime protections, what we assume is kind of workplace protections 122 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:45,279 Speaker 1: we have today. They took out farm workers and domestic 123 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:47,599 Speaker 1: workers and if you think why, at the time, it 124 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,159 Speaker 1: was a vestige of slavery. So the work that was 125 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: being done at that time by rural Southern African Americans 126 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,039 Speaker 1: and then later by an influx of immigrants, was taken 127 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 1: out of basic protections, not even the right to organize 128 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: and so um in California, we've done a lot to 129 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:08,920 Speaker 1: put those rights back in. So uh five years ago 130 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 1: we create the ail Er B which allows farm workers 131 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:15,920 Speaker 1: to organize. We had minimum wage requirements, and just a 132 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:18,240 Speaker 1: few years ago, in fact, I passed the bill to 133 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:21,400 Speaker 1: ensure that farm workers also get over time. We're the 134 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:24,440 Speaker 1: only state in the nation that has passed that. There's 135 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 1: only a couple that allow farm workers to organize or 136 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: pay minimum wage even to this day. The construction trades, 137 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 1: they have those protections. But what happens with a lot 138 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: of our immigrant workforce in construction, in particular janitorial work, 139 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 1: is employers just cheat the system. So they pay them 140 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 1: under the table, they don't pay them the right benefits, 141 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: they don't sign them up for workers comp so they're 142 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: violating the law. But when it comes to farm workers 143 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,880 Speaker 1: and domestic workers, they don't even have to violate the 144 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 1: law because there are so few laws for most of 145 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 1: the country. Now there's a variety of bills and so 146 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: forth that you've authored or co authored, and I wanted 147 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:01,320 Speaker 1: you to hopped through a couple of those, because I 148 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: find all this stuff very fascinating. Assembly Build five requiring 149 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 1: workers classified as employees rather than independent contractors for more 150 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 1: labor protection. Take me through that. What's the difference. Well, 151 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 1: over the last maybe decade, a lot of employers have 152 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: taken advantage of loopholes in the law and classified what 153 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,600 Speaker 1: would be traditional employees as independent contractors. And yes, it's 154 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 1: cheaper for the employer, but the cost that it puts 155 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: on both the employee and society is a large has 156 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: to be taken accounts. So when you're an independent contractor, 157 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:36,319 Speaker 1: the employer does not pay their person of your Social 158 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: Security or Medicare that's seven point five percent. You're responsible 159 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 1: for the full fiftent of those two things. They're not 160 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 1: required to provide healthcare. They're not required to give you 161 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:49,119 Speaker 1: paid sick leave, paid family leave that we have in California. 162 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: They don't have to provide you with workers compensation. You 163 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,839 Speaker 1: don't have the right to a lot of civil rights 164 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:58,120 Speaker 1: and and sexual harassment laws. As an independent contractor, you're 165 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:00,839 Speaker 1: viewed as an individual small business, not a worker of 166 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 1: the company. So obviously there's a number of benefits and 167 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 1: most important during COVID, which we found is nobody's paying 168 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:10,440 Speaker 1: into unemployment insurance for you. So if you lose your job, 169 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,560 Speaker 1: you're on your own. So it is this idea and 170 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:16,480 Speaker 1: I can imagine and for some people it's an important 171 00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:18,800 Speaker 1: piece to be an independent contractor, to be a true 172 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: small sole proprietor small business, and we have those. You know, 173 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 1: you may be a plumber, you might be a doctor 174 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: that has your own business and you're on your own. 175 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:32,680 Speaker 1: So for example, a doctor as an independent contractor, he 176 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 1: would then become whose employee to qualify for the benefits 177 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: you're enumerating here. Well, in doing a B five, we 178 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:40,800 Speaker 1: took what was called in California a decision by the 179 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 1: California State Supreme Court dynamics, and we applied that it 180 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 1: was going to be presidential basically, and so we applied 181 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 1: it to our entire labor code, and we said, but 182 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:51,959 Speaker 1: there will be exceptions, and we took the reasoning and 183 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:53,920 Speaker 1: the decision that said, if you have the ability to 184 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:58,679 Speaker 1: bargain for yourself, if you truly require a certain certificate education, 185 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 1: you have the ability to provide these things for yourself. 186 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:06,320 Speaker 1: Were less concerned, right, because what happens is a doctor 187 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:09,960 Speaker 1: doesn't need these benefits necessarily, they self ensure they self 188 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 1: provide them, and then if something goes wrong, society is 189 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:15,239 Speaker 1: not on the hook, right, It's not like some taxpayer 190 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:18,600 Speaker 1: funded program. They can actually take care of themselves. If 191 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:21,680 Speaker 1: a janitor is classified as an independent contractor and doesn't 192 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:23,920 Speaker 1: have those benefits and they lose their job, they're going 193 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:27,120 Speaker 1: to end up on state sponsored support. We we don't 194 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 1: want people to to be homeless or go hungary, so 195 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:32,959 Speaker 1: we do provide a safety net, but they don't have 196 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,640 Speaker 1: somebody paying into the system. There's no social contract that 197 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: was established. And those companies who are misclassifying workers are 198 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:42,560 Speaker 1: at a competitive advantage over companies who are biding by 199 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 1: the law. So this is just strengthening the existing law. 200 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:48,079 Speaker 1: And a lot of this came about because of the 201 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:51,319 Speaker 1: upswing of all these tech companies that think if you're 202 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:53,679 Speaker 1: hired through an app, you're an independent contract or your 203 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:56,199 Speaker 1: own business, right, And that's what I'm curious about is 204 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 1: that is that let's say I have a building an 205 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 1: office building, but you're telling me that they will hire 206 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:05,600 Speaker 1: janitorial staff and call them independent contractors and not call 207 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 1: them employees. So usually what would happen if you hired 208 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:11,760 Speaker 1: a building is you hire janitorial company and you don't 209 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 1: know you have the building. You hire a company. That's 210 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 1: all fine, But the people working for the company, they 211 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:21,199 Speaker 1: would be independent contractors when they're actually just employees who 212 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:24,240 Speaker 1: have been misclassified. Give us the most vivid example of 213 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:26,800 Speaker 1: who the bill was aimed to help. The bill was 214 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:30,920 Speaker 1: aimed to help delivery drivers for Uber. For example, right yep, 215 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: I carry my Uber Eats bag. I'm being told where 216 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 1: to go, when to go. I can't negotiate with Uber 217 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: over my pay I can't negotiate with Uber over whether 218 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:41,679 Speaker 1: or not I want to take a certain job. And 219 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:44,000 Speaker 1: uh Uber says, I'm a small business and I have 220 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:47,400 Speaker 1: to pay for my own expenses, for my own insurance. UM, 221 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:49,520 Speaker 1: I have to pay my own taxes. There's no payroll 222 00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:53,560 Speaker 1: taxes taken out. Uber investors and Uber owners get very 223 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 1: very very wealthy and billionaires and the workers making submimum wage. 224 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:01,040 Speaker 1: Another area is in two thou in seventeen. This one 225 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:05,040 Speaker 1: was very sensitive to me because I was involved tangentially, 226 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:08,120 Speaker 1: but I was part of drafting and circulating petitions in 227 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:10,640 Speaker 1: terms of lead paint in the schools of New York 228 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:13,400 Speaker 1: and in two thousands seventeen, you would have be requiring 229 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 1: all K through twelve schools to test their drinking water 230 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:20,560 Speaker 1: for lead. Did your concern for this issue in was 231 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:23,680 Speaker 1: the trigger that you're a mother? What was the genesis 232 00:12:23,679 --> 00:12:26,840 Speaker 1: of that? Obviously A lot of what I do is 233 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:28,920 Speaker 1: the fact that I am a mom, and I'm a 234 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 1: mom first, right, So I approach a lot of issues 235 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 1: that we're facing as any mother would. Yes, you send 236 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 1: your kids, I send my kids public school. I hope 237 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: and pray um that they're safe, that nobody's going to 238 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:44,120 Speaker 1: gun them down, that nobody is going to um poison them, 239 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:47,640 Speaker 1: that nobody's gonna sexually abuse them, and that they'll get 240 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: a good education at the same time, So there's a 241 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 1: lot of trust we put into our schools. And we 242 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: had a situation in my district where it was a 243 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:59,599 Speaker 1: really odd situation. A dog, they put water out and 244 00:12:59,679 --> 00:13:02,720 Speaker 1: the all that reacted to it, and so they end 245 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:05,480 Speaker 1: up testing the water and um, the water had lead 246 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:07,960 Speaker 1: in it. And this is like New York City. We've 247 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 1: we fought for years in my community in particular, which 248 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:14,560 Speaker 1: is a Latino working class community, to replace lead paint 249 00:13:14,559 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 1: in the houses. We took lead out of candy. We 250 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:23,120 Speaker 1: know that it poisons children and disproportionately poor children, and 251 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:25,840 Speaker 1: so when we found it in the water fountain at school, 252 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:29,640 Speaker 1: it was a shell shock for me because the one 253 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:31,280 Speaker 1: thing you sent your kid to school and you're like, 254 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:33,800 Speaker 1: don't drink the sugary drinks. Go have some water, Go 255 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 1: drink some water, drink for the water fown, drink more, 256 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:40,000 Speaker 1: you know, and like how many times drink diet code exactly? 257 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 1: And I thought, oh my gosh, for my own kids, 258 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:43,800 Speaker 1: you think of that thought, like how many times do 259 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:46,360 Speaker 1: I say, okay, after pe make sure you drink some 260 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 1: water from the water fountain, you know, hydrate? Well a 261 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:51,960 Speaker 1: little did I know We're sending kids to poison themselves. 262 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 1: So what we did is in some of these schools 263 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:58,240 Speaker 1: are very, very old, and we said it's time to 264 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:01,079 Speaker 1: test it for lead. And we got a lot of pushback. 265 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 1: Everybody's like, well, is it makes sense to test? I'm like, 266 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,959 Speaker 1: how can we not test when we know that there's 267 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: lead in the water. Who on earth would be opposed 268 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,560 Speaker 1: to testing the drinking border of your children in the school? 269 00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:15,720 Speaker 1: Who people who know that if it's positive, they're going 270 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: to have to pay to replace the pipe? Right? What 271 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,280 Speaker 1: was the upshot of that in two thousand and seventeen, 272 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:23,280 Speaker 1: Did the testing lead to any remediation of the problem 273 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 1: that they ripped the pipes at a certain schools? Or 274 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:28,120 Speaker 1: what happened? They filter? It was filtration the answer filtration um. 275 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 1: They replaced, they brought in water stations to some And 276 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:35,440 Speaker 1: what happened is there there had already been a number 277 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:38,680 Speaker 1: of school bonds that had passed, both statewide school bonds 278 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:41,520 Speaker 1: as well as local school bonds. And what happened as 279 00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:43,960 Speaker 1: soon as they started finding this then you know, when 280 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 1: you pass the school bond, there's a lot of things 281 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 1: you can spend it on. In in San Diego Unified, 282 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 1: for example, had well, we had some football fields and 283 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:53,160 Speaker 1: some lighting that needed done, and we wanted, you know, 284 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 1: some hvac um done in the classrooms, all important things. 285 00:14:57,160 --> 00:14:59,360 Speaker 1: But if you find lead in the water, guess what 286 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: replacing the as water fountains gets to the top of 287 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 1: the list in money that was already going to be 288 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:06,960 Speaker 1: spent it becomes prioritized. So the world didn't end. The 289 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: waters has been tested, and now it's being fixed. California 290 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 1: Assemblywoman Lorraina Gonzalez. If listening to interviews with up and 291 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:21,800 Speaker 1: coming politicians gives you a sense of hope, be sure 292 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:25,400 Speaker 1: to check out my conversation with Texan Christina since Soon, 293 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:29,600 Speaker 1: who co founded the Workers Defense Project. I think that 294 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 1: there's an image of Texas that people have that is 295 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:35,840 Speaker 1: not the true Texas story. When people think about Texas, 296 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:38,120 Speaker 1: they usually think about us in a singular way of 297 00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:41,120 Speaker 1: people like my white grandfather, which was a cowboy. And 298 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: the truth is that the state is you know, you 299 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:44,800 Speaker 1: have a city like Houston, it's one of the most 300 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:48,800 Speaker 1: diversities in the entire country. You have one in three 301 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 1: Texans that are immigrants, were children of immigrants. The state's 302 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:56,040 Speaker 1: population is Latino. It's majority people of color. At this point, 303 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: here more of my conversation with Christina since Soon in 304 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:05,520 Speaker 1: our archives at Here's the Thing dot org. After the break, 305 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 1: Lorena Gonzalez talks about cheerleaders and her fight to get 306 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:14,600 Speaker 1: California's biggest sports teams to pay them like the professionals 307 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:30,840 Speaker 1: they are. I'm Alec Baldwin and you were listening to 308 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 1: here's the thing. In two thousand eighteen, Lorena Gonzalez co 309 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:38,520 Speaker 1: authored a bill which put California on a path to 310 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:44,520 Speaker 1: generate of its electricity from clean, carbon neutral energy sources 311 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,720 Speaker 1: by two thouty five. She says, the state is on 312 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 1: track to meet its goal even sooner. We're already almost there. 313 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:56,680 Speaker 1: I gotta be honest, We're gonna get renewable quicker than 314 00:16:56,720 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 1: we had imagined or hoped. But that's because we required 315 00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 1: it by way of what. By way of large scale 316 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:05,560 Speaker 1: solar farms that you're seeing go up wind energy that 317 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:10,280 Speaker 1: you're seeing. We're exploring other forms, biomass, pub stations, things 318 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 1: to provide renewable energy sources throughout California. Obviously rooftop solar 319 00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:18,360 Speaker 1: plays a role in that, but we have really adopted 320 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:21,880 Speaker 1: in California an approach that is getting us on any 321 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:26,160 Speaker 1: given Saturday, about of the energy coming through a grid 322 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:29,320 Speaker 1: is now coming from renewable sources. Well, the reason I 323 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:31,359 Speaker 1: mentioned this is because I was involved with a group 324 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:34,400 Speaker 1: of people who were this was all theoretical, No, nothing 325 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,359 Speaker 1: was getting to the legislative phase where we were saying 326 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 1: how we wanted the federal government to withhold you know, 327 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:44,040 Speaker 1: the classic withholding of transportation dollars. And there's always the 328 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 1: threat of withholding those dollars if you don't this or 329 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:49,159 Speaker 1: that or this or that. And what we wanted to 330 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,480 Speaker 1: do was we wanted to demand that the states do 331 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:55,960 Speaker 1: the two following things. That any construction over a certain size, 332 00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 1: over a certain square footage of any public building, college, dormitory, 333 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:05,280 Speaker 1: high school, airport, library, hospital, you name it, anything that 334 00:18:05,359 --> 00:18:09,480 Speaker 1: was funded by state or local or federal dollars, that 335 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:13,320 Speaker 1: any refurbishment over a certain size, and any new construction 336 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 1: over a certain size, you would demand that they had 337 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:19,199 Speaker 1: some photovoltaic element built into that construction where there was 338 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:22,720 Speaker 1: solar panels on the grounds, solar panels on the skin 339 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:24,679 Speaker 1: of the building or the roof of the building, something. 340 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:27,000 Speaker 1: And the second thing we wanted to demand was that 341 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 1: any purchase of or any maintenance of fleet vehicles over 342 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:34,600 Speaker 1: a certain size, and exempting emergency vehicles like fire and 343 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,480 Speaker 1: ambulance and police because you can't have them have to 344 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 1: plug in. You have to have hybrids there at best, 345 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:41,520 Speaker 1: but any of the fleet vehicles you had to go 346 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:43,960 Speaker 1: fully electric, fully plugged in by a certain year or 347 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:45,919 Speaker 1: you were going to get the transportation dollars. Is there 348 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,359 Speaker 1: anything like that on the drawing board in California? I 349 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:51,640 Speaker 1: love that, But we're moving towards that naturally in California, 350 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:55,320 Speaker 1: not with withholding funds. Under our previous governor, Jerry Brown, 351 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:58,199 Speaker 1: he mandated that all new construction of houses have to 352 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:02,480 Speaker 1: have roof top solar private homes, private homes, new construction 353 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:05,960 Speaker 1: and private homes have to have rooftop solar. Unfortunately, there's 354 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:07,879 Speaker 1: not a lot of new homes being built. You have 355 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:11,760 Speaker 1: that now in California, yeah, yea through executive order, through 356 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:16,399 Speaker 1: the governor, and so we we naturally have some requirements 357 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 1: that were put in. Tom Steyer did an initiative a 358 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:22,400 Speaker 1: few years ago, Prop thirty nine, which provided for schools 359 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:24,879 Speaker 1: to be able to put solar on their rooftop. You know, 360 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:28,000 Speaker 1: it's good green jobs, and it's good for the environment, 361 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:31,280 Speaker 1: and it pulls down the cost of their energy bills. 362 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 1: So it really did work. We had money available for that. 363 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:38,840 Speaker 1: We are going towards a gasless society. We have goals 364 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:42,000 Speaker 1: um hopefully we'll be codified. I think in the next 365 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:44,520 Speaker 1: few years that will say, by by this year, we're 366 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:46,840 Speaker 1: going to have all electric vehicles, but we have to 367 00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 1: do the hard work with that. It's not enough to 368 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:50,639 Speaker 1: say that we've got to have more charging stations. I 369 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:53,199 Speaker 1: always give example my husband. I. We have an electric 370 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:56,119 Speaker 1: vehicle and we live in my district. It's one of 371 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 1: the poorest districts in California. It's a porst coastal district 372 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 1: in California, and there aren't charging stations. You know. Luckily, 373 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:05,160 Speaker 1: we can charge at work. He works at the county 374 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 1: building and work at the State building. Um, we we 375 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:10,080 Speaker 1: have rooftop solar and we can charge at home. But 376 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:13,760 Speaker 1: a lot of apartments in multifamily complexes and working class 377 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:16,400 Speaker 1: communities don't have charging stations. And so as we moved 378 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:18,760 Speaker 1: electric vehicles, we really have to think about that piece 379 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:21,840 Speaker 1: as well, the infrastructure necessary to get us off of 380 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:25,960 Speaker 1: fossil fuels. How did you get involved with the cause 381 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:30,280 Speaker 1: of the cheerleaders in the NFL as you lost I 382 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 1: guess you lost your box seats at the Chargers game. 383 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:35,480 Speaker 1: I was not a popular person at the Chargers I'll 384 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: tell you that. Uh what happened, to be honest, is 385 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:42,000 Speaker 1: you got a figure. I was actually a Stanford cheerleader, 386 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:45,520 Speaker 1: so I was a cheerleader and a labor leader, right, 387 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:48,600 Speaker 1: I know how to use a bullhorn and a megaphone. Um, 388 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:52,040 Speaker 1: it's it's a rare combination. So when I had read 389 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: at the time the raider at the cheerleaders for the 390 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:57,720 Speaker 1: Raiders had started a couple of them start a lawsuit 391 00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:00,280 Speaker 1: against the Raiders for not paying the minimum wage because 392 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:03,639 Speaker 1: they were classified actually as independent contractors. And so I 393 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:05,879 Speaker 1: talked to the attorneys, and I'm an attorney, so I 394 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:09,399 Speaker 1: talked to their attorneys and I was like, this is outrageous. 395 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:14,080 Speaker 1: They're basically almost pain to do this fantastic job. Yes, 396 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:17,399 Speaker 1: it's a job women want, it's a job that that 397 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,240 Speaker 1: is respected to a certain extent, but it's still a 398 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:22,880 Speaker 1: job everybody else on the football field. It doesn't matter 399 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 1: if you're the physical trainer. It doesn't matter if you're 400 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:27,159 Speaker 1: the person picking up the trash. It doesn't matter if 401 00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:29,280 Speaker 1: you're selling the peanuts, if you're the coach, if you're 402 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:31,800 Speaker 1: the player. You're all being paid like an employee. And 403 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:36,639 Speaker 1: these cheerleaders were being given a stipend, being penalized. They 404 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:39,440 Speaker 1: signed an employment contract with the NFL. So I said, 405 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:41,840 Speaker 1: this is easy. We're going to make them by code 406 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:45,159 Speaker 1: employees so that they have basic labor protections in California. 407 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:48,280 Speaker 1: And so I remember the first time I introduced it, 408 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:50,879 Speaker 1: and of course a lot of journalists were more fascinated 409 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: with fact that I was a cheerleader at Stanford and 410 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:54,479 Speaker 1: one of those pictures, and so we're like, all right, 411 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:56,320 Speaker 1: here's a picture, now can we talk about this really 412 00:21:56,320 --> 00:22:00,399 Speaker 1: important issue? And and then my favorite part of the 413 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,840 Speaker 1: story is having to go to then Governor Jerry Brown. 414 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 1: And he's anyone who knows he's a little I don't 415 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:09,480 Speaker 1: want to say crotchety. You just never quite know what 416 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:13,400 Speaker 1: you would get with a no nonsense guy. No nonsense, 417 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:15,440 Speaker 1: and I mean, I'm like, God, I got to talk 418 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:18,959 Speaker 1: to him about cheerleaders, like this is gonna And so 419 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:20,800 Speaker 1: I said, um, we were at a dinner together, and 420 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:22,800 Speaker 1: I said, Governor, when you have a chancel and talk 421 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:24,720 Speaker 1: to you about this bill I'm working on. It has 422 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 1: to do with professional cheerleaders. And he said I was 423 00:22:28,359 --> 00:22:30,760 Speaker 1: a cheerleader, and I was like, are you kidding me? 424 00:22:31,160 --> 00:22:35,240 Speaker 1: He apparently he was a cheerleader in college or high school. 425 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 1: And so I was like, oh, I think I'm going 426 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:39,160 Speaker 1: to get this one. But we did. I'm very proud 427 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:42,400 Speaker 1: of that. So what was that path? Was it directed 428 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:45,600 Speaker 1: at an individual team or was this league why you 429 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:48,560 Speaker 1: wanted the NFL to recognize. Was the situation in San 430 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:52,320 Speaker 1: Diego duplicated at all the NFL teams, Well, none of 431 00:22:52,359 --> 00:22:54,760 Speaker 1: them were getting paid. None of the NFL cheerleaders to 432 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:57,119 Speaker 1: this day, only in California do they have rights as 433 00:22:57,160 --> 00:23:00,280 Speaker 1: an employee. There was a bill actually introduced in New 434 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:02,760 Speaker 1: York as well, but it never made it through. So 435 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:06,960 Speaker 1: it was any professional sports teams in California, the dancers 436 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:09,840 Speaker 1: or cheerleaders have to be treated and have the basic 437 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,520 Speaker 1: labor protections of an employee. So that includes, of course 438 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:17,840 Speaker 1: the Chargers, the Rams, the Lakers. It was basketball and football. 439 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:21,200 Speaker 1: So I was going to ask about that because I 440 00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:23,480 Speaker 1: go to Knicks games where I used to and those 441 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:25,840 Speaker 1: women were out there not getting paid either now and 442 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:29,160 Speaker 1: a lot of them, but they are now only in California. 443 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:32,199 Speaker 1: There's a national fight still against the NFL. There's been 444 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: a lot of lawsuits, a lot of the teams have 445 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 1: lost lawsuits, and there's been a lot more attention to it. 446 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:39,440 Speaker 1: There's a couple of documentaries and issues pertained to it. 447 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:41,280 Speaker 1: We'd like to see it, of course, on the national level. 448 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:43,679 Speaker 1: So I had the lawsuit work in California and not 449 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:46,760 Speaker 1: in the other states. Well, it was settled, and so 450 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:50,199 Speaker 1: in other states it's been settled as well. But so 451 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:53,639 Speaker 1: often when you settled these lawsuits on worker issues, the 452 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:56,840 Speaker 1: judge accepts a settlement, so it makes whole the workers 453 00:23:56,840 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 1: who were suing, but it doesn't force companies to fix 454 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:04,280 Speaker 1: the problem. So it's kind of like an ongoing invitation 455 00:24:04,359 --> 00:24:06,960 Speaker 1: to sue without fixing the problem. And that's why sometimes 456 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:09,000 Speaker 1: you need legislation to come in and say, all right, 457 00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:11,840 Speaker 1: nobody can do this, this is enough. Now, in two 458 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:15,679 Speaker 1: thousand nineteen, you passed legislation that extends the statute of 459 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:20,400 Speaker 1: limitations for survivors of sexual abuse who are seeking justice 460 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,000 Speaker 1: in court. Now, I think most of our listeners know 461 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:26,040 Speaker 1: what a statute of limitations is, but I want you 462 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:28,760 Speaker 1: to explain, as an attorney, the reason for a statute 463 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:31,760 Speaker 1: of limitations In most cases, and there are some crimes 464 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:34,720 Speaker 1: I believe, like murder, where there is no statute of limitations. 465 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:37,440 Speaker 1: But where there is a statute of limitations in place, 466 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:39,879 Speaker 1: why is there one? There's often a statute for a 467 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:42,920 Speaker 1: variety of reasons. One, um, you can't preserve evidence. So 468 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,600 Speaker 1: you know, I could say, hey, when twenty years ago 469 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:49,920 Speaker 1: you stole this TV from me, Well, that TV doesn't exist. 470 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:54,080 Speaker 1: Witnesses probably don't exist. It's hard to pin that down. 471 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,760 Speaker 1: People die, they move away exactly, or or they forget 472 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:00,160 Speaker 1: I mean quite frankly, you know, I can't remember ty 473 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:02,639 Speaker 1: years ago probably, So to have integrity in the trial 474 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:04,119 Speaker 1: of the witnesses, you need to do it in a 475 00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: certain time frame. But childhood sexual assault is unique. So 476 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:09,960 Speaker 1: there's some things that made it unique and made the 477 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:13,560 Speaker 1: Statute of limitations very damaging. Number one. So often the 478 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:18,159 Speaker 1: primary witness, the child themselves, uh, suppresses it, basically doesn't 479 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:20,320 Speaker 1: think about it, doesn't come to terms with it, and 480 00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:23,320 Speaker 1: until later in life when they're dealing with a failed 481 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:27,040 Speaker 1: marriage or depression that it comes out. And so sometimes 482 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:29,360 Speaker 1: you know that's the primary witness is a person who 483 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:31,920 Speaker 1: was assaulted, if you will. And what we had with 484 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,400 Speaker 1: childhood sexual assault is actually a lot of people knew 485 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:37,679 Speaker 1: what was happening. We actually have official documents, like the church, 486 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:40,679 Speaker 1: the Boy Scouts, they actually had complaints that were filed 487 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:43,199 Speaker 1: that were put away that there still exist and you 488 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:45,439 Speaker 1: still need all of this proof if you will, to 489 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:49,280 Speaker 1: establish a case, but it allows time to have passed 490 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:51,840 Speaker 1: and yet still victims to get some sort of justice. 491 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:55,520 Speaker 1: I want to go back to you as a mom 492 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 1: because you do have five kids, correct five. We we 493 00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:01,080 Speaker 1: have five together. It's a blended family. But our two 494 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:04,360 Speaker 1: youngests are adopted. And then I have an eighteen year 495 00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:07,880 Speaker 1: old who is just graduated and headed to college. I'm 496 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:10,280 Speaker 1: a stepmother to a twenty two year old who's deployed 497 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:12,520 Speaker 1: in the Marines. And then I have a twenty five 498 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:15,080 Speaker 1: year old and she works in the industry, a little 499 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,760 Speaker 1: kind of working her way, clawing her way up from 500 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:21,080 Speaker 1: I think she's an art coordinator. Now what does she 501 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 1: want to do? She's on the production side. She works 502 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:25,960 Speaker 1: for Netflix. Well, what do you want for your kids 503 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:28,480 Speaker 1: in this world? You know, my children, probably like yours. 504 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:30,600 Speaker 1: I feel, in some ways, are really lucky. They were 505 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:33,399 Speaker 1: born into a privilege I could have never imagined. They 506 00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:36,640 Speaker 1: will never know for want. They will always have healthcare, 507 00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:38,720 Speaker 1: and that's a good thing. I want them to continue 508 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:42,000 Speaker 1: to have the basics in life that allow them to 509 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:44,800 Speaker 1: be happy. So for me, I think what would make 510 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:47,240 Speaker 1: my kids happy and I don't know. I have a 511 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:49,800 Speaker 1: ten year old, a thirteen year old, and eighteen year old. 512 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:54,120 Speaker 1: I want them to be able to love and marry 513 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:56,160 Speaker 1: whoever they want to love and marry. I want them 514 00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:58,399 Speaker 1: to be able to work hard and get paid a 515 00:26:58,440 --> 00:26:59,800 Speaker 1: decent living. I want them to be able to have 516 00:26:59,840 --> 00:27:02,679 Speaker 1: help care. I want them to have air to breathe. 517 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:05,560 Speaker 1: I want them to be able to choose a life 518 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:08,840 Speaker 1: for themselves that brings them joy. And that's all it 519 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:12,320 Speaker 1: comes down to. My mom expected and she's past, but 520 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:14,639 Speaker 1: you know what, she expected so much out of me. 521 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:18,639 Speaker 1: She expected me to make the world better for other people. 522 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:20,879 Speaker 1: I think I'm to a point where I want them 523 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:23,239 Speaker 1: to contribute positively the world, and I think they'll do 524 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:25,600 Speaker 1: that if they're happy, and all the things that we 525 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:28,280 Speaker 1: work on is to get them a society where they 526 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:31,840 Speaker 1: can live and let live and enjoy life and hopefully 527 00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:34,760 Speaker 1: put a hand out and help other people as well. 528 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:42,240 Speaker 1: California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. If you're enjoying this conversation, be 529 00:27:42,359 --> 00:27:45,240 Speaker 1: sure to subscribe to Here's the Thing on the I 530 00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:49,840 Speaker 1: Heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 531 00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:53,560 Speaker 1: While you're there, please leave us a review when we 532 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:57,840 Speaker 1: come back. Lorena Gonzalez pushes back against rumors of an 533 00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:02,720 Speaker 1: exodus among California's wealth East two states with lower income taxes. 534 00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 1: Gonzalez makes the case for why they should stay. I'm 535 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:19,879 Speaker 1: Alec Baldwin and this is here's the thing. California Assemblywoman 536 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:25,160 Speaker 1: Lorraina Gonzalez speaks her mind. In a tweet from May. 537 00:28:25,359 --> 00:28:28,679 Speaker 1: She had some choice words for Elon Musk after she 538 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:31,840 Speaker 1: found out he was moving his Tesla plant from California 539 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:35,679 Speaker 1: to Texas. Look, my mouth gets me in trouble. I'd 540 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: lie if I said otherwise. I say exactly what I 541 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:40,160 Speaker 1: think and what I mean. But you have to look 542 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:44,160 Speaker 1: in context. Elon Musk has made a crapload of money 543 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:47,480 Speaker 1: off of California taxpayers. And if people don't understand why, 544 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:51,160 Speaker 1: it's because everything he makes is subsidized by taxpayers. So 545 00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:54,280 Speaker 1: the Tesla's that flew off the market, those all had 546 00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:56,680 Speaker 1: taxpayer rebates on a hundred thousand dollar cards. I mean, 547 00:28:56,680 --> 00:28:58,680 Speaker 1: people who didn't need the rebates were given them because 548 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:02,640 Speaker 1: we want to encourage electric NICs. His solar panels and 549 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:05,400 Speaker 1: solar storage had been highly subsidized by the state California, 550 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:08,920 Speaker 1: so taxpayers have helped make him a billionaire. In California. 551 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,360 Speaker 1: We have really supported Elon Musk, and coming from the 552 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 1: labor movement, he hasn't really been too good on worker issues, 553 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:17,080 Speaker 1: so he's been slapped down by the n l r B. 554 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:20,600 Speaker 1: He's he's anti worker. He's had really some big safety 555 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:23,720 Speaker 1: problems in his facility. So I've always been a little irked, like, 556 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:26,160 Speaker 1: here we are giving you taxpayer dollars and you can't 557 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:28,680 Speaker 1: even abide by the law when it comes to union organizing. 558 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:33,520 Speaker 1: That upsets me. Well, during the pandemic, he decided, forget it, 559 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:35,320 Speaker 1: I don't like these orders. I'm going to open up 560 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 1: my factory in Fremont. It doesn't matter what the county 561 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:41,080 Speaker 1: public health officer is saying. And you're talking about an 562 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:44,280 Speaker 1: area where we had tons of Latinos dying from COVID. 563 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:46,760 Speaker 1: We had the spread. It was at roaring at the time. 564 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:49,040 Speaker 1: So he brings back his workers and he says, if 565 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:51,920 Speaker 1: anyone stops him, he's going to take his jobs to Texas. 566 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:55,560 Speaker 1: I mean, at some point, look, every elected official in 567 00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:58,479 Speaker 1: California should be saying I won't say it here, but 568 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:04,680 Speaker 1: go go away. Elon mus There is a point where 569 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:07,800 Speaker 1: where as elected officials. And this kills me. It doesn't 570 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:11,120 Speaker 1: matter who it is who is getting things from us, right, 571 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:14,080 Speaker 1: Leadership is also being able to make those tough decisions 572 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:16,840 Speaker 1: and say, hey, al right, we like your product, we 573 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:19,560 Speaker 1: like what you're doing for the environment. But by the way, 574 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:21,720 Speaker 1: we've got rules and we're going it doesn't matter who 575 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:23,520 Speaker 1: you are, you're going to stick by the rules too. 576 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 1: And it it irks me that so many of our 577 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:31,040 Speaker 1: rules in California, in this nation, we apply them disproportionately 578 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:34,400 Speaker 1: to communities like mine and not to billionaires like Elon Musk. 579 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:35,960 Speaker 1: And I think we have to be stronger about that. 580 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 1: He has a lot of fans on Twitter, and I 581 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:42,600 Speaker 1: got a lot of lush comes with the territory. It does. 582 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:45,520 Speaker 1: I'm assuming that California is similar to New York, where 583 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:49,280 Speaker 1: the COVID has driven some measurable amount of businesses out 584 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:52,320 Speaker 1: of the state. Correct, it's a high tech state. New 585 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:54,680 Speaker 1: York is really struck. I got friends of mine who 586 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,280 Speaker 1: I mean, people that I never dreamed I mean in 587 00:30:57,360 --> 00:31:00,720 Speaker 1: the EBB and flow of the fiscal health of New York. 588 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:03,720 Speaker 1: Now when the city most needs the money, they're gonna 589 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:07,160 Speaker 1: have the lowest income tax revenue. They're raising taxes and everybody. 590 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 1: It's really really painful, but a very very measurable and 591 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:12,959 Speaker 1: healthy number of people, at least from my optics, who 592 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:15,440 Speaker 1: I never dreamed they would leave New York as their home. 593 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:17,680 Speaker 1: They might keep a little piano tear there, but who 594 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:19,920 Speaker 1: New York was their home. New York City was their home, 595 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:22,560 Speaker 1: and they were willing, maybe not happy, but willing to 596 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:25,360 Speaker 1: pay the taxes because New York was They're gone. They 597 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:28,440 Speaker 1: sold their homes huge apart, moved to Florida. Moved, they moved. 598 00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:30,760 Speaker 1: Then they figured, while I'm gonna move, I'm gonna go 599 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:32,960 Speaker 1: all the way. I'm gonna move to a no tax state. 600 00:31:33,440 --> 00:31:35,480 Speaker 1: So they mean people who would say they'd rather die 601 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:38,120 Speaker 1: than live in Florida, they're going to Florida. The same 602 00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:41,320 Speaker 1: problem in California, people leaving. Well, I think that that's 603 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:43,560 Speaker 1: a storyline. I think if you look at the numbers 604 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:45,280 Speaker 1: that that doesn't quite add up. And I don't know 605 00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:47,480 Speaker 1: exactly what's happening in New York, but I will say 606 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:50,520 Speaker 1: California had its best budget year ever because we have 607 00:31:50,640 --> 00:31:54,880 Speaker 1: created more billionaires during this pandemic than ever before. And 608 00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:58,120 Speaker 1: so unfortunately, what we're facing in California. There's a lot 609 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:00,640 Speaker 1: of talk about the exodus, but it's not quite as 610 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:02,680 Speaker 1: real as as people like to say when you look 611 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:05,160 Speaker 1: at the actual numbers, and in fact, our income tax 612 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:09,600 Speaker 1: revenues are out of control. They're so healthy because of 613 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:11,600 Speaker 1: the very rich that we have, good for you, But 614 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:15,840 Speaker 1: income inequality has become a real threat. So as we 615 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:19,880 Speaker 1: continue to build billionaires in California and Silicon Valley continues 616 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:22,800 Speaker 1: to create new billionaires, we've got to figure out how 617 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:25,120 Speaker 1: we take care of people who just work for a living, right, 618 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:28,280 Speaker 1: the people who service the tourism industry, the people who 619 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:32,280 Speaker 1: serve people fast food, the folks who really are just 620 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:34,000 Speaker 1: struggling gift by, like I always say, the people who 621 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,520 Speaker 1: inspired me. The reason I am in politics is because 622 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:39,600 Speaker 1: you have folks who are on their feet, working forty 623 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:43,160 Speaker 1: sixty hours a week, multiple jobs, especially in immigrant communities 624 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:45,560 Speaker 1: like mine, and and the fact that they cannot afford 625 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:48,480 Speaker 1: housing or to put a little money away from retirement 626 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:50,840 Speaker 1: or to send their kid to college is is something 627 00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:54,440 Speaker 1: we've got to address. So, yeah, I get it. Moved 628 00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:56,760 Speaker 1: to a no tax state, Go ahead, and you get 629 00:32:56,760 --> 00:32:58,080 Speaker 1: what you pay for. Look, I don't want to be 630 00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:01,280 Speaker 1: in Florida, where building codes are and in their approach 631 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:03,479 Speaker 1: to climate change is so bad that that we have 632 00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:08,000 Speaker 1: a mass catastrophe happening. You know, I'll pay my property taxes. 633 00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:09,959 Speaker 1: I just I want to make sure that we have 634 00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:13,040 Speaker 1: an equitable society for everybody, not just those at the top. 635 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:14,880 Speaker 1: I want to live in the state and its good 636 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:19,280 Speaker 1: building codes. Yeah. God, it's just devastating. Just a brief question, 637 00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:22,320 Speaker 1: Why Secretary of State, have you announced or you don't 638 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:24,320 Speaker 1: want to say that on the air. I did announce 639 00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:26,560 Speaker 1: with then we had a little bit. I actually it's 640 00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:29,880 Speaker 1: on hold because I announced a few years ago early. 641 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:32,760 Speaker 1: There have there's never been a Latina in statewide office, 642 00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:36,080 Speaker 1: and so it is the only demographic in California that 643 00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:39,800 Speaker 1: has never achieved statewide office. So we announced, we raised money, 644 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:43,320 Speaker 1: and then our Secretary State, Alex Paedia, was appointed by 645 00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:46,160 Speaker 1: the governor to be a U S Senator, and the 646 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:50,280 Speaker 1: governor appointed Dr Shirley Weber, an African American icon, to 647 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:52,720 Speaker 1: the position of Secretary State. So my plans are a 648 00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:55,400 Speaker 1: little on hold, and until she finishes up now it 649 00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:57,760 Speaker 1: won't be an open seat in two like I had hoped. 650 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:00,640 Speaker 1: But the reason I am interested in Scretaria State and 651 00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:02,560 Speaker 1: I've done a lot of work on voting. In fact, 652 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:05,360 Speaker 1: I authored the bill to have automatic registration and we 653 00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:08,719 Speaker 1: are now at eight percent registered voters. I think the 654 00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:12,080 Speaker 1: more people who vote, the more we open up democracy 655 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:15,600 Speaker 1: in in California. In the world, you have elected officials 656 00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:19,319 Speaker 1: who reflect real people. You have people who remember what 657 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:21,800 Speaker 1: it's like to have a mom who works sixty hours 658 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:25,040 Speaker 1: a week. You elect people who remember what it's like 659 00:34:25,239 --> 00:34:27,840 Speaker 1: to talk to to the workers at the bus stop 660 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:30,359 Speaker 1: on the way to school. You know, remember what it's 661 00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:33,520 Speaker 1: like to have a father who immigrated here in whose 662 00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:36,240 Speaker 1: papers um don't quite match things the way they should. 663 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:39,040 Speaker 1: So when you have a broader electorate, you having more 664 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:42,439 Speaker 1: diverse elected officials, and then you have better policy. So 665 00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:45,279 Speaker 1: that's that's why I want to be Secretary State eventually 666 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:49,120 Speaker 1: and UH and continue to push the idea of having 667 00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:52,560 Speaker 1: as many people participating elections as possible. Well, thank you 668 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:54,040 Speaker 1: for the update. Are you going to go back to 669 00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:55,839 Speaker 1: the Assembly and run again next year? You're gonna run 670 00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:59,200 Speaker 1: for another office? I'm running for re election in two 671 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:02,920 Speaker 1: and we're seen what's out there. I mean, there's congressional 672 00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:05,600 Speaker 1: seats are in the future. I don't know we're redistricting 673 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:08,279 Speaker 1: right now. There's statewide seats. The bottom line is this, 674 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:11,520 Speaker 1: and I talked about this a lot. Latinas are of 675 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:15,840 Speaker 1: the population California, right Latino's overall ourt but Latina's female 676 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:19,160 Speaker 1: Latinos are of the population, and we are the most 677 00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:22,680 Speaker 1: underrepresented in every form of life, including elected office. And 678 00:35:22,719 --> 00:35:25,120 Speaker 1: so my job and my goal is to continue to 679 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:29,000 Speaker 1: push for regular folks and to also service hopefully a 680 00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:31,480 Speaker 1: time when when I won't be the first Latina to 681 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:33,520 Speaker 1: do or serve as something, but we've got to continue 682 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:36,280 Speaker 1: to push that. Well, let me just say this because 683 00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:38,319 Speaker 1: we wrap up, and I really mean this, Jenemy, you 684 00:35:38,360 --> 00:35:40,920 Speaker 1: were such an amazing woman and all your credentials and 685 00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:44,759 Speaker 1: your accomplishments and your passion, you're somebody who it's still 686 00:35:44,880 --> 00:35:47,640 Speaker 1: your task to save the world, I'm afraid, and not 687 00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:50,520 Speaker 1: savor the world. You have to have to postpone the 688 00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:52,799 Speaker 1: saving of the world a little bit longer. You and 689 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:56,080 Speaker 1: your husband. You have to keep going. There's no turning back. 690 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:58,680 Speaker 1: You've got to keep running and keep doing this great 691 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:00,680 Speaker 1: work you're doing. You've been doing a amazing work and 692 00:36:00,719 --> 00:36:03,719 Speaker 1: you were such a role model. We wanted you on 693 00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:08,160 Speaker 1: because people spoke so highly of you. Andrew Day, the actress, 694 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:10,760 Speaker 1: was talking about the work you did with that school 695 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:15,120 Speaker 1: down there. Robert E. Lee. Yeah, in San Diego, you 696 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:17,719 Speaker 1: can imagine, Yes, because we care about our history, you 697 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:19,879 Speaker 1: had the name of the school changed. You and other 698 00:36:19,920 --> 00:36:21,719 Speaker 1: people were working on that cause I did. And this 699 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:25,400 Speaker 1: was before we kind of started attacking the Confederate name issue, 700 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:28,879 Speaker 1: so I got to see what people said before they 701 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:31,640 Speaker 1: realized it was politically incorrect. But you don't have a 702 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:33,759 Speaker 1: school in San Diego named after Robert E. Lee in 703 00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:36,879 Speaker 1: the nineteen fifties, the same year that we ended segregation 704 00:36:37,239 --> 00:36:40,160 Speaker 1: in the schools, and it not be tied to racism. 705 00:36:40,239 --> 00:36:44,239 Speaker 1: So that school today is over kids of color and 706 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:46,719 Speaker 1: they finally don't have to go to school that is 707 00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:49,880 Speaker 1: named after not just the biggest traitor in our in 708 00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:53,280 Speaker 1: our history, but somebody who was fighting to keep people segregated, 709 00:36:53,360 --> 00:36:56,920 Speaker 1: in keep people enslaved. Well, what an honor it is 710 00:36:56,960 --> 00:36:59,600 Speaker 1: to get to meet you. I know your time is valuable. 711 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:06,240 Speaker 1: Thank you so much, thank you, thank you. California Assemblywoman 712 00:37:06,480 --> 00:37:10,560 Speaker 1: Lorreina Gonzalez. I'm Alec Baldwin. Here's the Thing is brought 713 00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:14,560 Speaker 1: to you by iHeart Radio. We're produced by Kathleen Russo, 714 00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:19,239 Speaker 1: Carrie donohue, and Zach McNeese. Our engineer is Frank Imperial.