Justice & Fairness

As a former Alameda County prosecutor, I know first-hand how dangerous our communities can be and the importance of keeping Americans safe. I spent seven years fighting to make sure that those who violated the law were punished, and I have now brought that spirit to Congress. The federal government should be both addressing regional and national crime issues and supporting state and local law enforcement with the resources they need to protect our streets.

Additionally, America was founded on ideals that all individuals are created equal, regardless of race, religion, sex, status, or orientation, as one nation subject to the rule of law. One of my priorities in Congress is to ensure that everyone is treated with dignity, justice, and equity.

I have addressed issues of justice by authoring legislation to promote individual rights, cosponsoring bills that protect individuals, and continuing to demand accountability. I have the great honor of serving on the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over a wide range of issues including crime, civil rights and liberties, immigration, bankruptcy, antitrust, intellectual property, and all constitutional amendments. Working on this committee allows me to influence important legislation that positively impacts California’s 14th District.

What I Am Doing For You

I am proud that my legislation, the bipartisan Homicide Victims' Families Rights Act, was signed into law by President Biden. This bill will provide family members and loved ones of homicide victims under federal law the right to have their loved one’s cold case file reviewed using the newest technologies. If a federal investigator feels it would lead to probative leads, a full reinvestigation will then occur. My legislation requires the federal government to notify individuals of their rights and to provide them with updates on any cold case review. Data will also be collected on systemic problems with cold case investigations, including information on clearance rates. Now that my legislation is federal law, I am working to encourage states to pass similar statutes to work toward total justice for victims of these senseless crimes.

I introduced H.R. 4857, the Journalist Protection Act, to make it a federal crime when an individual intentionally harms or intimidates a journalist in the course of newsgathering for a media organization. My bill represents a clear statement that assaults against journalists engaged in reporting is unacceptable, with assistance to ensure law enforcement is able to punish those who interfere with newsgathering.

I led 105 members in sending a May 2021 letter to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy demanding he meet with Metropolitan Police Department Office Michael Fanone. Officer Fanone bravely defended the United States Capitol on January 6 and suffered severe injuries. The letter was sent to McCarthy during National Police Week, a time to celebrate the heroism of our law enforcement officers and commemorate those who lost their lives in the line of duty.

I was an original cosponsor of, voted for, and the House passed, a bipartisan bill to award three congressional gold medals to the United States Capitol Police and those who protected the U.S. Capitol against the violent insurrection of January 6, 2021. The sacrifice of Capitol Police Officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood, Metropolitan Police Department Officer Jeffrey Sme Goodmith, and the courage of countless others exemplify the patriotism and the commitment of law enforcement to risk their lives in service of our country.

I am an original cosponsor of the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal (FAIR) Act, to re-establish Americans’ 7th Amendment right to a jury to seek justice and accountability through the court system by eliminating forced arbitration clauses in employment, consumer, and civil rights cases. 

I am a cosponsor of the Supreme Court Ethics Act, which requires the Judicial Conference of the United States to promulgate a code of ethics for the Supreme Court, ensuring neutrality and transparency in our judiciary. I am also a cosponsor of the Decennial District Court Judgeships Act, which would add hundreds of additional federal district court judges to help provide swift justice to individuals in need, and the Circuit Court Judgeships Act, which will add additional federal circuit judges.

I cosponsored and voted for, and the House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021. This bill is a bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, end racial profiling, change the culture of law enforcement, empower our communities, and build trust between law enforcement and our communities by addressing systemic racism and bias to help save lives. The Justice in Policing Act would: 1) establish a national standard for the operation of police departments; 2) mandate data collection on police encounters; 3) reprogram existing funds to invest in transformative community-based policing programs; and 4) streamline federal law to prosecute excessive force and establish independent prosecutors for police investigations.

I'm an original cosponsor of, I voted for, and the House has passed H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, to grant statehood to the District of Columbia and ensure its residents have an equal voice in our democracy. It is inexcusable that the more than 700,000 American citizens who live in the District if Columbia are denied full voting representation in Congress based on where they live. Ensuring every American can participate fully in our democracy is a fundamental value.

I'm an original cosponsor of H.R. 1522, the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act, to grant statehood to Puerto Rico and ensure its residents have an equal voice in our democracy. It's time to end more than 120 years of colonialism and provide full rights and representation to more than 3.2 million Americans. Back-to-back hurricanes, earthquakes and now the COVID-19 pandemic have proven that the Island’s colonial status is simply not working.

I'm an original cosponsor of H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, to create a commission to examine slavery and discrimination in the United States from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies. We must continue a national conversation about how to confront the brutal mistreatment of African Americans during slavery, Jim Crow segregation, and the enduring structural racism that still plagues our society today.

I'm an original cosponsor of H.R. 963, the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal (FAIR) Act, to re-establish Americans’ 7th Amendment right to seek justice and accountability through the court system by eliminating forced arbitration clauses in employment, consumer, and civil rights cases. The bill would let consumers and workers to agree to arbitration after a dispute occurs. 

I'm an original cosponsor of H.R. 3642, a bipartisan bill to award a Congressional gold medal to the 369th Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the "Harlem Hellfighters", in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service during World War I. The Hellfighters, the most celebrated African-American regiment in World War I, confronted racism even as they trained for war, helped bring jazz to France, then battled Germany longer than almost any other American doughboys. Like their predecessors in the Civil War and successors in the wars that followed, these African-American troops fought a war for a country that refused them basic rights – and their bravery stood as a rebuke to racism, a moral claim to first-class citizenship.

I cosponsored H.Con.Res.19, urging the establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation. The Commission will examine the effects of slavery, institutional racism, and discrimination against people of color, and how our history impacts laws and policies today.