Don served 12 years in the state legislature representing the people
of Oakland – ten of which as a State Senator and four as President
pro Tem of the Senate.
During his time in the State Capitol, Don compiled
an impressive list of progressive accomplishments,
consistent with the philosophy and politics of Oakland. Don explained in a recent interview that, “Almost everything I wanted to do in Sacramento that
was beneficial to the state—whether it was on gun control or infant mortality—was twice as beneficial to my district.”
“In many instances, my role was to get it done; I didn’t have the need to take or get the credit, just results,” he was quoted saying during his time as senate leader.
This, in part, explains why his colleagues in the California
Democratic Party unanimously voted Don as the pro Tem
twice.
Prop 1C - Wrote Prop 1C that authorized $2.8 billion to fund affordable housing, transit-oriented developments and farm worker housing, directly
benefiting the TransitVillage at MacArthur BART.
Mortgage Crisis Relief - Passed urgency legislation providing immediate relief
to homeowners, tenants & neighborhoods affected by the mortgage crisis. The
landmark law also required lenders to work directly
with homeowners to renegotiate subprime loans before
beginning foreclosure proceedings.
Balanced Budget - While negotiating with then Governor Schwarzenegger
and the Speaker of the Assembly, Don fought for a state
budget plan with a reliable and stable funding source
to protect the state’s already at risk General Fund.
Minimum wage - Brokered legislation to increase the minimum wage.
InfrastructureBuilding - A key force in the success of the nation’s largest infrastructure bonds to rebuild California’s roads, schools, levees and housing, passed by voters
in 2006. The bonds continue to create jobs throughout the
state.
Youth Health - Rescued food stamps for children from state budget
cuts.
Payday Loan Regulation - Wrote the law regulating “payday loan” industry, which preyed on low income working families
and single parents.
Injured Workers Compensation - Crafted legislation to increase compensation benefits
for workers left permanently disabled from injuries
sustained on the job, and redress Governor Schwarzenegger's
reduction of benefits for the permanently disabled
struggling with rising costs of living.
Dangerous Weapons - Don is responsible for the nation’s toughest ban on assault weapons. His legislation
closed loopholes and became the model for the rest
of the nation.
Dangerous Weapons - Wrote legislation banning the sale and possession of
.50 caliber bullets.
Re-entry programs - Wrote laws increasing funding for violence prevention
programs in schools, community based conflict resolution,
anger management services, and job preparation for
former incarcerated persons returning to our communities.
Re-entry programs - Secured $5M for Oakland and the rest of AlamedaCounty to reduce violence and recidivism.
Rehabilitative Services - Wrote the law to provide rehabilitative services to
mentally ill juvenile offenders.
Community Safety - Authored legislation to curb sideshows and reckless
speed contests.
Emergency Preparedness - Delivered millions of dollars to prepare the Bay Area
for inevitable earthquakes, and created landmark transportation
funds for seismic retrofit projects, including the
Bay Bridge & BART.
Emergency Preparedness - Wrote legislation to create the San Francisco Bay Water
Transit Authority to plan and build a ferry system
connecting seven Bay Area counties; and provide an emergency service system in the event
of bridges closures after a major earthquake.
Funding - Wrote law to increase funding for urban schools.
Funding - Rescued OaklandUnifiedSchool District from bankruptcy and further financial mismanagement
in 2003.
Funding - Wrote legislation to support Oakland Zoo, The Oakland
Museum and Chabot Observatory.
Reading - Founded the Oakland Parents Literacy Project, a non-profit sponsoring Family Reading Nights in 50 local preschool and elementary schools annually, working
with parents and students on the importance of reading.
OPLP has since distributed 100,000 free books to families.
Parental Support - Co-founded GASP (Grandparents Acting as Parents) with East Oakland resident Celestine Green, a support group for parents
raising their grandchildren at the height of the crack
epidemic.
High Risk Youth - Founded the Castlemont Corridor Violence Prevention
Project that established the first city-county-CBO collaborative network providing “wrap around” mental health and social services to high-risk youth. The Castlemont Corridor won a $5M Fighting Back grant from the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation.
Oversight - Wrote law mandating state oversight, greater disclosure
and accountability for private colleges and professional
schools whose practices often leave students broke
and without recourse.
AB32 - Brokered and strengthened AB32, the “Global Warming Solutions Act”, the nation’s most aggressive global warming policy framework.
Don made sure that a larger number of pollutants were
added to the Bill, insisted on stronger enforcement
language and continued to push Governor Schwarzenegger
to go further than a simple cap and trade system.
Oakland Air Quality - Authored and passed Proposition 1B, which allocated $1BN to improve air quality around the Port of Oakland. Don ensured that Oakland received a fair share of clean air funds from the
State’s Air Board to reduce soot pollution around the ports
when other regions were trying to take it away.
Oakland Heritage - Wrote Heritage Tree Protection legislation, protecting
Old Growth Redwoods – the oldest of which are located in Oakland.
Parks & Rec - Secured millions of dollars for Bay Area parks and
open space through the state’s Bay Area Conservancy and Wildlife Conservation Board.
Coastal Protection - As Senate President pro Tem appointed environmental
leaders to the coastal commission and SF Bay Conservation
and Development Commission to continue the State Senate’s abiding commitment to coastal protection.
Public Transit - Chaired ACTA’s Measure B campaign to increase local sale tax to
support transportation, transit and para-transit.
Was among the leaders of the first transportation sales
tax.
Cleaner Energy - Authored and passed groundbreaking Green House Gases
law requiring utilities to contract electricity from
sources cleaner than coal-fired power plants. As a result, 35 power plants no longer produce electricity imported
into California.
Conservation - Authored & passed Proposition 1E to fund sustainable underground water storage, protect
water quality and preserve watersheds and wetlands.
Conservation - Opposed Republican demands to allow funds to design
and build a Peripheral canal.
Cleaner Air - Increased penalties, fines and sanctions on oil companies
for toxic refinery emissions.
Cleaner Water - Wrote the law setting the first statewide standard
to limit arsenic in water.
Cleaner Water - Twice authored legislation providing $800M to improve drinking water quality and remove cancer-causing toxins, like perchlorate from underground aquifers
to restore the health of the Sacramento Delta.
Conservation - Successfully blocked repeated efforts by the Schwarzenegger
Administration, California Republicans and Big Agriculture
to build Sites and Temperance Flats dams.
Green Incentives - Wrote “20-20” legislation during the “energy crisis” that rewarded consumers who used less energy. Governor
Gray Davis issued an executive order implementing 20-20.
Cap & Trade - Wrote legislation to require brokers selling “cap and trade” environmental credits to prove taxpayer-paid “climate action dollars” are in fact used to reduce carbon footprints.
Green Leadership - As President pro Tem, Don led the Democratic caucus
to give high-priority toward legislation promoting solar and other
sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative energy
sources.
Preventative
- Increased access to breast-cancer screening for low-income women.
Preventative - Wrote legislation to ban cancer-causing MTBE as an additive to gasoline.
Research - Wrote law establishing state bio-monitoring program to track and assess health effects
of toxic contaminants on the human body.
Research - Carried legislation and secured budget funding to create
the state’s first public stem-cell bank for children at risk from leukemia, thallysemia,
and sickle cell.
Research - Secured a $27M annual appropriation for ovarian and prostate cancer
research in California.
Funding - Wrote law authorizing drug discount program.
Funding - Brokered legislation to create a discount drug program
to bring down the costs of medication for millions
of uninsured Californians.
Funding - Co-authored and consistently supported single-payer legislation.
Funding - Wrote prescription drug benefit for AIDS patients.
Funding - Pushed through emergency legislation that ensured the
state remained the payer of last resort for Medicare
Part D, to guarantee that Med-Cal & Medicare eligible Californians have access to necessary
medication.
Protection - Wrote law with Assembly Member Helen Thompson to require
parity from HMO coverage for mental illness.
Protection - Authored legislation to prohibit insurance companies
from billing consumers for emergency room treatment,
and mandate fair and timely payment to ER doctors.
Protection - Wrote the law to provide rehabilitative services to
mentally ill juvenile offenders.
Protection - Wrote legislation to allow physicians, not HMOs to
make medical decisions affecting patient lives.
Protection - Blocked Governor Schwarzenegger from cutting In-Home Support Services (IHSS) programs to seniors and persons with disabilities.
Protection - Created State Commission on Autism and led legislative
efforts for a comprehensive package of laws assisting
victims and families of autism.
In the wake of a national scandal over the poor security
of electronic voting machines, wrote legislation requiring
these systems to record every vote.
Awards
The Sierra Club Byron Sher Award for Outstanding Achievement
in Environmental Protection by a California Public Official, 2008.
Center for Elders Independence Special Recognition for Visionary Leadership and Commitment
to Seniors, 2008.
Housing California Special Recognition for Leadership on the Housing
Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act, 2006.
