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VOL. 12,
NO. 107
LA County supervisors approve tougher gun laws By City News Service
Table at a gun show. | Photo by M&R Glasgow (CC BY 2.0)
F
ollowing the recent rash of fatal mass shootings throughout the state, members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday
approved a series of new laws tightening regulations on the sale and possession of guns in unincorporated areas. "We know that blame for
the gun violence epidemic lies with the failure of congressional leaders to pass even the most basic federal gun laws," board Chair Janice Hahn said in a statement
following the vote. "Because they have not acted, we have found actions we can take at the county level to protect lives." Hahn proposed many
of the new ordinances in conjunction with Supervisor Hilda Solis. The action bans sale of guns or ammunition of .50 or more and the carrying of firearms except by sworn officers on county property, such as parks. The board also called for the development of an ordinance that would create a 1,000-foot buffer zone between gun stores and "child-sensitive areas" such as schools. It also requested the drafting of an ordinance that would require all privately owned firearms to be kept under lock and key, and one that would mandate liability insurance for gun owners. It also voted to explore the feasibility of developing a county gun database. The new and proposed ordinances were the result of a study requested by the board last year in an effort to identify locally enforceable measures to regulate guns. That study led to a drafting
of the initial ordinances by county attorneys. The board also voted to support the bid by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D- California, to reestablish the 10-year national assault rifle ban and to forbid the sale of such firearms and high capacity magazines to those under 21. Sam Paredes, executive director of the California Gunowners' Association, said he was skeptical the Feinstein measure would pass. "Ms. Feinstein has been in the Senate for a long time," he said. "She keeps resubmitting the same measure every session. I don't think it will pass the Senate. It certainly won't make it through the House." One of the motions that went before the board Tuesday noted that firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States. It also noted the Jan. 21 slaying See Gun laws Page 28
LA council committee recommends stricter lobbying regulations By Eric He, City News Service
I
n a step toward reforming Los Angeles’ lobbying ordinance for the first time in decades, the City Council’s ad hoc committee on governance reform recommended approval Monday of an ethics commission report that would place stricter rules on people or organizations looking to impact city policy. The city’s Municipal Lobbying Ordinance has
not been comprehensively updated since its adoption in 1994, with two prior recommendations by the ethics commission expiring after the council did not take action on them. But the racist audio leaked last October involving three council members — two now former members — spurred the creation of the special council commit-
tee, which took up the ethics commission’s May 2022 recommendations on Monday. The committee, chaired by Council President Paul Krekorian, signed off on the recommendations with several amendments. Krekorian noted that lobbying reform was just one of several proposals that were left “to die in the darkness
by never being referred out of the rules committee.” That committee had formerly been chaired by Nury Martinez, the former Council President who resigned in October for taking part in the racist conversation. Former Councilman Gil Cedillo and current Councilman Kevin de León also took See Krekorian Page 15
Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian. | Photo courtesy of the office of Councilman Paul Krekorian