Sacramento – Assemblymember Anna Caballero’s won support for all five of the bills she took up this week in State Assembly, as legislators worked to take action on a file of more than 400 legislative proposals.

Caballero’s bills included two of her package of measures addressing the problem of youth violence prevention.  One would expand literacy programs at public libraries to target the needs of out-of-school young people 16 years and older.  The other would create a law enforcement apprenticeship program for high school students at risk of becoming involved with gangs. 

The Assembly earlier passed a third Caballero bill that would punish anyone who recruits young people to join gangs.

“Law enforcement officers tell us again and again that we can lock up the gang bangers, but we also have to offer kids hope and practical help before they are pulled into gangs,” said Caballero.  “Literacy and the possibility of good jobs are critical to these efforts.”

Assembly Speaker Nunez had earlier appointed Caballero to chair the Assembly’s Select Committee on Youth Violence Prevention.  Over the past month, the committee held hearings in Los Angeles, Salinas and Oakland, gathering information from local law enforcement and community groups about local youth violence prevention and intervention strategies that work to divert young people from gang participation.  Caballero’s plan is for the select committee to produce a “tool-kit” of ideas that can be used by communities and the Legislature to chart solutions to youth violence prevention.

Caballero also won support for two measures that would reward cities such as Salinas that build much-needed housing, by putting them first in line to receive a portion of state bond funds for parks and planning. 

Another winning measure would help cities build sewage treatment plants and other local infrastructure projects, by clarifying the rules for local contracting with companies that build or operate these types of projects.

All the measures passed by the Assembly now move to the State Senate for consideration.