Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D) is running for re-election in California’s 64th Assembly District against Fatima Iqbal-Zubair (D). In the primary election, Gipson got 67.5 percent of the vote, and Iqbal-Zubair received 32.5 percent of the vote, according to Ballotpedia.
Gipson said he’s proud of his police reform legislation.
“What we’ve seen all over our country and what transpired with the murder of George Floyd, well the Governor just signed my bill into law which goes into effect January 1, 2021 that bans those kinds of methods and practice of chokeholds and carotid artery restraints,” Gipson said, referring to AB 1196, which makes it illegal for officers to use the carotid hold to detain a suspect.
Gipson said he was born and raised in Watts, which is partially included in the 64th Assembly District. Prior to entering the political sphere, Gipson was a police officer at the Maywood Police Department, which was disbanded in 2010.
“On any given day, or any given situation, there is gun violence, there is something going on in my community. And nine times out of 10, I’m going to go and be right there in a situation especially where a young person’s life was taken away due to gun violence,” Gipson said. “And seeing, and growing up, and wanting to serve and protect, I wanted to be a change agent. That’s the reason why I became a police officer. I wanted to get involved and make sure that there was no abuse under authority in my department when I worked there and while I was on duty, and also to give back to making sure the streets are safe, and things of that nature.”
Gipson believes his experiences as a police officer and as an assemblymember have “uniquely qualified” him to work on police reform legislation.
“That’s why I carried one of the toughest police reform bills in the State of California banning chokeholds and carotid artery restraints. We had a Los Angeles Police Chief by the name of Daryl Gates, who in my opinion was racist, who said that Black people died because their necks were too thin when a chokehold was being placed. The City of Los Angeles banned that practice and they can still make an arrest. And so we wanted to really step up in a large way—because California leads the way and will continue to lead the way—and do something in this space like banning the carotid artery restraints and the chokeholds in California. And I’m happy to report that the Governor signed that bill into law and I’m excited about it.”
Gipson said it’s “common sense” to push police reform bills through the legislature.
“Our communities are demanding action. Our communities are demanding change and reform in this space. And so the speaker of the California State Assembly Mr. Anthony Rendon has appointed me to chair the Select Committee on Police Officer Reform in the State of California, so we will be tackling legislation that did not get a chance to be heard and debated on the floor because the constitutional clock ran out,” he said.
Gipson admits that there are “bad apples” in every career, not just police departments.
“We have bad teachers. We have bad doctors. We have bad lawyers. And yes, we do have bad police officers. And I believe, through this reform, that it will weed out those individuals from being in police departments and get back to the business of serving and protecting. This is something that the officers who killed Goerge Floyd failed to realize, who took the oath of office, who disgraced the profession and murdered this man. And we want to make sure that if anybody in the police department is like them, they’re no longer in uniform in the State of California,” Gipson said.
Gipson also updated the Foster Youth Bill of Rights.
“I’ve been a champion in California for our foster youth to make sure they’re not traumatized, but also making sure they understand their rights, as well as the social workers understand their rights,” he said. “So we have updated the Foster Youth Bill of Rights that has not been touched in over 30 years.”
Gipson’s opponent, Fatima Iqbal-Zubair, has criticized his record on voting for bills in favor of protecting the environment.
“I think it’s always interesting when you have people on the outside trying to look in... throwing rocks at the work that I do. Let me simply say: If you really check the record, when I was on City Council, we sued Shell Oil Company and won over $437 million for residents in the City of Carson. I believe that number is going back and forth with judges and different appeals, but we won a considerable amount of money when I was on the City Council in the City of Carson,” Gipson said.
Gipson said he will make sure the refineries in South L.A. work to protect the environment and the surrounding neighborhoods.
“I will hold these companies accountable and also strike a balance with the environment, because we have to do that. Listen, I breathe the same air that these refineries and everybody around there breathes as well. I’m not going to put my life or my family’s life in jeopardy. So we’ve got to hold them accountable and also make sure they do the right thing,” Gipson said.
Gipson wants to vote for legislation with L.A.’s homeless population in mind.
“I, for one, am the only member of the legislature that spends the night with homeless individuals each and every year. Why is that important? Because it helps me legislate on behalf of our homeless brothers and sisters, making sure that we’re out there in terms of housing. Making sure during this pandemic that we’re not evicting people, that we’re not having people homeless, foreclosed on because they lost their jobs due to COVID-19,” Gipson said. “I represent 47,000 people who go to work each and every day to get an honest day's work, to provide for their families.”
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