Jimmy Gomez Begins Domestic Violence Hearings

Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez (D-Northeast Los Angeles), Democratic whip and chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Domestic Violence, called to order Tuesday the first of a series of hearings throughout the state on the issue of domestic violence.

“Our main focus in hosting these select committee hearings is to shed light and awareness on domestic violence,” said Gomez. “Children, teens, mothers, fathers, friends and even co-workers can be affected by what happens when someone is the victim of Domestic Violence. Our goal is to increase prevention and that is only possible with increased information. That’s why we will hold hearings throughout the state to increase public access to information.”

The committee discussed teen dating violence, programs and services that aid domestic violence survivors and workplace domestic violence. Alison Tudor of the Valley Crisis Center, Anastacia Snyder of Catalyst Domestic Violence Services and Rachael Langston with the Employment Law Center and the Legal Aid Society all discussed available programs for victims and prevention methods. 

Also joining the committee to discuss the limitations and opportunities of the recent $60-million augmentation to the Judicial Branch's budget, specifically how the money could be utilized to maintain and/or improve services to victims of domestic violence were Jocelyn Bayne of the Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Coalition, Ignacio Hernández, an attorney with the Hernández Strategy Group, and Stephen Nasha, court executive officer with the San Bernardino Superior Court. 

“I appreciate the extremely substantive conversation we had today and look forward to continuing the dialog through our select committee hearings in the coming months,” Gomez said. “I am encouraged that these hearings across California will help decision-makers prioritize domestic violence services.” 

Gomez represents the 51st Assembly District, which includes Unincorporated East Los Angeles and the neighborhoods of Glassell Park, Highland Park, Cypress Park, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno, Echo Park, Eagle Rock, Elysian Park, Mt. Washington, Atwater Village, Montecito Heights, Chinatown and Silver Lake.