Shortly after assuming office,Gabriel was appointed to the State Assembly Leadership as Assistant Majority Whip under Majority Whip Todd Gloria. He also was elected by his colleagues as Vice Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus under Chair Ben Allen.
Legislation
During his first full term in the State Assembly,Gabriel authored nine bills that were signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom,including legislation to expand legal services for low-income Californians in civil cases and to establish a Nonprofit Security Grant Program to improve the physical security of nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of violent attacks or hate crimes. [11] [12]
In 2019,Gabriel co-founded a legislative working group that hosted former congresswoman and gun control advocate Gabrielle Giffords,the Brady Campaign,and Moms Demand Action with the purpose of discussing gun control in California and enacting more than a dozen new gun safety measures. [13]
In 2023,Gabriel authored the California Food Safety Act,a bipartisan measure to ban red dye no. 3,potassium bromate,brominated vegetable oil,and propylparaben from foods sold in California. [14] The bill received significant national and international press coverage [15] and was described as a “truly historic win for consumers”. [16] The bill passed the legislature on a bipartisan vote in both houses and was signed into law by Governor Newsom on October 7,2023. [17]
In 2023,Gabriel authored the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act,a first-in-the-nation measure which taxes gun industry profits to fund gun violence prevention and school safety in communities across California. [18] This legislation was supported by a coalition of more than 100 gun safety groups but was strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the California Rifle &Pistol Association. [19] Governor Newsom signed the bill into law on September 26,2023. [20]
Gabriel was a principal co-author of the constitutional amendment to protect reproductive freedom in the California Constitution. [21] He also co-authored the constitutional amendment to protect marriage equality in the California Constitution. [22]
