Media Coverage
Fox 5 San Diego
California addresses veterinarian shortage, expands scope of veterinary staff
The signing of these bills comes after the San Diego Humane Society worked alongside several groups to advocate for these reforms, including: the San Francisco SPCA, CalAnimals, Valley Humane Society, Best Friends Animal Society, ASPCA, Michelson Center for Public Policy and the Humane World for Animals.
Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: California has led the way in curbing pet-selling cruelty. It can’t stop now
“California led in 2019 by barring pet stores from selling inhumanely, commercially bred dogs. Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom can finish the job. By signing Assembly Bill 519, he can close the online loophole these bad-faith brokers exploit and make good on the state’s promise to curb this cruelty.” — Jennifer Naitaki, Michelson Center for Public Policy. Republished in MSN News.
Davis Vanguard
California Senate Setback for AB 1380 Bill Supporting Incarcerated Firefighters
Co-sponsors of AB 1380 continue to express their disappointment but vowed to keep pushing. Tania Vargas, executive director of Initiate Justice Action, and Mayra Lombera, chief policy officer for the Michelson Center for Public Policy, said AB 1380 was “a transformative bill that would have strengthened public safety through job creation” and that blocking it “squandered a common-sense chance to honor their service and strengthen our fire response.”
Los Angeles Sentinel
Firefighting to Freedom: California Leaders Honor Incarcerated Firefighters, Push for Landmark Reform
California lawmakers, fire officials, and community advocates gathered on the morning of August 22 at Stentorians Inc. in South Los Angeles to uplift the voices of incarcerated firefighters and rally support for the Firefighting to Freedom Bill Package—a sweeping set of seven bills designed to recognize the courage of incarcerated fire crews and open career pathways upon release.
Davis Vanguard
Lawmakers Push for ‘Firefighting to Freedom’ Bill Aiding Incarcerated Firefighters
Local community officials and leaders also joined in support, including Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Cristine Soto DeBerry, executive director of Prosecutors Alliance Action, Mayra Lombera, chief policy officer at the Michelson Center for Public Policy, Brian Fennessy, fire chief of the Orange County Fire Authority and president of the California Fire Chiefs Association, and Taina Angeli Vargas, executive director of Initiate Justice Action.
Davis Vanguard
California Proposes Seven Bills to Aid Incarcerated Firefighters’ Efforts
Supporters outside the legislature also endorsed the package. Mayra Lombera, chief policy officer at the Michelson Center for Public Policy, said the reforms reflect a vision that values sacrifice and rehabilitation. “Sacrifice is respected, experience is valued, and rehabilitation is met with opportunities rather than stigma,” Lombera said. “Opportunities should not be reserved for a few but all who want to step into the work and really achieve great success.”
NBC Los Angeles
Rescue groups respond after LAAS excludes rabbits from spay/neuter increase
Today was a bit of a blindside, to be honest,” Jana Brennan, program manager for Michelson Center for Public Policy's Spay and Neuter Initiative, told the Los Angeles Daily News on July 30. “Including those (coverage areas) is incredibly important for the long-term investment in spay and neuter in Los Angeles. So we were very disappointed to learn that had shifted back to that previous recommendation.” Republished in Los Angeles Daily News, The Daily Breeze, and MyNews LA.
Westside Current
LA Shelters are at a Breaking Point. City Council Just Defunded the Fix.
In a statement following the vote, Dr. Gary K. Michelson, founder and co-chair of the Michelson Center for Public Policy, said the decision would deepen the city’s ongoing shelter crisis. “The overcrowding of our shelters is a direct consequence of the city’s failure to provide basic services to families and their pets.” Republished in NewsBreak.
Los Angeles Daily News
LA eyes free spay and neuter surgeries for pets under new voucher plan
If approved, the new rates would effectively render sterilization procedures free to eligible pet owners using city vouchers. Animal welfare advocates said that could make a meaningful difference. “We really feel like it’s a step in the right direction,” said Jana Brennan, program manager for Michelson Center for Public Policy’s Spay and Neuter Initiative. “The voucher value has not been raised in a decade, so the adjustment really brings these vouchers into closer alignment with today’s veterinary costs.”
LAist
Families are losing internet access as immigration sweeps further the digital divide
Advocates say the widening digital divide is severely limiting people’s ability to prepare, access legal resources, connect with loved ones who have been detained, and stay informed about their rights. “You're going to see a disproportionate impact on those communities in terms of access to information, critical minute-by-minute,” said Cristal Mojica, a digital equity expert at Michelson Center for Public Policy.
NPR
Digital advocates say lack of internet access harms immigrant communities during immigration sweeps
Amid the ongoing immigration raids, people have post food drives, legal aid networks, and even sightings of federal agents across Southern California online. But hundreds of thousands of Angelenos can’t access these resource because they lack internet access. LAist's Nereida Moreno speaks with Cristal Mojica a digital equity expert at the Michelson Center for Public Policy, about how the digital divide hurts immigrant communities.
La Opinión
Concejo de Los Ángeles aprueba presupuesto que reduce despidos
“Si bien respetamos las difíciles decisiones presupuestarias que enfrenta el Ayuntamiento, su decisión de no financiar completamente el programa de vales de esterilización y castración de Los Ángeles representa la continuación de una crisis increíblemente costosa para Los Ángeles”, declaró Jana Brennan, gerente del programa de la Iniciativa de Esterilización y Castración del Michelson Center for Public Policy (MCPP).
Los Angeles Times
L.A. mayor says animal shelters won't close. Rescue groups are still on edge
Jennifer Naitaki, a vice president at the Michelson Center for Public Policy, which is affiliated with the Michelson Found Animals Foundation, acknowledged that saving animals’ lives is expensive. Still, additional funding would pay off in dividends by reducing births of unwanted animals and easing the strain on the city’s shelters, she said. “Obviously, that caused a huge uproar and a lot of anger and a lot of advocacy. And I also think maybe that’s not bad, right? It’s always good to get in front of our City Council members and the budget committee, and have them hear from the folks that care.”
Los Angeles Daily News
LA City Council OKs a one-year pilot program to boost microchipping by pet owners
Jennifer P. Naitaki, vice president of programs and strategic initiatives at the Michelson Center for Public Policy, also called the proposal a positive step. “Instead of saying, ‘Everybody must have a microchip, or else’, it’s saying, ‘Let’s give everybody access and then let’s hopefully have some meaningful change for shelter intake,’” Naitaki said.
La Opinión
Albergues para animales de LA en riesgo bajo recortes propuestos
“Entendemos las difíciles decisiones presupuestarias que enfrenta Los Ángeles, pero nos preocupan profundamente los recortes propuestos al Servicio de Animales de Los Ángeles”, dijo Jennifer Naitaki, vicepresidenta de programas e iniciativas estratégicas del Michelson Center for Public Policy.
Sacramento Bee
Can you start life after prison in California with $200? We expect former inmates to try | Opinion
“As California strives to approach policy with empathy — and budgetary discipline — its gate money issue is a skeleton in the closet,” Kenia Miranda Verdugo, MCPP, writes. “Increasing this sum to more closely reflect the true cost of living would be a profound step toward a more equitable, compassionate criminal justice system that works to break the cycle of poverty and incarceration rather than perpetuate it.”
CalMatters
Are California prisons stiffing inmates on $200 release payments? Lawsuit says they are
The advocacy groups Root & Rebound, Initiate Justice, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, All of Us or None and the Michelson Center for Public Policy surveyed over 70 incarcerated people returning home. They found that the corrections department deducted gate money from approximately one in three of them.