SAFETY ON: The backlash has been swift for Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur and his proposal to make California an anti-stand-your-ground state. The Los Angeles Democrat is continuing to play defense on his less-than-week-old bill to narrow the definition of “justifiable homicide” by requiring deescalation when possible. He’s already promising amendments that make it clear the legislation won’t have an effect on Californians’ ability to protect themselves in their own homes. “We're looking forward to working with law enforcement to modify the bill so that it's clear that this is about making sure that everyone in our communities are safe,” Zbur told Playbook. The online brouhaha that followed Zbur’s bill introduction shows the continuing pitfalls of pushing left-leaning criminal justice policy in an environment primed to generate conservative outrage — even in deep-blue California. Opponents quickly seized on the proposal’s language — which would make killing someone illegal if a person uses more force than necessary to defend themselves or chooses not to disengage or deescalate a violent situation when they can — calling it a “criminal-first bill.” The assemblymember tried to clarify things on social media, saying the bill is aimed at people like Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two people during a Wisconsin protest in 2020 and was acquitted of all charges in the incident, turning him into something of a far-right hero. But that only drew more vitriol from Rittenhouse and his supporters, extracting a promise from him to testify against Zbur’s bill. “I’ll see you in California,” Rittenhouse said in an X post. Bill supporters argue the legislation is necessary to close legal loopholes as California potentially sees more guns in public after a 2022 Supreme Court decision that blew a hole in the state’s concealed carry law. Everytown for Gun Safety, the bill’s sponsor, says the bill will create “guardrails” that will help gun owners understand the rules of engagement in a new era of concealed carry rules. The organization is against “stand your ground” laws, such as Florida’s policy, which says residents have “no duty to retreat” from threats. Florida gained national attention for its rules in 2012 after George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black 17-year-old walking in his neighborhood. Everytown says Zbur’s bill would bring California in line with a group of other states — including New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts — that require deescalation . “This bill simply updates state law to make clear that if a person can safely walk away from a conflict, they must do so instead of escalating to using deadly force,” said Nick Suplina, Everytown’s senior vice president for law and policy, in a statement to Playbook. “It doesn’t change the long-standing ‘Castle Doctrine,’ which provides extra self-defense protections in a person’s home.” The debate over Zbur’s bill will eventually play out in the Assembly Public Safety Committee, which new Chair Nick Schultz is already anticipating. Though it’s too early for the bill to be assigned to a committee, Schultz said Zbur reached out to him after the online rhetoric over the bill began heating up. Zbur wanted to make it clear he’s “working proactively to address those concerns,” Schultz said. “I think that some of the commentary that we saw really strikes at the heart of that uncertainty of how is this bill — if approved, if it's passed through and signed by the governor — how would it be changing existing legal standards?” Schultz said. “So I think there are some legitimate questions, and we're going to try to work with them to address those.” IT’S THURSDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@politico.com.
| 
