Jerry Brown vetoes expanded powers for homeless

Aug. 5, 2011 2:21 PM PT

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Gov. Jerry Brown said Friday he has vetoed legislation that would have given homeless people additional ability to seek civil action against those who injure them in attacks.

The measure by Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) would have added homeless persons to the list of ethnic and religious groups protected from hate crimes, including violence and intimidation, under the state’s Ralph Civil Rights Act.

‘It is undeniable that homeless people are vulnerable to victimization, but California already has very strong civil and criminal laws that provide sufficient protection,’ Brown wrote in his veto message on AB 312.

-- Patrick McGreevy

Politi-Cal

Patrick McGreevy

Patrick McGreevy covered the California Legislature out of the Sacramento bureau until 2021. He joined the Los Angeles Times in 1998 and worked in the City Hall and San Fernando Valley bureaus, writing about subjects including Valley secession, LAPD reform and city government during the administrations of Mayors Richard Riordan, James Hahn and Antonio Villaraigosa. He is a native of San Diego and a graduate of San Jose State University.

Jerry Brown vetoes expanded powers for homeless

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