Press Releases

Assembly Bill 172 by Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez unanimously passed the Assembly Committee on Public Safety today. The bill seeks to close a dangerous loophole that is putting the safety of emergency room healthcare providers in jeopardy.

Under current law, an assault or battery against a physician or nurse rendering emergency medical care outside of a hospital, clinic or health care facility is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, or a one year jail time, or both.  However, if an assault or battery occurs inside the health care facility, the crime is punishable as a lower misdemeanor with a jail time of up to 6 months.  Sponsored by the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), AB 172 would close this loophole by increasing the penalties for violence committed against all health care workers engaged in providing services within the ER. 

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez and American Medical Response hosted a free CPR certification course for local residents on Saturday, March 14th. Thirty members of the community received training in adult and infant CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) at the Montclair Youth Center.

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez, Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez of Los Angeles and a bipartisan coalition of state legislators representing Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties introduced AB 1455, which lays the groundwork for the transfer of the Ontario International Airport from Los Angeles World Airports to the City of Ontario.

“This is an important first step of the Ontario Airport working group and is the result of members representing the Inland Empire and Los Angeles working together to come to a solution,” said Rodriguez. “We are hopeful that this bill will move the negotiation process forward and bring about the timely transfer of the airport.”

Assemblymembers Freddie Rodriguez and Das Williams introduced AB 510 to improve the location accuracy of 9-1-1 calls made from cellular phones. This bill would help to eliminate costly delays in receiving emergency medical care that can happen when a 9-1-1 call is placed from a cell phone.

“When someone calls 9-1-1, every second counts,” said Rodriguez. “It is alarming that, in an age where cell phones are so prevalent in our society, our 9-1-1 systems are not able to pinpoint a callers location. We need to fix our systems so no more lives are lost to senseless delays.”

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez named Ontario City Councilwoman Debra Dorst-Porada as the 2015 Woman of the Year for Assembly District 52.

“Councilwoman Porada is a shining example of a dedicated community representative,” said Rodriguez. “I see Debra and almost every community event I attend in Ontario. She has been instrumental in revitalizing the Downtown area and bringing jobs to our community. She truly does go above and beyond for the residents of Ontario.”

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez today announced the formation of the Ontario Airport Working Group to develop a regional solution to achieve local control of the airport.  Included in the Working Group are Assemblymembers and State Senators from San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange and Los Angeles Counties.

“Restoring local control of the Ontario Airport is one of the most important issues to my district and to our region as a whole.  The transfer must happen as soon as possible under terms that will allow Ontario Airport to prosper and attract more flights.  Local control of the airport is essential to develop our regional economy and create jobs in our communities,” said Rodriguez.

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez introduced AB 319 which will ensure high school students learn CPR before they graduate high school. AB 319 holds the power to create a generation of lifesavers.

According to the American Heart Association, sudden cardiac arrest is one of the most lethal public health threats in the United States. Nearly 424,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside the hospital each year, and sadly, only 10 percent survive. Alarmingly, 70 percent of Americans may feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency because they do not know how to perform CPR.  Effective bystander CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival, but only 32 percent of cardiac arrest victims get CPR from a bystander.

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez introduced AB 172 to prevent workplace violence in the emergency room (ER) and guarantee stronger protections for health care workers.

Under current law, an assault or battery against a physician or nurse rendering emergency medical care outside of a hospital, clinic or health care facility is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, or a one year jail time, or both.  However, if an assault or battery occurs inside the health care facility, the crime is punishable as a lower misdemeanor with a jail time of up to 6 months.  Sponsored by the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), AB 172 would close this loophole by increasing the penalties for violence committed against all health care workers engaged in providing services within the ER. 

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez introduced AB 162 to prevent deadly wrong way accidents from occurring on California’s highways.

Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez announced that over $2 million in tax credits was awarded to local businesses.  With the support of the tax credit, these businesses will add 933 additional full time employees in Assembly District 52 through the California Competes Tax Credit program.

The local businesses receiving the tax credits are AFC Trident, Inc. of Ontario; Fruit Growers Supply Company of Ontario; QVC, Inc. who has a location in Ontario; and Virun, Inc. of Pomona.