Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D – Moreno Valley)

As California lawmakers move through the final stretch of the legislative session, Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D – Moreno Valley) says his priorities are to ensure the government improves the material conditions of residents rather than creating additional barriers.

Jackson told Inland Valley News that Assembly Bill (AB) 1578 and AB 1201 are two of his highest legislative priorities while outlining a broader agenda addressing mental health, homelessness, economic development, democracy and affordability.

“Both bills reflect a simple belief: government should protect people’s dignity and strengthen our communities, not make their circumstances harder,” Jackson said.

AB 1578 is part of a three-bill anti-hate package introduced by Jackson and Assemblymembers Josh Lowenthal and Patrick Ahrens following recommendations from the California Commission on the State of Hate.

Jackson’s measure would strengthen anti-hate training requirements for state and local officials.

Jackson said the legislation responds to increasingly inflammatory rhetoric from elected officials.

“Leadership should lower the temperature, not raise it,” Jackson said.

His other priority, AB 1201, addresses family reunification services in the child welfare system. The legislation would change circumstances under which parents with certain violent felony convictions can be denied reunification services, allowing greater consideration of individual circumstances.

The bill advanced from the Senate Judiciary Committee in June on an 11-2 vote before being referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Jackson described the issue as one of family stability.

“When a parent has demonstrated they can safely reunify with their child, we should not allow unnecessary barriers to stand in the way of that family having a second chance,” he said.

Economic security is another major component of Jackson’s agenda.

Jackson’s AB 1149 concerns California’s recycling system and market development payments for polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, plastic.

Jackson said recycling reclaimers in the Inland Empire had been shutting down, threatening jobs and the state’s recycling infrastructure.

The measure was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee after advancing from the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.

“Economic development should not simply mean attracting investment,” Jackson said. “It should mean protecting the businesses, workers and industries that are already creating value in our communities.”

Jackson is also pushing AB 72, which would establish an Electric Vehicle Economic Opportunity Zone in Riverside County aimed at expanding electric vehicle manufacturing, workforce training and clean-energy investment, with priority placed on lower-income communities.

AB 96, another Jackson bill, would remove the high school diploma or equivalent requirement for certification as a Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist, opening the profession to more people with lived behavioral health experience.

The Assembly passed the measure 73-0 in January, and it later advanced through the Senate Health Committee.

“One of the biggest gaps in California’s mental health system is not simply whether we have programs,” Jackson said. “It is whether people can actually access someone they trust when they need help.”

Jackson’s AB 673 would establish an Unaccompanied Youth Support Grant Program for 16- and 17-year-old students experiencing homelessness who are not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.

The measure has advanced to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Jackson said his proposals reflect the interconnected nature of housing, education, mental health and economic security.

“For me, affordability means whether a person who grew up in the Inland Empire can continue to live, work, go to school and raise a family here,” Jackson said. “That is the standard I want us to measure ourselves against.”

Jackson said rebuilding trust in government ultimately depends less on promises than results.

“People do not need the government to promise them everything,” he said. “They need the government to show up, solve problems and deliver.”