Newsom calls for new California restrictions on police use of force following death of George Floyd

SACRAMENTO —  After a week of protests across the state against police brutality and racial injustice, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday called for new restrictions on crowd control techniques and the use of force by law enforcement, including a ban on so-called “carotid holds,” after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer.

Newsom said the controversial technique, a restraint that puts pressure to the sides of a person’s neck to restrict blood flow and can render the person unconscious, should be barred from the state police training program, adding that he will work with lawmakers to ban the practice among law enforcement agencies statewide.

“We train techniques on strangleholds that put people’s lives at risk,” Newsom said during a press briefing in Sacramento. “Now we can argue that these are used as exceptions. But at the end of the day, [a] carotid hold that literally is designed to stop people’s blood from flowing into their brain, that has no place any longer in 21st century practices and policing.”

The Democratic governor vowed to work with the California Legislative Black Caucus, community leaders and law enforcement officials on new use-of-force standards, and restrictions on how to respond to protests and demonstrations.

1/82

A protester dances on top of Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during a demonstration by members of Refuse Fascism who are calling an end to the Trump administration on June 20, 2020.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

2/82

Deborah Jay Winams cries after singing a song at a Black Lives Matter Los Angeles rally to call for justice in the fatal shooting of Kenneth Ross Jr. by Gardena police in 2018.   (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

3/82

People participate in the All Black Lives Matter march in West Hollywood on Sunday, June 14. Thousands of demonstrators marched for racial justice and LGBTQ rights.  (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

4/82

A protester waves a rainbow flag on Sunset Boulevard during the All Black Lives Matter march on Sunday.  (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

5/82

Thousands hold up signs and march in the All Black Lives Matter solidarity protest on Hollywood Boulevard. The procession started at Hollywood and Highland and moved into West Hollywood.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

6/82

Jason De Puy of West Hollywood wears a mask that reads “Black Trans Lives Matter” as people fill Hollywood Boulevard during a solidarity march called All Black Lives Matter on Sunday, June 14.   (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

7/82

Protesters hold up signs at the All Black Lives Matter march, which was organized by Black LGBTQ leaders and organizations in place of a previously planned event by the group behind LA Pride.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

8/82

Protesters march, raising fists and signs in the air, on La Brea Avenue in Hollywood on Sunday.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

9/82

The Compton Cowboys ride horseback down South Tamarind Avenue, joining thousand of protesters Sunday during the Compton peace ride, which ended at City Hall.  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

10/82

Houston Rockets star Russell Westbrook speaks to the crowd of protesters and the Compton Cowboys at the end of a peace walk at Compton City Hall on Sunday.   (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

11/82

Elijah Estrada, 6, holds up his fist for 8:46, the length of time George Floyd was held down by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, at the conclusion of a peace ride and walk with the Compton Cowboys at Compton City Hall on Sunday.   (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

12/82

A family member of Breonna Taylor, right, is hugged by another woman after speaking to protesters in Beverly Hills Saturday.   (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

13/82

A woman tries to get between Black Lives Matter protesters and pro-Trump counter protesters during a demonstration at the intersection of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach on Saturday.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

14/82

Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Regina Scott takes knee next to Johnathan Jasper, brother of slain teen Anthony Weber, during a rally in front of LA City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s office Saturday.  (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

15/82

A protester yells in front of a Black Lives Matter mural with the names of victims on Fairfax Ave. during a march Saturday.   (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

16/82

David Blackgold hugs Huntington Beach police officer K. Wood during a Black Lives Matter protest in Huntington Beach Saturday.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

17/82

A National Guardsman holds a rose given to him by a protester along Fairfax Ave. during a march Saturday.   (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

18/82

A Black Lives Matter protester blows bubbles by a police line in Huntington Beach on Saturday.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

19/82

A protester lies on the ground under his horse with his hands behind his back as demonstrators including some on horseback rally in front of LA City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s office in Los Angeles Saturday.   (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

20/82

Tempers flare between Black Lives Matter demonstratiors and pro-Trump counterprotesters in Huntington Beach on Saturday.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

21/82

Black Lives Matter demonstrators raise clenched fist in Huntington Beach on Saturday.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

22/82

Mek Bitul held up a sign with the words, “This Is The Tipping Point!!!” in front of City Hall, joining nearly 1,000 people gathered to protest the death of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter, in downtown Los Angeles.  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

23/82

Katyana DeCampos, a citizen of France visiting California, marched with a sign with the words “Anti Racism,” joining nearly 1,000 people gathered to protest the death of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter, in downtown Los Angeles.  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

24/82

Zoe Perkins, 4, of Glendale and her mother brought flowers to the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles to protest the death of George Floyd.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

25/82

LAPD Chief Michel Moore, left, talks with community leaders outside police headquarters after a candlelight vigil for George Floyd on Friday.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

26/82

A man lays a rose at the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

27/82

Braydon Deauce White, 4, fist-bumps a National Guardsman at LAPD headquarters Thursday morning.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

28/82

Allison Bracy of Fontana hugs daughter Brielle Bracy, 10, while attending a rally in Riverside on Thursday.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

29/82

A protester drapes himself with a flag during a demonstration in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

30/82

Gustavo R. Ramirez of Pomona kneels in front of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Riverside.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

31/82

Protesters at Moonlight State Beach in Encinitas.  (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)

32/82

Crowds gather in downtown L.A. to protest the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. At 9 p.m., for exactly 8 minutes and 46 seconds, protesters shone lights into the sky.   (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

33/82

Protesters dance on Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles as a march attracted thousands of people.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

34/82

Thousands of protesters gather at the Los Angeles Civic Center.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

35/82

Thousands of protesters gather at the Los Angeles Civic Center.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

36/82

Thousands of protesters gather at the Los Angeles Civic Center.  (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

37/82

Stephen Chang, 32, left, of Silver Lake, with an American flag draped over his head, joins other demonstrators at the intersection of Spring and Temple streets in downtown Los Angeles, as they protest against L.A. Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey and also demand justice in the death of George Floyd.   (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

38/82

Miles Miles, 8, left, and Memphis Miley, 6, center, of Newport Beach, join protest against racism in Newport Beach.  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

39/82

Protester Vailing high-fives National Guardsmen as they march through Hollywood to demand justice for the killing of George Floyd in Hollywood.  (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

40/82

Protesters march through a residential neighborhood in Hollywood.  (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

41/82

Protesters walk through a residential neighborhood in Hollywood.  (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

42/82

A L.A. Sheriff’s deputy watches as protester Annik Chung holds a sign while cheering on marchers along La Brea Ave. in Hollywood.  (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

43/82

Mustafa-Ali, 27, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, joins other demonstrators as they protest on Spring St. in downtown Los Angeles.  (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

44/82

Paul Villalobos, 28, from Oakland, joins other demonstrators as they protest on Spring St. in downtown Los Angeles.  (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

45/82

A huge crowd gathers in downtown Los Angeles to protest the death of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter.  (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

46/82

Protestors march through downtown Los Angeles.   (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

47/82

Protestors march through downtown Los Angeles.  (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

48/82

Protestors march through downtown Los Angeles.  (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

49/82

Riverside County Sheriff Lt Chris Durham tries to calm nerves after hundreds of demonstrators that marched to the police station protest the death of George Floyd in Moreno Valley.  (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

50/82

In a sign of peace, protesters reach out to Riverside County Sheriff deputies, who were there to enforce an 8pm curfew during a demonstration to protest the death of George Floyd’s in Moreno Valley.  (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

51/82

Hundreds of demonstrators block traffic as they march down both sides of Balboa Blvd. to protest against racism in Newport Beach.  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

52/82

Protesters march through West Hollywood to demand justice for the killing of George Floyd during march on Wednesday.  (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

53/82

Protesters march through West Hollywood to demand justice for the killing of George Floyd during march on Wednesday.  (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

54/82

Protestors rally on the steps Anaheim City Hall steps against last week’s in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.  (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

55/82

Protestors rally on the steps Anaheim City Hall steps against last week’s in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.  (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

56/82

Protestors rally on the steps Anaheim City Hall steps against last week’s in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.  (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

57/82

Protestors rally on the steps Anaheim City Hall steps against last week’s in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.  (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

58/82

Bando Kev prays along Hollywood Blvd. in front of the National Guard and near TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.  (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

59/82

A couple promote peace on Highland Ave. in Hollywood as protesters continue to demonstrate.  (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

60/82

Makenzie Anderson, 2, rides on her father, Shawn’s shoulders as they join hundreds of protesters marching throughout downtown.  (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

61/82

Marcus Owen, yells out chants for George Floyd as hundreds of protesters gather outside City Hall in a daylong protest.  (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

62/82

Hussain Sharif, left, Mari Drake, and Thomas Rosado chant as they ride along with hundreds of protesters at a downtown demonstration.  (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

63/82

Hundreds of protesters march throughout downtown ending with many arrested for curfew violations.   (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

64/82

“Hands up. Don’t shoot,” say hundreds participating in a march against the of George Floyd on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice onTuesday.  (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

65/82

Members of the California National Guard flash peace signs after protesters had marched by in support of Black Lives Matter in Venice.  (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

66/82

Protesters shoot hoops while taking a break from marching against the death of George Floyd by police on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice on Tuesday. The basketball hoop was attached to the front of a bus that followed the protest for a while.   (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

67/82

Several hundred protesters take a knee and hold their fists in the air during a moment of silence to honor George Floyd during a peaceful protest march from Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach.  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

68/82

A woman stands next to an image of George Floyd as hundreds participate in a march against the in-custody death of Floyd in Venice.  (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

69/82

Terrence Burney, 36, left, and Commander of the LAPD Operation West Bureau Cory Palka, right, talk together peacefully in front of Getty House in Hancock Park.  (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

70/82

Protestors gather outside Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Hancock Park house as they continue to demonstrate against police brutality.  (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

71/82

Jessica Jordan takes a knee as she joins other protesters at Sunset & Vine in Hollywood on Tuesday.  (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

72/82

A young woman reacts to a group chant, while gathered with a couple hundred people to protest the death of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter, near the Manhattan Beach Pier.  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

73/82

Jayse Garcia, 27, of Los Angeles takes part in a demonstration in Hollywood.  (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

74/82

Protesters sit in front of National Guardsmen closing Sunset Blvd at Vine Street in Hollywood.  (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

75/82

Mira Ercingoz,16, from Palos Verdes, center in red hat, holds a poster with an image of George Floyd alongside protesters in Manhattan Beach.  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

76/82

Demonstrators take a knee during protests in Hollywood on Tuesday.
  (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

77/82

A mother and daughter pass protestors in Hollywood.  (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)

78/82

Several hundred protesters gather to demand justice for George Floyd at the Manhattan Beach Pier Plaza Tuesday.  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

79/82

Janie Hill,15, from Lawndale, receives a hug from a friend, following an emotional discussion with a Manhattan Beach Police officer, at the conclusion of a protest in Manhattan Beach.  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

80/82

LAPD Cmdr. Gerald Woodyard takes a knee with clergy members from the Los Angeles area as they participate in a march and demonstration outside LAPD headquarters in Los Angeles.  (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

81/82

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti walks out to address protesters and clergy members outside LAPD headquarters on Tuesday.  (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

82/82

Several hundred protesters take a knee and hold their fists in the air during a moment of silence to honor George Floyd during a peaceful protest march from Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach.  (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

“Protesters have the right not to be harassed. Protesters have the right to protest peacefully. Protesters have the right to do so without being arrested, gassed, shot up by projectiles,” Newsom said. “That’s a simple value statement.”

The announcement comes at the end of a week in which Newsom embarked on a listening tour in Los Angeles, Stockton and Sacramento as protests against police brutality and demands for racial justice continued across California, part of a nationwide uprising following Floyd’s death.

Newsom said the nation is in dire need of sweeping cultural change and commitments to equality and that the country as a whole has been paying “lip service about that for generations” to the black community. Still, he has cautioned that there are no quick fixes, and that change must be driven by community groups, nonprofits, business leaders and individuals — along with the government.

California already has established itself as a leader in criminal justice reform, Newsom said, legalizing the use of marijuana and working to eliminate sentencing policies that discriminated against blacks, Latinos and Californians on the lower end of the income scale.

He noted that his proposed budget calls for the closure of two state prisons, and the elimination of the state Dept. of Juvenile Justice. He touched on his executive order enacting a moratorium on the death penalty, a sentence which he said “discriminates based on the color of your skin, discriminates based on wealth.”

“We’re trying our best in this state, but we have to do more,” Newsom said.

Among the community leaders Newsom is consulting is Lateefah Simon, president of the Oakland-based Akonadi Foundation, an organization focused on the racial justice movement and efforts to eradicate structural racism.

“This inflection moment in this country and, frankly, around the world, suggests that we get it right. That we identify this moment for what it is — a sea change in facing race and racism,” said Simon, who appeared with Newsom on Friday. “We can’t go back.” So for those men and women for decades and literally centuries who have been calling and demanding a shift — we owe them. We owe them.”

On Friday, members of the Legislature’s black and Latino caucuses, among others, introduced legislation that would make it illegal for officers to use “carotid holds.”

“The world watched as the 200-pound weight of a police officer was leveraged on the neck of George Floyd for over eight minutes,” said Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D-Carson), the lead author of the legislation. “We all witnessed this execution. This was far beyond the existing law that authorizes a peace officer to use reasonable force to effect the arrest, to prevent escape or to overcome resistance.”

Earlier this week, San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit said his officers will “immediately” stop using the controversial neck hold, calling the decision “the right thing to do for our community.”

In 1982, the Los Angeles Police Commission acted to limit the use of the carotid chokehold after the death of James Mincey Jr., a 20-year-old black man who was put in a carotid hold after leading officers on a high-speed car chase.

The LAPD restricts the use of a carotid restraint to situations requiring deadly force.

Gipson said his bill is supported by members of the California Legislative Black Caucus, the Latino Legislative Caucus, the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, the Legislative Jewish Caucus and the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.

“Speaking as a legislator and elected official, we have to do better,” Gipson said. “We have to hold those in authority accountable.”

Newsom on Thursday also announced his support for a proposal from Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) to study the impact of slavery and consider potential reparations, a longtime priority of the California Legislative Black Caucus. Newsom this week also pointed to Weber’s landmark police use-of-force bill that he signed into law in 2019 as evidence of progress at the state level.

In his second year in office, Newsom faces the delicate task of helping lead California through yet another crisis, with the state’s major cities enveloped by demonstrations against decades of discrimination and racial inequality, as well as clashes with law enforcement and separate incidents of violence and looting.

Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra said Friday that his office will investigate the policies and actions of the Vallejo Police Department, which has come under fire in recent days after the shooting by police of Sean Monterrosa, a 22-year-old unarmed Latino man, amid this week’s protests against police abuse.

The state’s top law enforcement officer also asked Congress on Friday to expand federal law to give state attorneys general clear authority to investigate and resolve patterns and practices of unconstitutional policing.

“When our communities speak up about their pain, we in law enforcement have to listen and take action,” Becerra said during a telephone press conference. “George Floyd’s death didn’t happen in a vacuum; it’s a symptom of the collective failing of our criminal justice system to adequately stand up for people of color. We have to do better.”

Becerra said the review of the Vallejo Police Department is similar to those launched previously by the state Department of Justice for the San Francisco, Sacramento and Bakersfield police departments, and in regard to the Los Angeles Police Department’s use of a database of gang members.