Government

Privacy Bill: Kobe Bryant’s Death Inspired Moves Forward

Published

6 years ago

June 3, 2020

On May 20, the California Assembly Public Safety Committee approved a bill that would make it illegal for first responders to take pictures or record video of a deceased person at the scene of an accident or crime.

Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Los Angeles) authored the bill, AB 2655, titled the “Invasion of Privacy: First Responders” act.

AB 2655 is one of the few non-coronavirus-related bills that has moved in the Legislature since the global pandemic began. Now that the Public Safety Committee has approved the legislation, it has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for review.

“No person, including our first responders, should ever take photos of a deceased person for their own personal gain,” said Gipson, reacting to his colleagues’ yay vote. “I am grateful that the Assembly Public Safety Committee agrees and helped move this bill forward.”

First responders like police officers, fire department personnel, emergency medical technicians, and medical examiners have special access to the scenes of accidents and other incidents involving deaths. Those public employees have many legitimate reasons to capture images of a deceased person, but AB 2655 draws a line, pushing the notion that obtaining photos for personal purposes exceeds the scope of their duties.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is sponsoring the legislation.

“I was very pleased our bill cleared its first hurdle in the Legislature today as it seeks to address a significant deficiency in current law and brings peace of mind to the families of accident victims,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva said. “I look forward to its continued success through the process.”

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Dept. announced in March that eight of its deputies were responsible for sharing images taken at the site where retired NBA star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna “GiGi” Bryant died in a helicopter crash.

Seven other people, including the pilot, also died in the fatal accident that happened on Jan. 26 in Calabasas, a city nestled in the hills northwest of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Fire Department also became the focus of the investigation of the photos that were posted online and in some public places like bars.

Existing law generally prohibits “the reproduction of any kind of photograph of the body, or any portion of the body, of a deceased person, taken by or for the coroner at the scene of death or in the course of a post mortem examination or autopsy, from being made or disseminated.”

If passed, AB 2655 would specifically make that prohibition a misdemeanor.

This bill would also authorize a search warrant to be issued on the grounds that “the property or things to be seized consists of evidence that tends to show that a first responder has engaged or is engaging in the crime established by AB 2655.”

On March 2, Villanueva went on record to acknowledge that eight sheriff’s deputies participated in capturing and sharing graphic photos of the accident scene after the helicopter Bryant, his daughter and friends were traveling in crashed into a hillside on a foggy Sunday morning.

“When I first got word of this information I just felt devastated,” said Villanueva, responding to the allegations in March. “To have any action of our deputies compound (the families’) suffering, that breaks my heart. It’s a sense of betrayal because these are my own employees.”

A few days after Bryant’s death, U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA-30) introduced a bill in the United States Congress titled, “The Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act.” The legislation proposed tightening federal safety standards for helicopters implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board.

The legislation would require that all helicopters be fitted with a Terrain Awareness and Warning System. Currently, these systems are recommended by the FAA but they are not required, Sherman said in a written statement. They cost between $25,000 to $40,000 per helicopter.

“Kobe Bryant’s helicopter did not have this system when it crashed January 26,” Sherman stated. “Had this system been on the helicopter, it is likely the tragic crash could have been avoided.”

Other assembly members who voted yes on AB 2655 are: Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), who is the chair of the Public Safety Committee; Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda); Wendy Carrillo (D-Boyle Heights): Tyler Diep (R-Westminster): Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles): Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles); and Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland).

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

Published

1 day ago

September 7, 2026

Oakland Post

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Business

Longtime BWOPA Member Brendalyn Goodall Appointed to California Workforce Development Board

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board. Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on

Published

1 week ago

August 30, 2026

Post News Group

Post Co-Publisher Gay Plair Cobb with Brendalynn Goodall. Courtesy photo.

By California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board.

Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on employment, aging services and assistance for underserved communities.

“Brendalynn will be a great addition to this Board,” said Gay Plair Cobb, who served as former state Assemblyman Sandre Swanson’s alternate to the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB).

“She understands that California’s non-profit organizations serve persons who have the most significant barriers to their labor market success and that the Board should help these groups navigate the complicated requirements of state funding.

“In other words, she will be a strong advocate for our most marginalized populations. Her voice is needed now, more than ever.”

CWDB works with the governor to shape workforce policies, programs and investments designed to strengthen the state’s economy. It collaborates with employers, workers, labor organizations, educational institutions, community groups and California’s 45 local workforce development boards to expand access to quality jobs and respond to regional employment needs.

According to the board, its work includes coordinating state programs and guiding investments in workforce training and development.

BWOPA California celebrated the appointment, describing Goodall as a dedicated advocate for workers, families and older adults.

“Her appointment reflects a lifetime of leadership, service, and unwavering commitment to strengthening California’s workforce and expanding opportunity for all,” the organization stated in a press release.

Goodall served as summer jobs program coordinator in the Oakland Mayor’s Office from 2012 to 2014. In that position, she helped connect young people with employment opportunities and job experience.

Before joining the Mayor’s Office, Goodall was division manager for Aging and Adult Services in the City of Oakland Human Services Department from 2002 to 2011. She previously served as senior services supervisor and program director for the city’s Department of Aging, Health and Human Services from 1990 to 2002.

Goodall is also a member of the California Commission on Aging, which advises the governor and state officials on policies and programs affecting older Californians.

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Featured

‘Passing a Law Isn’t The Finish Line’: California Assembly Evaluates Implementation, Results

A separate review found that the California Public Utilities Commission’s implementation of AB 2316 had not fulfilled the law’s intent or produced new community solar projects. In response, Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) introduced AB 1813, legislation to overhaul the state’s renewable energy program and increase access to solar technology.

Published

1 week ago

August 30, 2026

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California State Assembly Chamber. Photo courtesy of California State Assembly.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California lawmakers are finding that laws passed in Sacramento do not always work as intended once implemented. A new Assembly oversight program has identified gaps in laws addressing wildfire recovery, insurance, foster care and clean energy.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) announced Aug. 17 that the Assembly had completed the first year of its Outcomes Review program. Billed as the first initiative of its kind in the nation, the program enlisted 15 Assembly members to evaluate 14 laws they authored or championed. Through public hearings and community meetings, lawmakers assessed whether the measures were producing their intended results.

“Passing a law isn’t the finish line,” said Rivas. “The Outcomes Review project makes sure we’re checking our work.”

The reviews identified both successes and shortcomings. The expansion of telehealth largely improved access to care and provided patients with greater flexibility. Affordable housing financing reforms also strengthened coordination among state agencies and could reduce duplicative paperwork, development costs and delays.

Other reviews uncovered more significant implementation problems.

One focused on Assembly Bill (AB) 238, which was enacted after the Eaton and Palisades fires to provide eligible borrowers with up to 12 months of emergency mortgage forbearance. The review found lender noncompliance, insufficient consumer complaint data and a need for stronger coordination between state and federal agencies.

Those findings helped shape AB 1842 and AB 1847, both victim-protection bills that are currently pending in the Senate.

After discovering that California’s FAIR Plan clearinghouse was failing to transition affected homeowners back into the private insurance market, Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier) introduced AB 69 to fix the issue.

Lawmakers also found that the FAIR Plan clearinghouse was not effectively helping homeowners move into the traditional insurance market, prompting the introduction of AB 69, legislation adding new reporting, notification, and access requirements.

The program identified additional implementation problems related to foster care placement protections, oversight of charitable fundraising and wage theft enforcement.

Rivas said the findings demonstrate the need for lawmakers to continue evaluating legislation after it takes effect.

“This isn’t oversight for its own sake — it’s what accountability looks like, and we’re just getting started,” he said.

The Assembly plans to expand the Outcomes Review program in 2027 by involving more lawmakers and holding additional public hearings and community meetings. The next phase, according to Rivas, will build on the pilot year as lawmakers seek to identify implementation problems earlier and improve how state laws work in practice.