California lawmaker proposes harsher punishment for unlawful protests
California Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez is pushing for harsher punishments for the Golden Gate bridge protesters after drivers got stuck for hours and missed critical appointments.
One California assemblywoman is calling the protests that brought traffic to a standstill on the Golden Gate Bridge earlier this week "unacceptable" and declaring the protesters who trapped drivers and first responders for hours need to be held accountable to "the fullest extent of the law."
Republican Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez, who represents California’s 71st district, spoke to Fox News Digital on Friday about the massive anti-Israel protests that had drivers stuck on the Golden Gate Bridge for up to seven hours.
The anti-Israel agitators shut down traffic on both lanes of the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday, holding signs saying, "Stop the world for Gaza" and "End the siege on Gaza now!"
Local reports detailed how the California Highway Patrol (CHP) arrested dozens of protesters on Monday.
California Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez slammed the protesters who held up traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge for hours earlier this week.
"These protests are not just impeding someone getting to work on time, but they're impeding, potentially, first responders from getting to the scene of an emergency or taking someone that needs help immediately," Sanchez said.
"They are impeding them, not just for a few minutes, which could be the difference between life or death, they are impeding them for hours and hours on end," she continued.
Sanchez acknowledged she believes in the right to protest and free speech, but said the extent to which these protesters went is "unacceptable."
She declared, "There has to be more productive, thoughtful ways because we don't want to hurt anyone that needs medical, necessary medical attention, from getting it."
The lawmaker mentioned new legislation she recently proposed that would help to discourage these protesters and also better empower law enforcement and prosecutors to hold them accountable.
Sanchez introduced AB 2742 in February, which ups the penalties for people impeding the pathways of emergency vehicles that are flashing sirens and within 1000 feet of them.
Anti-Israel protesters disrupt traffic Monday, April 15 on the Golden Gate Bridge in California. (KTVU)
Sanchez said the bill would double fees that violators have to pay, stating, "If it's $100, double it to $200, up to $1,000. Nothing egregious. It would just give people more tools in the toolbox to hold protesters accountable. And I think that's a very reasonable ask."
She said the current fee is inadequate, as getting a misdemeanor ticket in this context costs "less than a speeding ticket."
"When you're talking about potentially stopping people from being able to get to emergency medical needs, right? It's less than a speeding ticket nowadays. So, I feel like asking just to double the penalty or the fines necessary to show them we are more serious about what you're doing, and please do it somewhere else, I don’t think that’s asking too much at all," Sanchez said.
She claimed authorities in Sacramento have been "very soft on crime" for the last couple of years, which has resulted in policies that don’t provide justice for those getting hurt on the ground.
An anti-Israel protest held up the Golden Gate Bridge for hours on Monday. (Ronald Davis/commuter)
Sanchez noted that if her bill is signed into law, it will "restore a little bit of balance" in the state.
"When there are adult temper tantrums like that, I want to see them held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Enough is enough," she said.
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"It's unacceptable. And it needs to stop," Sanchez said, before mentioning she hopes both sides of the aisle find common ground and pass legislation that will prevent future chaos.
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