LOS ANGELES – Today the California Supreme Court unanimously upheld Senate Bill 1391  authored by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell during her tenure as State Senator for California’s 30^th District. SB 1391 which prohibits minors under 16 years old from being tried as adults.

“This is a victory in the movement to create a more just and equitable public safety system. When I authored SB 1391, it was to address the overreach in our justice system that  lead to our prisons being overcrowded and youth being treated as irredeemable. Children do not belong in prison. The highest court in our state has solidified the constitutional and moral validity of SB 1391 – proving that this bill indeed advances the intent of Prop 57 which is to rehabilitate and reduce our prison population.”

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LOS ANGELES – Today, Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell announced the appointment of Fredericka McGee to serve as her Chief of Staff. McGee is a celebrated executive leader who brings over 20 years of experience leading statewide and local public policy initiatives. As Chief of Staff, McGee will develop the strategy and operations for meeting the needs of the two million residents of the Second Supervisorial District.  Currently McGee serves as the Vice President of California Government Affairs & Operations for the American Beverage Association and will officially assume the role of Chief of Staff for Supervisor Mitchell in February of this year. 

“I have worked with Fredericka throughout my time in the state legislature and have consistently been impressed by her leadership. She brings a depth of experience cultivating diverse and effective teams and is skillful at making substantive policy initiatives come to life,” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “Fredericka is highly respected and shares my commitment to justice and equity. I am proud to have her on my team as we do the urgent and necessary work of serving the Second Supervisorial District”

“It is an honor to serve alongside Supervisor Mitchell in this role during a time like this, when our communities are looking for government to step up. I respect the incomparable leadership of Supervisor Mitchell and look forward to executing her vision with a diverse team that is committed to serving the Second Supervisorial District,” said Fredericka McGee 

Fredericka McGee Biography: 

Fredericka McGee will be assuming the role of Chief of Staff for Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell in February of this year. She is currently the Vice President of California Government Affairs & Operations for the American Beverage Association. In that capacity, she oversees state, local public policy and regulatory activities, coordinates strategy for statewide operations and community outreach on behalf of non-alcoholic beverage companies.

Ms. McGee formerly served as deputy chief of staff and general counsel to California State Assembly Speakers Toni G. Atkins and John A. Pérez and general counsel to Speakers Karen Bass, Fabian Núñez and Antonio Villaraigosa. Her portfolio included coordinating Assembly litigation, developing staff training and retention programs, managing the Speaker’s constituent affairs unit, and overseeing the state court budget and judiciary policy.  She shepherded significant public policy related to judicial diversity, mortgage foreclosure safety measures, legal representation for unaccompanied undocumented minors, 1^st Amendment protections for online reviews, and safeguards for victims of domestic violence.  

She has received several awards including recently receiving the 2019 Frances Newell Carr Award from Women Lawyers of Sacramento and being named Sacramento County Bar Association’s 2016 Distinguished Lawyer of the Year. In 2015 she was recognized by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Sacramento, the Yvonne Brathwaite Burke Award from the California Legislative Black Caucus, the Sacramento Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business Award, the Wiley Manuel Bar Association named her the 2013 Attorney of the Year and The Recorder named her one of 40 Women Leaders in the Law for 2012 for her networking skills. In 2011, the California Legislative Black Caucus awarded her the Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Leadership Award and she was identified as one of the Top 100 Political Warriors by the Capitol Weekly. She received the Wiley Manuel Law Foundation’s 2008 Diversity on the Bench award, the 2008 Lawyer of the Year award from California Association of Black Lawyers and also named California Lawyer’s Attorney of the Year and one of the Daily Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers of 2007.  

Since late 2008, she has been a member of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s Federal Judicial Nomination Evaluation Advisory Committee for the Eastern District of California which recommends applicants for U.S. District Court Judge, U.S. Attorney, and U.S. Marshal who are ultimately forwarded to the President.

Ms. McGee has a vast background in state politics and has served in various legislative positions. Prior to her career as a public servant, Ms. McGee practiced as a defense litigation attorney with Murtaugh, Miller, Meyer & Nelson of Orange County where she handled personal injury, bankruptcy and employment cases.  Before attending law school, she served as Sr. District Assistant to the late Congressman Glenn M. Anderson of Long Beach.  

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism with a minor in Marketing from California State University, Long Beach.  She later received her Juris Doctorate degree and was voted the Faculty’s Most Outstanding Student from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. 

Ms. McGee is a member of the California State Bar where she previously served on the Council on Access & Fairness, the 2015 Mentoring Task Force, and as a probation monitor and mentor for the Bar’s Volunteers on Parole program.  She has worked with several youth programs, acted as a mock trial judge and taught paralegal courses.  She is also the founding president of the Black Youth Leadership Project, Inc., a non-profit organization which offers interactive legislative and debate programs to African American high school students throughout California.  She was in the 2005 class of Leadership California and was part of the 2015 class of American Leadership Forum. McGee has served on the board of the Wiley Manuel Bar Association of Sacramento for several years in many capacities, including as President.

McGee is a native of Long Beach California and proud to return to her Southern California roots to lead as Chief of Staff for Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.  

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Los Angeles – Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell shared the following response to the death of Wayfinder Family Services employee David McKnight-Hillman:

“I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones that mourn the loss of David McKnight-Hillman. It is heartbreaking to know that David’s life was taken while helping to serve other young people. Our community is rightfully disturbed by this horrific incident. I am committed to working with Wayfinder Family Services to identify additional support and resources to serve our young people who are in need of Wayfinder’s continued supportive care, while ensuring the safety of its workers and our residents.”