(Sacramento, CA) – Following the pardons and commuted sentences of nearly 1,500 people involved in the January 6^th Insurrection earlier this week, Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), a retired US Army Colonel, current Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and member of the Senate Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, sent a letter to Governor Newsom yesterday urging him to stand firm on enlistments or re-enlistments in the National Guard and Cal Guard. 

“The Legislature sent a unified, bi-partisan message with the passage of my Senate Bill 901 last year – extremism has no place in California’s National or State Guards,” said Senator Umberg.  “This absolutely applies to those who were convicted in connection with the January 6^th Insurrection.” 

Last year’s SB 901 enacts provisions at the state level to prevent enlistment or require an administrative discharge for members of the California National and State Guard if a person engages in extremist activity.

“California’s flag, our military, our laws - our nation -- all stand for the defense of freedom, safety, and equality,” added Senator Umberg. “People who do not share these beliefs should not be allowed to represent California locally or nationally, especially with a weapon in hand.”   

Senator Umberg’s letter to Governor Newsom is attached for reference and the text of 2024’s SB 901 can be found here.

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Senator Thomas J. Umberg represents the 34th Senate District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Buena Park, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra, Long Beach, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, and East and South Whittier. Umberg is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, former federal prosecutor, and small businessman. He and his wife, Brigadier General Robin Umberg, USA (ret.), live in Orange County.