This week’s episode of the Legal Lens podcast features Attorney Alyson Messenger, Managing Staff Attorney at the Jenesse Center, and Executive Director Karen Earl — my first-ever guests on the show — as we celebrate the show’s fifth anniversary 🎉

In this episode, we discuss domestic violence, the legal definition of abuse, and the legal tools available to survivors in California.

The Jenesse Center of Los Angeles is a domestic violence intervention and prevention organization that provides direct legal services, shelter support, and community-based resources to survivors.

In this clip, Alyson shares how the legal system can present barriers for survivors seeking protection, including the challenges many face when applying for a domestic violence restraining order.

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“We would love to work ourselves out of business and we know that change begins with our youth, so that the next generation doesn’t have to grapple with the issue of domestic violence.” – Attorney Alyson Messenger, Managing Staff Attorney at the Jenesse Center

On the newest episode of the Legal Lens podcast — and our special fifth anniversary show 🎉 — I am joined by Attorney Alyson Messenger, Managing Staff Attorney at the Jenesse Center, who joined me as one of the show’s very first guests along with Executive Director Karen Earl.

In this clip, we focus on the Jenesse Center’s prevention efforts and its commitment to educating young people about healthy relationships and the impact of domestic violence.

She reminds us that lasting change begins with investing in youth and giving the next generation the knowledge and tools to build relationships rooted in respect, safety, and accountability.

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On this episode of the Legal Lens podcast, I sit down with California State Senator Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson to discuss social determinants of health, reparations, and the role of medical experience in public policymaking.

🔍 In this clip, Dr. Weber Pierson explains how her medical background informs her work in the legislature and why our ZIP code can tell us about the conditions that shape our health and lifespan.

Her perspective considers the relationship between where we live and our access to healthcare, education, housing, healthy food, a safe environment, and other resources that influence our well-being. These factors are connected, and they can create very different opportunities for individuals and communities to thrive.

Dr. Weber Pierson’s perspective is a reminder that improving social determinants and health outcomes require us to look beyond the exam room and consider the legislation, policies and systems that shape people’s everyday lives.

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On this episode of the Legal Lens podcast, my conversation with California State Senator Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson explores social determinants of health, reparations, and legislating from a physician’s perspective.

In this clip, we look at her proposed California Senate Bill 869 and the use of added-sugar disclosures to provide consumers with more information about the beverages they purchase.

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The newest episode of the Legal Lens podcast features a conversation with California State Senator Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson on social determinants of health, reparations, and policymaking informed by medical experience.

In this clip, we discuss her proposed legislation – SB 1067 – recently signed into law by Governor Newsom ahead of the September 30 deadline.

This bill called – Pupil instruction: math assessments – requires California public schools to assess students’ mathematics skills in kindergarten through second grade and provide additional support when learning gaps are identified.

The legislation reflects the value of early assessment and timely intervention before challenges become more difficult to address.

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This week’s episode of the Legal Lens podcast features California State Senator Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson, in a wide-ranging conversation on social determinants of health, reparations, and legislating from a doctor’s lens.

A San Diego native, Dr. Weber Pierson is a board-certified OB-GYN who previously founded and directed the Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology Division at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. Before serving in the State Senate, she was a La Mesa City Councilmember and a member of the California State Assembly.

Having been raised in a family committed to public service and civil rights – her own mother being California’s Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber – in this clip, Dr. Weber Pierson discusses the current state of reparations in California, coupled with the efforts and the role of the California Legislative Black Caucus in advancing policies connected to racial equity and historical accountability.

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“Everything we do is interconnected, and so we must all look out for each other and really work to uplift those that are at the bottom because that truly uplifts everyone.” – California State Senator Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson

On the newest episode of the Legal Lens podcast, I am joined by California State Senator Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson. Together, we discuss social determinants of health, public policy, reparations, and what it means to legislate from a doctor’s perspective.

As a board-certified OB-GYN and the founder and former director of the Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology Division at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, Dr. Weber Pierson understands how factors beyond the exam room can influence health outcomes.

In this clip, she discusses the ways communities are connected through shared systems and circumstances, including education, housing, environmental conditions, food access, and healthcare.

As we mark International Podcast Day, let’s celebrate the conversations that podcasts make possible and the ideas they help bring into focus.

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On this episode of the Legal Lens podcast, I sit down with Dr. Sydney McKinney, Executive Director of the @nationalblackwomensjustice5728, to talk about what schools actually need to do to support the mental health of students, especially Black girls.

🔍 In this clip, we discuss how investing in mental health support, rather than discipline and exclusion, can help schools become the safe spaces students deserve.

She reminds us that when schools are equipped with the right tools, students of all backgrounds benefit.

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On this episode of the Legal Lens podcast, my conversation with Dr. Sydney McKinney, Executive Director of the @nationalblackwomensjustice5728, explores how zero tolerance and exclusionary discipline policies affect Black girls.

In this clip, we look at the gap between what schools practice and what research on adolescent development actually recommends.

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On this episode of the Legal Lens podcast, my conversation with Dr. Sydney McKinney, Executive Director of the @nationalblackwomensjustice5728, explores the unfortunate cycle of the criminalization and “over discipline” of Black girls in schools and the lifelong consequences that follow.

In this clip, she highlights how the data reflects a pattern that repeats across nearly every discipline category tracked by researchers.

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