<\/p>\n
Assemblymember Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, listens during a session on May 8, 2025. <\/p>\n
NATHANIEL LEVINE<\/p>\n
nlevine@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
You\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that Assemblymember Tom Lackey \u2014 a former California state trooper, Republican lawmaker and member of the Church of Latter Day Saints \u2014 isn\u2019t a fan of scofflaw rapper Afroman, whose greatest hit is likely the early 2000s marijuana anthem \u201cBecause I Got High.\u201d<\/p>\n
You\u2019d be forgiven, but you\u2019d be wrong.<\/p>\n
For starters, both men are from Palmdale, Lackey said Thursday, \u201c… something that I\u2019ve always marveled at and enjoyed, quite frankly.\u201d<\/p>\n
He spoke to a Sacramento Bee reporter shortly after invoking the rapper\u2019s name to win passage through the Assembly of his bill to impose career-ending consequences on law enforcement officers caught stealing in the line of duty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a real dichotomy between drug usage and law enforcement,\u201d Lackey said, noting Afroman\u2019s fame peaked while the lawmaker was still pursuing his 28-year career with the California Highway Patrol. \u201cBut I\u2019ve always appreciated his ability to use satire and he\u2019s a very funny guy. And he\u2019s also a very smart guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Afroman experienced a cultural renaissance after unleashing that satirical wit following a 2022 raid on his Ohio farmhouse by local sheriff’s deputies. The rapper, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, recorded the aggressive raid on his home surveillance system in videos that showed officers riffling through cash and his CD collection and kicking down his door. In one moment, video captures a deputy taking a second look at a lemon pound cake set out on the rapper\u2019s kitchen counter.<\/p>\n
The Adams County Sheriff\u2019s Office conducted the raid on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping \u2014 but found nothing with which to incriminate or charge Afroman. The rapper in turn accused deputies of stealing $400 when they confiscated and later returned thousands of dollars in cash. The sheriff, after a review, said evidence was miscounted but denied theft<\/a>.<\/p>\n Afroman published songs and music videos taunting the deputies. Claiming the public humiliation made it difficult to do their jobs, they sued him for defamation, seeking $3.9 million. Afroman prevailed at trial with relative ease \u2014 his lawyer called only one witness and the jury deliberated less than six hours. The trial was livestreamed, however, and filled with enough cringeworthy testimony from the aggrieved deputies that it led to a number of viral clips. Far from quieting Afroman\u2019s cyber revenge, the deputies\u2019 legal bid drew renewed and greater attention to his songs about them, including one titled \u201cLemon Pound Cake.\u201d<\/p>\n And that\u2019s the song Lackey cited on the Assembly floor as his bill faced its final vote head of Friday\u2019s deadline for legislation to cross over to the Senate side.<\/p>\n \u201cAssembly Bill 2337<\/a> will be what I\u2019m characterizing as the Lemon Pound Cake bill,\u201d Lackey told his colleagues. \u201cThose of you who have access to YouTube might want to check out the satirical depiction<\/a> of what I\u2019m talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n His bill predates this year\u2019s trial, Lackey told The Bee, and was not inspired by Afroman\u2019s allegation of theft but instead by experiences from his own career in which he felt law enforcement agencies didn\u2019t come down as strictly on misconduct as he thought was merited.<\/p>\n \u201cPublic trust in law enforcement is super powerful,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s very critical for effective law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n His bill adds theft, \u201ccommitted by a peace officer under color of authority,\u201d to the list of offenses considered to be serious misconduct by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, the body that regulates and certifies law enforcement officers in the state. That would allow POST to decertify an officer caught stealing, preventing them from working in law enforcement again in California.<\/p>\n He decided only at the last minute to nickname his legislation the Lemon Pound Cake bill, Lackey said.<\/p>\n \u201cI just thought this was an opportunity that I could connect with this particular issue to have fun, but at the same time address misconduct,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause that\u2019s what Aftroman did, he exposed misconduct. And I appreciate that.\u201d<\/p>\n One lawmaker Lackey\u2019s unofficial bill title wasn\u2019t lost upon was Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Jefferson Park. Bryan has spoken publicly about overcoming systemic barriers<\/a> in his own life as a Black man and has centered his political career largely on criminal justice reform.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you by chance referencing a Palmdale legend?\u201d Bryan asked on the floor. If so, he said, add his name to the bill as a coauthor.<\/p>\n Both Bryan and Lackey told The Bee that though they come from very different backgrounds, they\u2019ve found ways to work together on police and justice reform issues throughout their time in the Legislature.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been one of those people who has reached across the aisle,\u201d Bryan said. \u201cEven at times when not all Democrats are where they need to be, Tom has helped.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, the two lawmakers worked together on legislation to ban agreements<\/a> law enforcement agencies around the state used to hide some officers\u2019 misconduct following a San Francisco Chronicle investigation into the subject. Lackey\u2019s early endorsement of the bill smoothed a legislative effort that could have gotten complicated, Bryan said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Tom and I are doing it together, it\u2019s a powerful thing,\u201d Bryan said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to the governor.\u201d<\/p>\n Lackey\u2019s bill this year does not have any opposition and is supported by Peace Officers Research Association of California, a law enforcement lobby group. The Assembly voted unanimously to advance it to the Senate.<\/p>\n This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 4:34 PM.<\/p>\n