Sen. George Runner will receive the Legislative Leadership Award tonight at a dinner-ceremony in Orange County from the Golden Badge Foundation, a group dedicated to strengthening relations within California’s law enforcement and communities.

The foundation hosts the annual awards banquet to honor law enforcement and civilians for heroic acts of bravery and deeds that improve the safety and quality of life in California. The Golden Badge Foundation assists pro-law-enforcement organizations such as the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation, which honors fallen peace officers and makes financial contributions to their families.

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“It’s a privilege to receive an award from a respected organization whose goal is to make California communities safe for our families,” Runner said. “I share with Golden Badge the same philosophy that public safety is government’s number one priority.”

Runner has been a champion of public safety throughout his legislative career, authoring California’s Jessica’s Law, which California voters passed by 70 percent in November 2006. It created some of the toughest and most comprehensive sex offender laws in the nation.

He also authored California’s Amber Alert System, which has resulted in more than 200 successful reunions of parents with their kids, and “Blue Alert,” which uses the existing statewide Amber Alert notification system when a peace officer has been killed, seriously wounded, or assaulted with a firearm and the suspect has fled the scene. Blue Alert was signed into law this year.