Local state legislators are waiting on Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature on a few more bills before the clock is up this fall for the governor to sign their legislation into law.
Sunday is the last day for the governor to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature before Sept. 1 and in the governor’s possession on or after Sept. 1.
Acosta
Rep. Dante Acosta, R-Santa Clarita, had a bill vetoed by the governor Friday that would have given Gold Star families the option to customize their license plates.
This was a vital step in helping the families grieve properly, Acosta said, and he was disappointed the governor cited a lack of resources at the state Department of Motor Vehicles as his reasons for vetoing it.
“There are literally thousands of Gold Star family members, ostensibly who won’t be able to personalize a plate with their loved one’s name or date or commemorate them. So the gold star family community is very disappointed,” he said.
Acosta is still awaiting word on Senate Bill 967, which he co-authored with Sen. Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto. The bill would give foster youth in California the ability to have their state university tuition waived if they obtain a 4.0 gpa. This would apply to both the University of California and California State University systems, according to the bill’s text.
The bill went to the governor’s desk on Sept. 11.
Lackey
Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, is waiting on three more bills, his spokesman Tim Townsend said Monday.
Assembly Bill 1865 would expand legal protections for guide and service dogs who are injured or killed, while AB 2026 creates a standard educational program requirement for salespersons at used car dealerships. AB 2255 expands tools for law enforcement to detect unlicensed cannabis delivery drivers and distributors when they encounter them on the road.
On Sunday, the governor signed AB 2685, which repealed a law that allowed school districts to suspend a student’s license for being truant.
Lackey previously cited passing into law AB 1192, which allowed retired peace officers to carry high-capacity firearms, as his biggest legislative accomplishment this session.
Brown also signed into law Lackey’s AB 2717, which brings the state into compliance with a Supreme Court ruling on not criminalizing a person for refusing to take a blood test when suspected of driving under the influence.
Stern
Sen. Henry Stern, D-Canoga Park, is waiting for a signature on SB 1281. The bill looks at the enforcement of firearms prohibitions for individuals who committed serious or violent offenses as juveniles.
It aims to ensure any person who commits a serious crime as a juvenile cannot possess a gun when they successfully complete probation, even if, due to rehabilitation and good behavior, their records have been sealed and cannot be used against them in a court of law, or in applying for college, a job, a credit card or an apartment.
Brown signed into law Stern’s SB 1045, a bill to help local governments reduce chronic homelessness and address threats to public safety by expanding and strengthening California conservatorship laws.
He also recently signed Stern’s SB 1477, which requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to push for low-emission space- and water-heating equipment for new and existing buildings, leading to energy-efficient homes.
Most recently, Brown also signed a bill that enables customers of electrical companies to utilize microgrids. SB1339, as the energy and environmental bill is known, complements the SB 1477 zero net energy buildings bill, said Stern spokesman Matt Weiner.
Wilk
Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, has two bills still pending, his spokeswoman Eileen Ricker said.
SB 1036 would prohibit releasing the personal contact information of a student or parent in the meeting minutes of a governing body, an issue that stemmed from a Saugus Union School District board meeting, when a student’s grandmother who spoke during the public comment portion of a meeting learned that her residential address had been published as part of the official record of the meeting’s minutes.
SB 1409 aims to help the California economy through streamlining hemp production statewide, allowing California farmers to grow and produce it, which would particularly benefit the Antelope Valley.
The governor already signed two of Wilk’s bills: SB 951 gave the California Film and Television Tax Credit Program an extra five additional fiscal years. The other, SB 1199, dealt with the disproportionate release of sex offenders to rural areas.
