Governor Appointed Marcia Hobbs, president of the...

Governor Appointed Marcia Hobbs, president of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn., to the state Park and Recreation Commission. Hobbs, a Republican, replaces Trusse Norris of Gardena, whose term has expired. Commission members are compensated for necessary expenses. The position requires Senate confirmation.

Assembly Floor Action:

Child Molestation: Approved and sent to the Senate on a 72-0 vote a bill (AB 804) by Assemblyman Byron D. Sher (D-Palo Alto) to correct an ambiguity in a 1984 law that could result in the dismissal of many child molestation court cases in California, including some charges in the McMartin Pre-School case.

Vehicle Registration Surcharge: Approved and sent to the Senate on a 62-8 vote a bill (AB 457) by Assemblyman Louis J. Papan (D-Millbrae) to increase the motor vehicle registration surcharge from $1 to $2 in 1986 to raise additional money for the California Highway Patrol.

Committee Action: Homosexuals: A bill (AB 1) by Assemblyman Art Agnos (D-San Francisco) to prohibit job discrimination against homosexuals bogged down on a 5-5 vote in the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, but a final, official vote was postponed until a later date. Gov. George Deukmejian vetoed a similar bill last year.

Automobile Seat Belts: The Assembly Ways and Means Committee approved a bill (AB 27) to require use of seat belts and to require air bags or other passive restraints on all new cars sold in California. A 15-8 vote sent the bill, by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), to the lower house floor.

Gang Violence: The Assembly Public Safety Committee approved a bill (AB 1265) to appropriate $8 million over two years to the Los Angeles County Gang Violence Response Program. A 4-0 vote sent the bill, by Assemblyman Curtis R. Tucker (D-Inglewood), to the Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.

Museum: The Assembly Governmental Organization Committee approved a bill (SB 337) that would appropriate $5 million to the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies in West Los Angeles to build a museum and acquire exhibits relating to man’s inhumanity to man. A 12-0 vote sent the bill, by Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), to the Ways and Means Committee. It previously passed the Senate by a 36-1 vote.

Open Primary Elections: A bill (AB 1313) by Assemblyman Alister McAlister (D-Fremont) to let Californians vote for candidates of any political party in primary elections was defeated by a 2-5 vote in the Assembly Elections Committee.

Special License Plates: A bill (SB 615) by Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) to authorize special license plates for active members of the military reserves was defeated by a 4-3 vote in the Assembly Transportation Committee.

Senate Floor Action: Property Tax Increases: Approved and sent to the Assembly on a 33-3 vote a bill (SB 149) by Sen. Milton Marks (R-San Francisco) to make permanent a moratorium on the use of property tax increases to pay for public pensions and local services such as libraries and zoos. The Assembly previously passed similar legislation by a 72-0 vote.

Altering Pupil Grades: Approved and sent to the Assembly on a 21-11 vote a bill (SB 188) by Sen. Herschel Rosenthal (D-Los Angeles) to make school administrators subject to a civil fine of $500 if, without meeting certain requirements, they change the grade a teacher gives a pupil. The bill, sponsored by the United Teachers of Los Angeles, is aimed at administrators who tamper with grades of high school athletes to keep the athletes eligible.

Miscellany Brown Urges Political Hardball: The Assembly Speaker told a group of child-care advocates to oppose reelection of politicians who refuse to boost financing for day-care centers, including Gov. George Deukmejian. “Politicians like to be reelected,” Brown said in a keynote speech to the eighth annual Legislative Symposium for Children. “We love the opportunity to exhibit power, to exercise power. . . . What influences us is the pure threat of losing that honor. You have got to be prepared to withhold your votes to those politicians who refuse to support child care.” He noted that the governor last year vetoed a bill to provide money for before- and after-school care for children with two working parents, but said that no one can “cry poor mouth” now because of an anticipated budget surplus next year.

Incumbents Reap Rewards: A study by California Common Cause shows that for every dollar major special interest groups gave to challengers in the 1984 legislative elections, they gave $32 to incumbents. For the fourth election cycle in a row, the top contributor to legislative candidates was the California Medical Assn., which handed out $595,000. Others in the top 10 were the California Trial Lawyers Assn. ($547,360); the California State Employes Assn. ($510,115); the insurance industry ($408,225); bankers ($377,500); the California Dental Assn. ($339,200); the California Real Estate Assn. ($318,328); the California Optometric Assn. ($302,723); the California Cable Television Assn. ($289,202), and the Irvine Co. ($287,737).