SACRAMENTO FILE

Governor Appointed Tehama County Sheriff Ronald E. Koenig of Red Bluff to the state Board of Prison Terms, and Nicholas Osa of Carlsbad, a California Youth Authority consultant, to the Youthful Offender Parole Board. Both jobs pay $59,675 annually and are subject to Senate confirmation.

Assembly Committee Action:

Bottle Bill: The Assembly Natural Resources Committee approved a bill (AB 2020) by Assemblyman Burt Margolin (D-Los Angeles) to require a minimum 5-cent deposit on all liquor, wine, beer and soft drink bottles, which would be refundable upon return. Aluminum cans would not require a deposit. A 7-4 vote sent the bill to the Assembly floor. A similar anti-litter initiative was rejected by voters in 1982.

Child Molestation: The Assembly Public Safety Committee approved a bill (AB 32) by Assemblywoman Sunny Mojonnier (R-Encinitas) designed to make it easier for child witnesses to testify in court by allowing judges to dress in street clothes, permit more frequent recesses and let a support person hold the child’s hand. A 5-0 vote sent the bill to the lower house floor.

Legislative Expenditures: The Assembly Rules Committee defeated a bill (AB 187) by Assemblyman Don A. Sebastiani (R-Sonoma) to require an annual audit of all legislative expenditures. Opponents argued that the bill was not needed because existing annual reports reflect some such expenditures. There was no motion made on the bill.

Senate Floor Action: Child Pornography: Approved and sent to the Assembly on a 34-0 vote a bill (SB 498) by Sen. Newton R. Russell (R-Glendale) authorizing up to three years in prison, a $50,000 fine or both for a second child pornography conviction.

Committee Action:

School Bonds: The Senate Appropriations Committee approved by a 5-0 vote a bill (SB 1133) by Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) to place on the November, 1986, ballot an $800-million bond issue to pay for construction and renovation of school facilities. It went to the full Senate, where it will be voted upon after approval of the state budget.

Miscellany A Press Legend Dies: Earl C. Behrens, better known as “Squire,” the dean of the nation’s political writers and political editor of the San Francisco Chronicle for more than 50 years, died this week at Veterans Hospital in Menlo Park. Behrens, 93, had been in poor health for several years. He received the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, from former President Richard M. Nixon in l970. Behrens also founded and served as president of the Capitol Correspondents Assn. in Sacramento for many years.