GovernorSigned into law a bill (AB 2740)...

Governor

Signed into law a bill (AB 2740) by Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Mike Roos (D-Los Angeles) to exempt artist David Hockney’s mural at the bottom of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel from state building codes that would require it to be painted over. The mural has been described as a “sea of swimming apostrophes.”

Will attend a reception for Assemblywoman Bev Hansen (R-Santa Rosa) in Rohnert Park tonight.

Issued a proclamation declaring May as Neighborhood Watch Month to help residents crack down on crime.

Assembly

Committee Action:

Parental Leave: The Assembly Labor Committee approved a bill (AB 2738) by Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles) to allow parents of either sex to take up to four months of unpaid leave to care for sick or newborn children without fear of losing their jobs. A 6-3 vote sent the bill to the Ways and Means Committee. The governor vetoed a similar measure last year.

Toxics: The Assembly Labor Committee approved a bill (AB 2884) by Assemblyman Burt Margolin (D-Los Angeles) to extend to public employees the same protections against cancer-causing chemicals now provided private employees under Proposition 65, the anti-toxics initiative approved by the voters in 1986. A 6-3 vote sent the bill to the Ways and Means Committee.

Bill Introductions:

Gambling: AB 4685 by Assemblyman Dan Hauser (D-Arcata) would legalize small wagers under $5 on games of chance frequently played in bars, such as dice cups and football pools.

Senate

Floor Action:

Dissection: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments on a 23-4 vote a bill (AB 2507) by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier (D-South San Francisco) to create a high school “bill of rights” to allow students to refuse on moral grounds to take part in animal dissection classes, provided they agree to alternative projects.

Waldheim: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 36-0 vote a resolution (SCR 83) by Sen. Herschel Rosenthal (D-Los Angeles) urging Kurt Waldheim to resign as president of Austria because of his Nazi military activities during World War II.

Sheriff: Passed and sent to the governor on a 26-5 vote a bill (SB 1356) by Sen. William Campbell (R-Hacienda Heights) to set up minimum educational and law enforcement requirements for candidates who run for sheriff.

Committee Action:

Freeway Noise: The Senate Transportation Committee approved a bill (SB 1793) by Sen. Cecil N. Green (D-Norwalk) to require the state to spend at least $15 million each year on freeway sound walls to help reduce traffic noise. An 11-0 vote sent the bill to the Appropriations Committee.

Crime: The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill (SB 1850) by Sen. Robert G. Beverly (R-Manhattan Beach) to create a special task force within the state Department of Justice to fight organized crime. A 6-0 vote sent the bill to the Appropriations Committee.