Bill Would Require Disclosure of Ballot Measure Backers

Friends and foes of proposed ballot propositions would have to publicly disclose their financial backers while qualification petitions are being circulated, under legislation passed by the Assembly.

A 57-13 vote sent the bill (SB 284) by Sen. Milton Marks (D-San Francisco) back to the Senate for expected concurrence in lower-house amendments, which would send it to Gov. George Deukmejian’s desk.

“We’ve got to make sure that the people find out who’s behind the initiatives to prevent the special interests from buying their own laws,” said Assemblyman Stan Statham (R-Oak Run), who carried the bill. “California’s laws should not be for sale.”

The Fair Political Practices Commission has reported that more than $29 million was spent during the qualification period for initiatives that appeared on the November, 1988, ballot. GOVERNOR Bills Signed

Pregnancy: AB 2822 by Assemblyman Paul Woodruff (R-Yucaipa) to require that high school curricula contain information on the adverse effects of alcohol and drug use during pregnancy.

Volunteers: AB 3568 by Assemblyman Rusty Areias (D-Los Banos) to create a volunteer corps to help organize grass-roots relief efforts in case of earthquakes, floods, fires or other disasters. ASSEMBLY Floor Action

Diapers: Passed and returned to the Senate for concurrence in amendments on a 42-29 vote a bill (SB 2342) by Sen. Lucy Killea (D-San Diego) to require child day-care centers to accept babies whose parents want them to wear cloth diapers instead of the non-biodegradable disposable ones. SENATE Floor Action

Drunken Boating: Passed and sent to the governor on a 34-0 vote a bill (SB 1808) by Sen. Bill Leonard (R-Big Bear) to lower the legal blood alcohol content from 0.10% to 0.08% for adult recreational boat drivers and to 0.05% for minors.

State Office Hours: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments on a 37-0 vote a bill (AB 2757) by Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles) to set up a pilot project under which some state agencies would remain open to the public until 8 p.m. one day a week.

Exhaust Fumes: Passed and sent to the governor on a 37-0 vote a bill (AB 3097) by Assemblyman Tim Leslie (R-Carmichael) to require that diesel truck and bus exhaust fumes be discharged overhead instead of at street level, starting Jan. 1, 1993.

Environmental Advertising: Passed and returned to the Assembly on a 29-4 vote a bill (AB 3994) by Assemblyman Byron Sher (D-Palo Alto) to set standards that manufacturers must meet before they can use such terms as biodegradable, recyclable or ozone friendly. Violations would be misdemeanors punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.

Absentee Voters: Passed and sent to the governor on a 24-6 vote a bill (AB 4113) by Assemblyman Peter Chacon (D-San Diego) to extend permanent absentee voting privileges to people who cannot get to the polls without special assistance or extraordinary effort because of physical disability, age or other conditions.

Credit Cards: Passed and returned to the Assembly on a 30-0 vote a bill (AB 2920) by Assemblyman Rusty Areias (D-Los Banos) to prohibit merchants from requiring customers to give their telephone numbers and/or home addresses on credit card slips.

VDTs: Passed and returned to the Assembly on a 21-15 vote a bill (AB 955) by Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) to require that all video display terminals (VDTs) used in workplaces meet specified safety standards after July 1, 1992.

Prostate Cancer: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments a bill (AB 3487) by Assemblyman John Burton (D-San Francisco) to require the Department of Health Services to prepare a brochure outlining options for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Agent Orange: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 37-0 vote a resolution (SCR 116) by Sen. Cecil Green (D-Norwalk) urging President Bush and the Congress to enact legislation providing benefits to Vietnam War veterans who were exposed to the defoliant Agent Orange.

Miscellany

Coffee Cups: Some environmentally conscious state senators are complaining about the throwaway plastic foam drinking cups that the upper house provides for its members and staff. They maintain that the cups are not biodegradable and may contribute to the threatened destruction of the Earth’s ozone layer. The Senate Rules Committee indefinitely delayed a decision after arguments that ceramic cups are too expensive and some senators object to drinking hot coffee or tea from glass cups. Capital Fact

The Great Seal of the State of California, adopted by the 1849 Constitutional Convention, features Minerva, the mythical Roman goddess of wisdom.