SACRAMENTO FILE : Assembly Measure Would Cut Cost of Buying Cellular Phones

Consumers could purchase cellular telephones at significantly lower prices under legislation introduced in the Assembly.

State law prohibits retailers from selling these phones at less than cost, despite the fact that merchants also receive hefty commissions from service providers when a cellular phone is activated.

The bill (AB 275) by Assemblyman Lloyd Connelly (D-Sacramento) would allow part of these commissions to be considered when setting the retail price of a cellular telephone.

For example, Connelly said the price of a phone now selling for $510 might drop as low as $339, saving a consumer $171.

“If we are talking $100 savings per phone, and selling a million phones a year in the future, this is something that would have a real impact on the consumer’s pocketbook,” Connelly said.

More than 500,000 Californians subscribe to cellular phone services. The San Francisco Bay Area is the top market in the country with a 3.3% share; Los Angeles is next with 3.1%.

GOVERNOR

Will speak to the California School Administrators Assn. in Monterey on Friday.

ASSEMBLY

Bill Introductions

* California-Mexico Affairs: AB 283 by Assemblyman Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles) would establish an advisory Commission on California-Mexico Affairs to stimulate commerce and improve public services along the border.

* Tax Credits: AB 261 by Assemblyman Paul Horcher (R-Hacienda Heights) would increase tax credits for large employers whose vehicle fleets use fuels that are cleaner than gasoline or diesel.

* Initiatives: AB 262 by Assemblyman Stan Statham (R-Oak Run) would create a state task force to study and report to the Legislature by the end of 1993 problems connected with the initiative process.

* Bonds: AB 257 by Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) would place a $1-billion higher education bond issue on the June, 1992, primary election ballot.

* Abortions: SJR 10 by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier (D-South San Francisco) asks the federal government to provide abortion services to women who receive Medicaid, Native American women, Peace Corps volunteers, federal employees and their dependents, and women in federal prisons.

SENATE

Committee Action

* Israel: The Rules Committee unanimously approved a resolution (SJR 6) by Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) that condemns Iraq for its “outrageous, unprovoked attack on Israeli citizens.” A 5-0 vote sent the resolution to the upper house floor.

Bill Introductions

* Freedom of the Press: SB 218 by Sen. Gary Hart (D-Santa Barbara) would extend the immunity of news reporters and photographers to lawsuits seeking monetary damages for refusal to identify sources in civil trials.

* Campaign Advertising: SB 209 by Sen. Quentin Kopp (I-San Francisco) would prohibit the use of falsified documents in political campaign advertisements.

* Oil: SB 205 by Sen. Don Rogers (R-Bakersfield) would allow slant oil drilling under state parks.

Capital Fact

The official state mammal is the California gray whale, which weighs up to 40 tons and is 30 to 50 feet long. These whales are often visible during their annual 14,000-mile migration from the Artic to Baja California and back.