Bill Criminalizes Sex Between Women and Male Minors

A bill to make it illegal for an adult female to engage in sexual relations with a male minor has been passed by the Senate and sent to Gov. Pete Wilson.

The legislation was sparked by the 1992 case of a Granada Hills woman who was put on probation after being convicted of having sex with 10 teen-age boys after giving them alcohol and showing pornographic movies.

The woman was charged only with oral copulation and lewd conduct because California statutory rape law applies only to female victims.

More recently, a Hemet high school football coach and his wife received suspended prison sentences and probation after pleading guilty to charges that the coach had arranged for one of his players to have sex with his wife.

A 23-3 vote sent the bill (SB 22) by Sen. Newton Russell (R-Glendale) to the governor. It passed the Assembly 56 to 11.

ASSEMBLY

Floor Action

* Foreign Bonds: Passed and sent to the governor on a 45-23 vote a bill (AB 216) by Assemblyman Burt Margolin (D-Los Angeles) to allow state and local pension plans to purchase bonds unconditionally guaranteed by other nations such as Israel, Canada and Mexico.

* Firefighters Memorial: Passed and sent to the governor on a 75-0 vote a bill (AB 941) by Assemblyman Pat Nolan (R-Glendale) to authorize issuance of special license plates honoring California firefighters and use additional revenue generated to build a firefighters memorial in Capitol Park.

* Illegal Drugs: Passed and sent to the governor on a 74-0 vote a bill (AB 629) by Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman (D-Los Angeles) to add one year to the prison sentences of people convicted of selling illegal drugs at public parks or beaches.

* Drive-by Shootings: Passed and sent to the governor on a 70-0 vote a bill (AB 852) by Assemblyman Tom Umberg (D-Garden Grove) to increase the potential prison penalty from 15 years to life to 20 years to life for people convicted of murder in drive-by shootings.

* Spousal Rape: Passed and sent to the governor on a 63-2 vote a bill (AB 187) by Assemblywoman Hilda Solis (D-El Monte) to make spousal rapists subject to the same prison sentences as other rapists.

* School Libraries: Passed and sent to the governor on a 56-18 vote a bill (AB 323) by Assemblywoman Delaine Eastin (D-Fremont) to give $10,000 state grants to public schools that do not have libraries and $5,000 grants to schools that have poorly equipped libraries. The funds would come from state income tax refund checkoff contributions.

Committee Action

* Driver’s Licenses: The Ways and Means Committee approved a bill (SB 976) by Sen. Alfred E. Alquist (D-San Jose) to prohibit the issuance of a state driver’s license or identification card to any person who cannot provide proof that he or she is a citizen or legal resident of the United States. An 11-3 vote sent the bill to the Assembly floor.

SENATE

Floor Action

* Information Officers: Rejected on a 15-15 vote a bill (AB 173) by Assemblywoman Valerie Brown (D-Sonoma) to eliminate 190 state public information officers, reduce salaries for appointed members of 11 highly paid state boards and commissions to the $52,500 paid to most state legislators, and cut travel budgets in half. Reconsideration was granted.

* Child Poisonings: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments on a 22-11 vote a bill (AB 1550) by Assemblyman Jack O’Connell (D-Carpinteria) to require bittering agents to be included in antifreeze and windshield washer fluids to help prevent accidental child poisonings.

* Riots: Passed on a 36-0 vote and sent to the governor a bill (AB 1239) by Assemblyman Louis Caldera (D-Los Angeles) to exempt property owners who experienced economic hardships as a result of last year’s Los Angeles riots from paying interest or penalties on delinquent tax payments.

* Small Business Regulations: Passed and sent to the governor on a 25-0 vote a bill (SB 726) by Sen. Frank Hill (R-Whittier) to require state small-business regulations to be written in words that are easy to understand.

* Prisoner Literacy: Passed and sent to the governor on a 32-0 vote a bill (SB 105) by Sen. Milton Marks (D-San Francisco) to allow state prison inmates to earn work-credit sentence reductions by participating in programs to teach them how to read and write.