Bid to Limit Lawyer Comment on Ongoing Cases Advances

The Senate has unanimously approved legislation instructing the State Bar to adopt rules restricting attorneys from making statements to the news media relating to ongoing cases, as have been made by both sides in the O.J. Simpson case.

A 32-0 vote sent the bill (SB 254) by Sen. Quentin L. Kopp (I-San Francisco) to Gov. Pete Wilson’s desk. The governor’s office said Wilson has no position on the measure at this time.

“One of the most important guarantees of a democratic society is the right to a fair trial,” Kopp said. “Selling or leaking potential trial evidence to the media by attorneys clearly prostitutes the judicial system. This bill will curtail the media circus that has pervaded a number of court cases, most recently the O.J. Simpson case.”

ASSEMBLY

Floor Action

* Unmarried Partners: Passed and sent to the governor on a 45-26 vote a bill (AB 2810) by Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) to allow gay and other unwed couples to register with the state as domestic partners and obtain limited benefits reserved for married partners.

* Tobacco Sales: Passed and returned to the Senate for concurrence in Assembly amendments on a 53-10 vote a bill (SB 1927) by Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) to require the Department of Health Services to develop a program to crack down on the illegal sale of tobacco products to minors.

* Tattoo Standards: Passed and sent to the governor on a 41-32 vote a bill (AB 3787) by Assemblywoman Valerie Brown (D-Sonoma) to require the state to establish minimum sanitation, sterilization and safety standards for persons who do tattooing and body piercing work.

* Juvenile Vandalism: Passed and sent to the governor on a 65-1 vote a bill (AB 308) by Assemblyman Dean Andal (R-Stockton) to increase from $10,000 to $25,000 the amount that parents or guardians may be liable for because of vandalism committed by their minor children.

* Hate Violence: Passed and sent to the governor on a 46-28 vote a bill (AB 2543) by Assemblywoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) to require the State Board of Education to adopt policies directed toward creating a statewide school environment in kindergarten through 12th grade designed to reduce acts of hate violence.

* Child Molesters: Passed and sent to the governor on a 72-0 vote a bill (AB 3707) by Assemblywoman Paula Boland (R-Granada Hills) to increase the prison term to “from 15 years to life” for convicted child molesters in cases in which the victim is under 14 years of age and at least 10 years younger than the offender.

* Political Reform: Passed and sent to the governor on a 27-3 vote a bill (AB 3126) by Assemblyman Ross Johnson (R-Placentia) to extend restrictions on speech honorariums and gifts to elected state officials to include candidates for state and local elective offices.

* Sikh Students: Passed and returned to the Senate for concurrence in Assembly amendments on a 44-24 vote a bill (SB 89) by Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer (D-Hayward) to allow Sikh students to wear knives called kirpans to school in observance of the practices of their religion.

Committee Action

* Domestic Violence: The Ways and Means Committee approved a bill (SB 1278) by Sen. Gary Hart (D-Santa Barbara) to prohibit anyone subject to a domestic violence restraining order from owning or possessing a firearm while the order is in effect under certain circumstances. A 12-4 vote sent the bill to the Assembly floor.

SENATE

Floor Action

* Campus Firearms: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in Senate amendments on a 21-17 vote a bill (AB 645) by Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress) to make it a felony to illegally carry a firearm within 1,000 feet of a public or private school campus.

* Judicial Performance: Passed and returned to the Asssembly for concurrence in Senate amendments on a 29-1 vote a constitutional amendment (ACA 46) by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) to give public members a majority vote on the Commission on Judicial Performance that investigates charges filed against judges.