Legislature’s Progress

As the Democratic chairman and Republican vice chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, we take issue with your recent editorial, “As Sacramento Fiddles, Rest of Us Do a Slow Burn” (April 28).

Your editorial strongly suggests that this is an unproductive session for the California Legislature because only eight bills have passed both houses and been signed into law. It is important for your readers to understand that the current legislative session runs for two years, from December 1996 through August 1998. The Legislature is actually right on schedule. Unfortunately, your editorial fails to tell your readers that the legislative process is a two-year process that moves in six specific policy phases in each year, and the first policy committee deadline for the first year just occurred on April 25.

In the first year, the legislative deadline for getting bills to the governor for action is Sept. 12. This legislative schedule ensures that proper checks and balances are in place and guarantees proper review and public participation on all measures.

Our Assembly Public Safety Committee has heard almost 200 measures. Thus far, we have approved 164 bills--84 measures by Republican authors and 80 measures by Democratic authors. Among these are important measures to address Los Angeles gangs, the use of firearms, juvenile crime, prosecution procedures and victim services.

ROBERT M. HERTZBERG

(D-Sherman Oaks), Chairman

JAN GOLDSMITH

(R-San Diego), Vice Chairman

Assembly Public Safety Committee