Davis Signs Redevelopment, Pesticide Bills

Gov. Gray Davis has signed legislation that would allow the San Fernando Valley to keep control over its redevelopment projects should it break off from the rest of Los Angeles, an aide said Monday.

Davis signed SB 1375, sponsored by Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar), on Saturday.

The secession group Valley VOTE lobbied for the legislation because of concern about preexisting law that did not allow a transfer of jurisdiction, said Jeff Brain, the group’s president. “In the event the Valley becomes a city, we would want to have the ability to control the funds for redevelopment in the Valley,” Brain said.

“The city of Los Angeles’ redevelopment department, under the law, would have kept control of land not even in the city, and how it develops.”

Also Monday, Davis went to Balboa Gifted Magnet School in Northridge to sign AB 2260, a bill that requires schools to notify parents before using any pesticides on campus.

The so-called Healthy Schools Act, opposed by some farmers, also requires schools to use less harmful pesticides and keep records of all chemicals used for four years.

The Los Angeles Unified School District is one of two big-city districts in the state (the other is San Francisco) to have such a pest-management plan already in place, a Davis aide said.

Davis signed the bill at Balboa because that school solved its weed and pest problems without using pesticides, Davis aide Steve Maviglio said.