Make These Bills Law

The legislative session ends today in more chaos than usual. There are hundreds of bills under consideration. The following are particularly worthy of becoming law (or revival if they die).

* Growth: SB 221, by Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) would require large housing developers to prove they have adequate water supplies for their new communities.

* Gun safety: SB 52 by Sen. Jack Scott (D-Altadena) and AB 35 by Assemblyman Kevin Shelley (D-San Francisco) would require prospective handgun owners to demonstrate that they can safely handle their weapons.

* Renewable energy: Sen. Byron Sher’s (D-Stanford) SB 531 would require that 20% of all electrical energy generated in California by 2020 come from renewable sources.

* Healthy children: AB 59, sponsored by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) would simplify enrollment in state health insurance for poor children.

* Land scams: SB 497, by Sen. Sher, would prevent real estate speculators from using obscure land instruments known as “certificates of compliance” to drive up costs of undeveloped land, especially in coastal areas.

* Nursing homes: AB 1075 by Assemblyman Shelley would establish safe staff-patient ratios in nursing homes and require regular quality checks.

* Predatory lending: AB 489 by Assemblywoman Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) would crack down on “predatory lending,” prohibiting a lethal blend of high rates, hidden fees and exorbitant balloon payments.

* Privacy: SB 773 by Sen. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) requires banks, lenders and other financial companies to ask customers’ permission before sharing their financial data.