Gov. to sign 5 new laws to battle gangs

SACRAMENTO -- Addressing the plague of gang violence in California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will sign five bills aimed at stemming the tide of killings, including the creation of a state office of gang and youth violence policy to oversee the efforts, a spokesman said Wednesday.

Other bills scheduled to receive the governor’s signature today will allow judges to order parents of gang members to attend anti-violence classes, improve protection to witnesses of gang killings and arm prosecutors with power to evict gang members caught in possession of weapons in apartment buildings used as hangouts.

The governor’s office also announced that Schwarzenegger had signed 79 bills Wednesday, including measures to protect the publicity rights of dead celebrities and to prohibit smoking in cars where minors are passengers.

He vetoed 26 bills Wednesday, including a proposal to require children up to 8 years old to use special car seats.

A rash of gang violence in Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento and other major cities drew the attention of state lawmakers this year, resulting in nearly a dozen bills aimed at the problem.

In anticipation of the bill creating a new gang office, Schwarzenegger had already appointed former federal prosecutor Paul Seave to serve as a kind of gang czar, heading the office and coordinating various plans of attack against street gangs.

“A key component of this anti-gang bill package focuses on the rehabilitation of vulnerable youth who are often coerced through fear and intimidation into joining gangs,” Seave said Wednesday.

The office will be responsible for identifying and evaluating state and local gang and youth violence programs and helping to secure federal grants for the effort.

Last year’s 14% growth in gang violence in Los Angeles sparked much of the legislation, including a bill by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles), which creates the new gang office. Nunez noted that Los Angeles has become the gang capital of the world, with more than 700 gangs involving 40,000 members.

One of the bills earning the governor’s signature allows prosecutors in Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, Oakland and Sacramento to bring eviction action against tenants for illegal weapons possession in cases when the landlord is unwilling or afraid to act. That bill, AB 1013, was sought by the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, which has launched an effort to close down apartment buildings used as gang headquarters.

The governor is also signing a bill that beefs up witness relocation programs, giving the state attorney general authority to coordinate with and reimburse local agencies that provide protection to those testifying against gang members. Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles) wrote the legislation, SB 594.

Schwarzenegger is also approving legislation allowing judges who sentence juvenile gang offenders to order the parents to attend classes to learn how to keep their children from engaging in gang violence.

The legislation, AB 1291 by Assemblyman Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), calls for a curriculum that would include a meeting between the parents and families of victims of gang violence.

Another bill expands policies on juvenile offenders in state custody to provide for education programs to promote family ties and personal responsibility. It calls for the creation of a system to allow juveniles behind bars to more easily make telephone calls to families so their support network is encouraged.

The legislation, AB 1300 by Assemblyman Curren Price Jr. (D-Inglewood), requires the division of juvenile programs in the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to pursue programs to educate youthful offenders in ways that promote family ties. It also is supposed to restore communication and emphasize that young offenders take accountability for their crime victims.

In other actions Wednesday, Schwarzenegger:

Signed SB 7 by Sen. Jenny Oropeza (D-Long Beach), which sets a $100 fine for people caught smoking in cars when minors are present, starting Jan. 1.

Signed a bill prohibiting law enforcement and court officials from selling or soliciting for sale any photos or confidential information obtained in the course of their work on celebrities and others. AB 920 by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) was denounced by media rights groups as the Mel Gibson and Paris Hilton protection act.

Signed a “truth in music” bill, AB 702 by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge), which prohibits individuals from performing live music under the name of a recorded group unless the performers hold a trademark, at least one of the performers was a member of the original group, the event is advertised as a tribute or the performing group has prior authorization.

“Now California audiences will know that they’re getting what they paid for when they go to see a show, and the musical pioneers of the doo-wop era, as well as all musical groups from now on, can rest assured that their legacy is safe from this insidious kind of identity theft,” said John “Bowzer” Bauman, formerly with the 1970s group Sha Na Na.

Vetoed AB 881 by Assemblyman Gene Mullin (D-San Mateo), which would have increased the age of children required to use car seats from 6 to 8. He said in his veto message that “a better strategy is to move toward full compliance with the laws we already have.”

Vetoed AB 701 by Assemblyman Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate), which would have allowed city councils in dozens of small cities to vote to double their salaries. “The citizens must be given the opportunity to decide through a vote of the people whether their city council members should be compensated at a higher rate,” the governor wrote.

Rejected SB 152 by Sen. Dean Florez (D-Shafter), which would have allowed a 45% increase in the number of gaming tables that some card clubs could operate without requiring voter approval. The bill, he said, would have created “a significant exemption to the current moratorium on expanding local gaming establishments.”

The governor has until Sunday to act on bills sent to him by the Legislature.

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patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

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Times staff writer Nancy Vogel contributed to this report.