The Governor Goes Three for Three on Tax Check-offs

Disaster efforts of  California’s chapters of the American Red Cross will have a check-off on state tax forms under legislation signed Oct. 1 by Gov. Jerry Brown.

It’s the third of three measures sent to the Democratic governor to add to the current 18 voluntary contribution categories that have been multiplying since the first was placed on state tax forms in 1983.    Read more »

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State Voluntary Tax Check-Offs Grow — But Should They?

The California Arts Council gets a second chance at a tax check-off under legislation approved September 30 by Gov. Jerry Brown who created the council when he was previously governor in 1975.

It’s one of seven bills approved by lawmakers this year relating to the voluntary contribution funds, fixtures on state tax forms for 30 years.    Read more »

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Not a Moment Too Soon

New car dealers will still be able to sell “pre-owned vehicles” without replacing their “brake friction materials,” under legislation signed September 27 by Gov. Jerry Brown.

In English: New car dealers won’t have to install new brake pads on used cars they buy and resell after 2014.

Dealers were afraid they might be required to do so under a 2010 bill requiring less copper content in brake pads sold in California.    Read more »

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New Law Allows Artisan Distillers to Charge for Tastings

Small distilleries of artisan spirits such as bourbon, whiskey and fruit-based liqueurs like limoncello can offer up to six paid tastings under legislation signed by Gov. Jerry brown September 26.

Effective January 1, 2014, the bill — AB 933 by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, a Berkeley Democrat – lifts a current ban on distilleries charging for tastings as wineries and breweries do.      Read more »

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Wage Increase Tightens Weave of California’s Social Fabric, Governor Says

California’s minimum hourly wage will rise from $8 to $10 between now and January 1, 2016 under legislation signed Sept. 25 in Oakland by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Restaurant owners and other businesses decried the increase, saying it would boost their bottom line and dampen economic growth.

In Los Angeles prior to the Bay Area bill signing, the Democratic governor portrayed the $2 increase as an agent of social change.    Read more »

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California’s First Highway Goes “Unscenic”

A 37-mile stretch of Inland Empire freeway is no longer part of the state’s network of “scenic” highways under legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

It’s the first time since the California Scenic Highway program was created in 1963 that a section of the roadway has been removed from the program.    Read more »

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Jerry Brown Repeals California’s Subversive Organization Registration Act

 Obscure Statute Recalls the Golden State’s Red-Scare Years and Its Grand Inquisitor, Jack B. Tenney

During California’s 1941 January-to-June legislative session, Germany had conquered Western Europe and was preparing to invade Russia.

America had not officially been drawn into World War II because Japan had yet to bomb Pearl Harbor. But it had approved the Lend-Lease program to aid Great Britain and Russia.    Read more »

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Six Gun-Related Bills Place “Your Privacy, Your Freedom and Your Right to Self Defense” at Risk, Says the NRA

In a mailer sent to GOP and independent voters during the week of August 12, the National Rifle Association says California lawmakers would “steamroll” the rights of gun owners by passing six measures that include a ban on magazines with more than 10 rounds and requiring background checks for ammunition purchases.    Read more »

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New Law Would Detail Non-Discriminatory Policy on Transgender Students

 California is poised to become then first state in the country to put into law what public schools must do to ensure transgender pupils aren’t discriminated against.

Primarily that means being allowed to use a restroom or locker room that matches the gender the student identifies with, which may not be the same as the gender listed on their birth certificate.    Read more »

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Photos of Dead People, Dog Parks and Redundancy

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation to reassure coroners that they’re shielded from liability if Californians see illegal copies of photographs or images of dead people.

The bill — AB 957 by Assemblyman Don Wagner, an Irvine Republican –only reassures because coroners have been protected from liability for someone else copying or leaking official corners’ photographs since 1968.    Read more »

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