San Francisco Might Soon Have a “John Burton Highway”

Although as an Assembly member and senator he routinely opposed legislation naming parts of the state transportation system after lawmakers, dead peace officers or famous Californians, state Democratic Party Chair John Burton is likely to have a sliver of asphalt bearing his name.

A unanimous vote by the Senate sent SCR 93 to Gov.    Read more »

More

Landmark Bill Banning Sexual Orientation Change Therapy for Minors On Governor’s Desk

Psychologists and psychiatrists would be banned from using therapies on minors to change their sexual orientation under legislation sent to Gov. Jerry Brown by lawmakers on August 30.

The landmark measure would prohibit “reparative therapy” from being practiced on persons under the age of 18.

“Few things are more offensive than child abuse and, frankly, that’s what these types of psychological treatments are,” said Sen.    Read more »

More

A Statue of Ronald Reagan for California’s Capitol?

Among the measures lawmakers will be landing on Gov. Jerry Brown’s already well-piled desk is allowing a statue of President – and former California Governor – Ronald Reagan to be placed in the “new” section of the state Capitol.

The statue’s design, placement and upkeep would be paid for by the Ronald Reagan Centennial Capitol Foundation, created last year to help celebrate the actor-turned-politician’s 100th birthday.    Read more »

More

Space the Final Frontier — For Limited Civil Liability

A bill backed by the nascent commercial space industry would give those companies protection from lawsuits if they warn passengers that space flight is inherently dangerous.

Supporters, like Virgin Galactic and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, say that reasonable liability protections will help grow their industry.

“The human spaceflight industry and the jobs it creates require sensible regulation governing liability,” write Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company in support.    Read more »

More

California Seeks to Excise the “R-Word” — Sort Of

“Mentally retarded’ is supposed to be eliminated from all California laws and replaced with “intellectual disability” under a measure unanimously passed by the Senate August 21.

That’s what supporters say the bill does.

“Our state should not use outdated terms that spread negative stereotypes,” said Sen. Tony Strickland, a Thousand Oaks Republican who shepherded the measure through the Senate.    Read more »

More

Charities Clash over Unattended Collection Bins

A bill awaiting action August 20 on the Senate floor would restrict the placement of unattended donation boxes on private property.

Sponsored by several Northern California chapters of Goodwill Industries, the measure stalled August 13 but won reconsideration. 

AB 1978 by Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, a Tracy Democrat, would require written permission by a property owner or their designee before one of the large, usually metal containers can be placed on a site.    Read more »

More

Will The Governor Nip “Absentee Florists” in the Bud?

An almost perennial effort to prevent florists from misrepresenting the location of their business was sent to Gov. Jerry Brown by the state Senate August  13.

The bill is the fifth such measure in 13 years to prevent call centers, potentially located hundreds or thousands of miles away, from using a local city or neighborhood in their name and duping consumers into believing they are patronizing a “local” florist.    Read more »

More

Bill Restricting State Regulation of Internet Phone Service Advances

Silicon Valley companies, cable providers and phone companies won a victory over  consumer groups and labor unions August 8 when the Assembly Appropriations Committee sent a bill to the floor that would restrict the ability of the California Public Utilities Commission to regulate Internet phone service.

Supporters of the heavily lobbied bill say state regulation of Internet phone service, which is increasingly supplanting traditional landline, would thwart innovation of technologies like Skype and create a hodge-podge of state regulation.    Read more »

More

Bill Restricting State Regulation of Internet Phone Service

 Silicon Valley companies, cable providers and phone companies are squaring off with consumer groups and labor unions over a bill that would restrict the ability of the California Public Utilities Commission to regulate Internet phone service – although the commission has not moved to do so and the federal government says they can’t even if they want to.    Read more »

More

Undercover Window Tinting

Even though illegal for anyone else to do so, law enforcement agencies can tint or glaze a vehicle’s front side or rear windows under a new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. 

The measure, sponsored by the Peace Officers Research Association of California, is supposedly aimed at ending the embarrassing situation of a peace officer puling over someone for illegal window tinting and discovering that person is an undercover officer.    Read more »

More