2005 Legislative Updates - Apr/May/June

AB 805 (Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park), UFW sponsored legislation to impose onerous heat stress requirements on agricultural employers has passed the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee on a straight partisan vote.

AB 805 (Sally Lieber, D-Mountainview), legislation that would increase the State Minimum Wage has passed out of the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee.

SB 409 (Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego), a water supply planning bill, was approved by the Assembly Local Government Committee.

The Air Resources Board adopted a definition of large confined animal facilities (Large CAF) as required by SB 700.

Governor Schwarzenegger officially called a special election for November 8th to consider several governmental reform initiatives that have qualified for a statewide vote.

Five measures have already qualified for the ballot.

Measure 1131. A constitutional amendment to create new state spending controls and allow the governor to make mid-year spending corrections when revenues fall below estimated projections.

Measure 1072. A constitutional amendment initiative that would require a three-member panel of retired judges, instead of state legislators; to draw legislative and congressional district boundaries.

Measure 1088. A statutory initiative that would extend the current two-year requirement for teachers to receive tenured/permanent status to five years.

Measure 1067. A constitutional amendment initiative that would bar abortion on an unemancipated minor until 48 hours after physician notifies minor's parent/legal guardian, except in medical emergency or with parental waiver.

Measure 1084. A statutory initiative that would require the consent of public employee union members prior to use of their union dues for political contributions.

SB 77 (State Budget and Fiscal Review Committee) was defeated in both houses.

AB 6 (Wilma Chan, D-Oakland), a proposal to increase income taxes on the state's top earners was defeated in the Assembly on a vote 46-32.

AB 365 (Simon Salinas, D-Salinas), which would establish greenhouse agriculture as an "agricultural use" in the Williamson Act was approved by the Senate Local Government Committee.

SB 646 (Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica), a bill that would increase regulations of farm water run-off by the Regional Water Quality Control Boards was approved by the Assembly Environmental Safety Committee.

The State Water Resources Control Board adopted a fee schedule for farmers who participate in farm water run-off control programs in the Central Valley, Central Coast, and Los Angeles.

AFL-CIO sponsored legislation to increase the state's minimum wage, AB 48 (Sally Lieber, D-Santa Clara) and UFW sponsored bill AB 805 (Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park) to impose an onerous heat stress requirement on agricultural employers, have both been passed by the State Assembly and will now be heard in the Senate.

SB 820 (Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica), which would determine reasonableness of water uses, was narrowly approved by the Senate, despite bipartisan opposition.

SB 113 (Mike Machado, D-Linden), a bill that would establish vague standards for imposing water user fees on farmers was narrowly passed by the Senate.

AB 528 (Dario Frommer, D-Los Angeles), which would have allowed activists to sue landowners, was moved to the inactive file.

AB 1328 (Lois Wolk, D-Davis) which would designate 31 miles of Cache Creek as part of the State Wild and Scenic Rivers system was approved by the Assembly.

The Assembly voted 46 to 33 to approve AB 797, Assemblymember Wolks' (D-Davis) proposal on the Delta Protection Commission.

SB 17 (Martha Escutia, D-Whittier), a bill to require the reassessment of real property owned by legal entities quietly moved to the Inactive File in the Senate.

AB 1685 (Johan Klehs, D-San Leandro) which would have banned the slaughter of animals on school campuses, died on the Assembly floor.

SB 453 (Charles Poochigian, D-Fresno) to extend the Central Valley Rural Crime Prevention Program through July 2009 was passed unanimously by the Senate.

AB 1058 (Paul Koretz, D-Hollywood), a bill to create a county-of-origin labeling program for fresh beef products narrowly passed the Assembly.

AB 48 (Sally Lieber, D-Santa Clara), legislation to increase the minimum wage has been sent to the Assembly Floor by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 805 (Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park), the heat stress bill, was amended to be limited only to agricultural operations and has passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 797 (Lois Wolk, D-Davis) was passed to the Assembly floor from the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The bill would make changes to the membership of the Delta Protection Commission.

Patrick Wright, director of the California Bay-Delta Authority was reassigned to a position in the Resources Agency, and the Science Director, Dr. Jonnie Moore, was also reassigned. Joe Grindstaff, Department of Water Resources Deputy Director will serve as the Acting Director of the Authority.

AB 1128 (Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo), which would increase participation of agricultural members of the Regional Water Quality Control Boards, passed on the Assembly Floor this week on a strong bi-partisan vote.

SB 820 (Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica), which would affect water rights, was passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on a straight party line vote.

SB 453 (Charles Poochigian, R-Fresno) which would extend the Central Valley Rural Crime Prevention Program through 2009, passed out of the Senate Public Safety Committee.

SB 1059 (Martha Escutia, D-Whittier) sponsored by the administration would authorize the California Energy Commission to designate "transmission corridor zones" (corridors for future construction of high-voltage transmission lines).

AB 1644 (Hector De La Torre, D-Los Angeles), the proposed legislation to repeal the partial sales tax exemption for farm equipment and machinery was held in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee.

SB 695 (Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego), a bill that would require the development of an Internet conservation easement registry was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

SB 775 (Cox, R-Fair Oaks), a bill that would improve the business climate for rural farmers and ranchers was approved unanimously by the State Senate now moves on to the State Assembly.

AB 1128 (Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo) would improve government accountability now moves to the Assembly Floor.

AB 802 (Lois Wolk, D-Davis) was ammended to remove the requirement that local governments must consider urban water management plans in the land use elements of their general plans.

AB 365 (Simon Salinas, D-Salinas), the bill that firmly establishes greenhouse agriculture as an "agricultural use" in the Williamson Act won unanimous approval in the Assembly and was sent to the Senate.

SB 109 (Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento) would repeal the protections in law that prevents both civil action and criminal prosecution for the same air quality violation.

AB 1128 (Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo) which would increase the participation of agricultural representatives in region wide decisions is scheduled to be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee

SB 775 (Dave Cox, R-Fair Oaks) will help farmers in the Northeastern portion of the state obtain access to cost-effective watermaster services was unanimously passed in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee this week and moved directly to the Senate Floor.

An initiative recently filed by Assemblymember Ray Haynes (R-Murrieta) woud create new state police agency to patrol the border and go after employers that hire undocumented aliens.

AB 1685 (Johan Klehs, D-San Leandro), the bill to ban the slaughter of animals on school campuses passed out of the Assembly Education Committee and will now be heard on the Assembly Floor.

AB 1407 (Jenny Oropeza, D-Long Beach) to require the vendor of off-road fuel sold to farmer's to pay an air quality fee of 5 cents per gallon, passed out of the Assembly Transportation Committee this week on a 7-5 vote virtually along party lines.

AB 802 (Lois Wolk, D-Davis) that would require local governments to consider urban water management plans in the land use element, and to include flood management in the conservation element of their general plans was approved by the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.

SB 113 (Mike Machado, D-Linden) and SB 820 (Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica) were approved on a party line vote in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.

SB 775 (Cox, R-Fair Oaks), which would provide a mechanism that is currently missing from the Water Code, will be heard in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.

AB 1685 (Johan Klehs, D-San Leonardo) a bill that outlaws the slaughter of animals on school campuses is scheduled to be heard by the Assembly Education Committee.

Both the Assembly and Senate Budget Subcommittees that have jurisdiction over the Williamson Act funding approved the subvention funding to local governments as proposed in Governor Schwarzenegger's state budget.

AB 365 (Simon Salinas, D-Salinas) a bill to clarify that greenhouse agriculture is indeed an "agricultural use," as defined in the Williamson Act, won unanimous approval in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

AB 984 (John Laird, D-Santa Cruz) a bill to change the liability surrounding genetically modified organisms is now a two year bill. Due to extensive opposition, the author did not ask for a vote.

AB 1147 (Mark Leno, D-San Francisco) a bill that would legalize the growing of industrial hemp was turned into a two-year bill.

SB 695 (Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego) a bill to require the creation of an internet registry for all state funded conservation easements was approved by the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee with significant author's amendments to address numerous concerns relative to privacy.

AB 528 (Dario Frommer, D-Los Angeles) a bill which would establish a right for any activist in the state to sue any landowner will be heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee next Tuesday.

AB 48 (Sally Lieber, D-Santa Clara), a union sponsored bill to increase the state minimum wage to $7.75 per hour over a two year period and then index it to the rate of inflation thereafter, passed the Assembly Labor and Employment committee on a straight partisan vote.

SB 879 (Martha Escutia, D-Whittier) proposes imposing penalties when a "reasonable possibility" of creating an actual health or environmental hazard occurs.

AB 1587 (Lori Saldana, D-San Diego) which would make it a crime to kill or attempt to kill animals by burning, burying, drowning, grinding, rapidly freezing, or suffocating was heard in the Assembly Agriculture Committee this week, but the committee failed to take a vote on the bill.

SB 409 (Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego), a bill that will require the water resources portion of a local general plan's conservation element to be correlated with the land use element, was approved by the Senate Local Government Committee.

AB 1128 (Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo) was unanimously approved in the Assembly Parks and Wildlife Committee. This bill would increase participation of appointed farm representatives on the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

AB 802 (Lois Wolk, D-Davis) that would require local governments to consider urban water management plans in the land use element, and to include flood management in the conservation element of their general plans was approved by the Assembly Local Government Committee.

AB 1730 (Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale) would insure that new, environmentally friendly pesticides could be introduced.

AB 1407 (Jenny Oropeza, D-Long Beach) would require the ultimate vendor of off-road diesel fuel sold to a farmer to pay an air quality fee of 5 cents per gallon and is opposed by a number of agricultural organizations.

AB 805 (Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park) would force the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (CalOSHA) to adopt a highly prescriptive heat stress standard no later than December 1, 2006.

SB 409 (Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego) was abruptly pulled from the agenda of the Senate Local Government Committee at the author's request clearly due to the lack of votes for passage.

SB 646 (Shiela Kuehl, D-Santa Monica) was approved in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee despite strong testimony in opposition.

SB 999 (Mike Machado, D-Linden) is making an effort to add four additional appointments to the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District.

SB 453 (Charles Poochigian, R-Fresno) to extend the Central Valley Rural Crime Prevention Program did not pass out of the Senate Public Safety Committee but was granted reconsideration.

AB 365 (Simon Salinas, D-Salinas), a bill to clarify that greenhouse agriculture is indeed agricultural use, as defined in Williamson Act won unanimous approval in the Assembly Agriculture Committee.

Assembly Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) and Senator Dean Florez (D-Shafter) submitted a bipartisan request to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee asking for an audit of the Water Rights Division at the State Water Resources Control Board. While the audit was not approved at this week's hearing, it drew strong bipartisan support and signs are good that the request may be approved when it is resubmitted for the next hearing of the Audit Committee.