By Assemblymember Marie Waldron
Legislation in Sacramento often flies under the radar. Here are a few bills you may have missed that made it through, along with some that didn’t:
Bills forwarded to the Governor that remain unsigned as of this writing include AB 2188, prohibiting employers from terminating or refusing to hire persons using cannabis if impaired work performance is unproven; SB 70, requiring children to complete a year of kindergarten before entering the first grade; and SB 1157, phasing in additional water conservation targets by reducing indoor use from 52.5 gallons per person/day (gpcd) to 42 gpcd by 2030.
Bills that have been signed include AB 2608, requiring elections officials to provide a duplicate vote-by-mail ballot to a voter’s “representative” upon receipt of a written request; AB 257, establishing a Fast Food Sector Council that will unilaterally set higher minimum wages and create more state regulations and mandates in the fast food industry; and SB 1338, establishing CARE Courts for the mentally ill, allowing family members to petition courts requesting treatment for those suffering from addiction or severe mental illness.
Rejected bills include AB 937, prohibiting law enforcement from notifying immigration authorities when violent felons are released; AB 2133, requiring a reduction of statewide greenhouse gas emissions to at least 55% below 1990 levels by 2030; SB 57, allowing certain communities in Los Angeles and the Bay Area to operate “safe injection sites” for people using illegal drugs (passed, but vetoed); and SB 930, establishing a pilot program permitting some California cities to extend alcohol sales to 4 a.m. on weekends/holidays, and 3 a.m. on all other days.
For more information about all legislation, click here.
To ask Governor Newsom to sign or veto any bill click here. The Governor has until September 30 to make his decisions.
Assemblymember Marie Waldron, R – Valley Center, represents the 75th Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the communities of Bonsall, Escondido, Fallbrook, Hidden Meadows, Pala, Palomar Mountain, Pauma Valley, Rainbow, San Marcos, Temecula, Valley Center and Vista.
