Governor Signs 10 Bills Authored by Sen. Leno

State Sen. Mark Leno, who represents Novato in the state Capitol, sent out the following press release on Nov. 2:

I am pleased to report that Governor Jerry Brown has signed 10 bills we put on his desk this year. These bills, most of which will become law on January 1, 2012, tackle many issues that are important to everyday Californians and people living within Senate District 3.

One of the most important bills I authored this year is known as the FAIR (Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful) Education Act. This bill ensures that the historical contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and disabled individuals are accurately and fairly portrayed in school instructional materials. The FAIR Education Act ends the exclusion of LGBT people and persons with disabilities from our history books by adding them to the existing list of under-represented cultural and ethnic groups already included in the state's inclusionary education requirements. The bill is co-sponsored by Equality California and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network.

In addition to the FAIR Education Act, the governor signed two bills that will help protect public safety in California. The first bill addresses a troubling blind spot in our current enforcement of firearms laws by helping keep guns out of the hands of known criminals, gang members and the mentally unstable. This bill, which is sponsored by Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, allows the California Department of Justice to use existing resources to enhance identification and confiscation of handguns and assault weapons that are owned by convicted felons and people who have serious mental illnesses. The governor also signed a second public safety bill I authored this year that helps curtail wrongful convictions. The bill ensures that no judge or jury convicts a defendant based solely on the uncorroborated testimony of a jailhouse informant.

One of our bills that has already become law ends the state's ban on infused alcoholic beverages, an issue of recent concern for small businesses in San Francisco. This bill updates an antiquated state law to recognize the widespread artisanal practice of infusing or flavoring small amounts of alcohol with fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices for use in cocktails.

Governor Brown also signed a bill we named The Charles McGlashan Community Choice Aggregation Act, in memory of the late Marin County supervisor who was a clean energy champion. That legislation removes unnecessary burdens and undue constraints in the state's existing Community Choice Aggregation implementation process to help ensure that community power remains a viable option for local governments. The bill is co-sponsored by the Marin Energy Authority, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and Sierra Club California.

Unfortunately, the Governor also vetoed several bills that would have had a significant impact on Californians and people living in San Francisco. The first bill would have allowed voters in the County of San Francisco to approve the restoration of their vehicle license fee to fund critical local services. The other two bills would have prohibited the warrantless search of an arrestee's cell phone and permitted the limited agricultural production of industrial hemp in California.

For a complete list of all the bills I authored that were signed or vetoed by the Governor, please visit www.senate.ca.gov/Leno. If you have other questions you may also call the San Francisco District Office at 415-557-1300 or San Rafael District Office at 415-479-6612, or email Senator.Leno@senate.ca.gov.

Senator Mark Leno represents the Third Senate District of California, which includes portions of San Francisco and Sonoma Counties and all of Marin County.

The Governor signed the following bills authored by Senator Leno:

SB 32 (Alcohol Infusions) - SB 32 updates state law to recognize the widespread artisanal practice of infusing small amounts of alcohol for use in cocktails. (SB 32 was signed on September 20 and took effect immediately.)

SB 48 (LGBT Inclusive Instruction) - The FAIR (Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful) Education Act ensures that the historical contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and people with disabilities are accurately and fairly portrayed in instructional materials by adding them to the existing list of under-represented groups already included in the state's inclusionary education requirements.

SB 651 (Domestic Partnership Equality) - The Domestic Partnership Equality Act eliminates statutory differences between marriage and domestic partnerships. It ends the requirement that same-sex couples must reside in the same household, allows same-sex couples to enter into a confidential domestic partnership and removes age restrictions that do not apply to marriages.

SB 687 (In-Custody Informants) - SB 687 ensures that no judge or jury convicts a defendant, or approves an aggravating factor in a crime that allows for a stricter penalty, based solely on the uncorroborated testimony of an in-custody informant. (SB 687 was signed on August 1.)

SB 705 (Gas Pipeline Safety) - SB 705, in the wake of the San Bruno tragedy, requires public utilities to make safety the absolute top priority in their natural gas operation and maintenance procedures and requires utilities to develop a comprehensive safety plan. (SB 705 was signed on October 7.)

SB 790 (Community Choice Aggregation) - SB 790 strengthens existing law and removes excessive burdens to allow local governments to implement Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), a program that allows communities to pool, or aggregate, the electric load of their residents, businesses and other institutions in order to procure and generate electricity on their behalf.

SB 819 (Armed Prohibited Persons System) - SB 819 allows the California Department of Justice to use existing resources to enhance identification and confiscation of handguns and assault weapons that are owned by prohibited persons such as convicted felons and the mentally ill.

SB 826 (Workers Compensation Reporting) - SB 826 improves the effectiveness and efficiency of the workers' compensation system for both injured workers and employers who pay into the system by allowing the Division of Workers' Compensation to enforce existing data reporting requirements to the Workers' Compensation Information System. (SB 826 was signed on October 7.)

SB 850 (Electronic Medical Records) - SB 850 protects the accuracy and integrity of electronic medical information by requiring electronic medical record systems to automatically record and preserve changes made to a patient's electronic medical record.

SB 897 (Residential Care Facilities) - Requires operators of residential care facilities for the elderly to notify residents and their families when foreclosure proceedings are initiated, allowing residents the opportunity to prepare for possible relocation to a new home. (SB 897 was signed on September 30.)

The Governor vetoed the following bills authored by Senator Leno:

SB 223 (Voter Approved Local Assessments) - SB 223 would have allowed the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to ask voters to consider restoring their vehicle license fee to the level it had been from 1948 to 1998. If approved by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Supervisors and a majority vote at the ballot, the revenue raised could have been used to fund critical local programs. (SB 223 was vetoed on October 4.)

SB 676 (Industrial Hemp) - SB 676 would have allowed California farmers to grow industrial hemp to supply the expanding legal market for seed, oil and fiber. The bill would have created a four-county pilot program in Imperial, Kern, Kings and San Joaquin, giving California the opportunity to start a successful hemp industry in the Central Valley.

SB 914 (Cell Phone Searches) - SB 914 would have protected against the warrantless search of personal and private information contained on an arrestee's cell phone. It would have ensured that law enforcement, absent an emergency situation, could only access electronic data with a warrant.