Editor’s note: Sacramento Snapshot is a weekly series during the legislative session detailing what Orange County’s representatives in the Assembly and Senate are working on — from committee work to bill passages and more.
It’s a sprint, not a marathon, in the legislature to get bills passed before the session ends.
Friday, Sept. 14 is the last day for each house to pass bills, and there has been a flurry of activity in Sacramento ahead of that deadline.
Here is a little look — a snapshot, if you will — of some legislation from Orange County legislators have passed in recent days.
Guns
From Sen. Catherine Blakespear is a bill to require gun sellers to post warnings about the dangers of having a firearm in the home. The warning notice would need to include information about 988, the national suicide prevention hotline. The bill did see some bipartisan support, although many Republicans didn’t cast a vote on it.
Speaking of firearms, the legislature passed a bill creating an 11% excise tax on licensed firearms dealers, manufacturers and ammunition vendors. The money would fund school safety measures and gun violence prevention programs, according to an analysis of the bill from Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, D-Woodland Hills, with several Orange County Democrats in either chamber signed on as co-authors.
In opposition to the bill, the California Rifle & Pistol Association said the measure will “unjustifiably place the entire burden of funding efforts to address illegal gun violence on the backs of law-abiding citizens who legally purchase and lawfully use firearms and ammunition.”
Health
Taxpayers could make a voluntary contribution to a fund supporting ALS research in California if the governor OKs unanimously passed legislation from Assemblymember Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach. ALS Association Golden West would use the funds in its work to develop and identify prevention, treatment and cure for ALS.
This bill was especially important to Dixon, whose mother died from ALS. She noted California is home to the largest ALS population in the country — but also leads the nation in clinical trial sites.
Another bill receiving bipartisan support last week was one from Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, D-Anaheim, that bolsters cultural medical equity. A priority for the Latino Caucus, the bill stipulates that general criteria for continuing medical education courses should encourage foreign language classes in order to improve physician-patient communication.
Government
The governor has already OK’d a bill from Sen. Kelly Seyarto, a Republican whose district includes Yorba Linda, that ensures state agencies publicly post legislative reports online. The idea, says Seyarto, is to promote accountability and transparency in government.
“The public should be able to view and read the same materials that legislators have available when making decisions and weighing impacts of legislation on our communities,” he said.
Assemblymember Tri Ta’s legislation allowing homeowners’ associations to have a lower quorum, in certain instances, to hold a board of directors election sailed through the legislature. The Westminster Republican has said HOAs are unable to achieve quorums set in governing documents which can prevent new board members from being seated or prohibit vacant seats from being filled.
Housing
An effort to prohibit local governments from increasing minimum parking requirements for single-family residences as a condition for approval for a remodel, renovation or additional project passed the legislature last week. Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, has said mandatory parking requirements can raise the cost of housing production and further exacerbate California’s housing crisis.
Source: Orange County Register
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