• Noreen's View: A Mid-Year Review of the State Assembly
• Your Legislator at Work: An Update on Noreen's Legislation
• State Budget Update
• Noreen Names New District Director
• An Eye on the Governor

NOREEN'S VIEW: A MID-YEAR REVIEW OF THE STATE ASSEMBLY

It's been an exciting year representing you in Sacramento. Since the State Assembly has reached the mid-point of our work on legislation, I'd like to update you on our progress.

The early days of June include a deadline for all legislation introduced in the Assembly to receive a vote by the full body. Consequently, we voted on hundreds of bills. I am proud of the progress that we've made to address some of the state's entrenched challenges. The following is a brief sample of the legislation we sent to the State Senate for further review.

Health Care Reform - AB 8 is authored by Speaker Fabian Nunez and is the Assembly Democrats' plan to expand health insurance. It emphasizes disease prevention, minimizing bureaucratic obstacles, and providing incentives for small businesses to provide health insurance to employees. The plan ensures that every child has health coverage by expanding the state's Healthy Families Program, which covers the children of poor working families. With 6.5 million Californians uninsured, health care reform is long overdue.

Gun Control - AB 1471 requires all new semi-automatic handguns to be equipped with microscopic identifying markings that are imprinted on each cartridge case when the gun is fired. This would help law enforcement investigate, arrest, and convict more people who use semiautomatic handguns in crimes. No arrest is made in approximately 45% of all homicides due to a lack of evidence and approximately 70% of new handguns sold are semiautomatics.

Confronting Climate Change - AB 118 would enact the California Alternative and Renewable Fuel, Vehicle Technology, Clean Air, and Carbon Reduction Act. It will reduce the impact our transportation system has on climate change through encouraging the development and use of alternative transportation fuels. With 40% of climate changing emissions coming from cars and trucks, this will really jump start our state's efforts to confront climate change.

Gender Neutral Marriage - AB 43 would enact the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, which would end the current discrimination in law prohibiting same sex couples from getting married and benefiting from the stability and legal benefits available to married couples. We passed a similar bill last year but the Governor vetoed it. I hope for a different outcome this year.

Educating our Foster Youth - AB 1578 will help the state's foster youth attend college by helping them access financial aid and by giving them priority for student housing at our public universities. Each year, about 4,000 youth legally emancipate from foster care but lack the resources to attend college. Estimates show 70 percent want to attend college but less than 2 percent complete it.

Further information about this legislation is available at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov.

YOUR LEGISLATOR AT WORK: AN UPDATE ON NOREEN'S LEGISLATION

I am proud to report that 16 pieces of legislation that I introduced this year have passed the Assembly and await hearings in the State Senate. Below are summaries of each bill.

FAMILIES, CHILDREN, AND COMMUNITY

AB 734 - As the representative of a district with a state hospital, developmental center, and veteran's home, the staffing shortages at these facilities are of great concern because the welfare of our community depends on them. This bill calls for a study of the working conditions at these facilities to help the legislature resolve the staffing shortages.

AB 765 - This legislation will help finance improvements to the 9 fairs - such as Santa Rosa and Vallejo - which conduct live horse racing. This will improve the racing product enjoyed by consumers and help keep jobs in our community.

AB 1192 - Each year, about 5 million crimes are committed against the developmentally disabled. This legislation will establish a registry of abusive care providers to prevent them from moving around the state, from job to job, to continue their crimes.

AB 1331 - Foster youth need our help, especially the 15 percent of them living with disabilities. This legislation requires county child welfare agencies to screen foster youth for disabilities and assist them in applying for a federal income supplement program. Without it, they face homelessness, chronic health problems, and unemployment.

AB 1402 - In order to protect the rights of the developmentally disabled and their families, this bill would allow audio recording of the Individual Program Plan process where care decisions are made. It also requires Department of Social Services, regional centers, and vendors who provide this care to post appeal procedure information on their web sites.

AB 1429 - Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women. This bill requires health insurers and plans to cover the cost of cervical cancer vaccinations. Each year, in California, almost 1,600 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and nearly 400 will die from it. My bill will help us vaccinate away these gruesome statistics.

AB 1542 - Mobile home park owners are exploiting a loophole in current law allowing mobile home parks to subdivide and convert into condominiums, to avoid local rent control, and to potentially make huge profits in the process. This legislation allows local governments to protect this affordable housing stock for our seniors and working families.

AB 1663 - Sponsored by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, this bill protects California's eligibility for $1.13 billion in federal funding for the provision of special education services to disabled students with special needs.

PROTECTING OPEN SPACE

AB 1063 - Under current law, county governments cannot issue bonds to protect open space and agricultural land. Only special districts can. This bill will enable the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to exercise the authority granted by the voters of Sonoma County when they passed Measure F.

CALIFORNIA WINE

AB 323 - Contributions from the wine industry help fund the work of non-profit organizations. But current law excludes and penalizes some vintners if they help out. This is extremely confusing for non-profits. This bill allows vintners with 17/20 license combinations - or wholesaler and off-site retailers - to donate and pour their wines at events benefiting non-profits.

LEGAL REFORM

AB 429 - In some cities across California, under local ordinances, anyone can walk into a hotel and demand to see who is staying in a given room. AB 429 will prevent that in order to protect personal privacy and safety by regulating the disclosure of hotel guest information.

AB 582 - This legislation enacts three historic reforms. It provides court reporters with the first raise since 1990 in the fee that they collect for producing court transcripts. It establishes statewide uniformity for court transcript formatting. It also establishes that indigent litigants not represented by an attorney may access financial assistance to obtain court transcripts.

AB 926 - This technical measure revises provisions of the Civil Discovery Act to clarify the date for production of documents for the benefit of the parties and the courts.

AB 958 - This bill makes various changes to laws affecting local government. It enables Napa County to appoint, rather than elect, a registrar of voters. It also requires tax clearance certificates on all mobile home transfers in order to improve the tax collection method.

AB 1248 - This legislation implements varying changes in court administration and civil procedure. For instance, it permits plaintiffs who initially fail to pay the full required filing fee to fund the difference via personal check. It also reforms our discovery statutes.

AB 1679 - In family law support cases, the court orders one party to pay for other's attorney fees. Since these awards are not protected in bankruptcy, this can result in hardship and unfairness to the party relying on these funds. This bill eliminates this problem by giving these awards protection in bankruptcy.

Further information about this legislation is available online at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov.

STATE BUDGET UPDATE

On May 14th, the Governor released his revised budget proposal for 2007-2008. I'm proud to say that the legislature rejected the following cuts proposed by the Governor:

• A reduction in the state's monthly subsistence payments to the blind, aged, and disabled of our society;
  
• The elimination of all funding for the Williamson Act, nearly $40 million; and
  
• A $29 million cut for Academic Preparation programs for the University of California and California State University systems.

Now, the budget is in Conference Committee in order to hash out differences between proposals approved by each house of the Legislature. Some of the items that I'm fighting for are:

• New positions to craft water quality standards for the Russian River watershed;
  
• Funding to recruit more game wardens in order to confront the poaching crisis in California;
  
• Reforms in funding for local Park and Recreation Districts to help bring additional revenues to parks in our community; and
  
• $7.5 million for small business loan guarantees, with some of this funding marked for SAFE/BIDCO which provides these loan guarantees out of Santa Rosa.

Stay tuned for further updates on the budget next month.

NOREEN NAMES NEW DISTRICT DIRECTOR

I am pleased to announce that Veronica Bethel Stone will be serving as my District Director.

Prior to this appointment, Veronica served as my District Representative in the City of Vallejo. As my District Director, she will be based in Santa Rosa and also oversee all staff and operations in the Vallejo and Napa offices.

Veronica is a Vallejo native and daughter of Jesse Bethel for whom the City of Vallejo named one of its high schools in 1991. Prior to joining my staff, she taught courses in history, science, and special education to 6-12th graders as a substitute teacher in Vallejo Unified School District. She was also a business owner who served on the Board of Directors for the Vallejo County Chamber of Commerce and was a founding member of the Solano County Black Chamber of Commerce.

Committed to our community, Veronica has served on numerous boards and commissions addressing affordable healthcare for children, healthcare access, land use, education, and small business development. I am proud to have her represent me throughout Napa, Solano, and Sonoma Counties.

AN EYE ON THE GOVERNOR

ACTIVITIES:

On May 30th, the Governor signed a pact with the Premier of the Canadian Province of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, to work together to fight climate change.

On May 25th, the Governor announced the reopening of the MacArthur Maze to commuters, 26 days after a gasoline tanker carrying 8,600 gallons of fuel overturned and caught fire, closing both the southbound 880 and eastbound 580 connector.

On May 14th, the Governor released his May Revised budget.

APPOINTMENTS:

Thomas Powers, of Napa was appointed Chief Deputy Director for the Division of Addiction and Recovery Services. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Wolfe Center, a substance abuse treatment program for teenagers. His appointment requires confirmation by the State Senate.

Louis Franchimon, of Vacaville, was appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. He is a Business Manager and the Executive Secretary for the Napa-Solano Building Trades Council.

Mike Reilly, of Forestville, was re-appointed to the California Coastal Commission. He currently serves on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.

For further information about the Governor, please visit www.governor.ca.gov.