by Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz)

September 14, 2006

Called one of the most productive legislative sessions in decades, this year’s session produced a number of landmark bills for the governor to consider. After working throughout the spring to craft a balanced, compassionate budget that was passed on-time for the first time since 2000, I was proud to work for passage of several landmark bills, just a few of which include:

· An historic bill to combat global warming by passing first-in-the-nation limits on greenhouse gases. (AB 32)

· A bill to establish universal healthcare in California. (SB 840)

· A bill that that adds $3 billion to the coffers for our schools, targeting the money to the lowest-performing schools and to hiring high-quality teachers so schools can reduce class sizes to 25 students in grades 4-12. (SB 1133)

· A bill to increase the minimum wage to $8 per hour by 2008. (AB 1835)

Among bills I authored covering a wide range of issues of local and statewide interest, twenty-one have been sent to the governor for his signature, some of which include:

· Pajaro River Flood Control (AB 2348)

· Civil Rights Housing Act (AB 2800)

· Water Conservation/Toilet Flush Standards (AB 2496)

· Water Conservation/Landscape Irrigation (AB 1881)

· Sea Otter Protections (AB 2485, jointly authored with Assemblymember Jones)

· Coastal Trail (AB 3028)

· Fort Ord Veterans Cemetery (AB 3035)

· Monterey Peninsula Airport Modernization (AB 2650)

· New Cities Incorporation (AB 1602)

Two bills have already been signed by the governor: one protects homeowners (AB 2100) and one reforms the local-state government mandate reimbursement process (AB 2652).

For more on legislation I carried this year, visit my Website at www.assembly.ca.gov/laird

Though there were dozens of key legislative victories this year, there are a number of issues that will need to be addressed next year including greater access to food stamps, the availability of state funds for needle exchange programs, children’s universal healthcare and repairs to the Delta levee system. I worked hard on these issues and hope to continue work when the legislative session resumes in December.

It’s good to be home from Sacramento. I’m looking forward to a few invigorating weeks of meetings with constituents and community organizations across the 27th Assembly District to get updates on key issues and the latest thinking, so I can return to Sacramento with fresh ideas.