Story By Beau Yarbrough, The Sun, | Ryan Hagen, The Sun | Sandra Emerson, Redlands Daily Facts
California’s legislators returned to work in Sacramento on Monday, poised for the battle to get their legislation approved before the 2015-16 session ends on Sept. 11.
They’ve got their work cut out for them, as they push for success. But even small changes can pack a lot of punch for a lawmaker’s constituents, one expert said.
It’s important to not just look at a legislator’s batting average, according to Claremont McKenna College political science professor Jack Pitney.
“If you’re running in a red district and you promise to cut state spending by 20 percent, not going to happen,” he said. “But if you make a small change in the law, that means a great deal to, say, local farmers, then that’s a great deal for those local farmers.”
Assemblymember Jay Obernolte
Assemblyman Jay Obernolte, R-Hesperia, has introduced 24 items this legislative session, five of which have been signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, as of midday on Monday. Those five include Assembly Bill 249 on legal appeals fees; AB 250 on rules regarding marriage and family therapist interns and trainees; AB 868, updating the rules regarding CalPERS pension contracts; Assembly Concurrent Resolution 21, designating a portion of state Route 18 as Rim of the World Veterans Memorial Highway; and Assembly Concurrent Resolution 25, declaring March 14, 2015 to be Pi Day.
Assemblyman Marc Steinorth
Assemblyman Marc Steinorth, R-Rancho Cucamonga, has introduced 13 items this legislative session, only one of which has been signed into law so far: Assembly Bill 1253, which allows retired volunteer license-holders who are up to date on current optometric practices and procedures to provide voluntary, free optometric services at health fair, visions screenings and public service eye programs.
“We’re still in the game,” Steinorth said Monday. “I still have three, four bills and a resolution that over the next four weeks I anticipate we’ll see some very positive response from our colleagues on the Senate side.”
Steinorth said he tries to introduce legislation that represents the common interest of his constituents, not just those in his party.
“To get up there and put legislation in that is just really inflammatory, I don’t understand where there’s a benefit to that,” he said. “I would rather focus on what the best interest of the community is and how I can find something that works for all of the community that I represent.”
Assemblyman Chad Mayes
Assemblyman Chad Mayes, R-Yucca Valley, has introduced 11 bills this legislative session, none of which have been signed into law.
Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown
Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, D-San Bernardino, has introduced 27 items this legislative session, three of which have been signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown as of midday Monday. Those three include Assembly Bill 1, which prohibits cities and counties from imposing fines for failure to water a lawn or for having a brown lawn when the governor has declared a state of emergency based on drought conditions; AB 370, which makes it a misdemeanor for a political candidate to falsely claim or suggest that he or she is an incumbent; and Assembly Joint Resolution 8, which recognizes that 2015 is the 50th anniversary of the federal Older Americans Act of 1965, which “has contributed to the economic well-being of millions of older Americans and has improved the quality of life for those individuals.”
“In addition to the bills I’ve authored and supported, I’ve also done a lot of work with (the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care) to advocate for the most marginalized population,” Brown said Monday in a written statement.
This year, she was appointed as chairwoman of the committee. “One thousand people are turning age 65 every day for the next 13.5 years. There is a silver tsunami approaching and we need to act now to prepare for their needs and services so we can turn that tsunami into a reservoir. This legislative year is almost over and the governor has already signed two bills. We have four more weeks left and I hope to get a lot accomplished, but there are many events planned during the interim.”
In the California Senate, Sen. Jean Fuller, R-Bakersfield, has introduced 25 items, six of which have been signed into law: Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which declares Aug. 15 as Valley Fever Awareness Month; SCR 9, which declared Feb. 1-7 as California Girls and Women in Sports Week; SCR 11, which declared Sept. 15 as Chiari Malformation Awareness Month; SCR 14, which declared March 15 as Arts Education Month; SCR 33, which designated the month of April as Aviation Awareness Month; and SCR 47, which recognized May 2015 as National Military Appreciation Month.
Sen. Sharon Runner
Sen. Sharon Runner, R-Victorville, has introduced 10 items, none of which have been signed by Gov. Jerry Brown as of midday on Monday.
“It’s important to note that Sen. Runner was elected to the Senate through a special election that took place in March 2015,” Runner spokeswoman Kendra Kruckenberg wrote in an email on Monday. “She was sworn-in on March 19, well after the legislative session had started. It’s also important to note that the legislative session won’t end until September 11, so legislation is still being voted on.”
Among those is Senate Bill 49, which would give the governor the discretion to save money if only a single candidate qualifies to appear on the ballot of a special election, saving taxpayers the cost of running an election with a foregone conclusion. The bill is currently awaiting a hearing in the Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee.
Sen. Mike Morrell
Sen. Mike Morrell, R-Rancho Cucamonga, has introduced 24 items, four of which have been signed into law as of Monday. Those include Senate Bill 363, which increases the maximum attorney’s fees for “book accounts;” SB 418, which requires the California State University system to readmit students who had to leave school due to service in the armed forces; SB 785, which defines and clarifies elements of probate code; and Senate Concurrent Resolution 22, which designates a five-mile stretch of Interstate 10 as Cal Fire Firefighter Christopher Lee Douglas Memorial Highway.
“I wish more would have passed, but I am in the minority party and as many as I’ve gotten through, so far, has actually been good, but sad for Republicans,” Morrell said. “But, we still have some more pending we think should make it to the governor.”
“There are different ways to be a legislator,” Pitney said. “You can focus on the small, very narrow bills and pass a lot of bills or you can aim for the stars and not pass anything, but help shape the public debate.”
That resonates with Steinorth.
“I don’t want to be a bomb thrower,” he said. “A bomb thrower will get headlines and their bills die the very first moment it’s introduced.”
As of Monday, 2,640 bills have been introduced during the current legislative session, according to the website OpenStates.org. Information on what bills California legislators have introduced, and the fate of legislation introduced, is available online at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
Staff Writers Joe Blackstock and Jessica Calefati contributed to this report.
Read the original post at The San Bernardino Sun
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Beau Yarbrough covers education and politics for The Sun and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Reach the author at Beau.Yarbrough@langnews.com or follow Beau on Twitter: @lby3.
Ryan Hagen covers the city of San Bernardino for The Sun. Reach the author at Ryan.Hagen@langnews.com or follow Ryan on Twitter: @rmhagen.
Sandra covers the city of Redlands. Reach the author at sandra.emerson@langnews.com or follow Sandra on Twitter: @TheFactsSandra.
Staff Writers Joe Blackstock and Jessica Calefati contributed to this report.
