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The Modesto Bee
State grass, yes; Redskin mascot, no
By ERIC STERN
BEE CAPITOL BUREAU
Last Updated: August 31, 2004, 06:08:38 AM PDT
SACRAMENTO -- Worried about a dry lawn under the new water-meter mandate?
Try planting some drought-resistant purple needlegrass -- named the official
state grass last week as lawmakers finished up their work for the year early
Saturday.
In the closing hours of the legislative session, dozens of bills that affect
San Joaquin Valley residents made their way to the governor's desk, from tax
breaks for survivors of the Armenian genocide in 1915 to tax breaks for
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta farmers who were flooded when a levee broke in
June.
Gov. Schwarzenegger has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the bills.
Here's a look at how some local proposals fared:
Schools
Area lawmakers brought home $20 million to open the doors of the University
of California at Merced by fall 2005.
Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, carried a bill on behalf of Ceres school
officials to untangle a technicality in the school-funding formula that
restores their in-school suspension program.
Students at Gustine High and Calaveras High will have to choose a new mascot
other than Redskins, while a bill by Assemblyman Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, to
enforce dress-code policies never got out of committee, despite a push by
Stanislaus County school and law enforcement officials.
Jobs and business growth
The search for a Wal-Mart Supercenter in the valley might get tougher if
Schwarzenegger signs a bill that requires a detailed economic impact study
on how a proposed big-box retail development would affect traffic and other
businesses.
Meanwhile, a bill by Assemblywoman Barbara Matthews
D-Tracy, that would have let Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties counter
problems with Bay Area growth by creating "jobs-housing opportunity zones"
with tax incentives, has failed.
Crime
Legislators took aim at sex offenders, passing a bill to block Cary Verse
from moving to Merced. They also agreed to pay for increased police patrols
and lighting when a sexually violent predator such as Verse is released from
a state treatment facility into a community.
Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian, R-Stockton, saw legislation go to the governor
that would give law enforcement officials notice when a teenage sex offender
moves into a neighborhood group home.
But two big funding measures died on the last day of session -- for the
Scott Peterson case and for the 17-day manhunt in Merced for a suspected
cop-killer.
Transportation
Money for road projects to relieve traffic congestion on Bay Area routes
such as Interstates 205 and 580 and on Highway 99 was restored in the
budget, while a statewide vote on a high-speed rail line from San Francisco
to Los Angeles that cuts through the valley was delayed until 2006.
Legislators also revived a proposal to issue driver's licenses to illegal
immigrants, which is all-but-certain to be vetoed by Schwarzenegger.
A Westley rest stop off I-5 will be renamed for Larry Combs, a state
Department of Transportation worker, under a resolution by Denham.
Agriculture
The mad cow disease scare got lawmakers talking, and they passed a law
requiring state health officials to notify the public which retailers have
received contaminated meat that has been subject to a recall.
But a bill by Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden, to create a broader testing
program for bad meat died in committee.
Two pesticide-related measures went to the governor. One prohibits grape
pickers from taste-testing grapes in the field; the other holds pesticide
sprayers liable for medical damages if people get sick from drifting
chemical clouds.
Legislators also agreed to raise vehicle license fees by $2 and tire
disposal fees to $1.50 to pay for more air pollution programs, including
state grants to upgrade farm and school bus engines.
Water
Sen. Chuck Poochigian, R-Fresno, helped get state aid for repair work on the
Middle River levee breach and tax relief to flooded farmers in the delta.
The end of flat rates for unlimited water use is coming. A
water-conservation bill on Schwarzenegger's desk would require metered water
bills in all homes and businesses by 2025.
Machado's bill about purple needlegrass -- a tall wispy grass found in
coastal grassland and in the Sierra foothills -- was signed into law Aug.
23.
Bee Capitol Bureau reporter Eric Stern can be reached at 916-326-5544 or
[email protected].
State grass, yes; Redskin mascot, no
By ERIC STERN
BEE CAPITOL BUREAU
Last Updated: August 31, 2004, 06:08:38 AM PDT
SACRAMENTO -- Worried about a dry lawn under the new water-meter mandate?
Try planting some drought-resistant purple needlegrass -- named the official
state grass last week as lawmakers finished up their work for the year early
Saturday.
In the closing hours of the legislative session, dozens of bills that affect
San Joaquin Valley residents made their way to the governor's desk, from tax
breaks for survivors of the Armenian genocide in 1915 to tax breaks for
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta farmers who were flooded when a levee broke in
June.
Gov. Schwarzenegger has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the bills.
Here's a look at how some local proposals fared:
Schools
Area lawmakers brought home $20 million to open the doors of the University
of California at Merced by fall 2005.
Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, carried a bill on behalf of Ceres school
officials to untangle a technicality in the school-funding formula that
restores their in-school suspension program.
Students at Gustine High and Calaveras High will have to choose a new mascot
other than Redskins, while a bill by Assemblyman Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, to
enforce dress-code policies never got out of committee, despite a push by
Stanislaus County school and law enforcement officials.
Jobs and business growth
The search for a Wal-Mart Supercenter in the valley might get tougher if
Schwarzenegger signs a bill that requires a detailed economic impact study
on how a proposed big-box retail development would affect traffic and other
businesses.
Meanwhile, a bill by Assemblywoman Barbara Matthews
D-Tracy, that would have let Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties counter
problems with Bay Area growth by creating "jobs-housing opportunity zones"
with tax incentives, has failed.
Crime
Legislators took aim at sex offenders, passing a bill to block Cary Verse
from moving to Merced. They also agreed to pay for increased police patrols
and lighting when a sexually violent predator such as Verse is released from
a state treatment facility into a community.
Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian, R-Stockton, saw legislation go to the governor
that would give law enforcement officials notice when a teenage sex offender
moves into a neighborhood group home.
But two big funding measures died on the last day of session -- for the
Scott Peterson case and for the 17-day manhunt in Merced for a suspected
cop-killer.
Transportation
Money for road projects to relieve traffic congestion on Bay Area routes
such as Interstates 205 and 580 and on Highway 99 was restored in the
budget, while a statewide vote on a high-speed rail line from San Francisco
to Los Angeles that cuts through the valley was delayed until 2006.
Legislators also revived a proposal to issue driver's licenses to illegal
immigrants, which is all-but-certain to be vetoed by Schwarzenegger.
A Westley rest stop off I-5 will be renamed for Larry Combs, a state
Department of Transportation worker, under a resolution by Denham.
Agriculture
The mad cow disease scare got lawmakers talking, and they passed a law
requiring state health officials to notify the public which retailers have
received contaminated meat that has been subject to a recall.
But a bill by Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden, to create a broader testing
program for bad meat died in committee.
Two pesticide-related measures went to the governor. One prohibits grape
pickers from taste-testing grapes in the field; the other holds pesticide
sprayers liable for medical damages if people get sick from drifting
chemical clouds.
Legislators also agreed to raise vehicle license fees by $2 and tire
disposal fees to $1.50 to pay for more air pollution programs, including
state grants to upgrade farm and school bus engines.
Water
Sen. Chuck Poochigian, R-Fresno, helped get state aid for repair work on the
Middle River levee breach and tax relief to flooded farmers in the delta.
The end of flat rates for unlimited water use is coming. A
water-conservation bill on Schwarzenegger's desk would require metered water
bills in all homes and businesses by 2025.
Machado's bill about purple needlegrass -- a tall wispy grass found in
coastal grassland and in the Sierra foothills -- was signed into law Aug.
23.
Bee Capitol Bureau reporter Eric Stern can be reached at 916-326-5544 or
[email protected].