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This Week Inside The Capitol (3/1/2010)

March 1, 2010
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This Week Inside the Capitol is a weekly e-mail update of bills monitored by California Family Council (CFC). This Week is intended as a brief synopsis to alert you about which bills are being heard and when. For additional information on legislative bills CFC is monitoring please visit our website at www.californiafamily.org.
The 1990 voter-approved initiative – Proposition 140 – imposed strict term limits on the California Legislature, resulting in the demise of the “imperial speakership.” Prior to the term limits law, the Speaker of the Assembly wielded considerable power over the Legislature and the state. This power was closely tied to the longevity of the speakers’ term in office. For example, former Assemblyman Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), who inspired the term “imperial speaker,” served as the Speaker of the Assembly for 15 years (1980-1995), during which time he controlled with an iron-fist the political and policy direction of the Legislature. 
The term-limits law limits the ability of a legislator to garner the power once exerted by Brown. Proposition 140 reduced Assembly members’ length in office to a maximum three two-year terms, and state senators to two four-year terms. The new law also imposed a lifelong ban against legislators seeking the same office once the limit had been reached. 
Today, Assemblyman John Perez (D-Los Angeles), a former labor union official and first term legislator, will be sworn in as the Assembly’s 68th Speaker; and the tenth Assembly member to hold that position since 1995. Perez’s installation is also being heralded by some as a revolutionary event, because he will become the first openly homosexual Speaker. According to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villariagosa, “John’s election marks an important milestone in the history of California and our nation.”
However, a recent Datamer poll reveals that Californians are more concerned with legislators resolving the state budget deficit, creating jobs, and improving the economy than they are with Perez’s sexual orientation. 
Over the next two months, as policy committees review and debate new legislation, Californians will have an opportunity to evaluate Perez’s ability to focus the Assembly on the people’s priorities, rather than special interest agendas. 
You can stay up-to-date on the latest Capitol activities by following CFC on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. All can be found on our CFC Web site. 
Results From Last Week
Week of February 22, 2010
On the Assembly Floor
ACA 5 – Initiatives: State General Obligation Bonds (Calderon, C., D-Montebello)
Vote Not Taken
ACA 10 – Taxation: Education Finance District: Majority Vote Taxation (Torlakson, D-Antioch)
Vote Not Taken
ACA 13 – Indirect Initiative Process (Hernandez, D-West Covina)
Vote Not Taken
On the Senate Floor
AB 7 – Political Reform Act of 1974: Use of Children’s Images in Political Advertisement (Krekorian, D- Burbank)
Vote Not Taken
SCA 5 – State Budget: Two-Thirds Vote Exemption for General Fund Appropriations (Hancock, D-Berkeley)
Vote Not Taken
SCA 16 – Initiatives: Indirect Initiative: Legislative Review (DeSaulnier, D-Concord)
Vote Not Taken
Committee Hearings
Week of March 1, 2010
On the Assembly Floor
ACA 5 – Initiatives: State General Obligation Bonds (Calderon, C., D-Montebello)
ACA 10 – Taxation: Education Finance District: Majority Vote Taxation (Torlakson, D-Antioch)
ACA 13 – Indirect Initiative Process (Hernandez, D-West Covina)
AJR 25 – Filipino World War II Veterans: Family Reunification (Furutani, D-Lakewood)
On the Senate Floor
AB 7 – Political Reform Act of 1974: Use of Children’s Images in Political Advertisement (Krekorian, D- Burbank)
SCA 5 – State Budget: Two-Thirds Vote Exemption for General Fund Appropriations (Hancock, D-Berkeley)
SCA 10 – Statewide Initiative Measure: Legislative Amendment (Ducheny, D-San Diego)
SCA 14 – Initiative Measures: Funding Source (Ducheny, D-San Diego)
SCA 16 – Initiatives: Indirect Initiative: Legislative Review (DeSaulnier, D-Concord)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Assembly Public Safety Committee – 9:00 a.m.
AB 1641 – Rape: Duty to Report (Hall, D-Compton)
AB 1688 – Sex Offenders: Disorderly Conduct (Jeffries, R-Lake Elsinore)
Committee Hearings
Week of March 8, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Assembly Judiciary Committee – 9:00 a.m.
AB 1596 – Protective Orders: Enforcement Priority: Sexual Assault (Hayashi, D-Castro Valley)
AB 1680 – Civil Rights Act: Waiver of Rights (Saldana, D-San Diego)
*Note: Not all bills reflect a CFC position. Others are included for informational purposes.
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To see how your legislator voted on a particular bill, click here and type in the bill number.
Don’t know who your legislator is? Click here and type in your zip code.
 
Listen to or watch legislative activities.
·         To listen to the state Senate hearings, click here.
·         To listen to state Assembly hearings, click here.
·         For those who have cable television service, you can watch some hearings on the California Channel. The California Channel also covers hearings via webcasts.
 
If you have received this from a friend and want to sign up for your own email alerts, click here. 
Visit California Family Council’s Web site for more information about these and other bills.
 
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