California Senate Update: Passage of One Health Bill Yesterday and Another Expected Today--And Dozens of Other Bills

On a 23-11 vote, the California State Senate approved SB 924 by President pro Tem of the Senate Don Perata allowing Californians to officially weigh in on whether the US should end the war in Iraq. The ballot measure would be placed on the February 5, 2008 primary ballot and would call for President George Bush to immediately withdraw US troops from Iraq.

Senate Bill 924 gives Californians a voice in the future of our country – at a time when that voice needs desperately to be heard,” Perata said.

The war in Iraq has lasted longer than the U.S. involvement in World War II, Perata noted. And the toll is mounting.

“Three thousand four hundred soldiers are dead, and we’ve spent $350 billion,” Perata said. “The soaring costs of this war mean less for schools, less for health care, less for the things we need here in California.”

He was joined by Senator Leland Yee, who stated, "This war was a mistake from the start and has been mismanaged every step of the way. The American people spoke loud and clear in the last election – we want a change of course in Iraq. Our Congressional leadership put a funding bill on the President’s desk with a phased withdrawal and yet he still vetoed the measure. One-sixth of our nation’s population resides in California. While the President has consistently ignored public opinion and disapproval on the war, this measure will send him an overwhelming message.”

Nearly 3,500 Americans and over 350 Californians (more than any other state) have been killed since the start of the war. More than 25,000 soldiers have been wounded and more than $379 billion has been spent on this conflict.

The measure would ask voters whether they support or oppose the following:

The people of California, in support of the men and women serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, urge President Bush to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq and immediately begin the safe and orderly withdrawal of all United States forces; and further urge President Bush and the United States Congress to provide the necessary diplomatic and non-military assistance to promote peace and stability in Iraq and the Middle East.

It is expected to pass the Assembly and the main question on many minds is whether the Governor will sign the bill and allow Californians to vote on this measure.

There were other strong statements from Senators who voted for SB 924.

Senator Carole Migden said: “With regard to the tempo and temperament and point of view of Americans, they are fed up and soured by the war. As we begin to grapple with the importance of health care and whether it’s feasible to consider a single-payer system because of its cost, we know that we could fund it many times over with just a fraction of the money we squandered and wasted on a war that did not reflect the heart or the aspiration of the American people.”

To Senator Jenny Ortiz who also voted for the measure, the issue is personal and hits close to home. Two of her nephews serving in the military have had tours of duty in Iraq. She answered the criticism voice by someRepublican Senator's on the floor and said the measure would not undercut support for soldiers.

“Our family would feel very proud and happy to hear the voices of this state of California,” Oropeza said. “It is part of democracy to hear from people. To say that we’ll leave it to others, to say we elected a Congress and so the people ought not to be heard, is anti-democracy, is anti what this country stands for.”

Other Bills of Note

Here is a listing of some of the other bills passed or defeated yesterday in the California Senate. It is by no means an exhaustive list and there will be follow up and analysis in the days to come. The vote in favor is listed along with votes in opposition.

SB 5 Machado - Clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the state and local flood management agencies, cities and counties, developers and other property owners for managing flood risk. (27/8)

SB 110 Romero – Creates an independent, non-partisan sentencing commission to review sentencing in California and implements a statewide system of equitable sentencing. It also creates a correctional and sentencing data clearinghouse, and establishes a mechanism by which legislation and initiatives would undergo fiscal impact review. (24/14)

SB 140 Kehoe- Requires the California Air Resources Board to conduct an assessment of bio-diesel fuel to ensure it maintains or improves environmental quality. If the assessment concludes the use of renewable diesel is beneficial, the board will modify the definition of diesel to include 2 percent renewable diesel. Two years later it will increase to 5 percent. (21-16)

SB 187 Ducheny – Salton Sea restoration project. (21-11)

SB 200, 201, 202- Florez- Prevents contamination of leafy vegetables from e-coli bacteria. (200-23/14, 201-23/14, 202-21/17)

SB 328 Corbett – This bill intends to protect Californians from invasions of privacy, identity theft, and domestic violence by banning "pretexting." While pretexting of phone records is prohibited under state and federal criminal laws, nothing under state law prohibits or penalizes pretexting of phone records or other personal information records in the civil context. (21/11)

SB 378 Steinberg- This bill is the framework to implement Proposition 1E. It will help secure there is a plan to fix the state's flood problems in the Central Valley as quickly as realistically possible. (21-13)

SB 889 Maldonado- Encourages motorists to report carpool lane cheaters through a hotline and website. (22-12)

SB 962 Migden- Requires the Department of Public Health to establish the Umbilical Cord Blood Biomedical Resources Program for the purpose of collecting, processing, and storing umbilical cord blood stem cells to be used for transplantation and research. (23-12)


SB 974 Lowenthal- This bill imposes a $30 fee on container cargo imported and exported through the ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Oakland to be used for congestion relief and mitigation projects. (22-12)

Failed:

SB 831 Lowenthal- Provides additional protection to cell phone consumers regarding billing discrepancies. Allows a customer to present evidence that unauthorized calls were made, allows for a grace period to rescind contracts. (17-20 reconsideration pending today)

More today as the Senate goes into its last session on its bills to send to the Assembly before tomorrow's deadline.