[Source: CaliforniaCityNews.org] The 2016 legislative session ended in the early hours of Thursday morning, after a marathon session of farewells to outgoing legislators and last minute scrambling over legislation. Notably, if the “three days in print” rule comes to pass via Proposition 54 this November, it may be the last year of 11th hour proposals and “mushroom bills” as they’re known in the Capitol.
The final floor meetings were filled with typical bleary-eyed debates and pauses while amendments were passed between chambers, and even a brief sit-in by couple Senators over campaign finance reform. There are a few thorough rundowns of the final action from the LA Times, Merc and Capitol Public Radio. Key issues adjudicated in the final hours included ride sharing rules (getting stricter), reform of the embattled CPUC (failed), Internet Poker (sorry, no) and affordable housing (also no).
Perhaps most notable for locals was the final vote on SB 1387, Senate Pro Tem De Leon’s attempt to pack the South Coast Air Quality Board.
This bill had been fiercely contested by locals and others since its introduction earlier this session, and was reminiscent of the battle against then-Speaker John Perez’s 2012 attempt to disincorporate the City of Vernon. SB 1387 befell the same fate, failing badly in a vote literally the last minute of session. Trying for the second time yesterday on call, at 11:59 the final tally stood at just 30 votes in favor of the measure. The message: don’t mess with local control.
The bill’s sputtering also prompted an amusing spat between senior staff for the Pro Tem and Lt Governor Gavin Newsom, kicked off with his tweet by Gavin advisor Rhys Williams: “Yikes. A senate leader’s bill just belly-flopped on the Assembly floor.” A back and forth ensued, though the two camps made a show of making nice by the end of the night.
Source: CaliforniaCityNews.org
September 1, 2016
