Sunday, January 1, 2012
Did you know a number of state laws that go into effect in the new year were introduced by either State Sen. Ted Lieu or Assemblywoman Betsy Butler?
From tanning beds to baby bottles, some of the new California laws that go into effect Sunday were authored by State Sen. Ted Lieu or Assemblywoman Betsy Butler—who both represent Mar Vista, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Venice Beach, Marina del Rey and surrounding communities in their districts. Here is a roundup of new laws we'll see next year that originated locally. See accompanying document under photo for a complete list of all new California laws going into effect Sunday. (Source: state Legislative Counsel) Coming up on next on Patch—we'll have a list of the 10 most interesting new California laws.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Did you know a number of state laws that go into effect in the new year were introduced by either State Sen. Ted Lieu or Assemblywoman Betsy Butler?
From tanning beds to baby bottles, some of the new California laws that go into effect Sunday were authored by State Sen. Ted Lieu or Assemblywoman Betsy Butler—who both represent Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Venice Beach, Marina del Rey and surrounding communities in their districts. Here is a roundup of new laws we'll see next year that originated locally. See accompanying document under photo for a complete list of all new California laws going into effect Sunday. (Source: state Legislative Counsel) Coming up on next on Patch—we'll have a list of the 10 most interesting new California laws.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
The deadline passes for Gov. Jerry Brown to sign bills into law. Here's a list of what state Sen. Ted Lieudid (and didn't) get done this term.
State Sen. Ted Lieu, who represents Mar Vista in the 28th District, took a look back Tuesday at some of the bills he authored this term and said in a statement, "slashing unemployment and protecting both our children and our wallets" were among his priorities. Here is a roundup of the laws Lieu introduced this year: Bills signed into law: This measure aims to reduce unemployment numbers and improve access to jobs by holding local job training programs accountable to higher standards. This law is the first in the nation to ban minors from using indoor tanning beds due to a reported link between indoor tanning and skin cancer. Doctors, pediatricians, dermatologists, scientists, insurers and health organizations statewide have shown support …
Friday, October 14, 2011
The deadline passes for Gov. Jerry Brown to sign bills into law. Here's a list of what state Sen. Ted Lieu, who represents the Beach Cities, did (and didn't) get done this term.
State Sen. Ted Lieu, who represents Venice in the 28th District, took a look back Tuesday at some of the bills he authored this term and said in a statement, "slashing unemployment and protecting both our children and our wallets" were among his priorities. Here is a roundup of the laws Lieu introduced this year: Bills signed into law: This measure aims to reduce unemployment numbers and improve access to jobs by holding local job training programs accountable to higher standards. This law is the first in the nation to ban minors from using indoor tanning beds due to a reported link between indoor tanning and skin cancer. Doctors, pediatricians, dermatologists, scientists, insurers and health organizations statewide have shown support for …
Monday, October 10, 2011
The deadline passes for Gov. Jerry Brown to sign bills into law. Here's a list of what Assemblymember Betsy Butler, D-Marina del Rey, did (and didn't) get done this term.
You can tell a lot from a legislator's bills. They reflect a representative's priorities, and, hopefully, the priorities of his or her district. Below is a list of the bills Assemblymember Betsy Butler, D-Marina del Rey, introduced this year*. Bills signed into law: AB 1319 – Toxin-Free Infants and Toddlers Act, signed Oct. 4. California law will now prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of baby bottles and sippy cups that contain more than 0.1 parts per billion (ppb) of BPA. AB 1319 provides children from every community access to safe, non-toxic baby products and significantly decreases their exposure to a chemical that has been linked to a host of health problems, including early puberty, breast and prostate cancer, infertility…
Saturday, September 17, 2011
A new law will mandate that landlords must provide recycling options at buildings with five or more units.
In line recently at my local pharmacy, I saw a bag that read, "I used to be a plastic bottle." Maybe it had been one of mine, but if so, it was of no thanks to my landlord. In the more than three decades that I’ve lived in Venice, my multi-unit apartment building has never had recycling bins. I leave the few plastic bottles on which I’ve paid a deposit out of the dumpster for homeless scavengers to collect. Since my longtime girlfriend and mother both diligently recycle, I've felt like the odd man out for years. As a journalist, I still read newspapers, but although I think of myself as an ardent environmentalist, I have to admit that the trade-off of driving my polluting car to a recycling center to dump the pulp didn’t really make sense…
About 150 people were expected to show up to the Rose Avenue location alone, in a worldwide coordinated effort to clean our waterways.
A little marine layer didn't keep people off the beach Saturday morning, as they joined in the largest international volunteer effort in the world, Coastal Cleanup Day. Heal the Bay organized the local effort, with two locations on Venice Beach, at Rose Avenue and at the pier. About 130 people had come through the Rose Avenue location by about 10:45 Saturday morning. "Tar seemed to be a big thing people were finding, and that's something I've never seen here before," said Todd Flores, Heal the Bay's beach captain at the Rose Avenue cleanup since 2000. Along with tar, volunteers picked up thousands of cigarette butts, pieces of plastic, bottles, and even a watermelon, embedded in the sand. "Most of the trash that ends up by the ocean is not…
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
A Venice organizer has started an online petition pledging support to Assemblywoman Betsy Butler (D-Marina del Rey), if she runs in the new 66th Assembly District against tea party candidate Nathan Mintz.
More than 200 people have signed an online petition started by a Venice political organizer pledging campaign support for state Assemblywoman Betsy Butler (D-Marina del Rey), if she runs in the new 66th Assembly District against tea party candidate Nathan Mintz. Butler, who defeated Mintz in 2010, currently represents the 53rd Assembly District that was recently carved up by the Citizens Redistricting Commission. Petition organizer Marta Evry said Tuesday that she started the online signature-gathering effort after learning that Butler was considering moving to run in the newly created 50th Assembly District that includes Malibu and Santa Monica. Democratic candidate Torie Osborn already has set up a campaign for the 50th Assembly District…
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Although not everyone is happy with the results of the boundary-drawing process, Californians need to move on without referendum or legal challenge.
On Wednesday, Patch reported that California Republicans are most likely going to mount a legal challenge to voting districts established by the Citizens Redistricting Commission. The challenge will probably be through a referendum and possibly through the courts. In the past, California's electoral districts were badly gerrymandered to protect incumbents. Now several of those lawmakers will be in tough election battles. Our new congresswoman, Janice Hahn, no longer even lives in our district. The redistricting commission was established by the passage of Proposition 11 in 2008. It consisted of five Democrats, five Republicans, and four people who declined to state. It did its work with unprecedented openness, holding nearly three dozen …
Monday, August 15, 2011
The citizens panel approves the new districts, with Republican Michael Ward saying some of them, such as the one that stretches from Malibu to Rancho Palos Verdes, were designed for political purposes.
The Citizens Redistricting Commission approved new legislative district maps for California on Monday. No changes were made to the maps that were tentatively approved last month. "The commission followed the Constitution and, we believe, balanced the interests of all Californians in creating districts we believe are reasoned and make good sense," said Commission Chair Vincent P. Barabba, a Republican businessman from Santa Cruz County, at a press conference following Monday's vote. Prior to the 2008 passage of Proposition 11, the Voters First Act, districts had been created by legislators, and what they came up with was alleged to be a gerrymandered mess, designed to make sure incumbents could be re-elected. The commission included five …
Rita Benveniste
5:49 am on Sunday, January 1, 2012
just what we need more laws . like we don't have enough. more ›