Limousine safety compels new law

CA Senate Bill 109 is an example of the news driving the enactment of a new law, in this case, regarding limousine safety.  We see a lot of these at LIS, and this one came out of an occurrence from last summer.  The author, Senator Corbett, originally introduced SB 109 to address aerodynamic devices and vehicles, but she gutted and amended her bill in June in response to an unfortunate incident that occurred on May 5, 2013, in which a limousine caught fire while traveling on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge over the San Francisco Bay.  That limousine was carrying nine passengers.  The driver escaped unharmed and four of the passengers escaped ... Read More >

Student social media cyberbullying banned even off campus

Under CA AB 256, public schools may now suspend or expel students for bullying by an electronic act ["cyberbullying"] that originated off school grounds.  Bullying via an "electronic act" means the creation and the transmission of a communication by means of an electronic device to send texts or tweets or photos, that was originated on or off the school site. According to Assembly member Garcia, the purpose of this bill is simply to clarify that when an administrator suspends or recommends expulsion of a student for bullying via an electronic act, the electronic act (the text or social network Internet Web site post, etc.) may not need to ... Read More >

California AB 60 permits undocumented immigrants drivers licenses

California AB 60 of 2013 requires the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue driver's licenses to persons who are ineligible for a Social Security Number (SSN) if additional documentation is provided, such as a valid, unexpired consular identification document issued by a consulate or a valid unexpired passport, or an original birth certificate or other proof of age, or a home utility bill, lease or rental agreement or other proof of state residency, or even a marriage license or divorce certificate, just to name a few. The issue of allowing undocumented immigrants drivers licenses has been considered almost continually by the ... Read More >

Californians’ Habeas Corpus Rights Protected

AB 351  of 2013 enacts a new Penal Code provision to refuse to support the implementation of any federal law authorizing indefinite detention of a Californian under a federal law protecting against terrorist attacks. A petition for a habeas writ is filed by an individual who believes he or she is being wrongly detained.  If the court grants the petition, the court issues a habeas writ directing the detaining official to bring the individual before the court to challenge the validity of the detention.  The U.S. Constitution prohibits the suspension of this privilege "unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may ... Read More >

AB 370 of 2013 stops online sharing

AB 370 is intended to help protect privacy of online users.  In 2003, California enacted the Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA), requiring operators of commercial Web sites to post online privacy policies and adhere to their requirements.  Among other things, CalOPPA requires a Web site operator's privacy policy to identify the categories of personally identifiable information collected about individual consumers who use or visit the Web site, as well as to disclose the categories of third-party persons or entities with whom the operator may share that personally identifiable information.  In the ten years that have elapsed since CalOPPA ... Read More >

California’s new Olive Oil Commission

When Gov. Brown signed Senate Bill 250 in 2013 into law, he enacted California's Olive Oil Commission and with it all of the accompanying bureaucratic components, such as membership, board of directors, and creation of quality standards.  California produces 99% of the olives grown in the United States.  According to the California Olive Oil Council, there are over 400 growers on approximately 30,000 acres dedicated to the production of olive oil.  With over 50 varieties of olives grown in California, it is estimated that the 2013 harvest will produce over 2.4 million gallons of oil. According Senator Wolk, California's olive oil industry ... Read More >