Volume 3, Issue 5, (March 13, 2000)

In This Issue:

Housing Crisis Plan Proposed

Legislative Hearing Focuses on Mentally Ill

State's Wine Grape Crop Gets Legislators' Attention

311 Non-emergency System Proposed

Primary Election Shapes November Contests, Future Legislature

Housing Crisis Plan Proposed

A coalition of business, labor and housing advocates joined together with several legislators to introduce a package of bills aimed at addressing the shortage of affordable housing in high job-growth areas in California. The legislative bill package will address the shortage of housing production, which is well below demand, as well as the skyrocketing prices for homes in many areas of the state. Experts anticipate that by 2010, there will be a 324,000 unit shortage of housing. The package, called the Job Center Housing package, would:

• Establish fiscal rewards for communities in high-growth job areas for approving new housing -- AB 2048, Assemblyman Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch).

• Limit the use of the CEQA process to stall or kill urban infill housing projects (projects that would utilize land-use in urban areas) – Assembly Bills 2340 and 2343, Denise Ducheny (D-San Diego).

• Establish a fair system for resolving construction disputes Assembly Bills 2112, Assemblyman John Dutra (D-Fremont), AB 2139, Assemblyman Bob Pacheco (R-Walnut) and Assemblyman Tom Calderon (D-Montebello).

• Promote more timely and efficient use of redevelopment housing funds-- AB 2041, Assemblyman John Dutra.

• Provide local voters with public review of potential impacts of local ballot initiatives aimed at limiting growth – SB 1966, Senator Jim Brulte (R-Rancho Cucamonga).

• Increase funding for low- and moderate-income housing – Budget item, Senator Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar).

• Identify the obstacles to greater investment and housing development in existing urban and suburban areas, particularly so-called “brownfields,” (urban sites which have been contaminated in the past) – SB 1789, Senator Richard Rainey (R-Walnut Creek).

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Legislative Hearing Focuses on Mentally Ill

The Joint Committee on Mental Health Reform held the first of four statewide hearings at the state capitol Thursday, March 2, to gather information regarding the adequacy of mental health care in California. The efforts of the joint committee highlight an increased legislative interest in mental health issues. Following its series of hearings, the committee will provide a report with policy recommendations no later than May 1^st.

Mental health advocates testified that the state provides only half of the money needed to pay for mental health care for people who have no other source of treatment. They also underscored the need to rebuild a system, which was significantly scaled down when then-Governor Reagan ordered the closure of several of the state's mental health hospitals.

Several legislative concepts have been introduced, including easing restrictions on holding individuals with mental illnesses against their will for longer periods of time, expanding voluntary community treatment centers, and creating mental health courts which would provide a judicial forum that specializes in dealing with mentally ill individuals accused of criminal acts. Concepts also include establishing “advanced directives,” where people with mental illnesses can, during times of lucidity, set forth legal directives for their care when mental illness lapses occur. Increasing services to mentally ill schoolchildren is another proposal that will be scrutinized in the future.

Legislation was signed into law last year to require health care service plans to cover a small list of serious mental illnesses. Another bill was signed into law to establish three pilot projects which would provide treatment and housing for homeless, mentally ill individuals.

The Committee will hold three more hearings, one each in Los Angeles, Oakland and Santa Rosa.

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State's Wine Grape Crop Gets Legislators' Attention

Senator John Burton (D-San Francisco) has introduced legislation to provide a large increase in funding to help fight a pest that carries “Pierce's Disease,” which threatens wine grape crops, along with other crops grown in California. Pierce's Disease results from bacteria, which invades a plant and prevents it from taking in water and nutrients.

Seven million dollars would be allocated to fight the spread of the “glassy winged sharpshooter,” which carries the disease and moves quickly and destructively from crop to crop.

Since the pest migrated to California in 1990, hundreds of acres of wine grapes have been decimated.

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311 Non-emergency System Proposed

In order to ease the burden on the “911” emergency telecommunications system, Assemblyman Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles) has introduced Assembly Bill 2837 to create a “311” non-emergency telephone system within the state. The bill would create the Division of Telecommunications within the Department of General Services and would establish a “311” telephone system that would serve the public for non-emergency telephone calls to local public safety agencies.

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Primary Election Shapes November Contests, Future Legislature

California's Primary election was held on Tuesday, March 7^th. In addition to the national impact of the early California primary on candidates for national office, the primary vote significantly narrowed the field of candidates for the November general election for state legislative offices. Term limits continues to have dramatic impacts on the Legislature, as 9 Senate and 35 Assembly seats will be filled with new elected officials. Legislators who are forced from office or who seek higher office because of term limits will vacate these seats. The following provides a list of successful primary candidates from each party that will face each other in November.

State Assembly

State Senate

Senate District 1

Thomas “Rico” Oller (R)

Thomas Romero (D)

Senate District 3

John Burton (D) (I)

Terence Faulkner (R)

Senate District 5

Michael Machado (D) (I)

Alan Nakanishi (R)

Senate District 7

Richard Rainey (R) (I)

Tom Torlakson (D)

Senate District 9

Don Perata (D) (I)

Linda J. Marshall (R)

Senate District 11

Byron Sher (D) (I)

Gloria Hom (R)

Senate District 13

John Vasconcellos (D) (I)

John Longwell (R)

Senate District 15

Bruce McPherson (R) (I)

Anselmo Chavez (D)

Senate District 17

Pete Knight (R) (I)

Richard Lott (D)

Senate District 19

Tom McClintock (R)

Daniel Gonzalez (D)

Senate District 21

Jack Scott (D)

Paul Zee (R)

Senate District 23

Sheila James Kuehl (D)

Daniel Rego (R)

Senate District 25

Cliff McCain (R)

Edward Vincent (D)

Senate District 27

Betty Karnette (D) (I)

Marilyn Lyon (R)

Senate District 29

Bob Margett (R)

Richard Melendez (D)

Senate District 31

Jim Brulte (R ) (I)

Mike Rayburn (D)

Senate District 33

Dick Ackerman (R)

Jack Roberts (D)

Senate District 35

Ross Johnson (R ) (I)

Steve Ray (D)

Senate District 37

Jim Battin (R )

Sedalia Sanders (D)

Senate District 39

Dede Alpert (D) (I)

Larry Stirling (R)

State Assembly

Assembly District 1

Virginia Strom-Martin (D) (I)

Mike Lampson (R)

Assembly District 2

Dick Dickerson (R) (I)

Virgil Parks (D)

Assembly District 3

Samuel Aanestad (R) (I)

Benjamin Wirtschafter (D)

Assembly District 4

Tim Leslie (R)

Steve Macola (D)

Assembly District 5

Dave Cox (R) (I)

Assembly District 6

Joe Nation (D)

Ed Sullivan (R)

Assembly District 7

Pat Wiggins (D) (I)

Pedro Rivera (R)

Assembly District 8

Helen Thomson (D) (I)

John Munn (R)

Assembly District 9

Darrell Steinberg (D) (I)

Charles Hargrave (R)

Assembly District 10

Anthony Pescetti (R) (I)

Debra Gravert (D)

Assembly District 11

Joe Canciamilla (D)

Jim Diaz (R)

Assembly District 12

Kevin Shelley (D) (I)

Howard Epstein (R)

Assembly District 13

Carole Migden (D) (I )

Bob Lane (R)

Assembly District 14

Dion Aroner (D) (I)

Jerald Udinsky (R)

Assembly District 15

Lynn Leach (R) (I)

Greg Rolan (D)

Assembly District 16

Wilma Chan (D)

Timothy McCormick (R)

Assembly District 17

Greg Aghazarian (R)

Barbara Matthews (D)

Assembly District 18

Ellen Corbett (D)

Syed Mahmood (R)

Assembly District 19

Lou Papan (D) (I)

Assembly District 20

John Dutra (D) (I)

Lowell King (R)

Assembly District 21

Joe Simitian (D)

Deborah Wilder (R)

Assembly District 22

Elaine Alquist (D) (I)

Stan Kawczynksi (R)

Assembly District 23

Manny Diaz (D)

Tom Askeland (R)

Assembly District 24

Rebecca Cohn (D)

Sue Jackson (R)

Assembly District 25

Stephen Rico (D)

Dave Cogdill (R)

Assembly District 26

Dennis Cardoza (D) (I)

Marshall Sanchez (R)

Assembly District 27

Simon Salinas (D)

Jeff Denham (R)

Assembly District 28

Fred Keeley (D) (I)

Charles Carter (R)

Assembly District 29

Lita Reid (D)

Mike Briggs (R)

Assembly District 30

Dean Florez (D) (I)

Ken Kay (R)

Assembly District 31

Sarah Reyes (D) (I)

Richard Cabral (R)

Assembly District 32

Virginia Garola (D)

Roy Ashburn (R)

Assembly District 33

Abel Maldanado (R) (I)

Laurence Houlgate (D)

Assembly District 34

Robert Conaway (D)

Phil Wyman (R)

Assembly District 35

Hannah-Beth Jackson (D) (I)

Robin Sullivan (R)

Assembly District 36

George Runner (R) (I)

Paula Calderon (D)

Assembly District 37

Tony Strickland (R) (I)

Roz McGrath (D)

Assembly District 38

Jon Lauritzen (D)

Keith Stuart Richman (R)

Assembly District 39

Tony Cardenas (D) (I)

Enrique Valdez (R)

Assembly District 40

Bob Hertzberg (D) (I)

Kyle Hammans (R)

Assembly District 41

Fran Pavley (D)

Jayne Shapiro (R)

Assembly District 42

Paul Koretz (D)

Douglas Taylor (R)

Assembly District 43

Dario Frommer (D)

Craig Missakian (R)

Assembly District 44

Carol Liu (D)

Susan Carpenter-McMillan (R)

Assembly District 45

Jackie Goldberg (D)

Assembly District 46

Gil Cedillo (D) (I)

Matt Brown (R)

Assembly District 47

Herb Wesson (D) (I)

Jonathon Leonard (R)

Assembly District 48

Roderick Wright (D) (I)

Ernest Woods (R)

Assembly District 49

Gloria Romero (D) (I)

Assembly District 50

Marco Firebaugh (D) (I)

Gladys Miller (R)

Assembly District 51

Antoine Hawkins (R)

Jerome Horton (D)

Assembly District 52

Carl Washington (D) (I)

Mark Anthony Iles (R)

Assembly District 53

George Nakano (D) (I)

Gerald Felando (R)

Assembly District 54

Alan Lowenthal (D) (I)

Rudy Svorinich, Jr. (R)

Assembly District 55

Saul Lankster (R)

Jenny Oropeza (D)

Assembly District 56

Sally Havice (D) (I)

Grace Hu (R)

Assembly District 57

Ed Chavez (D)

Katherine Venturoso (R)

Assembly District 58

Thomas Calderon (D) (I)

Alex Burrola (R)

Assembly District 59

Meline Dolores Hall (D)

Robert Harbicht (R)

Assembly District 60

Bob Pacheco (R) (I)

Jeff Duhamel (D)

Assembly District 61

Gloria Negrete McLeod (D)

Dennis Yates (R)

Assembly District 62

John Longville (D) (I)

Mary Lou Martinez

Assembly District 63

Bill Leonard (R) (I)

Scott Stotz (D)

Assembly District 64

Rod Pacheco (R) (I)

Jose Medina (D)

Assembly District 65

Jan Leja (R)

Ray Quinto (D)

Assembly District 66

Bob Canfield (D)

Dennis Hollingsworth (R)

Assembly District 67

Andy Hilbert (D)

Tom Harmon (R)

Assembly District 68

Ken Maddox (R) (I)

Tina Louise Laine (D)

Assembly District 69

Lou Correa (D) (I)

Lou Lopez (R)

Assembly District 70

John Campbell (R)

Merritt Lori McKeon (D)

Assembly District 71

Bill Campbell (R) (I)

Bea Foster (D)

Assembly District 72

Gangadharappa Nanjundappa (D)

Lynn Daucher (R)

Assembly District 73

Pat Bates (R) (I)

Robert Wilberg (D)

Assembly District 74

John Herrera (D)

Mark Wyland (R)

Assembly District 75

Charlene Zettel (R) (I)

Judith Walters (D)

Assembly District 76

Christine Kehoe (D)

Michele Nash-Hoff (R)

Assembly District 77

Todd Keegan (D)

Jay La Suer (R)

Assembly District 78

Howard Wayne (D) (I)

John Steel (R)

Assembly District 79

Jon Parangau (R)

Juan Vargas (D)

Assembly District 80

Joey Acuna, Jr. (D)

Dave Kelley (R)

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