Governor Bills Signed:AIDS: Prohibits disclosure of confidential...

Governor Bills Signed:

AIDS: Prohibits disclosure of confidential information concerning AIDS research participants and provides civil and criminal penalties for violations, (SB 292) by Sen. Milton Marks (R-San Francisco).

Stepparents Day: Requires the governor to annually proclaim the first Sunday in October as Stepparents Day, starting this year, (SB 28) by Sen. John Seymour (R-Anaheim).

Drunk Driving: Increases the period of a driver’s license suspension from one year to 18 months for a second conviction of driving under the influence of alcohol within five years, (SB 925) by Sen. John Seymour (R-Anaheim).

Drunk Driving: Requires a judge to consider a convicted drunk driver’s blood alcohol content for sentencing purposes, (AB 144) by Assemblyman Robert W. Naylor (R-Menlo Park). For example, a 0.20% blood alcohol content, twice the level that constitutes legal drunkenness, could mean a longer jail sentence and/or a larger fine.

Mental Patients: Permits psychotherapists dealing with patients who pose a serious danger of violence to others to release information to likely victims and to law enforcement officials, (SB 1034) by Sen. Bill Greene (D-Los Angeles).

Clove Cigarettes: Calls for state evaluation of existing studies on the health hazards of smoking clove cigarettes, which are popular with some teen-agers, (AB 2559) by Assemblyman Richard Mountjoy (R-Monrovia).

Child Kidnaping: Adds five years to the state prison term for kidnaping a child under the age of 14 years with the intent to permanently deprive the parents of custody, (SB 309) by Sen. Barry Keene (D-Benecia).

Watermelons: Sets up a program for compensation of farmers, brokers, shippers, wholesalers and retailers who lost money when the state ordered the destruction of pesticide-tainted watermelons last July, (AB 1511) by Assemblyman Norman Waters (D-Plymouth).

Magic Mushrooms: Prohibits the growth and sale of spores of so-called magic mushrooms, which are hallucinogenic, (SB 288) by Sen. Ken Maddy (R-Fresno).

Lewd Acts With Children: Prohibits the granting of probation to most offenders convicted of using obscene material during commission of lewd acts with children, (AB 2006) by Assemblyman Norman Waters (D-Plymouth).

Bills Vetoed: Los Angeles Gang Violence: Would have appropriated $2 million to expand the fight against gang violence in Los Angeles County, (AB l265) by Assemblyman Curtis Tucker (D-Inglewood). In his veto message, the governor said more than $2 million is contained in the current state budget for gang violence suppression, and the Los Angeles project can compete for some of this money.

Community College Fees: Would have increased the number of units that a community college student can take from six to seven before a $50 fee is imposed, (AB 979) by Assemblyman Gary Condit (D-Ceres). In his veto message, the governor said changing the number of units would invalidate research now being conducted to evaluate the effect of the fee.

Lottery: Would have prohibited the state lottery from using electronic video game devices with horse racing or dog racing themes, (AB 1717) by Assemblyman Gary Condit (D-Ceres). In his veto message, the governor said he did not think it was proper to interfere with the Lottery Commission’s discretion to determine which games should be used.