A Crush of Bills in the Capitol

SACRAMENTO —  Moving swiftly to make up time lost due to Tuesday’s canceled session, the California Legislature resumed action Wednesday and scrambled to finish work on more than 600 bills before this year’s lawmaking deadline Friday night.

Both houses easily approved populist legislation that would allow consumers to stop unwanted phone solicitations, and sent the measure to Gov. Gray Davis, who is expected to sign it into law.

The Assembly passed a measure to expand the rights of gays and lesbians in domestic partnerships, and a bill that would limit junk food in public schools. The Senate, meanwhile, sent to the governor a bill to restore $112 million in community college funding that Davis had cut from the state budget, and approved a controversial measure to move as many as 15 death row inmates from crowded San Quentin prison to Folsom prison near the state capital.

A day after Davis shut down the Capitol in response to the New York and Washington terrorist attacks, lawmakers began with a multidenominational memorial service. Singing “America the Beautiful,” they mourned the victims of Tuesday’s violence.

“We will not let these acts of terrorism bring our country to a halt,” said Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg (D-Sherman Oaks). “We will go on with the business of the people.”

Both houses then quickly tackled the backlog of bills that awaited them--everything from the redrawing of California political districts and a $2.9-billion rescue of Southern California Edison to protections of financial privacy and limits on secret legal settlements.

Among the measures that moved forward Wednesday were a pair of nearly identical bills that would require new handgun owners to obtain licenses to operate their weapons after providing authorities with thumbprints and passing a written exam. AB 35 by Assemblyman Kevin Shelley (D-San Francisco) cleared the Senate and needs final Assembly approval. SB 52 by Sen. Jack Scott (D-Altadena) cleared the Assembly and awaits final Senate action.

With so many measures pending, Assembly leaders from both parties agreed to limit debate on most bills and approve several dozen without public discourse, a decision one GOP lawmaker, Phil Wyman of Tehachapi, called “distasteful.”

The telemarketing measure, SB 771 by Sen. Liz Figueroa (D-Fremont) would allow those fed up with the incessant intrusions of callers pitching phone plans and credit cards to sign up for a blanket do-not-call list. The lists would not bar charities, politicians and businesses with whom the consumer has established a relationship from continuing to make cold calls.

In a sign of how widespread public sentiment against telemarketers has become in California, a pro-business Republican assemblyman, John Campbell of Irvine, presented the bill before the lower house. The unwelcome intrusion of telemarketers, Campbell said, is no different from salesmen coming “unsolicited and unwanted though your frontdoor.”

However, numerous GOP lawmakers, including Assembly Republican Leader Dave Cox of Fair Oaks, opposed the measure, suggesting it might violate the U.S. Constitution. They also questioned the ethics of a bill allowing politicians to make cold calls, but not businesses. The measure passed the Assembly 59 to 12 and later cleared the Senate 28 to 7.

“I am as angry as anyone at these calls . . . but our Constitution says the 1st Amendment allows free speech,” Wyman said.

The junk food bill, SB 19 by Sen. Martha Escutia (D-Whittier), would establish health standards for food served to schoolchildren. It initially encountered strong opposition from soft-drink manufacturers and school districts, who were concerned it would affect their treasuries. But much of the opposition waned after Escutia watered down her measure to apply only to elementary schools.

“It’s hard to teach a kid that’s completely wired, having eaten junk food for much of the day,” said Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood).

The legislation still rankled some GOP lawmakers, who said there is hypocrisy in legislators--hardly a health-conscious lot--telling kids what they should eat. After an initial stumble, the bill passed the Assembly on a 46-21 vote. It still needs a final vote in the Senate.

“Look in the mirror, members,” said Assemblyman Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark). Noting that lawmakers often wander into a lounge beside the Assembly chambers to gorge themselves with sweets, Strickland said: “There’s probably someone in there right now, chewing on a chocolate doughnut, sipping a Coke.”

After a close vote in the Senate on Monday, the domestic partner bill, AB 25 by Assemblywoman Carole Migden (D-San Francisco), passed 42 to 29 with no debate and went to the governor, who says he favors the measure.

The Assembly also sent to the governor AB 489 by Migden, a measure to attack predatory lending practices aimed at low-income communities. It passed 41 to 27, and is also expected to garner Davis’ signature.

In the Senate on Wednesday, lawmakers sent to the governor SB 735, a bill written by the entire Assembly and 35 of the 40 Senate members that would restore $112 million to community colleges that Davis slashed from the state budget this summer. Davis has agreed to restore some of the funding. It passed on a 37-1 vote.

And the Senate passed AB 540 by Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh (D-Los Angeles), which would allow longtime state residents to obtain in-state tuition rates at California colleges--even those who are not U.S. citizens. The bill, important to Latino groups and Mexican President Vicente Fox, cleared the upper house 27 to 7. It still needs final Assembly approval.

Lawmakers also approved AB 1460 by Assemblyman Joe Nation (D-San Rafael), which authorizes the state Department of Corrections to move a particularly dangerous segment of death row inmates from the California State Prison at San Quentin to a counterpart facility in Folsom. The Senate voted 29 to 3 to approve the measure, which still needs final Assembly approval.

Proponents--who include the governor and the state’s powerful prison guards union--contend the bill is a necessary response to the fact that San Quentin’s death row, which was originally designed to house no more than 70 inmates, is now home to about 570 prisoners.

But opponents, including Folsom, contend it would not only pose a safety threat to the surrounding community, but also could be a precursor to relocating all of death row to Folsom Prison.

In other action Wednesday:

* A measure to allow Universal Studios and 14 other businesses to get electricity from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power instead of from debt-hobbled Southern California Edison cleared the Assembly on a 50-6 vote. SB 1172 must still obtain final Senate approval.

* AB 865 by Hertzberg, requiring credit card companies to provide customers with information on the time and cost of paying off a balance with minimum payments, cleared the Senate and Assembly and went to the governor’s desk. Davis vetoed a similar measure last year.

* The Assembly passed legislation that requires school principals to give homework assignments to students suspended for more than five days. The bill, SB 320 by Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar), also allows school districts to report data on suspensions and expulsions by age, sex, race, language and learning disability. It cleared the Assembly 56 to 18, but still needs final Senate approval.

*

Times staff writer Carl Ingram contributed to this story.