SACRAMENTO FILE

Governor

Issued a proclamation designating May as Older Americans Month and urging all Californians “to reflect upon the positive influences of senior citizens in their lives.” Assembly

Committee Action: Primary Elections: The Assembly Elections Committee defeated a bill (AB 667) by Assemblyman Ross Johnson (R-La Habra) to move the presidential primary to the first Tuesday after the second Monday in March to give California voters more clout and to shift the direct statewide primary in non-presidential years to the first Tuesday after Labor Day in September. The bill received a 2-1 vote with five yes votes required for approval. Polls: The Elections Committee also approved a bill (AB 948) by Assemblyman Louis J. Papan (D-Millbrae) to prohibit electioneering or questioning of a voter within 300 instead of 100 feet of a polling place. A 5-2 vote sent this bill to the Ways and Means Committee for further consideration. Missing Children: The Assembly Public Safety Committee approved a bill (AB 606) by Assemblyman Gray Davis (D-Los Angeles) to increase penalties for kidnaping a child under the age of 14 and set up a fund to offer rewards for information leading to the recovery of missing children. A 5-0 vote sent the bill to the Ways and Means Committee. Teen-Age Disco Bars: The Assembly Governmental Organization Committee approved a bill (AB 2546) by Assemblywoman Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) to permit cities and counties to regulate disco bars catering to teen-agers. A 12-3 vote sent the bill to the Ways and Means Committee. Bills Introduced: Clove Cigarettes: AB 2559 by Assemblyman Richard L. Mountjoy (R-Monrovia) calls on the state Department of Health Services to make a scientific study of the causal relationship of lung injuries, fatal and otherwise, and the smoking of clove cigarettes. Los Angeles County Fair Funding: Assembly Joint Resolution 49 by Assemblyman Charles Bader (R-Pomona) urges the federal government to act favorably on the application of the Los Angeles County Fair Assn. to obtain $1.5 million for renovation and reconstruction of the fairgrounds. Senate

Committee Action: Off-Track Betting: The Senate Governmental Organization Committee approved a bill (SB 590) by Sen. Ken Maddy (R-Fresno) that would allow establishment of three off-track betting theaters in the state, including one in Southern California. A 7-1 vote sent the bill to the Appropriations Committee. Indirect Initiatives: The Senate Elections Committee approved legislation (SB 1200 and Senate Constitutional Amendment 24) by Sen. Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara) to require the Legislature to consider and vote on a proposed initiative when 80% of the signatures needed to qualify it for the ballot are collected. Proponents could either accept the lawmakers’ decision or place the issue on the ballot anyway--if they had chosen the indirect initiative method at the outset. Identical 4-1 votes sent the two measures to the Appropriations Committee and Constitutional Amendments Committee, respectively.