Two bills to regulate tobacco products choked in committees today. SB140, from Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) would have treated e-cigarettes like other tobacco products; Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-Azusa) pulled SB151, which would have raised the tobacco-buying age to 21.
Jeremy White at the Sacramento Bee: “A California bill regulating electronic cigarettes sputtered in a key committee on Wednesday as members made a major change that led the author to abandon his own measure.
“Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who had carried the legislation, said the amendment undermined its central intent by declaring that e-cigarettes are not tobacco products.
“’I no longer believe in it. None of my sponsors believe in it ... I dissociate myself from it,’ Leno said, telling committee members he spoke ‘on behalf of the next generation of Californians who will be addicted to nicotine as a result of your vote.’
“The bill’s collapse marked a grim day for tobacco control advocates.
“A separate bill that sought to raise the tobacco-buying age to 21 did not get a vote on Wednesday. Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-Azusa, pulled his Senate Bill 151 ahead of a scheduled hearing and argued that ‘Big Tobacco is following their usual playbook and trying to kill this bill quietly in a committee,’ though his office said he planned to continue pursuing the measure.”
On the other hand, two bills regulating that green “wacky tobacky” wafted through their respective committee hearings, with one accompanied by a live full-grown pot plant. Julie Johnson, Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
“State Sen. Mike McGuire’s Medical Marijuana Public Safety and Environmental Protection Act, SB 643, advanced from the Assembly Business and Professions Committee on Tuesday and heads to the Health Committee next week.
“The bill would establish a broad regulatory structure for California’s medical marijuana industry, which has been plagued by ineffective and confusing rules despite being legal at the state level since 1996….
“McGuire’s bill complements proposed legislation from another North Coast lawmaker, Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg, that is focused on regulating the impact of marijuana cultivation on water resources. His measure, AB 243, the Marijuana Watershed Protection Act, would bring pot under the regulatory control of water agencies.
“’When you look at the amount of money cultivators are making on a single plant … and pair it with how much environmental destruction is taking place on the North Coast, ensuring the industry pays for environmental enforcement and cleanup should be a no-brainer,’ Wood said in a statement.
Wood noted that a single marijuana plant is worth between $2,500 and $4,000.
He brought a live marijuana plant with him to the hearing in Sacramento, saying it would help other lawmakers ‘understand the size and value of medical marijuana farms.’”
Meanwhile, a political advisor to Senate Leader Kevin de León is facing criticism for accepting pot-laced gifts from a marijuana industry lobbyist who was working a bill. Amanda Chicago Lewis, Buzzfeed:
“A political aide to California Senate President pro tempore Kevin de León accepted at least $85 in marijuana products from a pot lobbyist at the end of May before discussing how his boss needed to be ‘educated’ into taking a more liberal stance on medical marijuana.
“…Josh Drayton, a political adviser to de León via a group called the Senate Democrats, cheerfully accepted at least one hash oil–filled vaporizer pen and a container of marijuana edibles from pot lobbyist Nate Bradley in front of a BuzzFeed News reporter.”
Things got testy in the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment as legislators debated SB3, Sen. Mark Leno’s bill to raise the minimum wage. Video here, and the full story From AP:
“After about two hours of testimony on the bill, there was a brief stir in the committee when its chairman, Democratic Assemblyman Roger Hernandez of West Covina, abruptly moved for a vote before every committee member could finish speaking.
“Assemblyman Matthew Harper, R-Huntington Beach, complained that debate was being cut off. Hernandez said Harper was speaking out of order and leaned over and shut off his microphone before demanding legislative security remove it.”
The bill was advanced on a 5-2 vote.
Latinos may have surpassed whites as California’s largest ethnic group, but that has not translated into political clout – yet. Michael Finnegan, LA Times:
“Latinos were 39% of the state's population last year, just surpassing non-Latino whites, at 38%, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
“But in the November election, Latinos cast just 15% of the ballots, according to Political Data, a nonpartisan firm that tracks California voting patterns.
“The gap between Latinos' population share and their clout in elections is a familiar pattern. It's also a longtime frustration of Latino political leaders.
“On Thursday, the California Latino Legislative Caucus will release a report showing that for all their advances in recent years — and they are significant — Latinos still make up a disproportionately small share of the state's elected officials.”
And, BTW, if you want to hear a live take on the report, it will be part of Leadership California Institute’s 11AM “Voter Turnout Crisis” event at the Citizen today.
Getting away from California, we came across a story from West Virginia we like to call, “Hello Deer, I’m Home.”
“A West Virginia man was charged Monday with holding two deer captive inside his home, according to a Facebook post by West Virginia Natural Resources Police.
“Two officers with the NRP were on their way to boat patrol duties on July 4th when they received a complaint of deer being kept inside of a home in Cabell County, West Virginia.
“Officers responding to the home found two bucks inside the home, which were living inside the residence for ‘at least a year,’ according to the post.
“The male occupant of the home was charged and prosecution is pending, according to the Facebook post. The deer were set free.”
