Legislature Begins Final Week of Session

The Legislature began its final week of session Tuesday with the Senate and Assembly taking action on a number of bills.

The Assembly advanced a measure that would require law enforcement agencies in California to obtain warrants before accessing data on electronic devices, like cell phones or tablets. It would also apply to information stored with online service providers.

The bill drew bi-partisan support, including from Republican Assemblyman Jay Obernolte. He held up his cell phone while presenting the bill.

"The device that I hold in my hand is capable of storing and recording not only every letter that I’ve ever written," he says, "but every person that I’ve ever met, every photograph that I’ve ever taken, every book I’ve ever read and the GPS coordinates of every place that I’ve ever visited."

Obernotle says California’s electronic privacy laws are still governed by a federal law passed in the 1980’s.

Opponents of the measure said it would make it policing child pornography more difficult.

It now returns to the Senate for a final vote.

The Assembly also  approved a measure that would require day care workers in the state to be vaccinated.

Democrat Ian Calderon says the bill will protect children.

"Numerous expert bodies including the Center of Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health recommend that those who care for young children receive important immunizations," he says. "Because until they are fully vaccinated children rely on those around them to maintain community immunity."

The bill now returns to the Senate for a final vote.

Assembly members also approved a bill expanding the list of misdemeanors that can result in a 10-year ban on firearm possession and purchases. It heads back to the Senate as well.

The Assembly gave final approval to a bill that would ban plastic micro-beads from personal care products. It now goes to the governor.

The Senate passed a bill that would prohibit public schools from using the term "Redskins" beginning in 2017.

Senator Marty Block led the effort for the bill’s passage.

"AB 30 will phase out the use of the derogatory racial slur Redskins as school team name, mascot or nickname," he says.

The Senate also approved a measure that would require police agencies to produce annual reports on all use-of-force incidents. 

Both bills return to the Assembly for a final vote.