Governor Newsom signs bills, vetoes coastal protection measure

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a couple dozen new bills into law Thursday and vetoed a bill popular among environmental groups. 

The rejected bill, AB 1272, would have established guidelines for water use in some coastal areas to make them more resilient to drought and climate change. 

Democratic Assembly member Jim Wood of Ukiah sponsored the bill, and it had support from The Nature Conservancy, the Karuk and Yurok Tribes and California Trout, among others. Newsom said he vetoed it because it is costly and not already in the budget. 

Among the bills signed by the governor is  SB 949. The bill, sponsored by Senator Catherine Blakespear, a Democrat representing the Encinitas area, would require courts to accommodate requests from jurors and other people who use courthouses to take lactation breaks. The rule already applies to court employees, who are also entitled to a private space for lactation. 

Newsom also signed legislation that amends the Youth Bill of Rights – which applies to children in detention facilities – to include the right to behavioral health services. The bill,  SB 1353, was sponsored by Democratic Senator Aisha Wahab of Fremont.