Bill Tracking
Welcome to the CNPA's bill-tracking page for the 2008-2009 Legislative Session. This page provides current information on legislation affecting all aspects of the newspaper publishing industry in California. The bills on this site are organized by the following categories:

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

AB 224 ( Portantnio) Postsecondary education: public meetings
Would Require the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the Board of Trustees of the California State University, the California Postsecondary Education Commission, and the Student Aid Commission, including any auxiliary organization to make available on the Internet a live audio broadcast of its public meetings.   AB 224 would also request the Regents of the University of California to comply with its provisions. Position: Support
Status: Chaptered

AB 255 ( Anderson) Internet security: virtual globe technology
Would prohibit an operator of a commercial Internet Web site or online service that makes a virtual globe browser available to the public from providing aerial or satellite photographs or imagery of places in this state that have been identified on the Internet Web site by the operator as a school, place of worship, or government or medical building or facility  unless the photographs or images have been blurred.
Position: Oppose

AB 352 ( Strickland) Would declare that it is the Legislature's intent that the California Interscholastic Federation comply with the California Public Records Act.
Position: Support

AB 353 ( Calderon) Civil actions: statute of limitations
Would extend the statute of limitations for libel and slander claims from one year to three years.
Position: Oppose

AB 520 ( Carter) public records
Would allow a court to adjudge an individual a vexatious requester of public records under the Public Records Act.
Position: Oppose
CalAware's letter on AB 520

AB 524 ( Bass) Privacy
Would amend the Anti-Paparazzi law to create extreme liability for a person, if the person sold, transmitted, published, broadcast, or used any image or recording with actual knowledge the images or recordings were obtained illegally and provided compensation for the unlawfully obtained images or recordings.
Position: Oppose
Oppose as amended June 30, 2009
Status: Chaptered

AB 585 ( Duvall) Deceased personalities
Would amend the law protecting the commercial value of the name and likeness of deceased personalities.   AB 585 would amend this law to, in addition to protecting the intellectual property rights of those whose "name, voice, signature, photo, or likeness has commercial value at the time of death," to also include those, whose name, etc., has commercial value "because of his or her death."
Position: Oppose

AB 1494 ( Eng) Public meetings: definition
Would amend the Bagley-Keene Act by strengthening the prohibition against serial meetings for state boards and commissions.
Position : Sponsor
Letter to Governor
Status: Chaptered

AB 1682 ( Torres) California Public Records Act
Would amend the California Public Records Act to further restrict public access to law enforcement records.
Position: Oppose

SB 218 ( Yee) Public records: state agency: nonprofit entity
Would expand the definition of state agency in the California Public Records Act to include quasi-public entities that recieve public funds or which perform a government function on behalf of the University of California, the California State Universities or the California Community Colleges.
Position: Sponsor
University of California Opposition Letter
The California State University Opposition Letter
CFA Support Letter
Cal-Tax Support Letter
SSU foundation hit by Carinalli loans, The Press Democrat, July 1, 2009
Status: Vetoed

SB 219 ( Yee) Disclosure of improper governmental activities:University of California: damages
Would provide whistleblowers who work for the University of California with the same ability to sue for damages when they are retaliated against as may other state employees who report malfeasance.
Position: Support
Letter to Governor
Status: Vetoed

SB 320 ( Corbett) Anti-Libel Tourism Act
Would prohibit state courts from recognizing a defamation judgment obtained in a foreign jurisdiction, unless the court determines the defamation law applied in the case provides at least as much protection for freedom of expression as offered by the First Amendment and Californian Constitution.
Position: Sponsor
Letter to Governor
Status: Chaptered

SB 330 ( Yee) Public records: state agency: auxiliary organization
would expand the definition of state agency in the California Public Records Act to include quasi-public entities that are designated as auxiliary organizations on campuses of the University of California, the California State Universities, the California Community Colleges and the statewide foundation of the California Community Colleges.
Position: Sponsor

SB 359 ( Romero) Records: disclosure exemptions
would update the sections of the California Public Records Act that attempt to identify, alphabetically and descriptively, every law that purports to exempt public records from disclosure.
Position: Sponsor
Status: Chaptered

SB 438 ( Yee) Charter Schools: Freedom of Speech and of the Pres s
would make applicable to charter schools provisions of existing law regarding free speech and expressive activities of public school pupils.
Position: Sponsor

SB 650 ( Yee) Disclosure of improper governmental activities: state colleges and universities: damages
would provide whistleblowers who work for the University of California and California State University with the same ability to sue for damages when they are retaliated against as may other state employees who report malfeasance. Position: Support 

SB 711 ( Leno) Public eetings: closed sessions: labor negotiations
would reform the Ralph M. Brown open meetings law's "labor negotiation exemption, which currently allows secrecy in the negotiation of and action on collective bargaining agreements.
Position : Sponsor

SB 786 ( Yee) Civil procedure: attorney's fees and costs
would provide that the attorney fee award against plaintiffs that is generally available to prevailing defendants in a case dismissed on a motion to strike under the anti-SLAPP law is not available for causes of action filed to enforce the state's open meeting laws or the public's right to government information under the California Public Records Act (CPRA).
Position: Support
Cal Aware's Letter
Letter to Governor

PUBLIC NOTICE

AB 116 ( Beall) Transportation authorities and districts: contracts
Would repeal the requirement that notices for competitive bids initiated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, and the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District for supplies, rquipment and materials, when the expenditure exceeds $100,000, be published one time in a newspaper of general circulation.
Position: Oppose
Status: Chaptered--Amended to remove concerns

AB 655 ( Emmerson) Self-service storage facilities
Would amend the Self-Service Storage Facility Act to eliminate the requirement that a lien sale of an individual's personal property for non-payment of rent at a storage facility be advertised in a newspaper of general circulation before the property is sold.
Position: Oppose
Removal of Opposition

AB 715 ( Caballero)  City ordinances: publishing and posting requirements
Would allow cities to post newly enacted ordinances on a government Web site instead of publishing a summary of the ordiance in a newspaper of general circulation.
Position: Oppose

AB 715 opposition letters from member newspapers:

• Sonoma West Publishers, Inc.

• Sonoma West Publishers, Inc. 

• Mattos Newspapers, Inc.  

• The Madera Tribune  

• The Mountain Democrat
  

• Tahoe Daily Tribune 

• The Press-Enterprise 

• Idyllwild Town Crier 

• Idyllwild Town Crier  

• The Sonoma Index-Tribune 

• Salinas Newspapers, Inc. 

• Mount Shasta Area Newspapers 

• Black Voice News 

• Champion Newspapers 

• Los Angeles Newspaper Group 

• Cloverdale Reveille

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