Kern's lawmakers offer their takes on latest legislative session

Oct. 1—Kern County's lawmakers in Sacramento counted a number of wins and "setbacks" in the latest legislative session ahead of Friday's deadline for Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign or veto any bills on his desk.

As of Monday, Newsom had about 550 bills left to sign that were sent to him to sign, but throughout the final week, he handed wins and losses to local legislators.

Most recently for Kern's representatives, Newsom announced his signature Wednesday on Assembly Bill 2798, co-authored by Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, aimed at streamlining the permitting and approval process for freight transportation projects, which Fong said was aimed at addressing the global supply chain crisis from California's end.

"The supply chain crisis has caused an unforeseeable disruption to every aspect of our economy from store shelves to farms to manufacturers, and this law will help get our supply chain back on track," Fong wrote in a statement. "By increasing port capacity to store cargo — goods and needed essentials can more rapidly be delivered to our communities. Local store shelves can be restocked and farmers can export their products to international markets."

The governor Wednesday also vetoed a bill authored by state Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, the Food and Farm Security Act, SB 1066, which would have created a state-funded supplemental pay program providing cash assistance to eligible farmworkers.

Cost was cited as the main factor in the decision, according to a veto message issued by Newsom's office.

"The Legislature sent measures with potential costs of well over $20 billion in one-time spending commitments and more than $10 billion in ongoing commitments not accounted for in the state budget," Newsom wrote. "Bills with significant fiscal impact, such as this measure, should be considered and accounted for as part of the annual budget process."

The cost of the program could have approached about $360 million, according to a Legislative Analyst's Office report on the bill.

These represent just a few of the dozens of bills proposed by Kern representatives in the capital, who were asked by The Californian to list a few of their highlights and challenges from this past session, as well as how it will shape their outlook for the future.

Shannon Grove

State Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, counted a few wins, as well as one frustrating setback that is likely to come back in a future legislative session.

In addition to a resolution that honors a Kern County Sheriff's Office deputy killed in the line of duty — Senate Concurrent Resolution 75, which passed unanimously in June and creates the Deputy Phillip Campas Memorial Interchange where Highway 99 meets Highway 65 — Grove was also able to tout progress on behalf of veterans with SB 1195.

The bill, which Newsom signed into law Aug. 27, requires the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet), in its five-year review of California's Veterans Homes, to explore opportunities where satellite medical clinics could be placed at or near the homes.

SB 1183, signed by Newsom Sept. 9, will establish the Statewide Imagination Library Program under the administration of the state librarian for purposes of developing, implementing, promoting and fostering a comprehensive statewide initiative for encouraging preschool children to develop a love of reading and learning.

Her attempt to make human trafficking a strikeable offense, SB 1042, failed in a party-line vote in the Senate's Public Safety Committee. However, she emphasized her commitment to the cause in a statement Friday.

"I'm very proud of the work I accomplished with SB 1042, which attempted to make human trafficking a violent and serious felony and I look forward to continuing my work on the serious public safety issues facing California," she said in a statement to The Californian. "I'm also pleased to be able to get more books in the hands of California children with SB 1183 and to have passed SB 1195 which will ensure critical treatments and mental health services are accessible to our veterans when they return home."

She noted that SB 1137, which creates a "setback" zone of 3,200 feet between new oil drilling and a residence or other sensitive site, was the most troubling bill that directly impacts Kern from this past session. She stated that such action in Sacramento only energizes her efforts.

"Watching Sacramento Democrats pass legislation that negatively impacts California families emboldens me to continue fighting each and every day," Grove said. "I am dedicated to fighting for valley values and ensuring farmers have the water they need to grow the food we eat, protecting our domestic energy production, prioritizing public safety and improving our education system."

Melissa Hurtado

While Hurtado would have liked to see Newsom's signature on Senate Bills 1066 and 1084, which would have prohibited a foreign government from purchasing, acquiring, leasing or holding an interest in agricultural land within California, she was able to add SB 892 to her legislative accomplishments on Friday.

Newsom added his signature to the legislation that would create a multiyear plan to improve the cybersecurity of the food and agricultural sector, as well as the water and wastewater sectors.

She cited the increasing frequency of cyberattacks to these important infrastructure systems as part of the justification for the bill.

"We are living in a time where a bad actor sitting in a chair from the comfort of their home can weaponize our food and water supply," Hurtado said in a statement. "With the cost of over $1.2 billion and with 38,000 cyberattacks in the first six months of 2020 alone, we must do better to protect California's already limited water supplies and food security."

She also touted the passage of SB 367, which she said would make campuses safer by requiring them to provide opioid overdose-reversal medication naloxone, which comes in a nasal spray more commonly known by a brand name, Narcan.

In a message praising its passage, she pointed out that "among traditional college-aged individuals, opioid related hospitalizations and deaths have risen steadily since 2018, despite the rate of opioid prescriptions continuously declining during the same period," in a past news release.

"Too many families are losing loved ones to the disease of opioid addiction-children, siblings, parents and friends," she said. "We must take real action now to prevent these deaths and save lives."

Vince Fong

Fong counted Assembly Bill 2798 as his biggest accomplishment of the most recent session, but he said he was also proud of his efforts on AB 522, which is an effort to help private landowners to clear brush and timber to prevent future fires.

AB 522, signed into law Aug. 29, updates a nearly 50-year-old law by creating a 2026 sunset date for an exemption created by the Z'berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973. The act prohibits timber operations unless a timber harvesting plan prepared by a registered professional forester has been submitted to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The idea is to make it easier to clear properties where forest fires pose a significant danger.

"California's communities and iconic landscapes have been ravaged by terrible wildfires in a seemingly never-ending wildfire season," Fong said in a statement to The Californian. "Reducing fuels and properly managing forest lands are proven methods of preventing and minimizing future fires."

Fong also decried SB 1137, which he referred to as part of Newsom's "quest to make splash headlines."

"As Californians are facing rising energy and gasoline costs, the governor is only increasing the state's reliance on foreign oil produced in countries with authoritarian governments who do not have environmental standards like those in California," Fong wrote in an email to The Californian.

Fong, who's running unopposed for another term in the Assembly this year, also said that he planned to continue work on the supply-chain crisis and infrastructure issues in the coming term.

"... As the vice chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, I am deeply concerned about our state's economy and what it means for California's budget outlook," he said. "We need to focus on improving the business climate to ensure we can make needed investments in the future."

Rudy Salas

Assemblyman Rudy Salas' most significant legislative achievement from the recent legislative session would have to be AB 2494, which will "reform the Kern County redistricting process by creating an independent redistricting commission for Kern County modeled after the statewide commission voters approved in 2008."

It creates a 14-member committee whose political party affiliations will be proportional to the number of voters registered with each political party in Kern County as determined by their registration at the most recent statewide election, according to previous reported in The Californian.

Salas, D-Bakersfield, also praised Newsom's signing of AB 2581, which will increase access to mental health and autism services by requiring health care service plans to credential mental health providers within 60 days, according to a previous statement from Salas.

"AB 2581 helps increase access to mental health services that can significantly improve the lives of children and their families," Salas said in a previous statement. "At a time when California is facing a mental health workforce shortage, AB 2581 will cut bureaucratic red tape so that qualified professionals can meet the community's needs quicker. This bill will increase opportunities for families to receive the life changing care and services they need."

Salas noted he was upset the governor vetoed AB 1940, which would have authorized a school-based health center to provide primary medical care, behavioral health services or dental care services on-site or through mobile health or telehealth.

"I was very proud to have authored AB 1940 this year, which would have expanded school-based health centers in our underserved communities," Salas wrote in a statement to The Californian. "This bill would have brought good-quality preventative care to children and families who have the hardest time getting to a doctor's office. This bill helps families working 12-hour shifts, families who live in communities where the nearest pediatrician might be a 30-minute drive away. This helps kids who need eye exams so they can see what their teacher is writing and they can be successful in school. I am saddened that the governor vetoed the bill, but I will continue to work to ensure our kids have access to quality health care."

As far as the outlook for the future, Salas noted he's looking forward to continuing the progress the Legislature has made so far this year on a number of areas that will improve Californians' quality of life, he said.

"This year was an incredible step forward in improving the quality of life for families in the Central Valley, and I plan to keep this momentum going," he said. "We need to continue to invest in our education to ensure that our children have every door open to them, every opportunity within their reach, so they can be successful in whatever they choose to do."