Assembly Panel OKs Bill on Televised Executions

Controversial legislation to permit the news media to televise executions carried out in San Quentin’s gas chamber has been sent to the Assembly floor for a vote.

The Assembly Way and Means Committee approved the legislation (AB 2246) by Assemblyman John Burton (D-San Francisco) with little debate. The committee vote was 13 to 8.

Some supporters of the death penalty argue that televised executions would increase the value of capital punishment as a deterrent to potential killers.

But opponents charge that televised executions would create a circus atmosphere and tend to cheapen the value of human life.

ASSEMBLY

Floor Action

* Voter Registration: Passed and sent to the Senate on a 41-26 vote a bill (AB 997) by Assemblyman Xavier Becerra (D-Monterey Park) to require high school civics classes to provide students 18 and older with an opportunity to register to vote.

Committee Action

* Sex Discrimination: The Ways and Means Committee approved on a 12-2 vote a bill (AB 101) by Assemblyman Terry Friedman (D-Los Angeles) to make it unlawful to discriminate in employment or housing on the basis of sexual orientation. It was placed on a file of spending bills awaiting action on the overall state budget because of expected enforcement costs. The next stop would be a vote on the Assembly floor.

* Animals’ Teeth: The Agriculture Committee rejected a bill (AB 334) by Assemblyman Bruce Bronzan (D-Fresno) to allow non-veterinarians to clean animals’ teeth. A 5-6 vote was cast on the bill with eight votes required for approval. The state Department of Justice is continuing to investigate the alleged attempted bribery of committee members in the form of letters containing $50 bills and a promise of $2,000 more if this legislation was killed.

* Campaign Contributions: The Elections Committee rejected a bill (AB 1068) by Assemblyman Steve Clute (D-Riverside) to increase the daily fine from $10 to $100 for the late filing of campaign contribution disclosure reports by election candidates with the secretary of state. A 2-10 vote was cast on the bill with 10 votes required for approval.

* Toll Roads: The Transportation Committee approved a bill (SB 144) by Sen. Bill Lockyer (D-Hayward) to prohibit the use of state funds for new toll roads, except for two toll roads being planned for Orange County. A 9-6 vote sent the bill to the Assembly floor.

SENATE

Floor Action

* Child Support: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 29-0 vote a bill (SB 370) by Sen. Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara) to add 5% interest per month as penalty for unpaid delinquent child support payments up to a total of 60% per year.

* Stolen Pets: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 30-0 vote a bill (SB 15) by Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Tarzana) to make it a crime to steal any pet animal for resale for medical research or other commercial purposes.

* Spanish Exposition: Passed and sent to the Assembly on a 27-3 vote a bill (SB 170) by Sen. Henry Mello (D-Watsonville) to appropriate $150,000 to build a state pavilion at the 1992 World Trade Exposition in Seville, Spain.

Committee Action

* Gubernatorial Appointment: The Rules Committee recommended the confirmation of Douglas P. Wheeler, a former top Sierra Club official, who was appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson as secretary of the state Resources Agency. A 4-0 vote sent the recommendation to the Senate floor.

* Marriage Licenses: The Judiciary Committee approved a bill (SB 5) by Sen. Robert Presley (D-Riverside) to increase the surcharge on marriage license fees from $19 to $24 with $3 to be kept by counties to finance centers to deal with domestic violence and the other $2 going to under-funded counties. A 7-1 vote sent the bill to the Senate floor.

Capital Fact

UC Berkeley and its Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory have 15 Nobel laureates on the faculty, which equals the total number of Nobel prize winners in the entire Soviet Union.