Senate OKs Extension on Limit of Malathion Illness Lawsuits

Legislation to extend the statute of limitations for people to sue the state for illnesses, injuries or deaths allegedly caused by malathion sprayed in fighting the Medfly menace has been approved by the Senate.

A 26-12 vote sent the measure (AB 383), sponsored by Assemblyman Mike Roos (D-Los Angeles), back to the lower house for concurrence in Senate-Assembly amendments.

The legislation provides that a person can file a lawsuit against the state within one year after discovery of the condition instead of one year after the spraying occurred. It further provides that the governmental entity ordering the spraying shall be held strictly liable for damages caused by it. ASSEMBLY Floor Action

Graffiti: Sent to the governor on a 45-17 vote a bill (SB 1977) by Sen. Quentin L. Kopp (I-San Francisco) to allow a court to suspend or delay issuance of a driver’s license to anyone 13 or older convicted of creating graffiti.

Pay Equity: Passed and sent to the governor on a 44-27 vote a bill (SB 2078) by Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) to create a commission to look into differences in wages paid to male and female state employees who do the same job.

Governor: Rejected on a 33-37 vote a constitutional amendment (SCA 40) by Sen. Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara) to require the governor to appear before the Senate and Assembly twice yearly to answer members’ questions. SENATE Floor Action

Minivans: Passed and returned to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments on a 21-10 vote a bill (AB 3998) by Assemblyman Johan Klehs (D-Castro Valley) to require automobile dealers to affix notices to new minivans disclosing whether they comply with certain federal safety standards.

Balloons: Sent to the governor on a 40-0 vote a bill (SB 1990) by Sen. Ruben S. Ayala (D-Chino) to restrict the sale of metallic lighter-than-air balloons that public utilities say cause service disruptions by becoming entangled in power lines.

Airspace: Sent to the governor on a 29-1 vote a bill (SB 2747) by Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) to reserve airspace above the Hollywood Freeway in downtown Los Angeles for the development of a proposed West Coast Gateway cultural center.

Diapers: Sent to the governor on a 28-7 vote a bill (SB 2342) by Sen. Lucy Killea (D-San Diego) to require child day-care facilities to accept babies whose parents want them to wear cloth diapers instead of the non-biodegradable disposable ones.

Cable Television: Passed and returned to the Assembly on a 28-6 vote a bill (AB 2929) by Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles) to set up a “video consumer’s bill of rights” for cable television customers. It would allow customers a 15-day grace period for paying bills and require cable companies to restore service outages in less than 24 hours.

Fax: Sent to the governor on a 40-0 vote a bill (SB 1807) by Sen. Quentin L. Kopp (I-San Francisco) to prohibit telephone fax directories from disclosing fax numbers without the owner’s permission.

Religious Assembly: Sent to the governor on a 40-0 vote a bill (SB 2483) by Sen. Newton R. Russell (R-Glendale) calling for mandatory community service in addition to existing fines and jail time for disturbing a religious assembly at a tax-exempt place of worship.

Middle East: Passed on a voice vote a resolution (SR 7) by Sen. Becky Morgan (R-Los Altos Hills) urging Californians to reduce oil consumption to show support for U.S. troops in the Middle East and as a means of avoiding new offshore oil drilling. Capital Fact

The main building of the state Capitol was closed for safety reasons in 1976 and underwent extensive renovation and restoration work. It was reopened in 1982.