GOP Pushes Flood of Pent-Up Bills Through Assembly

SACRAMENTO —  With the Republican juggernaut in full force, the Assembly on Tuesday approved dozens of bills to cut welfare, limit the right to sue and send the National Guard to the California-Mexico border to stop illegal immigration.

In rapid-fire fashion, the Republican-controlled Assembly approved bills to cut general assistance, slash corporate taxes and repeal workplace rules championed by organized labor.

The Republican flurry represented 25 years of pent-up measures that never reached the floor when Democrats controlled the Assembly. The actions amounted to dramatic examples of changes that the GOP would make if Republicans gain control of the Senate in the November elections.

As it is, Democrats held out hope that most of the GOP-backed bills would die in the Senate, where they have a slim majority under Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer. But given the flood of bills en route to the upper house, Republicans expected that at least some of the “Republican agenda” would win approval and make it to Gov. Pete Wilson’s desk.

“Lockyer is not that good a marksman,” Assemblyman Jim Brulte (R-Rancho Cucamonga) said. “He can’t shoot down all these bills.”

As the night went on, the Assembly rejected one of the more controversial measures--a bill to reinstate corporal punishment in public schools. The bill’s author, Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange), could attempt to revive it, but the measure received a mere 19 votes. It needed 41 for approval, and Conroy conceded defeat.

“How the heck do you expect the teachers to enforce school rules or maintain discipline?” Conroy asked fellow lawmakers during debate.

Also pending was a bill to permit almost all adults in California to carry concealed weapons. And legislation to deny California recognition of same-sex marriages sanctioned in other states was scheduled to come to a vote today.

The Assembly was rushing to meet a deadline today to approve bills that had stalled last year when Democrats managed to derail many of the most far-reaching measures.

This year, however, Republicans have elected Garden Grove Assemblyman Curt Pringle as speaker and ousted Democrats from their leadership positions. As a result, Democrats on Tuesday were unable to do more than decry the GOP measures, many of which would unravel more than two decades of laws approved by Democratic-controlled legislatures.

“Extremists in the Republican Party are pushing their agenda onto the people of California,” said Assembly Democratic Leader Richard Katz (D-Sylmar). “It shows exactly how extreme they are.”

Lockyer characterized the Assembly as being in “a macho phase of legislating.” While he said that there “may be some good suggestions” among the many bills approved, he added that, “to the extent that they represent the extreme of the ultra-right-wing Republican agenda, they’re at risk.”

In one of the more far-reaching measures, the Assembly approved a bill to permit counties to cut or abolish general assistance payments. As it is, the state requires that counties make the monthly payments, which generally are considered a last legal way for poor people, generally men, to obtain money.

The payments, which average $320 a month, are “driving our counties into bankruptcy,” said Assemblyman Jan Goldsmith (R-Poway), the author of the measure (AB 9). The bill passed on a strict party-line vote, with all 41 Republicans supporting it, and 37 Democrats voting against it or not voting.

The Assembly approved by a 41-29 vote legislation by Assemblyman Steve Baldwin (R-El Cajon) to cut the corporate tax rate from 9.3% to 7.5%.

The Department of Finance estimates that over the next three years, the tax cut would save businesses more than $3 billion, thereby reducing revenue to the state by that amount.

The bill is in addition to one backed by Gov. Pete Wilson to cut income, banking and business taxes by 15%. So far, Wilson’s measures have not come up for a vote this year.

Democrats tried to kill Baldwin’s tax cut by saying that the measure would take money away from public schools. But Republicans insisted that the tax cut would stimulate the economy, thus adding to state revenue.

“Give me a tax break now. I will hire more men this year,” said Assemblyman Peter Frusetta (R-Tres Pinos).

Organized labor, which is loyal to Democratic candidates, was a particular target. Without a vote to spare, the Assembly on Monday approved legislation by Assemblyman Fred Aguiar (R-Chino) to repeal the state law requiring employers to pay overtime to nonunion workers who put in more than eight hours in a workday. Labor unions hold the eight-hour rule dear.

But no group took a harder hit than trial lawyers who file suits on behalf of injured people. Trial lawyers and their organization, the Consumer Attorneys of California, are among the biggest donors to Democrats.

One of the most significant “tort reform” bills, AB 1601 by Assemblyman Charles S. Poochigian (R-Fresno), says manufacturers of prescription drugs and medical devices would not be strictly liable for injuries caused by their products.

The bill also would permit manufacturers to argue in court that they designed their products to meet the standards in effect at the time that the product was developed. This provision would eliminate their liability if similar products undergo design improvements.

Republicans argue that lawsuits hamstring business and force manufacturers to keep good products off the market.

Democrats counter that if such changes had been in effect in years past, suits over asbestos, defective automobiles and devices such as the Dalkon Shield or breast implants never would have reached court. Those suits, the Democrats argued, forced manufacturers to improve their products.

In a few instances, Democrats joined Republicans in supporting bills. One measure by Assemblyman William J. “Pete” Knight (R-Palmdale) would give physicians limited immunity from malpractice lawsuits when they volunteer their time at homeless shelters.

Veteran Democratic Assemblywoman Jackie Speier of Burlingame gave the measure a boost, saying, “We want physicians to volunteer. Sometimes the Consumer Attorneys of California are wrong.”

Republicans also focused on illegal immigration, crime and the treatment of prison inmates. One bill would deny workers’ compensation to prison laborers hurt on the job.

When a Democratic lawmaker complained that the measure was kicking inmates when they are down, Assemblyman Gary G. Miller (R-West Covina) responded, “We’re not kicking them hard enough. . . . When they’re in prison, they should work for free.”

The Assembly also approved a bill, again with a bare 41-vote majority, to permit the governor to send National Guard troops to the border with Mexico to help stop illegal immigration.

“The state of California is being invaded,” said Assemblyman Bill Hoge (R-Pasadena), the bill’s author. “What the people of California want is to have their border protected.”

* PADDLING BILL REJECTED: Bill reviving corporal punishment in schools is defeated. A3