A roundup of important bills, regulatory news, upcoming legislative issues and governmental events.

PREVIEW

One-Man Lobbying Act Special-interest money and big-business campaign contributions provide the grease that makes the legislative wheels turn in Sacramento, but small businesses looking to effect change might take heart in the story of Jerry Edwards and his Flying Fox nightclub in South-Central Los Angeles.

From his restaurant and lounge located on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Edwards has been a one-man lobbying sensation advocating for state policy that would allow his nightclub to hold occasional outdoor events in an adjacent parking lot.

Without that relief, Edwards said, smaller venues like his can’t accommodate the crowds needed to attract some of the bigger blues and jazz acts playing elsewhere in Los Angeles.

Last year, ex-Assemblyman Willard Murray (D-Paramount) carried legislation that would grant permits for clubs with liquor licenses to hold events on adjacent property under certain conditions. That bill made it all the way to Gov. Pete Wilson before it was rejected.

This year, Assemblyman Roderick Wright (D-Los Angeles) has taken up the cause and introduced AB 81, addressing some of the governor’s concerns by proposing that local officials sign off on the special-event permits because alcohol would be served.

And what began as Edwards’ personal crusade is drawing support from nightclub owners who think the policy might offer an economic boost.

CALENDAR

The state’s Industrial Welfare Commission is poised to do what the Legislature so far has been unable to: change California’s overtime rules and give employers more flexibility in scheduling workweeks. Business representatives have begun a campaign to sway the commission before it considers three overtime proposals at its Jan. 24 meeting in San Francisco.

The proposals are:

* Replace rules requiring overtime pay after eight hours of work a day with requirements that overtime be available only after 40 hours worked in a week. This is the proposal backed by many business interests.

* Make overtime pay available after a 12-hour workday.

* Make overtime pay subject to negotiations between employees and employers, requiring approval from a majority of employees.

HOT BILLS

* Body Piercing (AB 99)

Would outlaw body piercing on anyone younger than 18 unless there is written consent from a parent or guardian. Support is likely from family and parental rights advocates. This bill should attract some interest among the burgeoning body-piercing parlors. Author: George Runner Jr. (R-Lancaster).

* Securities Litigation (SB 35)

Would limit individual shareholder lawsuits arising from stock losses. Would adopt federal securities litigation controls as the standard in California, replacing less-restrictive state controls. Support is likely from high-technology firms, whose stocks are often subject to wild fluctuations. Opposition is likely from trial attorneys. Author: John Vasconcellos (D-Santa Clara).

* Air Pollution Permits (AB 117)

Businesses granted air emissions permits to operate in isolated, sparsely populated areas of the state would be prohibited from doing business in residential areas. This bill is a response to a desert recycling center that had relocated to a neighborhood of Huntington Park and was deemed a public nuisance by local officials. Author: Martha Escutia (D-Bell).

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