Local legislators race to meet Sept. 9 deadline

Local legislators returned to the Capitol this month to pursue the

passage of bills for a range of issues, including higher education,

children’s health and drunk driving prevention, even as the Nov. 8

special election hovers like a rain cloud over Sacramento.

After a two-week summer recess, Glendale, La Crescenta, La Canada

Flintridge and Burbank lawmakers are racing to move their bills from

house committees to the governor’s desk for his signature, to meet a

Sept. 9 deadline to get their bills passed.

Assemblyman Dario Frommer is focusing on health this session. One

bill Frommer is teaming with Assemblywoman Wilma Chan (D-Oakland) on

would create a statewide health care system for all children under

18. Another Frommer bill would certify international pharmacies and

still another would enable the state to buy drugs for all its

hospitals in bulk.

The passage of such bills would “save millions in taxpayer money,”

Frommer said.

Assemblyman Keith Richman believes this legislative year has been

a failure because of the politics surrounding the special election.

“It’s been largely wasted due to the political dysfunction in

Sacramento,” Richman said. “Most of the agenda of the session has to

a large degree been sapped in the context of the special election, so

as usual, because the Democrats are in the majority, most Republican

bills are killed in the Legislature. To a large degree, Democrats

recognize that many of their bills will be vetoed by the governor so

they are literally campaigning against the governor.”

Bills authored by Richman, introducing reform in health care and

public employee pension, were killed in committee because of these

politics, he said. He is looking forward to the coming special

election.

“I think that passage of the independent redistricting and

spending limits and paycheck protection initiative to ensure public

employees give consent every year for political contributions are

very important,” Richman said.

“Redistricting is critical for fundamental political reform for

good government. I think redistricting is the right thing to do.”

Frommer did not have any formal plans to campaign, but said that

he is against virtually everything on the Nov. 8 ballot.

“It’s a waste of taxpayer’s money,” he said. “There’s not a single

initiative on it that will help schools or fix our budget crisis. At

this point, I’m thinking like a lot of Californians -- I’m thinking

of voting no on everything.... My ultimate feeling is a lot of this

stuff should be resolved in the Legislature.”

QUESTION

What legislation would you like to see local legislators working

on? E-mail your responses to o7burbankleader @latimes.comf7; mail

them to the Burbank Leader, 111 W. Wilson Ave., Glendale, CA 91203.

Please spell your name and include your address and phone number for

verification purposes only.

* DARLEENE BARRIENTOS covers business and politics. She may be

reached at (818) 637-3215 or by e-mail at

darleene.barrientoslatimes.com.