The Buzz: Who says analyzing bills can't be fun?

The lot of a committee consultant is not an easy one. He or she must slog through mounds of bills, study the contents, and then make them understandable for even legislators and journalists.

So one appreciates the little gems of humor that now and then make their way into a bill analysis. Like the one prepared by Senate Local Government Committee analyst Brian Weinberger for AB 1856. The bill would allow the Elsinore Water District's board of directors to hold its public meetings outside district boundaries in order to accommodate larger crowds.

Weinberger headed his "comments" section of AB 1856's analysis "Horseshoes, hand grenades and public meetings," and wrote "regardless of the admonition that 'close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades,' the Elsinore Water District ought to be permitted to conduct its board meetings close to the District's boundaries."

Admirable work. And as his Shakespeare-minded colleague Peter Detwiler points out, restrained, too: Weinberger could have referred to the small SoCal town of Elsinore as a "hamlet."

We're No. 1! (maybe)

Not to sound overly parochial, but when it comes to state budget deficits, California is at the nation's forefront. Or backpack, depending on one's perspective.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 23 states are facing budget gaps in the coming fiscal year. An NCSL survey compiled last month found that as a percentage of its general operating fund, California's projected deficit (11.2 percent) trailed only Alabama (12.6 percent) and neighboring Nevada (16.9 percent) and Arizona (17.9 percent) in terms of the size of its sea of red ink.

But that was when the state's deficit was estimated at only $11.5 billion. If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's most recent guesstimate of $20 billion turns out to be true, the deficit would climb to 19.7 percent of the budget and the Golden State would vault to the top of the heap – or fall to the bottom of the pile.

Depending on one's perspective.

How laws are made

Back in February, Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D–San Rafael, introduced AB 2820. It required utility companies to transmit electricity from renewable sources generated by a local public agency to another local public agency. Sounds simple enough.

But it turns out there was another bill by Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, that did sort of the same thing. And since Laird outranks Huffman, seniority-wise, Huffman wisely amended the contents of his bill into Laird's.

Only this left Huffman with an empty bill. So AB 2820 then became a measure that declared that liquor stores don't have to put alcoholic beverages into paper bags before they can be carried out the door.

Only according to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Department, there is no current requirement about booze and paper bags, although they apparently get a lot of calls from retailers asking about the requirement.

Oh, yeah, AB 2820. It now resides dormant in the Rules Committee. Anyone need an empty bill?

About the writer:

• The Buzz is compiled by The Bee's Capitol Bureau and written by Bee columnist Steve Wiegand. Reach him at (916)321-1076 or swiegand@sacbee.com.