With state coffers hurting, lawmakers will be grappling with three proposals for new specialized license plates to raise money for various public services.
To combat bullying, a specialty plate containing an anti-discrimination message is proposed in Assembly Bill 1539 by Democratic Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi of Castro Valley to assist tolerance programs in schools.
Beleaguered state parks would benefit from the sale of specialty plates proposed in Assembly Bill 1589 by Democratic Assemblyman Jared Huffman of San Rafael.
Spaying and neutering is the goal of Assemblyman Jose Solorio after a program to boost that cause got approved last year but has struggled to obtain the 7,500 advance orders needed to launch plate production.
Solorio, D-Santa Ana, is pushing Assembly Bill 610 to lower the initial threshold to 3,500 for the spay and neuter fundraiser. His bill calls for an additional 4,000 plates to be sold within one year.
No legislation is proposed to lower the cost for motorists who want any of the eight different specialty plates available: They'll still cost roughly $50 to $100 to order.
BILL WATCH
Assemblyman Donald Wagner has introduced a bill that would cap state and local pensions. The Irvine Republican's measure, Assembly Bill 1633, would cap pensions for workers who don't participate in Social Security at $100,000 per year. The cap would apply to pensions of employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 2013.
– Jon Ortiz
WORTH REPEATING
"One of the main problems that the High-Speed Rail Authority has had … is that it's been mainly focused on building a train. When all you're focused on is building a train, you tend to tell people to get out of the way because you're coming through with the train."
DAN RICHARD, rail authority chairman, in Fresno, bemoaning the accumulated lack of trust among affected landowners
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