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State grass, yes; Redskin mascot, no

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  • State grass, yes; Redskin mascot, no

    The Modesto Bee

    State grass, yes; Redskin mascot, no

    By ERIC STERN
    BEE CAPITOL BUREAU


    Last Updated: August 31, 2004, 06:08:38 AM PDT


    SACRAMENTO -- Worried about a dry lawn under the new water-meter mandate?
    Try planting some drought-resistant purple needlegrass -- named the official
    state grass last week as lawmakers finished up their work for the year early
    Saturday.

    In the closing hours of the legislative session, dozens of bills that affect
    San Joaquin Valley residents made their way to the governor's desk, from tax
    breaks for survivors of the Armenian genocide in 1915 to tax breaks for
    Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta farmers who were flooded when a levee broke in
    June.

    Gov. Schwarzenegger has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the bills.

    Here's a look at how some local proposals fared:

    Schools

    Area lawmakers brought home $20 million to open the doors of the University
    of California at Merced by fall 2005.

    Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, carried a bill on behalf of Ceres school
    officials to untangle a technicality in the school-funding formula that
    restores their in-school suspension program.

    Students at Gustine High and Calaveras High will have to choose a new mascot
    other than Redskins, while a bill by Assemblyman Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, to
    enforce dress-code policies never got out of committee, despite a push by
    Stanislaus County school and law enforcement officials.

    Jobs and business growth

    The search for a Wal-Mart Supercenter in the valley might get tougher if
    Schwarzenegger signs a bill that requires a detailed economic impact study
    on how a proposed big-box retail development would affect traffic and other
    businesses.

    Meanwhile, a bill by Assemblywoman Barbara Matthews

    D-Tracy, that would have let Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties counter
    problems with Bay Area growth by creating "jobs-housing opportunity zones"
    with tax incentives, has failed.

    Crime

    Legislators took aim at sex offenders, passing a bill to block Cary Verse
    from moving to Merced. They also agreed to pay for increased police patrols
    and lighting when a sexually violent predator such as Verse is released from
    a state treatment facility into a community.

    Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian, R-Stockton, saw legislation go to the governor
    that would give law enforcement officials notice when a teenage sex offender
    moves into a neighborhood group home.

    But two big funding measures died on the last day of session -- for the
    Scott Peterson case and for the 17-day manhunt in Merced for a suspected
    cop-killer.

    Transportation

    Money for road projects to relieve traffic congestion on Bay Area routes
    such as Interstates 205 and 580 and on Highway 99 was restored in the
    budget, while a statewide vote on a high-speed rail line from San Francisco
    to Los Angeles that cuts through the valley was delayed until 2006.

    Legislators also revived a proposal to issue driver's licenses to illegal
    immigrants, which is all-but-certain to be vetoed by Schwarzenegger.

    A Westley rest stop off I-5 will be renamed for Larry Combs, a state
    Department of Transportation worker, under a resolution by Denham.

    Agriculture

    The mad cow disease scare got lawmakers talking, and they passed a law
    requiring state health officials to notify the public which retailers have
    received contaminated meat that has been subject to a recall.

    But a bill by Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden, to create a broader testing
    program for bad meat died in committee.

    Two pesticide-related measures went to the governor. One prohibits grape
    pickers from taste-testing grapes in the field; the other holds pesticide
    sprayers liable for medical damages if people get sick from drifting
    chemical clouds.

    Legislators also agreed to raise vehicle license fees by $2 and tire
    disposal fees to $1.50 to pay for more air pollution programs, including
    state grants to upgrade farm and school bus engines.

    Water

    Sen. Chuck Poochigian, R-Fresno, helped get state aid for repair work on the
    Middle River levee breach and tax relief to flooded farmers in the delta.

    The end of flat rates for unlimited water use is coming. A
    water-conservation bill on Schwarzenegger's desk would require metered water
    bills in all homes and businesses by 2025.

    Machado's bill about purple needlegrass -- a tall wispy grass found in
    coastal grassland and in the Sierra foothills -- was signed into law Aug.
    23.

    Bee Capitol Bureau reporter Eric Stern can be reached at 916-326-5544 or
    [email protected].
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