Newsom signs gun control legislation + November ballot initiatives are locked in

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

NEWSOM SIGNS A PAIR OF GUN CONTROL BILLS

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a pair of gun control bills Friday, one cracking further down on “ghost guns,” and the other barring the gun industry from marketing to minors.

“From our schools to our parks to our homes, our kids deserve to be safe – in California, we’re making that a reality,” Newsom said in a statement. “The lives of our kids are at stake and we’re putting everything on the table to respond to this crisis.”

First up was AB 2571, which prohibits the gun industry from pitching to minors. As an example, Newsom’s office pointed to a “JR-15” marketed to kids, “complete with cartoon child skulls with pacifiers.”

The bill was authored by Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda, who said in a statement, “Guns are not toys — they are deadly weapons. California has some of the strongest gun laws in the country and it is unconscionable that we still allow advertising weapons of war to our children.”

AB 1621 takes a tougher line on “ghost guns,” in part by restricting firearms that do not have a unique mark of identification or serial number.

Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Carson, who authored the bill, said in a statement, “Alarmingly, we are finding that more and more, no region or demographic is exempt from gun violence...The proliferation of ghost guns, which are intentionally untraceable weapons to evade law enforcement, has only worsened the issue.”

NOVEMBER BALLOT MEASURES

The California Secretary of State’s Office has made it official: There will be seven propositions on the ballot this November.

Proposition 1 is SCA 10 by another name, and asks voters whether the right to have an abortion should be enshrined in the California Constitution. It comes in direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade and handing the legality of abortions to the states to decide.

Proposition 26 is the tribal-backed gambling initiative, which would allow for sports betting on tribal lands, as well as at privately operated horse-racing tracks in four specified counties.

Proposition 27 is the competing, online sports-betting initiative sponsored by companies like FanDuel and DraftKings. It would legalize online and mobile device sports wagering in the state.

Proposition 28 would provide additional funding for arts and music education in public schools, including charter schools, by allocating from the state general fund an amount equaling 1% of required state and local funding for public schools.

Proposition 29 is the latest attempt to regulate the dialysis industry by requiring on-site licensed medical professionals at kidney dialysis clinics.

Proposition 30 would tax people making more than $2 million a year to fund greenhouse gas emission reduction programs, includingrebates for the purchase of zero-emission vehicles.

Proposition 31 is a referendum on the 2020 law that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, in California.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Who’s ready for FY 23-24 #cabudget???”

- Consultant Kristina Bas Hamilton, demonstrating that the budget cycle never, ever ends, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

• California is banning state-funded travel to four states that passed laws this year prohibiting transgender women and girls from competing in school sports according to their gender identities, via Wes Venteicher.

• Environmentalists called it a back-door scheme to put new energy projects on the fast track — while perpetuating the lives of several controversial power plants from years past. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration called it a common-sense plan that respects environmental regulations while making sure California keeps the lights on. In the end, Newsom got his wish, via Dale Kasler.

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Friday that decriminalizes loitering for the purposes of prostitution, via Andrew Sheeler.