Page 7 - ATODAY
P. 7
U.S. NEWS A7
Wednesday 14 October
California’s sweeping new social policies could set trend
JULIET WILLIAMS California Gov. Jerry Brown, sitting center, surrounded by government officials, signs landmark approve tax increases or
Associated Press legislation, bill SB350 by Senate President pro Tempore Kevin De Leon, third from left, to combat fees.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) climate change by increasing the state’s renewable electricity use to 50 percent and doubling Brown won approval for ro-
— California ends its legisla- energy efficiency in existing buildings by 2030 at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. bust climate change legis-
tive season having enact- 7, 2015. lation. But Republicans and
ed some of the country’s moderate Democrats who
most aggressive social poli- (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) are a growing force in the
cies: Laws requiring student state capital successfully
vaccinations, granting ter- Catholic and former Jesuit of activist Brittany May- passed the nation’s first law stripped it of a mandate to
minally ill people the right seminarian, ended months nard, a California woman two decades ago.” cut oil use in California by
to take life-ending medi- of speculation when he with terminal brain cancer With the worst of the state’s half within 15 years, mark-
cations, and mandating signed the hotly debated who moved to Oregon to budget crisis behind them, ing a rare defeat for the
equal pay for women were right-to-die law, saying he legally end her life. Democratic lawmakers 77-year-old governor.
among dozens approved. doesn’t want to deprive The legislation faltered who control both houses The new law requires the
The range of sweeping new the terminally ill of that op- elsewhere, but advocates of the Legislature are free state to get half its electric-
laws in the most populous tion. hailed the California win as to resume a liberal agenda ity from renewable sources
state reflects legislators’ de- Advocates pushed for such their most significant. They of extending protections by 2030, continuing Califor-
sire to set a national trend laws in at least two dozen called it the “biggest victo- to the most vulnerable. But nia’s “leadership in terms of
on progressive social and states this year following ry for the death-with-dignity they lack the critical two- social and environmental
environmental issues while the highly publicized death movement since Oregon thirds majority required to issues,” said Larry Gerston,
sidestepping more thorny a professor emeritus at San
economic matters. Jose State University.
Many interest groups and Similarly, several states al-
politicians see California ready are examining equal
as the brass ring for setting pay legislation after its pas-
policies — and then testing sage in California.
whether those policies can “It’s the panoply of issues
withstand rigorous chal- that California, if not in a
lenges. leadership position, is al-
“Both the vaccine bill and ways close to it,” Gerston
the right-to-die legislation said. “The various voic-
will be seriously looked at es are represented here
by other states,” said Sherry much more, in more force-
Bebitch-Jeffe, senior po- ful ways.” Despite the Leg-
litical science fellow at the islature’s liberal bent, the
University of Southern Cali- year also marked another
fornia. “If it can pass here win for business interests,
and it is perceived to work who defeated 18 of the 19
here, I think the proponents bills the Chamber of Com-
have a big positive jolt out merce dubbed “job kill-
of the victory in California.” ers.” Besides stripping the
She believes over the next climate bill of an oil man-
five to 10 years, the nation date, they again stymied
will look more like California efforts to tax tobacco and
both demographically and oil, and opted not to alter
politically. the state’s landmark prop-
Gov. Jerry Brown, a lifelong erty tax limitation law.q
