governor jerry brown Archives

California Governor Vetoes Bill to Ban Smoking and Vaping at State Parks and Beaches

October 9, 2017October 9, 2017

Legislation passed by California’s House and Senate to ban smoking and vaping at state parks and beaches has been vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown.

Senate Bill 386 would have banned smoking and vaping at all California parks and beaches and would have mandated that signage be posted alerting patrons to the new law. This would have effected nearly 300 state parks and nearly 300 miles of state beaches.

If the measure wasn’t vetoed, it would have instituted fines of up to $485 for those caught smoking tobacco or cannabis.

California Bill to Prevent Deportation and Loss of Public Benefits for Minor Drug Offenses Passes Legislature

September 10, 2015

By Drug Policy Alliance

Sacramento – Today, the California Senate took a bold step toward addressing the often-devastating consequences of a minor drug law violation, such as deportation and the loss of federal housing and educational benefits. The Senate vote was 21-15, with 4 members absent. The bill heads to Governor Brown’s desk for approval.

Currently, convictions for minor drug law violations result in much harsher consequences for noncitizens. The consequences can be immediate and devastating, including deportation, mandatory detention, and permanent separation of families.

California Governor Signs Bill Prohibiting Medical Cannabis Patients from Being Denied Organ Transplants

July 7, 2015July 6, 2015

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill that prohibits medical cannabis patients from being denied organ transplants based solely on their use of the medicine, or their status as a patient. Assembly Bill 258 was approved overwhelmingly in the state’s legislature, 85 to 9.

The new law ensures that “A hospital, physician and surgeon, procurement organization, or other person shall not determine the ultimate recipient of an anatomical gift based solely upon a potential recipient’s status as a qualified patient… or based solely on a positive test for the use of medical marijuana by a potential recipient who is a qualified patient.”

California Legislature Passes Bill Prohibiting Medical Cannabis Patients from Being Denied Organ Transplants

June 25, 2015June 23, 2015

California’s full Legislature has given approval to Assembly Bill 258, a proposal to prohibit medical cannabis patients from being denied organ transplants based solely on their use of the medicine, or their status as a patient. The measure was passed by the Senate 33 to 1, and was approved in April by the House 52 to 8.

Assembly Bill 258 now heads to Governor Jerry Brown who has 30 days to sign it into law, allow it to become law without his signature, or veto it.

California Senate Committee Unanimously Passes Bill to Prohibit Patients from being Denied Organ Transplants

June 18, 2015

California’s Senate Health Committee has unanimously passed a bill that would prohibit medical cannabis patients from being denied organ transplants based on their cannabis use, or their status as a qualified patient. The proposal has already passed the state’s full Assembly with a 52 to 8 vote.

Specifically, Assembly Bill 258 will ensure that “A hospital, physician and surgeon, procurement organization, or other person shall not determine the ultimate recipient of an anatomical gift based solely upon a potential recipient’s status as a qualified patient… or based solely on a positive test for the use of medical marijuana by a potential recipient who is a qualified patient.”

California Fair Sentencing Act Signed Into Law

September 29, 2014September 29, 2014

By Phillip Smith, StoptheDrugWar.org

California Gov. Jerry Brown Sunday signed into law the Fair Sentencing Act, which will undo racial disparities in the sentencing of cocaine offenders under laws passed during the crack cocaine hysteria of the 1980s. Brown did not issue a signing statement.

The law, Senate Bill 1010, eliminates sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine offenses. It also eliminates related disparities in probation and asset forfeiture guidelines for those offenses.

“Whether sold as crack or powder, used on the street or in a corporate penthouse, the penalty for cocaine use should be the same for everybody,” said Senator Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), chair of California’s Legislative Black Caucus. “My bill establishes fairness in sentencing. We must break the drug-driven cycle of arrest, lock-up, unemployability and re-arrest,” Mitchell went on to say. “The law isn’t supposed to be a pipeline that disproportionately channels the young, urban and unemployed into jail and joblessness.”