As the legislative session wraps up, here’s what local lawmakers achieved.

There’s been a flurry of activity out of the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom lately, as his Oct. 14 deadline to sign or veto bills approaches. It’s his chance to give his blessing (or not) to what the Legislature passed in their 2023 session. And the list of new laws is long, covering everything from the esoteric (tax exemptions on personal property used in space flight) to the mundane (adjusting licensing fees on professions such as veterinary technicians).

It was also the first legislative session that had Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, in the influential chair as Speaker of the Assembly. Rivas’ role has changed to that of managing the flow of bills through the Assembly, meaning his own slate of bills was shorter than usual – but freshman Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-Morro Bay, says his leadership will have a major impact for marginalized people, specifically in funding for Pajaro. “It’s one of those things you know is going to have real human impact,” Addis says.

(Rivas also authored resolutions declaring School Breakfast Week and Stuttering Awareness Week.)

State Sen. John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, introduced more than a dozen bills that have been signed into law. They include Senate Bill 540, which requires the state Department of Cannabis Control and the Department of Public Health to produce a brochure about safe cannabis consumption (yes, brochures are still a thing, and they are still sometimes mandated, whether or not you read them).

Laird’s SB 272 anticipates the reality that is climate change, and directs local governments in the Coastal Zone to develop sea level rise plans by 2034.

Most relevant to locals is his SB 38, authored in response to fires at lithium ion battery facilities in Moss Landing that raised community concerns and questions – and also a 12-hour shelter-in-place order due to potentially harmful fumes as a battery pack burned itself out.

SB 38 accepts that there is a certain inherent risk to such technologies, but that the community needs to be aware of the risk. The law requires battery storage facilities to develop an emergency response plan (in coordination with local emergency response agencies) and to establish a notification and communication procedure. Those plans will be submitted to the county and city where the facility is located, making them publicly accessible to all.

“Increasing the state’s battery storage is essential to reaching our clean energy goals,” Laird said in a statement, “but we also have to ensure that these facilities have safety systems in place to protect the health and well-being of workers and surrounding communities.”

For Addis, it was a productive first legislative session. Her slate of legislation covers a range of topics, from justice for survivors of sexual assault to bilingual education to tax-exempt bonds to expand residential care facilities for seniors.

Assembly Bill 452, co-authored with State Sen. Nancy Skinner, removes a statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual assault to file civil claims seeking damages. The bill came about after a constituent came forward with a story about being time-limited out of filing a claim.

“There is so much shame. It really does stop people from coming forward,” Addis says. “To lift [a time limit] will allow survivors’ voices to be heard.”

Not all of her bills will be chaptered into law. She introduced a successful parental leave bill that would lengthen time off for California State University employees, but Newsom vetoed it on Oct. 7, citing the cost, as well as ongoing labor negotiations with the California Faculty Association.

Two bills by Addis concerned with ocean health – one would establish monitoring of offshore wind facility construction and operations, and one would guide kelp restoration – are stalled in the Senate and will be taken up again next year.

But it’s not so much the list of bills that Addis says was satisfying in her first nearly-year serving as a state lawmaker. It’s constituent services. “Our staff spends a lot of time with constituents, unlocking money from the Employment Development Department or the Franchise Tax Board,” she says. “That’s been one of the most gratifying pieces – seeing how we are able to serve constituents right at home.”

SARA RUBIN is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@mcweekly.com.