CalWatchdog Morning Read – August 25

• Environmentalists won on Wednesday
• Student test scores show CA has long way to go
• CA may soon have new definition of rape
• Opposition is the other party, but the other chamber is the enemy
• Policing for profit bill heads to Gov. Brown

Lawmakers on Wednesday sent a measure to Gov. Jerry Brown creating legislative oversight of the California Air Resources Board — a vital piece in the state’s climate agenda.

Assembly Bill 197’s companion legislation, SB32, which expands CARB’s authority to create and implement programs to meet reduced greenhouse gas emission targets, can only become law if the oversight bill is signed into law.

The oversight bill would create a joint legislative committee to oversee CARB and would add two legislators to CARB as non-voting members. 

CalWatchdog has more. 

In other news:

• “If the state’s revamped standardized tests are accurately measuring what they set out to measure, one thing is clear: California has miles to go before all of its students are on an equal footing to face an economy that increasingly demands a college degree and stronger workplace skills. The good news, if there is good news, is there’s improvement over last year,” writes the Los Angeles Times.

• “California lawmakers have sent a bill to the governor’s desk that would expand the legal definition of rape so it includes all forms of nonconsensual sexual assault,” writes the Los Angeles Times.

• “Welcome to the state Legislature’s annual civil war. Forget Democrats and Republicans – the divide most likely to make an impact on the outcome of this session is the perpetual rivalry between the Senate and Assembly. It’s a long-running tension, built naturally into the bicameral setup of the legislative process, that might wax and wane with differences in the relationships between house leaders and policy priorities. But it tends to flare up again at the end of every session as each house gets its hands on the other’s bills, holding some for ransom and enacting their revenge for slights, real or perceived,” writes The Sacramento Bee.

• Legislature sends bill curbing abuses by law enforcement of civil asset forfeiture to Gov. Jerry Brown, reports The Sacramento Bee.  

Assembly:

• In at 10 a.m.

Senate:

• In at 10 a.m.

Gov. Brown:

• No public events announced. 

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