Instead, Catherine Reheis-Boyd, president of the Western States Petroleum Association, put out a perfunctory statement emphasizing that any such drilling would be subject to “stringent” and “overlapping” state rules as well as federal rules. And Golden State environmentalists and elected leaders pointed to all the different tools with which California could thwart the Trump administration initiative.

The most obvious is that the State Lands Commission controls and has long-established authority over the first three miles off California’s coast. No energy exploration company will pursue an offshore drilling project without certainty that it can get the oil or natural gas it pumps to refineries and related infrastructure onshore. Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, and Sen. Hannah Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, announced that they are preparing legislation to forbid the Lands Commission from approving new pipelines or infrastructure related to new offshore drilling. If the state of California blocks the construction of pipelines offshore and needed facilities onshore, offshore drilling isn’t economically feasible.

Former Coastal Commission lawyer sees plan as ‘grandstanding’

The huge obstacles led Ralph Faust, former general counsel for the California Coastal Commission, to tell the Los Angeles Times that the Trump administration’s plan “just seems like grandstanding.”

The Coastal Commission also has tools that give it a potential veto over what is happening in the federally controlled waters beyond three miles from shore – if it finds federally sanctioned actions are incompatible with the state’s offshore management plan. The federal courts have at times sided with states and at times with Washington when such claims are made.

While California is the third-largest oil-producing state in the United States – after Texas and North Dakota – its untapped potential has frustrated energy exploration companies for decades. No new offshore drilling, such as the facility off the Santa Barbara coast that is pictured on this post, has been approved in more than 30 years.

On land, some geologists think there are vast amounts of oil in the Monterey shale – a massive underground area along the Central California coast and inland – that could be recovered with fracking. Similar finds have yielded billions of dollars for oil exploration firms and substantial new tax revenues in North Dakota, Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

But while Gov. Jerry Brown initially seemed intrigued by the possibility of drilling in the Monterey shale after taking office in 2011, his interest disappeared after the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2014 decision to sharply reduce estimates of recoverable oil under the Golden State.

Florida’s request for exception quickly granted; California gripes ignored

Instead of grandstanding, as the former Coastal Commission counsel suggested, it’s also possible that the Trump administration and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke are trolling Gov. Jerry Brown and other Democratic leaders in the deep-blue Golden State.

On Tuesday, Zinke announced he was dropping plans to lease drilling sites off Florida at the request of the state’s governor, Rick Scott, a Republican.

Zinke has offered no comment on the far more vociferous objections to his offshore drilling plan from California’s top elected officials.

The Paramount Democrat’s move follows a court order for Assemblyman Roger Hernández to stay away from his wife for three years from whom he is getting divorced early Friday, as well as a particularly harsh editorial by the Sacramento Bee that same day.

Hernández, a West Covina Democrat, had been under slowly increasing pressure since mid-April when the allegations of domestic violence surfaced.

Days after the allegations surfaced, members of the women’s caucus, led by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, called for Hernández to step down. Rendon had been reluctant to take action until the allegations were “more fully validated.”

“Today, after a thorough process, the judge reviewing the allegations against Assemblymember Roger Hernández stated that she found those allegations credible,” Rendon said in a statement. “Assemblymember Hernández has problems in his personal life that need to be addressed, and he should focus on resolving them.”

Hernández was ordered to stay at least 100 yards from his wife, Susan Rubio, her home and her workplace until 2019, and 15 feet away from her at public events, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Following Rendon’s announcement, the women’s caucus vice chair, Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, expressed her gratitude for the move.

@AssemblyDems @Rendon63rd TY for your leadership.

— Cristina Garcia (@AsmGarcia) July 2, 2016

Sac Bee Editorial

On Friday morning, the Sacramento Bee Editorial Board called it a “low blow” when Hernández killed a bill sponsored by Jackson last week to help new parents for what seemed to be retribution for the women’s caucus’ demands that he step down.

The Bee echoed what observers at the time alleged when Hernández, the Labor and Employment Committee chairman, killed a scaled-down version of a bill he previously supported by abstaining to vote and bringing enough others along with him.

The bill would have expanded access to family leave, a program funded by automatic deductions from the worker’s paycheck, explained The Bee, adding its skepticism of Hernández’s explanation of his change of heart — that he now needed to be “cognizant of the cumulative burden of these provisions, particularly of small businesses.”

“Whatever that means,” wrote The Bee.

Rendon too

The Bee also aimed at Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, a Hernández ally who, as speaker, determines committee assignments and failed to assign any women to the committee. 

“Vote-ducking is cowardly and political payback should be reserved for politicians,” wrote The Bee. “But blame also goes to Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon who oversees committee assignments. How can a committee that handles every piece of workplace legislation in California have not one woman?”

Rendon did not immediately announce who would take over the chairmanship or if a woman would fill Hernández’s seat on the committee.

Allegations against Hernández

Rubio, Hernández’s wife and a Baldwin Park City Council member, previously accused him of assaulting her 20 times over a three-year period. In divorce court last month, Rubio detailed eight alleged incidents that included being choked with a belt, being beat with a broom while on the ground and being threatened with a knife after having been accused of an affair. 

No charges have been filed against Hernández.

Hernández is termed out of the Assembly. He had hoped to win a seat in Congress held by fellow-Democrat Grace Napolitano, but failed to advance from the primary. Hernández recently blamed his primary failure on Rubio. 

Past allegations

Hernández has been accused of wrongdoing before. In 2012, an ex-girlfriend accused him of domestic violence, although charges were never filed due to insufficient evidence. 

That same year, Hernández was arrested for drunk driving in a state vehicle, but was acquitted by a jury on one charge, while the jury was hung on another. 

And in 2015, allegations of political money laundering against Hernández were dropped by the Fair Political Practices Commission after two key witnesses were unable to testify — one had serious medical issues while the other had passed away. 

The perceived retaliation came two months after the West Covina Democrat was asked to step down by the bill’s sponsor amid domestic violence allegations (that he’s denied) surfaced and after being placed under a temporary restraining order from his wife.

Background

The bill, SB1166, was a priority of the Legislative Women’s Caucus and especially its chairwoman, Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, who had called for Hernández to step down along with other members of the women’s caucus.

The bill previously passed three Senate committees and the Senate floor along party lines, making it a measure widely supported by Democrats.

Outside the Capitol, it was supported by women’s rights activists like Sandra Fluke, who made national news in 2012 after being called a “slut” and “prostitute” by Rush Limbaugh for advocating for women’s access to birth control at a Congressional hearing while a law student at Georgetown University.

Join me & my fellow #StrongerCA coalition mbrs to urge @Roger_Hernandez stand w/#CA families & supprt @SenHannahBeth #SB1166 #NewParentLeave

— Sandra Fluke (@SandraFluke) June 22, 2016

Another group, the Equal Rights Advocates, which describes themselves as “civil rights champions, fighting since 1974 to expand and protect the opportunities of all women and girls,” also urged support earlier in the day.

.@Roger_Hernandez we urge your 'aye' vote on #SB1166 in Assm. Labor today! All new parents & children need bonding time. #StrongerCA

— EqualRightsAdvocates (@EqualRightsAdv) June 22, 2016

Abstain = No

There were other liberal activists and groups tweeting support, but when the bill came up for a vote in the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, four of the seven members abstained from voting, including Hernández, the chairman.

Bill was priority of@CaWomensCaucus Jackson had called on committee chair @Roger_Hernandez to step down following domestic abuse accusations

— Katie Orr (@1KatieOrr) June 22, 2016

Hernandez gave no indication at the hearing as to why he abstained from voting, and his office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment later in the day from CalWatchdog.

.@Roger_Hernandez did not comment on the bill or explain way he abstained during committee hearing.

— Katie Orr (@1KatieOrr) June 22, 2016

How others “voted”

The other members who abstained were Democratic Assemblymen Kansen Chu of San Jose, Patrick O’Donnell of Long Beach and Eric Linder, a Republican from Corona.

Chu and O’Donnell’s offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment from CalWatchdog. A spokesman for Linder told CalWatchdog that Linder supported expanding family leave and the main thrust of the bill, but had concerns over certain provisions.

Democrats Tony Thurmond of Richmond and Kevin McCarty of Sacramento voted in favor of the measure, while Republican Jim Patterson of Fresno voted against. 

Hmm. An all-male committee kills a bill that was priority of the women's caucus. #SB1166 @1KatieOrr @SenHannahBeth

— Laurel Rosenhall (@LaurelRosenhall) June 22, 2016

.@Roger_Hernandez, abstained on #SB1166, preserving the right for employers to threaten new parents with termination if they take #paidleave

— jenya cassidy (@oneunionmom) June 23, 2016

Since the domestic violence allegations surfaced, Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount, has chosen not to take action against Hernández, including removing him from the Labor and Employment chairmanship. Rendon did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the hearing. 

Allegations

Hernández’s wife, Baldwin Park City Councilmember Susan Rubio, previously accused him of assaulting her 20 times over a three-year period. In divorce court last month, Rubio detailed eight alleged incidents that included being choked with a belt, being beat with a broom while on the ground and being threatened with a knife after having been accused of an affair. 

No charges have been filed against Hernández.

Hernández is termed out of the Assembly. He had hoped to win a seat in Congress held by fellow-Democrat Grace Napolitano, but failed to advance from the primary. Hernández recently blamed his primary failure on Rubio. 

Past allegations

Hernández has been accused of wrongdoing before. In 2012, an ex-girlfriend accused him of domestic violence, although charges were never filed due to insufficient evidence. 

That same year, Hernández was arrested for drunk driving in a state vehicle, but was acquitted by a jury on one charge, while the jury was hung on another. 

And in 2015, allegations of political money laundering against Hernández were dropped by the Fair Political Practices Commission after two key witnesses were unable to testify — one had serious medical issues while the other had passed away. 

Hernández, a West Covina Democrat, is currently under a temporary restraining order from his wife, with whom he is getting divorced.

At divorce proceedings on Wednesday, Susan Rubio, a Baldwin Park City Councilwoman, alleged that Hernández assaulted her more than 20 times during a three year period, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“Given the serious and growing list of accusations, Assemblyman Hernández’s continued presence in the state Assembly brings dishonor to the entire California state Legislature,” Sen. Patricia Bates of Laguna Niguel said in a joint statement with Rep. Mimi Walters of Irvine and Harmeet K. Dhillon, the vice chair of the California Republican Party.

Other calls for action

Last month, the top Democrats in the Legislative Women’s Caucus, Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara and Asm. Cristina Garcia of Bell Gardens, called on Hernández to step down from his committee responsibilities, including his leadership post atop the Labor and Employment Committee, and to take a leave of absence until the legal matter with his wife is worked out.

Hernández has not been charged with a crime and he previously denied the allegations to media outlets and in court filings. His office did not respond to requests for comment.

This might hurt his run for Congress

According to the Times, Hernández’s attorney said in court that Rubio came forward with the allegations to hurt his political career. Hernández is termed-out of the Assembly and is running for Congress against incumbent Grace Napolitano, D-Norwalk.

“As a member of the California Congressional delegation, I urge Assemblyman Hernández to step down from his position and withdraw his name as a candidate for California’s 32nd Congressional District in light of the current accusations of serial abuse,” Walters said in the statement.    

Newest allegations

In court, Rubio gave detailed accounts of eight alleged incidents: One was of Hernández choking her with a belt, another was of Hernández dropping her to the ground and beating her with a broom and another was of Hernández threatening her with a knife after accusing her of having an affair, according to the Times.

“Domestic violence is a very serious issue in our society, not a ‘private matter’ to be brushed under the rug by a man holding public office,” Dhillon said.

Tepid response

The three women’s statement called on Democrats to “echo the demand” that Hernández step down. 

Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount, previously told CalWatchdog that he would take further action against Hernández “if the allegations are more fully validated.” And on Thursday, a spokesman said there was no update. 

History

It’s not the first time Hernández has been accused of wrongdoing. In 2012, an ex-girlfriend accused him of domestic violence, although charges were never filed due to insufficient evidence. 

That same year, Hernández was arrested for drunk driving in a state vehicle, but was acquitted by a jury on one charge, while the jury was hung on another. 

In 2015, allegations of political money laundering against Hernández were dropped by the Fair Political Practices Commission after two key witnesses were unable to testify — one had serious medical issues while the other had passed away. 

In a statement to CalWatchdog, Rendon, a Paramount Democrat, condemned domestic violence, but said he will not seek action at this time against Hernández, a Democrat from West Covina. 

It was just last month when Rendon announced his leadership team, which included Hernández atop the Labor and Employment Committee, the same leadership role he was in under Rendon’s predecessor, Toni Atkins, D-San Diego. 

“Since the temporary restraining order was filed against Assemblymember Hernández last week, there have been several conversations about what the next steps should be,” Rendon said. “If the allegations are more fully validated, I will be prepared to take further action.”

Calls to step aside

On Thursday, the Democratic chair and vice chair of the women’s caucus, Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara and Asm. Cristina Garcia of Bell Gardens, issued a statement calling for Hernández to step down until the matter with his estranged wife, Baldwin Park City Councilwoman Susan Rubio, is resolved.

“In the wake of the serious allegations against Assemblymember Roger Hernández, we believe he should step down from his committee assignments and his position as chair of the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee while his case is pending in court and take a leave of absence,” Jackson and Garcia wrote.

“While a determination is still pending on these most recent allegations and we respect his right to due process, it’s important that the Legislature send a strong and consistent message to victims about our commitment to confronting domestic violence and demonstrate that we take allegations seriously when they occur among one of our own,” Jackson and Garcia added. 

Rendon did not expand on what would constitute “more fully validated,” but no charges have been filed against Hernández. The situation places the new speaker in an awkward position between being cautious and appearing to set a soft behavioral standard for members.

“(Rendon) should have anticipated that such a problem would come up,” said John J. Pitney, Jr., a professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College. “It is not exactly unprecedented for California legislators to face accusations of bad behavior.”

What’s been alleged

Rubio is alleging that Hernández — who is seeking a seat in Congress — pushed, shoved, hit and choked her during their marriage, according to the Los Angeles Times. The couple is 16 months into divorce proceedings.

After an April 5 divorce hearing, Rubio alleges that Hernández “came ‘aggressively’ toward her and began shouting in her face,” prompting her to seek a restraining order. In the filing, Rubio included pictures of a bruised and scratched arm, the Times reported.  

Hernández denied the allegations to the Los Angeles Times on Thursday and other outlets and said he will not take a leave of absence or step aside from committee responsibilities.

Hernández was re-elected to a third and final term in 2014, beating his opponent by 9 points. 

Mostly quiet 

Besides Jackson, Garcia and one Republican assemblyman who has been calling for Hernández to be stripped of his chairmanship since he had security forcibly remove the Republican’s microphone at a committee hearing, other lawmakers have been quiet, as have outside groups.

In a long statement condemning domestic violence, the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence issued a statement of “concern” about the situation, but refused to take a position “(b)ecause the case at hand is open and ongoing, we do not have all the facts and cannot presume the nature of the evidence, nor the legal implications thereof.”

Troubles in the other chamber

Not that long ago, several Democratic senators ran afoul of the law. All were eventually convicted, unlike Hernández, who has not been charged. Although some were removed from leadership roles at the first sign of trouble. 

Sen. Roderick Wright of Inglewood was convicted of multiple voter fraud felonies, according to the Los Angeles Times. During the appeals process, he was removed from his committee chairmanship. 

Sen. Ron Calderon of Bell Gardens was removed from the executive board of the California Latino Legislative Caucus and from his legislative committee assignments after allegations of bribery surfaced. He had not been charged with any crimes at the time, but eventually took a leave of absence after federal corruption charges were filed. 

The apex of trouble was when Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco was indicted on charges of gun trafficking and public corruption (while in cahoots with a gangster named Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow). Yee was immediately stripped of all of his committee assignments. 

At the time, Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, had had enough. “Every indictment, every arrest, every arraignment and even every suspicion or allegation reflects very poorly on each of us and all of us,” Leno said at the time.

Leno did not respond to requests for comment on Friday about whether those feelings remained and if they applied to Hernández.

History

It’s not the first time Hernández has been accused of wrongdoing. In 2012, an ex-girlfriend accused him of domestic violence, although charges were never filed due to insufficient evidence. 

That same year, Hernández was arrested for drunk driving in a state vehicle, but was acquitted by a jury on one charge, while the jury was hung on another. 

In 2015, allegations of political money laundering against Hernández were dropped by the Fair Political Practices Commission after two key witnesses were unable to testify — one had serious medical issues while the other had passed away. 

Asm. Roger Hernández speaks on the Assembly floor in 2016. Photo courtesy of member’s office.

Following the news that the wife of Asm. Roger Hernández had filed a temporary restraining order against the West Covina Democrat, a lone colleague was questioning whether he should remain in a leadership position in the Assembly.

It wasn’t the newly chosen Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount, whose recently announced leadership team kept Hernández atop the Labor and Employment Committee.

It also wasn’t Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus. Nor was it the vice chair, Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens. And it wasn’t Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, one of the most outspoken champions of women’s issues in the Capitol.

Assemblyman Matthew Harper, R-Huntington Beach, went where those lawmakers would not, taking to Twitter Friday to question the lack of action from Assembly Democrats. Harper has been critical of Hernández before, dating back to when Harper was Hernández’s vice chairman on the Labor and Employment Committee.

Why is Hernandez Democrats' choice for Labor Committee Chair? Judge orders TRO. #DomesticViolence https://t.co/SP1Z7JUj8Y #CALEG #AD48 #CA32

— Matthew Harper (@AsmHarper) April 15, 2016

Hernandez’s office did not return requests for comment.

Restraining order

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported that Hernández’s wife, Susan Rubio, a Baldwin Park city council member whom he is divorcing, had obtained a temporary restraining order, alleging a history of violence.

“My wife and I are nearing the completion of a 16 month divorce case,” Hernandez told the Los Angeles Times. “And despite all of the tensions that arise in any difficult situation and negotiation, at no time prior to today has there ever been a suggestion that she would need a restraining order. In fact, just minutes before this alleged incident, we were both in front of a judge with our lawyers and this issue was never raised.”

The temporary restraining order will remain in effect until a hearing in divorce court May 4.

Congressional bid

Hernández is challenging Democratic Congresswoman Grace Napolitano for her seat, as he is termed out. On Friday, he cancelled his campaign kickoff that was scheduled for Saturday.

.@Roger_Hernandez cancels #CA32 campaign kickoff this weekend. Our story on new allegations: https://t.co/pqMKgrDtsG pic.twitter.com/pyXB3TTcV6

— John Myers (@johnmyers) April 15, 2016

Democrats’ response

Jackson, the chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, condemned domestic violence in a statement to CalWatchdog but declined to comment on Hernández.

“The Women’s Caucus takes domestic violence very seriously,” Jackson said. “While I cannot comment on Assemblymember Hernández’s specific situation, we believe our society should not tolerate domestic violence in any form.”

Rendon, Garcia, and Gonzalez did not respond to requests for comment.

In 2012, another woman sought an emergency protective order against Hernández, according to the news reports. At that time, a Baldwin Park councilwoman was demanding his resignation from the legislature.

History with Harper

Harper and Hernández have clashed before. Last July, Hernández had security remove Harper’s microphone at a committee hearing on increasing the minimum wage, after repeatedly talking over Harper’s microphone and calling a vote to close debate. Video suggests that even the clerk and deputies seemed confused by Hernández’s requests.

“Assemblyman Harper asked (then-Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego) for Hernández to be removed last year after the ‘microphone incident,’ instead Harper was removed, not only as vice-chair, but removed from Labor Committee all together,” Harper spokesperson Madeleine Cooper told CalWatchdog on Friday. “With the recent court findings, there is even stronger evidence of the man that Hernández is and yes, he should be removed as chair now more than ever.”

Deflating anxiety

“Drone technology certainly raises novel issues that merit careful examination. This bill, however, while well-intentioned, could expose the occasional hobbyist and the FAA-approved commercial user alike to burdensome litigation and new causes of action,” Brown noted in his veto statement, as the Los Angeles Times reported.

Amateur drone enthusiasts have recently taken heat for interfering with emergency responders and posing a hazard to air traffic. But a recent study conducted by hobbyists’ advocacy group the Academy of Model Aeronautics challenged that blanket judgment. “Hobbyists who scrutinized reports to the FAA of alleged close calls with drones found that pilots reported near misses in only a small fraction of the cases,” as USA Today reported. “The study found that of the 764 close-call incidents between drones and other aircraft, only 27 were actually described by pilots as a ‘near miss,'” with pilots taking evasive action just 10 times.

The governor also cautioned that the legislation’s height restriction would criminalize drone use “whether or not anyone’s privacy was violated by the flight,” the Orange County Register observed.

State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, took the defeat stoically. “I am obviously disappointed that the governor vetoed my drone privacy legislation, but pleased the bill launched an important discussion on our privacy and private property rights and drones,” she said in a post to Facebook, according to Wired.

Industry advocates, on the other hand, showed little restraint in hailing the move. “Brendan Schulman, the vice president of policy and legal affairs for drone maker DJI, called the veto ‘a huge victory for drone innovation,'” Wired added.

Big implications

Fearing a slippery slope, prominent names in news media also jumped into the fray, warning Brown of insurmountable difficulties if he signed the bill into law. “The groups, including professional organizations like the Society of Professional Journalists and outlets like CNN and the parent company of the Los Angeles Times, said in a letter Thursday to Gov. Jerry Brown that this restriction will make it incredibly difficult for reporters to use drones for newsgathering purposes,” The Hill reported. The would-be hurdles threatened “the public’s right to receive news,” the letter cautioned, especially during the early moments of breaking news coverage.

Although Brown’s decision was also seen as a big win for companies like Amazon and Google, which are poised to incorporate drones into their businesses, neither of those tech titans have come forward with comment. Significant questions remain as to how they could proceed with possible innovations like drone delivery of packages under current FAA regulations.

Legal uncertainty

The government agency recently turned its attention to laying out strictures that could govern a more drone-heavy future. “The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed rules for commercial drones that would restrict flights to below 500 feet,” as the Wall Street Journal reported. “Above that level is generally reserved for manned aircraft. Under those rules, the bill would have left commercial drone users just a 150-foot ribbon of airspace over much of the state. If companies wanted to fly lower, they would have needed to get permission from dozens of landowners for some flights, which could be a logistical nightmare.”

Brown’s decision increased the likelihood that Washington, D.C., would move faster than Sacramento in getting new rules and guidelines through. “The Federal Aviation Administration is moving toward finalizing rules for drone use, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is leading stakeholder discussions to develop best practices for using drones,” The Hill observed.

In the meanwhile, according to the Journal, the FAA has insisted that its regulations preempt state law, a stance that likely tees up judicial intervention. Some 17 states have passed laws of their own setting limits on drone use.

Privacy vs. productivity

The bill cleared both chambers of the state Legislature “despite bipartisan concern about regulating the budding drone industry,” Courthouse News reported. “If signed by the governor, the bill would make it a trespass violation to fly an unmanned drone over private property without consent.” Any drone flying below 350 feet above private property without “express permission” would run afoul of the would-be law.

Drone industry figures and pro-tech activists have warned that excessively restrictive regulations would throw a monkeywrench into the explosive, lucrative and potentially very useful application of UAV technology. In a joint statement reported by Courthouse News, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and the Consumer Electronic Association lambasted the bill. “SB142 would damage California’s leadership and handcuff innovation, just as this largely California-based and dynamically expanding industry is poised to bring major job growth to the state — adding roughly 18,000 new jobs and more than $14 billion in economic impact in the first decade once federal guidelines are implemented,” they warned.

In remarks supplied to Inc. magazine, Mike Winn, CEO of San Francisco-based software developer DroneDeploy, complained that the bill “doesn’t meaningfully address privacy issues,” instead “arbitrarily reducing the ways drones can create value. We’d encourage California and other law makers to enforce existing laws that prevent trespassing and provide remedies for privacy violations and focus on the bigger issues in the states,” he suggested.

But Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Glendale, a supporter of the drone-curbing bill SB142 introduced by state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, claimed that “the 50-foot zone between private property and federally controlled airspace could potentially be used as a corridor for commercial drones performing such functions as delivering packages,” McClatchy reported.

Drone politics have not divided neatly along party lines. In the Assembly, the bill drew opposition from both sides of the aisle.

Improvising solutions

In the absence of statewide guidance, law enforcement officials availing themselves of drones have had to improvise a public relations and public safety strategy.

In Ventura County, where the police force became the first in Southern California to receive FAA drone authorization, the sheriff’s department had to use “the reverse 911 system [in the] immediate area to notify residents we were about to deploy a UAV,” Cmdr. Chris Dunn told lawmakers in a hearing of the Joint Legislative Committee of Emergency Management, according to the area paper the Moorpark Acorn.

“We do that so that, one, they won’t be shocked at the sight of the device in their area, and two, in hopes that they don’t interfere in the operation of the device by throwing things at it or trying to launch their own device in support of our mission,” he said.

Although SB142 would lift the burden of sorting out drone protocols from city and municipal officials, critics insisted that the problem of inconsistent, confusing and conflicting law would only be pushed upward. Without nationwide standards of guidance supplied by the FAA, “states will continue to set laws that will inevitably conflict with each other and will cause confusion about where and how operators can fly,” Christian Sanz, CEO of San Francisco drone manufacturer Skycatch, told Inc.

The FAA has slowly turned its attention toward the nationwide commercial use of drones. “In April, the Federal Aviation Administration granted Amazon authorization to test drones outdoors for its yet-to-be-launched Prime Air service, which hopes to use drones to deliver products to a customer’s doorstep within 30 minutes of an online order,” as the Sacramento Bee reported. But the proliferation of drones among hobbyists, rather than corporations, has remained the foremost preoccupation of legislators in California and elsewhere.

Broad support

Gathering steam since its introduction in February, Senate Bill 358, introduced by state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, passed the Legislature’s higher chamber in May. Notably, the bill sailed through with all but unanimous bipartisan support (one Democrat did not vote). What’s more, as the Fresno Bee observed, the state Chamber of Commerce threw its weight behind the bill “partly because gray areas in existing law are confusing and costly for employers.”

Nevertheless, as the Bee reported, SB358 — known as the California Fair Pay Act — didn’t just tidy up uncertainties in the law. In addition to prohibiting retaliation against workers who share details about their salaries, “it requires employers to prove that wage differences are due to legitimate business necessity, such as superior education or experience, and not gender-driven.”

In a distinctly Californian touch, the bill was introduced two days after actress Patricia Arquette delivered a much-discussed call for wage equality during her Oscar acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, as CBS Los Angeles noted. “We know that janitors, because they tend to be male occupations, tend to get paid more than that housekeeper,” said Jackson on the bill’s debut. “The question becomes, is that work more valuable? And if you look at the differences between that work, the answer is likely to be no, it isn’t more valuable.”

Crafting consensus

As the bill began to make its way through committee in the state Senate, supporters gained momentum even as a Silicon Valley plaintiff lost a high-profile wage lawsuit and related reforms at the federal level failed. SB358 arrived less than half a year after then-junior investment partner Ellen Pao “lost her three-year battle with Silicon Valley’s most prestigious venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins,” the San Jose Mercury News recalled.

“A growing debate and frustration over the gender pay gap has taken center stage in the Bay Area, and especially Silicon Valley, after recent legal battles have exposed how difficult it can be for women who challenge their male bosses for fair pay.”

Meanwhile, at the federal level, the Paycheck Fairness Act, introduced two years ago by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., received its third and final setback at the hands of Senate Republicans concerned its language would “cause women to lose their jobs,” as the Guardian reported. To head off that criticism, Jackson announced that California business interests would not harbor similar fears as SB358 went forward. “We are working closely with the California Chamber of Commerce to refine the California Fair Pay Act,” she said, according to the Guardian.

In one example of a compromise, employers were not required by the bill to disclose salary information to employees trying to negotiate a raise. “If I’m an employee, and I think you are making more than I am, but I am working as hard as you, probably the same education as you and same experience, I can go to you and say, would you tell me what you are making? You have the right to say no,” Jackson told KXTV-Sacramento.

The softer touch appeared to be enough to shift California’s Republicans and its business lobby over to Jackson’s side. “While the new law won’t force disclosure of men’s salaries, supporters of the measure hope it will begin to change the ‘culture of secrecy’ in the private sector about salaries. The Equal Pay Act attempts to root out not just intentional gender discrimination in the workplace, but subconscious discrimination,” the Mercury News noted.

As CalWatchdog.com reported last Aug. 25:

“State Senator Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, was arrested early Friday morning on suspicion of drinking and driving. He reportedly spent the night drinking wine and tequila in the State Capitol and at a local restaurant with several of his colleagues. Years before, he voted to ban drinking at public beaches.”

Now, the Los Angeles Times just reported:

“The state purchased $540,000 worth of new Ford Fusion Hybrids and other cars for legislators over the last 18 months, prompting criticism from taxpayer activists who call the vehicles unnecessary political perks given at a time when many Californians continue to struggle financially. …

“The 2015 cars were assigned to the more senior lawmakers, Alvarez said, including Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) and Democratic Sens. Ben Hueso of San Diego, Marty Block of San Diego, Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens, Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara and Richard Roth of Riverside. The newer cars also went to Republican Sens. Joel Anderson of San Diego and Mike Morrell of Riverside.”

Hueso also worked on a bill to kill Uber, the ride-sharing company. In that instance, Gov. Jerry Brown worked out a compromise to tighten safety while keeping one of San Francisco’s brightest new tech companies — and competitors such as Lyft — going strong in their home state.

In the November election, voters re-elected Hueso with 55 percent of the vote, to 45 percent for fellow Democrat Rafael Estrada.

The car purchases come after de Leon laid off 39 staffers, many of whom wrote the analyses of bills that citizens, journalists and lawmakers rely on to figure out what’s going on in government.

All bills are online at the state’s site, Bill Information. The analyses put into plain English legislative language that often is difficult to understand. And the analyses often include historical information especially useful now that term limits have reduced the “institutional memory” in the Legislature.

The analyses also partly made up for the sharp reduction in news coverage of the state Capitol the past decade as newspapers have cut staffs. It’s this type of gap in information that CalWatchdog.com works to fill.