Legislature OKs big changes: plastic bags ban, groundwater rules Legislature passes flurry of bills before the holiday

Wildflowers line a hillside looking down onto the San Gabriel Reservoir, which provides flood control, groundwater recharge flows and hydroelectricity for the heavily populated San Gabriel Valley in the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. The state Legislature approved two bills that puts California in line with other states by regulating groundwater in an effort to address harmful over-drafting, particularly during the state's drought. less Wildflowers line a hillside looking down onto the San Gabriel Reservoir, which provides flood control, groundwater recharge flows and hydroelectricity for the heavily populated San Gabriel Valley in the Greater ... more Photo: Frederic J. Brown, AFP/Getty Images Photo: Frederic J. Brown, AFP/Getty Images Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Legislature OKs big changes: plastic bags ban, groundwater rules 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

Sacramento --

Historic and controversial groundwater management rules and a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags were among the bills the California Legislature approved during a marathon session Friday that ended early Saturday morning.

Dozens of bills were sent to Gov. Jerry Brown, including a measure that would require employers to give workers at least three days of sick leave per year.

Currently, San Francisco stands alone in requiring sick leave for all employees in the county. While AB1522 by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, received pushback after it was amended to exclude in-home support workers to gain the governor's support, the objections weren't enough to keep it from passing.

In a statement, Brown indicated he will sign the "historic action."

"This bill guarantees that millions of workers - from Eureka to San Diego - won't lose their jobs just because they get sick," Brown said.

Other bills passed by the Legislature before its two-year session ended included:

-- A measure to make California the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags. SB270 passed despite fierce opposition from plastic bag manufacturers and after initially failing an Assembly vote last week. Brown has until Sept. 30 to act on the bill.

Many cities and counties already have local bag ordinances, including San Francisco. The bill by Senate Democrats phases out the use of plastic bags, beginning at grocery stores and pharmacies in July 2015 and the next year at convenience stores and liquor stores.

"A throw-away society is not sustainable," Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Pacoima (Los Angeles County), one of the bill's authors, said in a statement. "SB270 will greatly reduce the flow of billions of single-use plastic bags that are discarded throughout our state. This is good for California and reflects our values as a state that cares about the environment, sea life and wildlife."

-- The Legislature approved two bills that put California in line with other states by regulating groundwater in an effort to address harmful over-drafting, particularly during the state's drought. The bills - AB1739 by Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento, and SB1168 by Sen. Fran Pavely, D-Agoura Hills (Los Angeles County) - were opposed by Republicans and Central Valley Democrats, who said the legislation wasn't properly vetted and threatened a century of water rights rulings in the state.

The bills would require priority groundwater basins to become sustainable by 2040.

"We can all agree groundwater regulation is important," said Assemblyman Henry Perea, D-Fresno. "I am disappointed we could not come to an agreement that takes the needs of every region into account. The costs of implementing this bill will be enormous and reach into the billions."

-- Lawmakers passed AB1014 to create a "gun violence restraining order" to keep guns away from a person threatening to harm others. The bill by Assembly members Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara, was drafted last year but revived this year after the shooting rampage at Isla Vista near UC Santa Barbara.

"The passage of the 'Gun Violence Restraining Order' legislation gives families and law enforcement a tool to reduce the risk of mass shootings and gun violence both in the home and on our streets," Nick and Amanda Wilcox, legislative co-chairs of the California Chapters of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, noted in a statement.

-- Lawmakers would add $100 million to the University of California and California State University systems under AB1476 by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley. The added boost was originally intended for the systems if the state received a certain revenue level from property taxes. Skinner said the taxes fell just short and pushed for the funding anyway.

AB1476 also included $3 million for nonprofits helping undocumented minors from Central America with legal aid.

Among the bills that failed was a measure to regulate the sale of ammunition, which fell six votes short in the Assembly. A bill by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, requiring political ads include the names of its largest donors also didn't pass.

That bill, SB52, required a two-thirds majority in both houses of the Legislature.

"I am disappointed we weren't able to send this legislation to the governor this year, but in this process, an even stronger coalition has emerged to keep the issue and movement alive," Leno said in a statement.

A bill banning micro beads, the tiny plastic particles found in many exfoliating facial and body cleansers, also failed.

AB1699 by Assemblyman Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica, required manufactures to use natural ingredients in products sold in California by 2019 in an effort to cut back on plastic particles increasingly winding up in rivers and oceans, where they endanger marine life.