Lemon Grove Representative Authors 14 New California Laws

A new year brings 750-plus new laws for California residents. Fourteen of those laws were authored or co-authored by Assemblyman Marty Block, who represents the city of Lemon Grove.

Block authored or co-authored the following new laws that will go into effect beginning Sunday:

• AB 648, co-authored by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-Poway, requires that the district attorney and victims in criminal cases to be notified when a defendant applies for clemency.

• AB 620, co-authored by Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, requires improvements to on-campus safety for LGBT students at public colleges and universities.

• AB 668 provides accommodations for California State University students who need to reschedule exams due to religious reasons.

• AB 670 ensures each CSU campus has an appeals process in place for students who are denied admission.

• AB 743 establishes a statewide common assessment program for community college students, and allows them to practice and prepare before taking the placement test.

• AB 795 enforces smoking and tobacco laws on all college campuses with fines, less than $100.

• AB 1013 “cleans up” the Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 in regard to testing and refund calculations.

• AB 680 makes sensitive information such as tactical response strategies included in school safety plans exempt from public disclosure.

• AB 1304 defines linked learning programs and authorizes the state Commission on Teacher Credentialing to form a workgroup to develop program standards.

• AB 684 ensures California Community College Districts are in compliance with state election laws and oversight.

• AB 1194 updates the California Safe Drinking Water Act to bring the state into compliance with federal standards.

• AB 503 permits votes for qualified write-in candidates to be counted in certain circumstances if the intent of the voter can be determined, even if the voter did not mark the “bubble” next to the write-in space on a ballot.

• AB 188 makes a 100 percent disabled veterans property tax exemption available to the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran or service member killed on active duty, allowing them to continue to receive the exemption on their home, even if they need to enter an assisted-living facility.

• AB 713 offers financial assistance and support to service members and their families by providing significant financial protections to service members who are deployed multiple times, as well as their spouse and legal dependents.