Central OC Times

SACRAMENTO (May 30, 2024) – Assemblymember Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) has provided an update on the progress of her legislative package this session. Last Friday marked the Legislature's House of Origin deadline, a critical juncture where bills must be approved by their originating house to advance to the other chamber. Approximately 61 percent of Assembly bills introduced this year have passed over to the Senate, including several authored by Dixon.

“I am very pleased that seven of my bills have successfully made their way to the Senate,” said Assemblymember Dixon. “My legislative agenda that is still moving through the legislative process consists of bills that deal with public safety, the environment and local control, as well as bills to help the District.”

Earlier this week, two of Dixon's bills passed through their first policy committees in the second house. “Assembly Bill 1774 passed out of the Senate Committee on Transportation,” said Dixon. “This measure focuses on the safety of youth in our communities by prohibiting the dangerous sale and use of E-Bike speed modifying kits, or tuning kits.” Another bill, AB 2504, also advanced without any opposition votes. This bill would designate California’s first state seashell.

“I am pleased to name the Black Abalone as California’s first official state seashell,” said Dixon. “The Black Abalone has deep meaning for many Native American Tribes in our state and is uniquely found on the coastal zones of California and Mexico. This species is now on the endangered species list and was almost eliminated by Withering Foot Syndrome in the early 1980s.”

Other district-related bills advancing to the Senate include AB 2393, which aims to extend Newport Dunes' public trust lease from fifty years to sixty years at Newport Bay. Additionally, AB 2817, sponsored by Laguna Beach, seeks authorization for the California Transportation Commission to consider relinquishing a segment of State Route 1 to Laguna Beach.

AB 2067 and AB 2337 are also set for committee hearings in the Senate. AB 2067 will require financial institutions with more than nine branches in California to designate four locations for service of legal processes to improve flexibility and accessibility in various counties. AB 2337 will authorize electronic signatures for proceedings with the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board to enhance efficiency within workers' compensation legal processes.

In upcoming weeks, hundreds of policy and budget bills will be voted on before August's Legislative Session deadline. If a bill secures sufficient votes from both houses, it will proceed to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk for consideration. The Governor may sign a bill into law, veto it preventing its enactment or take no action—resulting in automatic enactment without his signature.

“We will be experiencing an intensely impacted schedule for June and August,” said Assemblymember Dixon. “There is still much work to be done.”