Pubdate: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 Source: Copley News Service (US Wire) Copyright: 2003 Copley News Service Author: James P. Sweeney Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California) GOV. DAVIS STILL HAS A LOT OF WORK TO DO SACRAMENTO -- Before he hands over his office keys to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gov. Gray Davis has more than a little business to finish. Despite the demands of the recall campaign, the Democratic governor already has signed or vetoed some 750 pieces of legislation this year. That leaves 282 bills still waiting to be acted on before a midnight Sunday deadline. The remaining measures would eliminate the death penalty for the mentally retarded, ban the sale of ephedra-based pills used for weight loss, waive community college fees for poor illegal immigrants and provide special identification cards for medical marijuana patients. "We are a little ahead of the curve," Davis Press Secretary Steve Maviglio said. "If this was a normal year, we'd have even more." The governor already has signed a raft of significant legislation, including measures that require larger companies to provide health-care coverage for employees, restore the rights of illegal immigrants to obtain driver licenses, establish broad new personal privacy protections and expand the rights of gay partners. "A lot of the bills that meant a lot to us, he already signed," Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson, D-Culver City, said Wednesday, citing the health care measure, SB 2 by Senate President Pro Tempore John Burton, D-San Francisco. Davis' critics accused him of rushing to sign a stream of liberal legislation to curry favor with Democratic voters in advance of Tuesday's vote. Neither Wesson nor Burton would speculate on how Tuesday's results might affect the prospects of legislation still sitting on his desk. "We'll have to see what's there," Wesson said. "I think a lot of the tough ones have already been dealt with." Measures awaiting final action would: Set up a new process to screen defendants in capital cases for mental retardation. The bill, SB 3 by Burton, would bar use of the death penalty against those found to be mentally retarded. Remove from store shelves ephedra-based pills that accelerate the body's metabolism. The largely unregulated herbal-based supplements have been blamed for deaths of some users, including Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler. The legislation would wipe out a California market once worth millions to firms such as San Diego-based Metabolife International. The bill is SB 582 by Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Daly City. Davis vetoed a similar measure three years ago. He had received a $100,000 contribution from Metabolife. Allow poor illegal immigrants to attend California community colleges for free, waiving fees of about $284 a year for full-time students. The bill is SB 328 by Sen. Martha Escutia, D-Norwalk. Create an identification card system to help law enforcement determine legitimate users of medical marijuana. The bill, SB 420 by Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara, is similar to a program approved by the city of San Diego. The measure also has been endorsed by Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. Allow pharmacists to sell up to 30 clean syringes at a time to customers without a prescription. The bill, SB 774 by Vasconcellos, is similar to a measure that Davis vetoed last year. It is designed to curb the spread of AIDS and hepatitis through the use of dirty needles. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh