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Courtesy of StudioCity.Patch.com, April 17, 2012
State Senator Fran Pavley’s (D-Agoura Hills) Senate Bill 1091, a bill to help increase convictions of perpetrators against children and other vulnerable victims by helping them testify without fear, was approved this morning by the Senate Public Safety Committee on a unanimous, bipartisan vote.
SB 1091, sponsored by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, will provide trial assistance for victims of child pornography, pimping, pandering and for sex trafficking. Current law allows trial assistance for crime victims testifying for preliminary exams; trials involving homicide, elder and dependent abuse; rape and most crimes, but it does not include the assistance for certain sex crimes against minors and other victims.
Senator Pavley said this bill closes the loophole in the law. Senator Pavley said, “Victims in child pornography cases are in need of protection and the comfort of a support person. If they are called to testify, they have to recall horrific and traumatic experiences.”
Jim Provenza, Special Assistant District Attorney with Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said, “This legislation would give the child the right to have up to two support persons present during court testimony. Experience has demonstrated that the presence of support persons helps victims testify accurately and completely.”
Provenza added, “Testifying in court is a very traumatic experience for a young child, particularly a victim of human trafficking or other sex related crimes. Ms. Kathleen Cady, Deputy District Attorney from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office Victim Witness Assistance Program testified on the importance of providing support for traumatized victim’s testifying in emotional court trials.
Senator Pavley said, “SB 1091 could help provide humane support to witnesses critical in the prosecution of approximately 126 pornography cases, 97 prostitution cases and 3 human trafficking cases in Los Angeles County alone.”
SB 1091 now moves to the Senate Floor for consideration of the full Senate. In addition to the bill’s sponsor, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, other supporters include the California Police Chiefs Association, California Communities United Institute, California Victims United of California, the Junior Leagues of California and the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking.
To see article and related news go here: http://studiocity.patch.com/articles/senator-pavley-s-bill-to-increase-convictions-for-sex-crimes-against-minors-approved-unanimously-in-senate-committee
The following is a video relating to SPAC-supported SB514, Senator Simitian’s successfully-passed bill to stop the sale of certain cold medications to minors. The bill goes into effect January 2012:
www.ktvu.com/videos/news/palo-alto-local-incidents-inspire-law-to-curb/vFZx2/
Assemblymember Julia Brownley has introduced AB 839, “Pupil Nutrition: Federal School Breakfast Program Participation,” sponsored by the Junior Leagues of California State Public Affairs Committee and the California Food Policy Advocates. Following is a summary of the bill:
Existing law requires each school district or county superintendent of schools maintaining any kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to provide for each needy pupil one nutritionally adequate free or reduced-price meal during each school day. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that the Federal School Breakfast Program be made available in all schools where it is needed to provide adequate nutrition for children in attendance. Existing law requires the State Department of Education to, in cooperation with school districts and county superintendents of schools, provide information and limited financial assistance to encourage school breakfast program startup and expansion into all qualified schools. Existing law encourages school districts and charter schools that do not operate school breakfast programs to apply for funding to establish breakfast programs using funds appropriated for this purpose in the annual Budget Act.
This bill would state findings and declarations regarding the importance of breakfast to the achievement of pupils. This bill would require school districts to undertake specific actions to increase access to the federal School Breakfast Program. The bill would require school districts to submit a report to the State Department of Education on each noncharter, public school site within the district that did not operate a federal School Breakfast Program in the previous school year, hear and discuss the report at two school district board meetings, and adopt a resolution for submission to the department that indicates which school sites will continue not to operate the program and articulates the reason for continued nonoperation, and which school sites will begin to operate the program and provides a timeline for implementation of the program.
The bill would also require school districts to undertake specified actions to increase participation in the federal School Breakfast Program at sites where a breakfast program already exists. The bill would require school districts to identify noncharter, public school sites within the district that operate a federal School Breakfast Program but experience low participation, as defined, submit a report to the department regarding enrollment and participation in the program, and considering options concerning its operation, hear and discuss the report at 2 school district board meetings, and adopt a resolution for submission to the department that indicates which school sites will continue to operate the program without changes, and which school sites will continue to operate the program with changes, and provides a timeline for implementing those changes.
Because this bill would require school districts to perform additional duties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
For the complete bill text, please click on the following link: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0801-0850/ab_839_bill_20110217_introduced.pdf For more about the importance of ensuring all students have access to school breakfast, please see the breakfastfirst.org website: http://www.breakfastfirst.org/
Since the passage of the CA Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 105 (Nava), May as Perinatal Depression Awareness month, our members have been busy indentifying ways to promote Perinatal Depression Awareness month and have also identified another pressing issue facing the children in our California communities: Access to Healthy School Lunches.
Our goal through legislative advocacy is to provide fresh, healthy school meals to as many California children as possible.
There are two pressing opportunities:
#1 Nutritional Content: Healthy school food is critical for children’s health and learning. Research continues to document the connection between a healthy lifestyle and a child’s success at school. This issue is of particular importance in the California communities we serve where there are large numbers of students who qualify for and rely on the National School Lunch Program’s free or reduced-priced meals. These children are most at risk of hunger and ironically are also facing a disparate increase in rates of obesity and related diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes.
#2 Access to Free or Reduce Priced Lunches: 1 in 4 households with children experienced food hardships in 2008-2009, that number has undoubtedly gone up given the economic recession. Research has indicated that children living in food-insecure households tend to:
- have poorer school performance and cognitive functioning, with more absences and tardiness;
- experience headaches and increased health problems, such as colds and ear infections; and
- have increased risk of emotional problems, with adolescents being more likely to have depressive and suicidal symptoms.
Retrospective research also suggests that individuals who were poor as children are significantly more likely to be overweight as adults. Improving ease of access to free and reduced cost School Lunches is critical.
Because states are reliant upon Federal funding to achieve improvements to the school lunch programs, SPAC supported several federal bills this summer (which our next post will highlight). To advance school food policy in California, this winter we will be working with Assembly Member Monning to introduce state legislation addressing California’s school lunch programs. We welcome interested parties to join us in our discussions with the California Food Policy Advocates in September.
Joy Burkhard, SPAC Co-Chair
