Senator Henry Stern

SACRAMENTO – The California Energy Commission estimates that about 20 percent of all electrical power in the state is used to produce, transport, treat, deliver and heat water. Under SB 1425 by Senator Fran Pavley signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, CalEPA will for the first time develop a registry that will help water suppliers determine the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that result from their activities and to voluntarily take action to reduce emissions.

SACRAMENTO – A bill authored by Senator Fran Pavley to improve services for blind and visually impaired Californians who partner with guide dogs has been signed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Sponsored by the California Council of the Blind, SB 1331 would implement reforms in the composition and policies of the State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind.

SACRAMENTO – Advancing the vision of a private blue-ribbon commission’s recommendations to reinvigorate the California state park experience for generations to come, Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill by Senator Fran Pavley to enable the Department of Parks and Recreation to enter into partnership with a nonprofit entity to conduct such functions as raising private funds to improve parks and marketing the parks to promote increased public visitation.

Women in California will have more reliable and effective access to birth control under a bill authored by Senator Fran Pavley and signed by Governor Jerry Brown on Friday.

SB 999 requires public and private health plans to cover the dispensation of hormonal birth control for a period of up to 12 months – a change that would eliminate the need to obtain refills every 30 or 90 days.

The 12-month option is recommended by the National Centers for Disease Control, and research has shown that it reduces unintended pregnancies by 30 percent.

LOS ANGELES – Senator Fran Pavley on Thursday heralded Gov. Jerry Brown's signing of historic climate legislation, saying the governor’s action will ensure California stays on course to clean the air and build a robust clean-energy economy for the 21st century.

SACRAMENTO – Advancing the vision of a private blue-ribbon commission to reinvigorate the California state park experience for generations to come, the Legislature has sent to Gov. Jerry Brown a bill to enable the Department of Parks and Recreation to enter into partnership with a nonprofit entity to conduct such functions as raising private funds to improve parks and marketing the parks to promote increased public visitation.

SACRAMENTO – A bill to improve services for blind and visually impaired Californians who partner with guide dogs was approved by the Senate on Friday and sent to Gov. Jerry Brown.

Sponsored by the California Council of the Blind, the bill would implement reforms in the composition and policies of the State Board of Guide Dogs for the blind.

SACRAMENTO – Women in California will have more reliable and effective access to birth control under a bill approved by the Senate on Friday and sent to Gov. Jerry Brown.

SB 999, by Senator Fran Pavley, would require public and private health plans to cover the dispensation of hormonal birth control for a period of up to 12 months – a change that would eliminate the need to obtain refills every 30 or 90 days.

SACRAMENTO – Responding to lessons learned from the massive Aliso Canyon natural gas leak, the Senate on Friday sent to Gov. Jerry Brown a bill to establish proactive safety standards for natural gas storage wells.

Among other provisions in SB 887 by Senator Fran Pavley are requirements for  continuous monitoring for leaks, regular inspections of wells to test their mechanical integrity, and that all wells be equipped with safeguards to ensure that no single point of failure can result in a leak.

Reasserting its historic commitment to clean energy and curtailing climate pollution, the Legislature on Wednesday sent to Gov. Jerry Brown a two-bill package that will extend the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets to 2030 and also ensure that the policies to achieve those targets are carried out with equity, transparency and accountability.