Bills Before Legislature Cover a Lot of Territory
Lawmakers and their political staffers in Sacramento are resting their fingers this week after writing and introducing thousands of new bills. The laws that will be debated this year range from one to establish an early warning system for earthquakes to one mandating condoms for adult film actors.
Three Strikes Reform a New Start for Bakersfield Man
Last year, Californians voted to amend one of the state's more controversial criminal justice statutes, the so-called three strikes sentencing law. Bakersfield resident Pedro Marin's third strike was stealing tools from a local Walmart in order to buy drugs. In an installment of our series on community health called "What's Your Story," Marin talks about how serving 18 years of a life sentence changed him for the better.