Gov. Jerry Brown may develop a serious case of writer’s cramp this month. The governor signed 23 bills into law Thursday and vetoed two others. Brown faces an Oct. 13 deadline to sign or veto the more than 500 measures that remain on his desk, so more marathon signing sessions are in his future.
The most high-profile bill signed into law is AB241, which provides overtime pay for domestic workers in private homes. If someone works more than nine hours a day or 45 hours a week, he or she will receive time-and-a-half pay.
The measure “puts the domestic worker – many of whom are women, many of whom are Latina or Filipina – on the radar,” said Assembly Democrat Tom Ammiano, who sponsored the legislation. “This class of people, that have been outside any kind of labor protection for years, are now a part of labor protections, but also recognized by the state.”
Brown vetoed a broader domestic workers bill last year. The governor has yet to weigh in on another high-profile Ammiano bill: the so-called TRUST Act, which would bar local law enforcement from turning over undocumented immigrants to federal immigration authorities, unless the arrested immigrant has a serious criminal record. That’s another measure Brown vetoed in 2012, but Ammiano said “we’ve got our fingers crossed” for a signature this year. He added, “I’m calling the psychic hotline.”
Brown also signed a bill requiring police to obtain a court order before shutting down cell phone service. That’s a direct response to BART’s controversial 2011 service shutdown, which was aimed at breaking up protests.