George Santos inspires California Legislation – Orange County Register

Editor’s Note: Sacramento Snapshot is a weekly in-law series detailing what Orange County representatives are working on in the Assembly and Senate—from committee work to legislative passages and more.

George Santos’ fallout has hit the California Capitol.

Santos is the newly minted Republican congressman from New York who has made headlines in recent months for fabricating vast amounts of his resume and background, including his work history, education and even his mother’s death.

Many of these untruths have come to light after his election. He has been asked to resign by senior GOP officials, has been the subject of many late-night television jokes and faces local, state and federal investigations.

State Senator Josh Newman wants to avoid such drama in California.

The Fullerton Democrat introduced legislation last week that would require candidates for elective office beginning in 2024 to submit a form disclosing educational, employment and military history with the statement to the Secretary of State.

According to Newman’s office, candidates would have to testify to the truthfulness of the information provided under threat of disqualification, impeachment, or even possible criminal prosecution as a misdemeanor.

“By requiring candidates to provide and confirm basic, basic biographical information, SB 248 will ensure that California voters are not fooled by scammers or con artists running for office,” Newman said, calling Santos a “cautionary tale.” “.

“The Santos drama continues to unfold in a chaotic manner, at the expense not only of its constituents but of confidence in the democratic process at large,” Newman continued.

Now California candidates must confirm basic information such as their legal name, address, the office they are applying for and financial disclosures.

“Running is essentially a different form of applying for a job, but one in which the hiring decision is made by voters in a particular jurisdiction,” Newman said. “If someone is found to have been granted elective office under demonstrably false pretenses, it seems more than reasonable that they should be disqualified and subject to other likely penalties.”

lunar new year

Meanwhile, lawmakers could consider allowing community colleges to make the Lunar New Year a holiday, building on last year’s successful effort to make it a state holiday for state employees.

The bill, by Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, and Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, a lead co-author, would allow the state’s community colleges to replace one of the holidays for the birthdays of former Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln – Schools could choose to combine the two holidays with Lunar New Year holidays, according to Ting’s office.

Ting said a Lunar New Year holiday would give college students a time “to reflect on the special significance of this celebration and to encourage acceptance,” especially when AAPI hate crimes are still occurring.

“We’re better as a society when we create opportunities for communities to learn from each other,” Ting said.

In other news

• OC lawmakers continue their work to prevent gun violence in the wake of the mass shootings that rocked California this month. Min introduced a law requiring all federally licensed gun dealers in California to attend annual, mandatory training courses provided by the state Department of Justice. And Sen. Catherine Blakespear, a Democrat representing South Orange County, has partnered with Sen. Nancy Skinner, a Berkeley Democrat, to draft a bill requiring gun owners to have liability insurance.

• Senator Kelly Seyarto, a Republican whose district includes Yorba Linda, introduced his anti-fentanyl bill. Included in this is legislation that would create a task force that could mobilize state and local resources and create a database for departments and agencies to track overdose patterns. Seyarto is also working with Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, on a bill that would allow a court to shield a person convicted of distributing or selling controlled substances from possible future charges of first-degree manslaughter or murder warn if someone should die.

• Assemblyman Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach, is campaigning for legislation that would prohibit anyone under the age of 21 from using a mobile device while driving, even if it has hands-free capability. Current law already prohibits people under the age of 18 from using a mobile device while driving, and this would expand the number to include people up to 21.

• Speaker Anthony Rendon has appointed several OC lawmakers to committees for the special session on oil prices. Republicans Kate Sanchez and Dixon will be added to the appropriations, while Phillip Chen will oversee utilities and energy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.