

Only in CA
The Ojai City Council voted 4-1 on Wednesday to recognize the legal rights of
elephants, becoming the first city in the United States to give legal rights to a
non-human animal.

CA Legislative Report for 2023 by Louise Gliatto
February 17, 2023 was the deadline for introducing new bills this
Session, there were 1,751 Assembly Bills and 881 Senate Bills, for a
total of 2,632!!
Here is a very short list of some the most egregious of the bills.
AB 665… passed and signed into law… allows a minor to consent to mental
health treatment or counseling on an outpatient basis, or to residential shelter services, only
if the minor presents a danger of serious physical or mental harm to themselves or to others,
or is the alleged victim of incest or child abuse.
Requires the mental health professional treating or counseling the minor to consult with the
minor before determining whether involvement of the minor’s parent or guardian would be
inappropriate. The bill specifies that a registered psychologist, a registered psychological
assistant, a psychological trainee, an associate clinical social worker, a social work intern, a
clinical counselor trainee working under the supervision of a licensed professional, and a
board-certified psychiatrist is included within the definition of professional person for
purposes of this bill.
AB 5…Passed and Signed into law. Requires the California Department of Education
(CDE) to complete the development of an online training curriculum and online delivery
platform by July 1, 2025, and requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide and
require at least one hour of training annually to all certificated staff, beginning with the
2025-26 school year through the 2029-30 school year, on cultural competency in supporting
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) students. Requires
the LEA to maintain documentation on the completion of the training by each employee.
SB 407.Foster Care… Passed and Signed into law would ensure that unless all
potential foster parents are willing to “affirm” LGBTQ gender and sexuality in
foster youth, and any gender transitioning, they will be prohibited by the state
from being foster parents.
AB1078…Passed and signed into law requires instruction in social sciences to
include a study of the role and contributions of people of all genders, Latino
Americans, LGBTQ+ Americans, and members of other ethnic, cultural,
religious, and socioeconomic status groups. By imposing new obligations on local
educational agencies, the bill would create a state-mandated local program.
A B 1228 Passed and signed into law A bill to raise the fast-food minimum wage
to $20 an hour in California with the new wage change to take effect in January
2024.
Some Good News
SB 14, Passed and signed into law. It includes sex trafficking of minors in the
list of crimes that are defined as serious felonies, making the crime a strike under
California’s Three Strikes law. It has been more than a decade since the
California Legislature passed a bill to expand the state’s Three Strikes law.
AB 957 Passed but Vetoed by the Governor ..parent could lose custody for not
“affirming” or agreeing to a child’s claims about gender identity.
- District 1 California High School Rodeo #5: Top Competitors Faced Off at Tehama District FairgroundsThe Atmospheric River and Park Fire combined to create flooding last week, when there was no grass or brush on the foothills to slow the rain and allow it to seep into the soil, thanks to the fire. I had water on my front and back porch for the first time in the many years… Read more: District 1 California High School Rodeo #5: Top Competitors Faced Off at Tehama District Fairgrounds
- Obituary: Olive Irene BrownOlive Irene Brown was a lifelong resident of Siskiyou County. She passed away peacefully at her home in Yreka on February 9, 2025, at the age of 90. Olive was born July 1st, 1934, up Hurds Gulch in Scott Valley to Marion and Ruby Simmons. Along with younger sister Evelyn, they lived in Scott Valley… Read more: Obituary: Olive Irene Brown
- Obituary: Paulette Renee AdamsAmazingly brilliant, beautiful, funny, compassionate, and fiercely devoted—these are just a few words that come to mind when remembering Paulette Renee Adams, a longtime Siskiyou County resident who passed away peacefully on Friday, January 31, 2025, after a courageous battle with liver cancer. Paulette was born on August 9, 1953, in Oakdale, California, to Roland… Read more: Obituary: Paulette Renee Adams
- Restoring Our Waters, Strengthening Our Community: 2025 Scott Watershed Informational ForumFebruary 19-21, 2025 Scott Valley, California Please join at 11236 N. Hwy. 3, Fort Jones, click here for directions Join diverse voices from across our region for three transformative days of dialogue, learning, and action at the Scott Watershed Informational Forum (SWIF). This annual gathering brings together tribal knowledge keepers, agricultural producers, environmental scientists, and… Read more: Restoring Our Waters, Strengthening Our Community: 2025 Scott Watershed Informational Forum
- Northstate Youth Protect Los Angeles Waterways from Post-Fire ContaminationThe California Conservation Corps has local youth from Northstate responding as part of the state’s largest watershed protection mission. By Chris Van Horne Parker Robertson, a young adult from the Northstate, is part of a massive response to protect the burned areas of Los Angeles from taking another hit. This time from winter storms. “Watershed… Read more: Northstate Youth Protect Los Angeles Waterways from Post-Fire Contamination