PD Editorial: What Gov. Brown got right, wrong

Gov. Jerry Brown met his Sunday deadline to sign or veto a raft of bills passed during the close weeks of the 2015 legislative session. Here are some decisions we consider most worthy of a thumbs up — or a thumbs down.

Thumbs up

Guns on campus — Signed SB 707. Just as Texas prepares to allow firearms on college campuses, California is wisely heading the other way, repealing a law that allows concealed carry permit holders to carry guns on public and private college campuses.

Marijuana rules — Signed AB 266, AB243 and SB 643. These historic bills, co-authored by local Assemblyman Jim Wood (AB 243) and state Sen. Mike McGuire (SB 643), create the state's first system of licensing and operating rules for medicinal marijuana, covering how it's grown, transported and sold. As we've noted previously, it heralds the end of the Wild West of pot growing.

Motor voter — Signed AB 1461, which will automatically register eligible voters when they obtain or renew their drivers' licenses. It's a sensible way to get more people involved in elections.

Limiting antibiotics — Signed SB 27 creating the nation's toughest livestock antibiotics law, limiting when and how antibiotics can be used in meat production. Studies show using antibiotics to accelerate the growth of chickens and cows is taking its toll on human health.

Vaccines for day care workers — Signed SB 792. In June, the governor signed a bill creating one of the most stringent school vaccination laws in the nation. Last week, he followed up by approving this bill mandating vaccinations for people who work or volunteer at day care centers. Children's health should come before personal choice.

Renewable energy — Signed SB 350 setting higher statewide goals for use of renewable energy: Under this legislation, California will need to generate half of its power from renewable sources such as solar and wind by 2030. Meanwhile, the energy efficiency of homes, offices and industrial plants will need to double.

Pay equity — Signed SB 358, which says women must be paid the same as men for 'substantially similar' work and puts the onus on employers to explain why any differences are legitimate.

Pension reform — Vetoed SB 292, which exempted certain cities, including Cloverdale, from the requirement that public employees pay half the normal cost of their retirement benefits.

Thumbs down

Right to Try — Vetoed AB 159, which would have allowed terminally ill patients access to potentially life-saving drugs not yet approved by the FDA. A controvertible move given that just days earlier the governor signed right-to-die legislation for California. Twenty-four states have right-to-try laws. This should have been No. 25.

Transparency — Signed SB 331, which places onerous new contracting restrictions on cities and other local governments that publicize contract offers for public employees and submit contracts for independent financial analysis before voting.

Campus sex crimes — Vetoed AB 967, which would have required colleges to report more detailed information about sexual assaults, dating violence and stalking complaints. Colleges also would have been required to publicize the outcome of those investigations. Students found responsible for rape and forcible sex acts would have been suspended for at least two years. Given what's happening on campus, isn't more transparency better?

PUC Practices — Vetoed SB 18, SB 48 and AB 825. Californians could be forgiven for believing that 'scandal-plagued Public Utilities Commission' is the official name of the powerful state regulatory panel, yet Brown vetoed bills that, among other things, would have limited private communications between regulators and those they regulate, increased access to PUC records and established an inspector general to keep an eye on the, uh, scandal-plagued agency.