Last week, the Senate Education Committee approved three bills authored by Assembly Higher Education Chair Marty Block (AD-78) aimed at improving the student experience at California’s public colleges and universities. This series of bills includes AB 620 aimed at creating safe college campus environments for LGBT students,AB 670 to establish clear appeals procedures for California State University (CSU) admissions decisions, and AB 743that creates a system-wide assessment tool to better place community college students. “Making it through California’s higher education systems can be a daunting, at times, frustrating experience for some students. Boosting student success requires a multi-angle approach and I believe it is critical for us to tear down roadblocks that further discourage students,” said Chair Block. “These bills underscore that approach in their own way by addressing hateful bullying that can poison a student’s learning environment, appropriately assessing a community college student’s level of college-readiness to limit the redundant and unnecessary courses that delay degree completion, and by informing students of their appeal options when they are rejected from a CSU campus. These bills will help students on the road to earning their degree and I am glad to have the support of my colleagues.” The following bills have been approved by the Senate Education Committee: AB 620:  Preventing Bullying, Promoting Safety for LGBT Students in Higher Education. This bill improves the campus climate for LGBT students at public colleges and universities by providing access to student services, identifying best practices for campuses to model, and by adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to campus anti-discrimination policies on harassment, intimidation, and bullying in their student codes of conduct. This bill now goes the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration. Click here to read full article.

Every California campus has a school safety plan that lays out emergency strategies on how to surreptitiously communicate with police and which escape routes should be used if the unthinkable occurs, from a Columbine repeat to a terrorist attack. But anyone — from a revenge-seeking student to a bitter divorced parent determined to kidnap their own child — is legally entitled to view and copy those plans under California’s Public Records Act. Alarmed that student safety could be compromised with the release of that information, the San Diego Unified School District is sponsoring legislation to seal the most-sensitive parts of the safety plans. The Senate Education Committee agreed Wednesday, approving the measure carried by Assemblyman Marty Block, D-San Diego. San Diego officials contend the threat is all-too-real. In 2004, a complete set of district school safety plans were found on a computer disk in Iraq. In 2001, two Santana High School students were shot and killed by another student. And in 1999, two outcasts methodically planned and carried out the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado. “We don’t want to help out those who would harm our students by giving them our plans in advance,” said Jesus Montana, the campus police officer at Clairemont High School. San Diego is even more exposed to terrorist threats given there are an estimated 12,000 students from military families enrolled in the district. Recently, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, a potential target given its role in transporting the body of Osama bin Laden for burial at sea, was docked at North Island Naval Air Base, close to Coronado schools. The measure would allow top district administrators to craft the most sensitive tactical responses in secret, outside the more public school site council process. Those tactical responses would include strategies to safeguard students and staff, secure the campus and apprehend the suspect or suspects.  Block, in testimony urging support for his Assembly Bill 680, noted that safety plans were first implemented to guide staff and students during natural disasters, such as earthquakes or fires. “Times have changed,” said Block, noting Columbine and the general rising level of violence on campuses and growing threats of terrorism. Click here to read full article.

A measure to provide victims and prosecutors with a 10-day warning when a governor is weighing clemency appeals continued its unanimous advance through the Legislature. The Senate Public Safety Committee Tuesday approved the legislation, which was introduced in response to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s surprise decision to cut by more than half the sentence handed down to the son of a political ally involved in a fatal brawl at San Diego State two years ago. “It gives victims the ability to have their voices heard,” said Dawn Koepke, representing Crime Victims United, an advocacy group. No opposition came forward at the hearing. The next stop is the Appropriations Committee. Assemblyman Marty Block, a San Diego Democrat carrying the bill, stressed that prisoners petitioning for clemency will bear the responsibility of providing the written notice to prosecutors at least 10 days before a governor acts. By doing so, prosecutors can contact victims and families to determine whether to lodge a protest, Block said. His Assembly Bill 648 would in no way interfere with a governor’s authority to shorten sentences, Block said. “That power of the governor is firmly rooted in our constitutional structure of checks and balances ... It is expected he or she will exercise that right from time to time,” Block said. “What should also be expected,” he continued, “is a sense of fairness when a commutation is being carried out and respect for all parties involved.” Gov Jerry Brown has not taken a position. Click here to read full article.

A bill that grew out of criticism over then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger halving a sentence for a son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez was amended to require the governor to notify local law enforcement authorities within 10 days of a commutation, instead of 30, a legislative aide said Wednesday. AB 648, co-authored by Assemblymen Marty Block, D-Bonita, and Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, was changed Monday to conform with rules regarding pardons, which require a 10-day notice. The bill, already approved by the Assembly, is scheduled for a Tuesday hearing in the Senate's Public Safety Committee. Click here to read article.

Hoping to lockup the governor’s support, Assemblyman Marty Block has made a small but significant change to his legislation growing out of a highly publicized slaying at San Diego State that later raised accusations of political favoritism when one of those involved had his sentence cut by more than half. The San Diego Democrat’s legislation aims to give prosecutors, victims and their families notice when a prisoner has filed a clemency appeal with a governor. Assembly Bill 648 faces its first Senate committee test Tuesday after sailing through the Assembly. Mindful of Brown’s signals that he has reservations, Block this week moved to conform the bill’s notification requirements for commutations with current law covering pardons. No advance warning is currently required for a commutation, but applicants for a pardon must provide a 10-day notice to prosecutors. Block initially proposed a 30-day notification for commutations. The measure is in response to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s surprise out-the-door decision to reduce the 16-year prison sentence handed down to the son of a political ally. Esteban Nunez, the son of former Assembly Speaker and San Diego native Fabian Nunez, had pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for his role in the October 2008 brawl that led to the stabbing death of Luis Santos, a Mesa College student at San Diego State University. Schwarzenegger did not warn the victim’s parents, Fred and Kathy Santos of Concord, infuriating them and San Diego County prosecutors. Block is uncertain whether the amended bill will earn Brown’s signature. “Passage (in the Legislature) looks very good,” he said. But “I have nothing to go on” in predicting Brown’s mood. Click here to read full article.

(Sacramento) -- The method for assessing skills of incoming community college students will become more efficient and less costly to taxpayers under a bill approved by the California State Assembly. AB 743 by local Demcratic Assemblyman Marty Block (AD-78), chair of the Higher Education Committee, establishes a standardized assessment system at the California Community Colleges for the purpose of placing and advising students, and promoting uniform assessment across all campuses.

"The lack of a uniform assessment tool means the 72 community college districts in California are using dozens of different tests to assess college readiness. Not only is this inefficient, it confuses students and results in many of them taking more classes than needed at a great cost to taxpayers," said Chair Block. "AB 743 provides a mechanism to better place students in classes that will make them successful. This is a step toward a more efficient process that will increase the number of students assessed and save millions of dollars in testing costs."

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SACRAMENTO—It took a Holocaust video to compel the California State Assembly to a moral consensus.

It was during one of our more recent visits to the state capitol that members of the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice—a multi-cultural panel of activist clergy—discovered a genuine poignancy in the midst of the mendacity of California state politics. While we have a long way to go to get the legislature to pass a "Moral Budget," yet we don’t look in vain for traces of morality "on the hill."

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Sacramento — The Assembly has approved legislation that would require colleges and universities to adopt clear policies to address the problem of bullying and harassment of gays, lesbians and transgender people on campus.

The legislation also requires campuses to collect demographic data on students, staff and faculty who identify themselves as gay, lesbian or transgender.

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The method for assessing skills of incoming community college students will become more efficient and less costly to taxpayers under a bill approved by the California State Assembly. AB 743 by local Democratic Assemblyman Marty Block (AD-78), chair of the Higher Education Committee, establishes a standardized assessment system at the California Community Colleges for the purpose of placing and advising students, and promoting uniform assessment across all campuses. “The lack of a uniform assessment tool means the 72 community college districts in California are using dozens of different tests to assess college readiness. Not only is this inefficient, it confuses students and results in many of them taking more classes than needed at a great cost to taxpayers,” said Chair Block. “AB 743 provides a mechanism to better place students in classes that will make them successful. This is a step toward a more efficient process that will increase the number of students assessed and save millions of dollars in testing costs.” AB 743 increases the efficiency of community college student assessment by providing campuses with the option of using a statewide common assessment system to place students in English, Mathematics, and English as a Second Language (ESL) courses. It also improves student success by offering students a pre-test component which allows them to practice and prepare before taking their assessments. A uniform assessment process, using a single, central database would greatly simplify and streamline the process of enrolling and transferring between schools for our Community College students, as well as reduce the costs presented by repeated testing and coursework. Click here to read full article.

The state Assembly on Wednesday approved Seth's Law, an anti-bullying measure named for a gay Central Valley teenager who committed suicide last fall after years of harassment over his sexual orientation.

The measure, which passed the lower house 44-17 and now heads to the Senate for approval, is aimed at giving public schools the tools to prevent and address bullying through mandatory policies and systems that would help discourage harassment and track incidents when they do occur. Among its provisions, AB9 would require all California school districts to implement updated anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies and programs that take into account sexual orientation and gender identity as well as race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, disability and religion.

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