On October 7, Assemblymember Ed Chau (D–Monterey Park) held a press conference in Monterey Park to discuss bills from his 2014 legislative bill package that will become new laws on January 1, 2015.

“This year I made great strides to ensure my constituents and all Californians have the resources they need to take control of the issues affecting their daily lives,” said Assemblymember Chau.  “Some of the legislation I authored will ensure that more money is allocated to groundwater cleanup projects in the San Gabriel Valley, will assist in securing housing for mentally ill homeless individuals, will enhance privacy protections for everyone, and will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by authorizing transit buses to accommodate more bicycle riders.”

Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed a total of 14 bills authored by Assemblymember Chau.  Some of the bills highlighted in today’s press conference included:

Assembly Bill (AB) 1043 – Proposition 84 Water Cost Recovery – Groundwater cleanup is essential for communities like those in the San Gabriel Valley who rely on their local aquifers for a portion of their water supply.  This new law will authorize local agencies that received Proposition 84 grants for groundwater projects to receive the funds that they are able to recover from responsible parties, if they are used to fund groundwater cleanup activities, such as ongoing treatment and remediation.

(Chapter 349, Statutes of 2014)

AB 1929 – Mental Health Housing – Many communities have successfully reduced homelessness using targeted housing assistance, also known as rapid re-housing, to pay for expenses that act as short term barriers to securing housing like rental assistance, move-in costs, and security deposits.  This new law will provide a mechanism for the California Housing Finance Agency, with the concurrence of the Department of Health Care Services, to release unencumbered Mental Health Services Act funds back to their respective counties, upon the request of those counties.  Counties that request these funds are required to use them to provide “housing assistance” to clients suffering from mental illness.

(Chapter 674, Statutes of 2014)

AB 2306 – Invasion of Privacy – As technology continues to advance and new robotic-like devices become more affordable for the general public, the possibility of an individual’s privacy being invaded substantially increases.  This new law will update California privacy laws to better encompass future advances in technology by making it a constructive invasion of privacy to capture an image or sound recording in a manner that is offensive to a reasonable person, under circumstance where the subject had a reasonable expectation of privacy, through the use of any device.

(Chapter 858, Statutes of 2014)

AB 2707 – Triple Bike Racks – Transit riders are increasingly using bicycles to access bus services and the use of front-mounted racks, which can hold numerous bicycles, is necessary to accommodate that growth.  This new law will authorize transit agencies throughout California to install front-mounted bicycle racks that are large enough to accommodate three bicycles on their 40 foot buses.

(Chapter 310, Statutes of 2014)