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Berman to focus on computer science education at forum

Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, will address the perceived gap between the increasing availability of jobs in technology and skills taught at California public schools at an event in East Palo Alto on Monday.

He will join a panel of local employers, as well as military and educational leaders, who will discuss the addition of computer science to the curriculum of California public schools with hopes of preparing children earlier for tech jobs that are on the rise.

New state laws aim to boost mental health services

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed several pieces of legislation this month aimed at fixing or improving access to mental health services in California, while vetoing one bill that promised to reimburse student loans for mental health professionals working in "shortage areas."

Brown has until Sept. 30 to sign bills passed by the Legislature last month.

Governor signs bill aimed at court efficiency

A court efficiency bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown Monday will allow attorneys to produce much shorter discovery outlines for issues in dispute and gives additional time for judges to rule on new trial motions.

The bill, AB 2230, is a rare meeting of the minds between the Consumer Attorneys of California and the California Defense Counsel, sponsors of the bill.

Typically, a motion in a discovery dispute can be a laborious process for all parties involved because it requires filing separate statements under the California Rules of Court.

California creates elections security office

California officials want to make sure the Secretary of State’s office is helping local elections officials prepare for possible cyber attacks.  California Assembly Bill 3075, which was signed into law on Aug. 28, creates the Office of Elections Cybersecurity within the Secretary of State’s office.

Bill to prevent student suicides in California moves to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk

Legislation designed to help prevent student suicide is on its way to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk for signing.

Assembly Bill 2639, which was introduced by Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, and Assembly Education Committee chairman Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach, passed through both the Assembly and state Senate with unanimous votes with the Senate voting on Monday.

Bill to improve court efficiency approved by state Legislature

The annual court efficiencies bill is on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk.

Each year, the Consumer Attorneys of California and the California Defense Counsel sponsor a bill designed to improve how courts operate. This year’s version, AB 2230, passed the full Assembly by a 78-1 vote on Monday.

It contains two main provisions.

California legislature passes scrap tire incentive program

SACRAMENTO — The California Assembly has passed a bill creating a program that sets a 75-percent recycling target for scrap tires within the state.

The bill, Assembly Bill 2908, directs the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to develop an incentive system to make payments to entities that purchase waste tire material to use in making products for end-users.

California's Unprecedented Plan to Tackle Fake Election News

With less than three months to the midterm elections, American voters remain vulnerable to the same type of information warfare that Russia used to interfere with the 2016 presidential race. Election officials say voting systems are better protected against hackers than they were two years ago, but intelligence experts say the federal government hasn't tackled the threat of foreign-created disinformation on social media.

Sacramento Report: GOP Seizes on DMV Wait Times

All summer long, there’s been a steady stream of news about impossibly long lines at DMVs across the state.

The DMV recently expanded Saturday hours to try to cut down the delays, and as lawmakers returned from summer recess, they announced plans to try and deal with the problem.