Tom Hayden

1995

SB 169, Chapter 641, Statutes of 1995 Domestic Violence as a Crime the First Time - Requires that domestic violence be recorded as a crime/misdemeanor on the first offense instead of diversion without conviction. Treatment program required as condition of probation, for minimum period of 36 months and successful completion of a batterers treatment program for at least one year with periodic progress reports made to the court.

SB 221, Chapter 411, Statutes of 1995 Crime Victims' Right to Notification of Plea Bargaining - Requires a district attorney's office to notify a victim of a violent crime or felony as soon as possible of an agreement with the defendant to plea bargain.

SB 248, Chapter 75, Statutes of 1995 Lifeline Utility Rates for AIDS patients - Adds compromised immune systems or life-threatening diseases to the existing medical conditions that qualify a person for low cost gas or electricity for medical purposes.

SB 699, Chapter 412, Statutes of 1995 LAUSD Breakup Guidelines - Provides requirements for petitioners who would restructure the Los Angeles Unified School District, including maintaining existing education reforms like LEARN and Charter Schools, protection of US voting rights standards, civil rights protections under court consent decrees Crawford and Rodriguez, and union and pension rights. This law is joined to AB 107 which specifies election procedures for breakup efforts.

SB 727, Chapter 518, Statutes of 1995 (Polanco & Hayden) - Transfer of $50 million from MTA to County Health Care.

SB 1555, Chapter 865, Statutes of 1995 UC Irvine Fertility Clinic Scandal - Human egg and embryo theft.  Makes it felony to intentionally transfer or implant ova, sperm or embryos without the signed written consent of the donor and recipient.

SB 1883, Chapter 849, Statutes of 1995 Charter Schools - Authorizes up to 12 independent charter schools in LAUSD.

SB 2164, Chapter 846, Statutes of 1995 Prohibiting Date Rape Drugs - Includes Rohypnol (ruffies), known as the date-rape drug, in the Schedule IV controlled substance list, making it a felony/misdemeanor for the sale or possession of the substance.

SB 7X, Chapter 8, Statutes of 1995, 1st Extraordinary Session Flood Insurance - Places limits on state disaster assistance for persons required to obtain flood insurance but who have canceled or allowed their insurance to lapse. Assistance is limited to the extent that the assistance could be used as a substitute for insurance proceeds that would have been available if the person had maintained the required insurance.

SCR 7, Chapter 66, Statutes of 1995 Family Planning Clinic Violence - Denounces the violence against health care providers at family planning clinics and urges the Governor, Attorney General and all law enforcement officials to take all steps necessary to protect and secure citizens and clinics from this violence and threat of violence.

1996

SR 41, Adopted 6/27/96 UC Admissions Favoritism - Affirms that the admissions process at the University of California must be free from political influence and favoritism toward major university donors, and requires that any university official receiving requests for admissions or recommendations from major donors disclose those requests or recommendations along with information relating to the disposition of those requests to the Office of the President.

Orange County Bankruptcy Hearings (1994-1995)
"The criticism has been most pointed against the (Orange County) committee's chairman, former Orange County Supervisor Bruce Nestande. In a letter to fellow lawmakers last week, state Sen. Tom Hayden criticized Nestande for receiving $40,000 in contributions from bond and security firms during his political tenure". (The LA Times, Feb. 20, 1995)"The Senate Local Government Committee approved a measure Thursday by Sen. Tom Hayden to put strict contribution limits on Wall Street firms, install oversight boards to review decisions by county treasurers, make brokers disclose risky investments and require treasurers to provide their governing boards with monthly 'risk assessment' reports." (The LA Times, Mar. 31, 1995)

UC Irvine Fertility Clinic Scandals (June 15, 1995)
Tom Hayden chairman, Senate Select Committee on Higher Education
Under subpoena, UC Irvine officials and medical doctors were questioned regarding fraudulent procedures in handling fertility procedures. The medical doctors were dismissed and later indicted. They are out of the country. The fraudulent practices were prohibited in later legislation by Sen. Hayden.

* Preventing $20 Million in FEMA Funds to Cement Las Flores Creek (1995)
Failing to heed warnings against further development in landslide areas, Malibu officials sought to obtain emergency funds to grade 500,000 cubic yards of soil and fill a free-running creek with cement, forever altering the character of another natural watershed in Los Angeles County. Sen. Hayden took the brunt of attack from Malibu and, with Congressman Tony Beilenson, argued successfully that it was an inappropriate federal bailout of local mismanagement and land-use planning.

El Monte Slave Shop Hearings (July-August 1996)
With the leadership of Sen. Hilda Solis, Sen. Hayden helped expose the semi-slavery conditions of Thai and Latino immigrants in a hidden El Monte sweatshop. Sen. Hayden climbed over the barbed wire walls to enter and inspect the facility. As a result of the hearing, the state augmented the budget for enforcement. A worldwide campaign against sweatshops was strengthened by the El Monte hearing.

* Saving St. Vibiana's Cathedral from the Wrecking Ball (1996) - After the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake, the Archdiocese attempted to demolish the oldest building in Los Angeles, the Cathedral of St. Vibiana, to make way for commercial development. The earthquake damage was intentionally magnified, with the collaboration of city redevelopment officials. The Cardinal, the Mayor, and elected officials from the area all favored demolition. With the support of local conservationists and the Catholic Worker movement, Sen. Hayden blocked passage of a land-use "reform" bill (AB 1056, supported by Assemblyman Caldera and Sen. Polanco) which would have permitted the demolition as well as giving a ten-year exemption from key environmental laws for the entire downtown area. The bill died in Sen. Hayden's Natural Resources Committee by one vote, his own. Two years later, the still-preserved St. Vibiana's was sold to a private developer and will become a downtown cultural and historic center.