In the News

State Senate OKs ski safety legislation

May 14, 2013
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The state Senate on Monday passed a bill that would require California ski resorts to prepare an annual safety plan and post those reports on their websites.

Lawmakers passed SB564 on a 24-8 partisan vote. The bill by Democratic Sen. Bill Monning of Carmel is a follow-up to a previous ski safety measure.

Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill by Sen. Ted Gaines, a Republican from Rocklin. The governor called that measure "unnecessary" and said the state did not need to get involved.

Chuck Molnar, Senior Corner: Monning behind vets cemetery at Fort Ord

May 07, 2013

State Sen. Bill Monning, D-Monterey, is spearheading an effort that authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs, in cooperation with the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, the city of Seaside, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority and other local agencies to design, develop and construct a California Central Coast State Veterans Cemetery at Fort Ord. And he needs your help.

The 204-acre vets cemetery would only be the second one in California. The other is in Shasta County.

Enviro Scorecard Gives Monning Perfect Voting Record; Alejo, Blakeslee Slip

April 29, 2013

State Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel, is still batting 100 on the California League of Conservation Voters' annual Environmental Scorecard.

CLCV ranked Monning in his former role as 27th District Assemblyman for the 2012 legislative session. Monning voted "right"—that is, voting for what CLVC deems "pro-environmental" actions and against "anti-environmental" actions—16 of 16 times, a 100-percent record. Monning scored a perfect 100 in 2011, too.

Calif. Ski Safety Bill Clears First Legislative Hurdle

April 29, 2013

A new bill aimed at improving safety standards at ski resorts moved one step closer towards becoming law on Wednesday. This comes following an NBC Bay Area investigation that exposed numerous safety hazards at resorts across the state.

Read more and watch video...

By Elyce Kirchner, Jeremy Carroll and Kevin Nious, NBC Bay Area

Bill Monning Won't Quit Soda Tax Effort

April 26, 2013

Two years ago, almost to the day, then-Assemblyman Bill Monning, D-Carmel, expressed disappointment that his proposed soda tax died in an Assembly committee.

He vowed to continue pressing on with health education efforts, and indicated that the penny-per-ounce tax might reappear in the future.

This morning, it did. The state Senate Committee on Governance and Finance approved State Senator Monning's new penny-per-ounce tax proposal with a 5-2 vote.

Monning's sugary drinks bill advances

April 26, 2013

A state bill that would tax sugary drinks and use the money to campaign against childhood obesity has cleared a key committee.

The Senate Committee on Governance and Finance passed Senate Bill 622 on a vote of 5 to 2.

The bill is authored by state Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel.

“This is the first time this state committee has passed a bill that would place a tax on sugary drinks and the first step toward stemming the epidemic of childhood obesity,” Monning said in a news release.

Soda tax is among 2,189 bills introduced by California lawmakers

February 27, 2013

A proposal to tax sweetened soda in California has renewed debate over the state's role in preventing obesity among its residents.

State Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) has introduced legislation that would levy a 1-cent-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages, including sodas, as part of an effort to fight obesity among young people.

Read more...

Bills aimed at unlicensed contractors supported by Monning, Achadjian

February 21, 2013

Contractors who work in the underground economy are being targeted through bipartisan bills backed by Central Coast legislators Bill Monning and Katcho Achadjian.

“Law-abiding businesses and the public’s safety are at risk due to the large number of unlicensed contractors supporting California’s underground economy,” said Monning, a Democratic state senator from Carmel who also serves San Luis Obispo County. Achadjian is a Republican Assemblyman from San Luis Obispo.

What the Supreme Court's health care ruling means for Californians

June 29, 2012

For the majority of California's nearly 7 million uninsured residents, today's landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling on health care reform means they will have access to health care coverage in the next few years.

About 1.5 million of the uninsured will be covered by Medi-Cal, California's version of the federal Medicaid program for low-income and disabled people. In 2014, the state will expand Medi-Cal to include adults who make up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

Bay Area consumers warned about fraudulent Internet advertising

June 21, 2012

SACRAMENTO - Assemblyman Bill Monning is warning consumers to beware of unlicensed contractors who use the Internet to market to unsuspecting and vulnerable homeowners.

Monning joined the Contractors State License Board on Wednesday to announce the success of an undercover operation targeting the fraud. The organization last week partnered with contracting boards in Oregon, Nevada and Arizona to coordinate sting operations resulting in 100 arrests from eight cities in California alone.