The Sacramento Chronicles

By ASSEMBLYMEMBER DIANE DIXON

June 2, 2023

Hello Newport Beach! This month’s update is all about deadlines! Two weeks ago the Assembly Appropriations Committee held its Suspense File hearing. Any bills costing the State of California more than $150,000 a year were “in suspense” prior to the hearing. The chair of the committee determined which bills moved forward, were amended, and made into two-year bills or killed.

This year, there were a total of 755 Assembly bills whose futures were decided in Appropriations. Republicans had a total of 88 bills, which made up 11.7%. Of those bills, 51 percent will continue through the legislative process. There were 667 remaining non-Republican measures. Approximately 73.5% of those moved forward. In a future column, I will write about the obvious imbalance in the number of Republican and Democrat bills. I’m sure many of you may wonder why. I had the same question. More later!

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Courtesy of Diane Dixon

Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach)

Following their release from Suspense File, the bills have been heard on the Assembly Floor this week and voted on by all 80 members of the Assembly. Depending on their content, bills must secure a majority (41) vote (or a two-thirds vote if an urgency measure or tax increase, for example) in order to move forward to the Senate. This week, the bills faced their next hurdle: the House of Origin Deadline. This deadline requires Assembly bills to be moved forward by June 2 in order to continue moving through the legislative process this session. Similarly, Senate bills need to move from the Senate to remain active.

Included in the remaining bills was my bill, AB 1025 which has bi-partisan support in the Assembly. This technical bill is sponsored by the California Association of County Treasurer-Tax Collectors. In addition to this measure, I have three bills already in the Senate that will soon be set for policy committee hearings.

On a district-related note: I continue to work with Seymour Beek and the California Air Resources Board regarding regulations that require him to electrify his ferry by December 2024. Please consider adding your name to his petition on the Balboa Island Ferry website at www.change.org/p/save-the-balboa-island-ferry.

You’re Invited! I am hosting an open house in my new District Office on Friday, June 9 at 4 p.m. Please come by and say hello at 4100 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 340, Newport Beach. Additionally, please save the date for my next Town Hall that I will be co-hosting with State Senator Janet Nguyen on Saturday, June 10 at 10 a.m. at the Huntington Beach Central Library, 7111 Talbert Ave., Huntington Beach.

Please keep an eye on your emails for more information on both of these events. If you would like to sign up to receive legislative reports, you can check out my website: https://ad72.asmrc.org/, email me: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or connect on Facebook or Instagram.

Finally, you should have received a request to fill out a survey about fentanyl via email. I encourage everyone to fill it out and I look forward to seeing your responses. If you did not receive one and you would like to, please contact my office at 949.798.7221.

As always, thank you Stu News for allowing me this space to keep your readers informed about my adventures in Sacramento.

Until next month.

Diane Dixon is a two-term Newport Beach City Councilmember and two-time Mayor. She is currently serving her first term in Sacramento.