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Legislative ¿/;{-7' Bill Action ............................................................... Furthermore, the League's suggested amend- ments delete the requirement that local govern- ments adopt the best management practices developed by the Task Force into local ordinances. Instead, prior to approving a project, a city or county would require a project proponent to provide a summary of how it plans to implement the mitigation measures required by the local air district, which already has the authority to require NOA mitigation for most large projects. For those projects not subject to air district authority, a city or county would be required to provide a one-page summary of mitigation measures that could be taken. Finally, local governments would be re- quired to consider the best management practices suggested by the Task Force, and adopt those it deems appropriate. The League thanks Senator Ortiz and her staff for working closely with the League and for under- standing and responding to our concerns. It is likely that the amended version of SB 655 will not be available until later next week. Staff: Yvonne Hunter; Status: Pending on Assembly Floor; Position: Watch; anticipated neutral. ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES SB 412 (Figueroa). Massage Therapy. State and ü:x:a1 ~B 412 is a two- year bill. The intent of SB 412 is to provide a statewide regulatory and licensing framework for massage therapists. However, in doing so, the current version of the bill would preempt most of local government's regulatory authority over massage therapists. Many local governments regulate massage therapy establishments and therapists. This is done as a way of differentiating between legitimate establishments and practitio- ners and those that are, to put it politely, less than legitimate and more attuned to the darker side of our cities. The League has been in discussions with the author's office and supporters about the preemp- tion issue and held a conference call this week that included representatives from city police departments, counties, the author's office and the supporters. While the conversation was produc- tive, it is clear that there is still much to discuss and negotiate relative to preemption in SB 412. Based upon that conversation and other issues, the author decided to make SB 412 a two-year bill, since only two weeks remains in the session, and that is not enough time to resolve the numerous outstanding issues. The League has told the author that we are willing to continue discussions through the fall and will withhold sending an oppose letter at this time. Although all involved hope that resolution can be reached, the League also has made it clear that we are prepared to oppose the bill if agreement is not reach. We thank Senator Figueroa and her staff for their willingness to engage in serious discussions with local government to address our concerns. In the meantime, city officials should not get too bent out of shape about the provisions of SB 412. We are attempting to massage the language to address our concerns and won't throw in the towel until the discussions are complete. Staff: Yvonne Hunter; Status: Pending in Assembly Appropriations Committee (two-year bill); Posi- tion: Watch. SB 861 (Speier). Animal Control. Local Regulation of Vicious Dogs. SB 861 would return some limited authority to local governments to regulate vicious dogs. The bill is in response to several tragic accidents where children have been mauled or killed after being attacked by pit bulls. While the bill would permit cities and counties to enact dog breed-specific ordinances pertaining to mandatory spay or neuter programs and breeding requirements, it would not permit a city or county to ban a specific breed or declare that a breed or mix breed is potentially dangerous. SB 861 passed the Assembly this week and is expected to be heard next week in the Senate Local Government Committee. It would then go to the Senate Floor for concurrence in Assembly Visit the league's Official Web site n www.cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS/PAGE 7