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_ Animal abusers may soon join sex offenders and arsonists on the list of publicly registered felons under a bill scheduled for a hearing Monday in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB1277, by Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, would make California the first state in the country to require any individual over 18 convicted of felony animal abuse to register with police. An offender's home address, photograph and place of employment would be posted online for a 10-year period after their conviction.
_ Phone books would become the next victims of the digital age under a bill scheduled to be heard Monday by the Senate Appropriations Committee. SB920 would allow Californians to opt out of receiving the classified and alphabetical phone directories known as yellow pages and white pages.
Companies that produce the directories would have to provide a toll-free number and a website with instructions on how to decline future delivery.
The bill's author, Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, says the more than 78 million phonebooks distributed annually in California are wasteful, costly and increasingly irrelevant, thanks to the Internet.
_ Republicans are promoting their job creation proposals in hearings before the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee on Monday and the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee on Wednesday. Their proposals include offering tax credits for vehicle and equipment purchases, research, capital gains, job training, and for employers that hire veterans, parolees, or the unemployed.