July 9, 2023 - SACRAMENTO – Last week, Acting Governor Toni G. Atkins, who is the first person in 150 years to have served as both Senate President pro Tempore and Assembly Speaker, today became the first female Senate President pro Tempore in California history to sign legislation into law as Acting Governor. Among the measures she signed is AB 588 by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas – the Speaker’s first bill to be enacted into law since his swearing-in on Friday.
 
“The honor and privilege to sign these bills into law is not lost on me. For legislators, the authorship and shepherding of a bill through the legislative process is what we do, and I’m humbled to experience the other side of the process by signing these bills into law,” said Acting Governor Atkins, who also is the first openly LGBTQ+ person to have served as Acting Governor. “These three pieces of legislation — which impact public transit, shared mobility devices, and local water management — will continue our efforts to protect our state and enhance our communities, and I’m happy to be able to help my Assembly colleagues, including our new Speaker Robert Rivas, get their work across the finish line.”

Acting Governor Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas

AB 588 by Assembly Speaker Rivas expands eligibility for the City of Watsonville’s appointed board member on the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, providing greater flexibility to the Agency to help ensure representation for residents.
 
“I am grateful for the administration’s support of AB 588. California’s water challenges are ongoing. But signing this bill into law ensures residents of Watsonville will be represented in future decisions regarding their region’s water systems. It also safeguards the Pajaro Valley agriculture community’s representation,” said Assembly Speaker Rivas.
 
The full list of bills signed today can be found below:

• AB 354 by Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D-Elk Grove) – Sacramento Regional Transit District: board of directors: membership.
• AB 410 by Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-South Los Angeles) – Shared mobility devices.
• AB 588 by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) – Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency Act: board members.

 For full text of the bills, visit: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
Source: Office of the Governor