Leland Yee

Often, no matter how carefully deceased Californians may have planned for the future care of their pets, those plans are often dishonored or ignored, resulting in the animals being abandoned or turned over to public shelters for care.

But a bill signed into law this week by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will stop all of that.

Authored by state Sen. Leland Yee, (D-San Francisco), SB 685 will guarantee that the instructions found in people's wills as to the future care of their pets will be carried out.

Despite a judge's order saying that a strike could potentially place patient safety in jeopardy, state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, joined striking UC San Francisco Medical Center workers Monday in a show of political solidarity.

More than 8,500 service workers represented by AFSCME Local 3299 began what may be a 5-day-long strike at ten UC campuses and five medical centers protesting substandard wages and working conditions.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday announced that he has signed into law a bill that will shed greater light on state government contracts.

Senate Bill 1696 will now also open up the results of governmental audits and reviews of public agencies. Authored by state Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) the bill would prohibit a state or local agency from allowing an outside entity to control the disclosure of information that is otherwise subject to the California Public Records Act.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday signed a bill into law that will prohibit prosecutors and judges from threatening victims of domestic violence with contempt of court and jail time if they refuse to testify against their attackers.

The legislation, SB 1356, was authored by state Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) and mirrors an existing statute for sexual assault victims.

A bill that will shed greater light on government contracts was passed out of the state Assembly this week and now awaits Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature or veto.

Senate Bill 1696 will also open up the results of governmental audits and reviews of public agencies.

Authored by state Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) the bill would prohibit a state or local agency from allowing an outside entity to control the disclosure of information that is otherwise subject to the California Public Records Act.

Although California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and presumptive GOP nominee John McCain are all but politically attached at the hip, Schwarzenegger said Wednesday that McCain's endorsement of President Bush's call to lift the moratorium on offshore oil drilling had no chance of getting a "green light" in Hollywood parlance.

"California's coastline is an international treasure. I do not support lifting this moratorium on new oil drilling off our coast," the governor said in a statement Wednesday.

A controversial bill that would prevent victims of domestic abuse from being compelled by prosecutors to testify against their abusers was passed by the state Assembly Monday.

State Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) said SB 1356 now goes before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for signature or veto. Unlike sexual assault victims, victims of domestic abuse in California have been on occasion sent to jail on contempt of court charges for not testifying against their assailants.