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»Full listing

Committee meetings:
 Sept. 8
CMTA Climate Change Advisory Committee

 Sept. 9
Energy

 Sept. 9
Corporate Counsel

 Sept. 16
Government Relations

 Sept. 16
Tax

 Sept. 17
Labor Employment

 Sept. 22
CMTA Climate Change Advisory Committee

 Sept. 23
Energy

 Sept. 23
Environmental quality

 Oct. 7
Energy

 Oct. 13
CMTA Climate Change Advisory Committee

 Oct. 14
Corporate Counsel

 Oct. 15
Labor Employment

 Oct. 21
Environmental quality
California's Regulatory Landscape -- GETTING IT RIGHT

 Oct. 21
Tax

 Oct. 22
Board of Directors

 Oct. 27
CMTA Climate Change Advisory Committee

 Oct. 28
Environmental quality

 Nov. 4
Energy

Contact us at members@cmta.net
 

CMTA legislative database
Dean Florez Senate District 16, Democrat


Term limit: 2010

E-mail

Personal data

Capitol office
Room5061
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-4641
Fax: (916) 327-5989

Committees:
Senate Committee on Agriculture & Water Resources

Senate Floor

Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and International Trade

Budget & Fiscal Review

Senate Committee on Governmental Organization

District voter registration
Democrat: 50%
Republican: 37%
Other: 13%

District makeup
Central Valley district including all of Kings County; a portion (36%) of Kern County encompassing Arvin, Delano, McFarland, Shafter, Wasco and a small portion (24%) of Bakersfield; western portion (46%) of Fresno County encompassing Coalinga, Firebaugh, Fowler, Huron, Kerman, Mendota, Orange Cove, Parlier, Sanger, San Joaquin, Selma and almost half (47%) of the city of Fresno; and western portion (29%) of Tulare County encompassing Dinuba, Lindsay and Woodlake

Source: California Target Book

   
Manufacturers' legislative scorecard
Florez's voting record on bills important to manufacturers:
2005-06: 27% (6-16) 2003-04: 33% (4-8) OVERALL: 29% (10-24)
  VOTE  Indicates vote for manufacturers' interests or an Abstain vote
Florez's
votes
2008 votes
AB 1946 - Expands the likelihood of civil action by the Attorney General, district and city attorneys. YES
AB 2279 - Makes it illegal to consider an employee's use of marijuana outside of the workplace when hiring YES
AB 2386 - "Card Check" - Prohibits private union votes in agricultural industry YES
AB 2547 - Makes costly and unnecessary changes to California's oil spill prevention and response law YES
AB 2648 - Expands "multiple pathways" for Career Technical Education
YES
AB 2855 - Provides high school education in green technology and goods movement
YES
AB 2944 - Undermines a corporate director's accountability to shareholders YES
AB 2947 - Prohibits a residential care facility for the elderly from requiring an elder from waiving rights afforded under the EADACPA as a condition of admission YES
AB 2969 - Any licensed physician conducting a utilization review be licensed in California YES
AB 437 - Eliminates statue of limitations on benefits or salary lawsuits YES
SB 1113 - Authorizes a court to award attorneys fees and costs to a successful party against opposing parties YES
SB 1115 - Drives up work comp costs by changing apportionment YES
SB 1161 - Extends the sunset date for the program from 2011 to 2016.
YES
SB 1313 - Unnecessarily moves up, by 5 years, perfluorinated compounds phase-out to 2010. YES
SB 1338 - Allows employee to pre-designate physician outside of employer's medical provider network YES
SB 1608 - Equal access for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations
YES
SB 1717 - Doubles permanent disability employer costs YES
SB 1717 - Doubles permanent disability employer costs YES
SB 1762 - Circumvents CARB process and mandates new energy costs for Climate Change Institute YES
SB 375 - Exposes manufacturers to unfounded industrial development litigation. YES
SB 974 - Imposes a $400 million per year container tax on port container cargo YES
2007 votes
AB 1673 - Imposes California-only instantaneous on-site rebate-system YES
AB 8 - Requires employers to pay 7.5% of payroll for employee healthcare YES
AB 8 - Requires employers to pay 7.5% of payroll for employee healthcare YES
AB 1618 - Creates a tax increase on business by removing the ability to deduct interest expense YES
AB 537 - Expands California's already most stringent Family Leave law YES
AB 1045 - Forces one-size fits all indoor heat regulations for manufacturers YES
AB 1108 - Bans phthalates without evidence it poses a threat to consumers YES
SB 727 - Expands California's already most stringent family leave law YES
SB 936 - Increases cost of workers' comp system by doubling permanent disability payments YES
SB 836 - Increases employee absenteeism by adding "familial status" to protected class YES
2006 votes
AB 2778 - Removes fossil fuel combustion technologies from the Self-Generation Incentive Program YES
AB 32 - Increases costs on manufacturers and will not reduce overall global warming emissions YES
SB 1368 - Limits the available power sources to meet California's energy demands and increases the price of electricity YES
SB 1414 - Requires companies with over 10,000 California employees to spend 8% of their annual payroll costs on health care insurance for employees YES
SB 1489 - Increases litigation by awarding more costs and attorney fees to the Attorney General's Office
Abstained
SB 815 - Doubles permanent disability workers' compensation benefits
Abstained
SB 927 - $60 per container tax on all containers processed at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach
NO
AB 1835 - Increases the state minimum wage by $1.25 over next two years YES
AB 2593 - Interferes with potential regulatory solution to industry meal and rest period laws YES
SB 1737 - Further regulates manufacturers' and retailers' rebates to consumers. YES
2005 votes
SB 600 - Creates chemical monitoring program with no scientific basis or deignated funding YES
AB 48 - Increases minimum wage YES
SB 484 - Creates duplicative and costly reporting for cosmetic manufacturers YES
AB 153 - Increases litigation costs by allowing AG to recover all costs in actions alleging anti-competitive practices YES
AB 1698 - Mandates employer health care for dependants until they are 26 years old YES
Confirmation of Cindy Tuck -
YES
AB 391 - Forces employers to pay unemployment benefits for workers' missing work during trade disputes YES
SB 1023 - Adds costly penalties to the state's reformed workers' compensation system YES
SB 174 - Expands "sue your boss" provision and increases litigation and costs YES
SB 109 - Allows criminal prosecution for minor air violations
NO
SB 426 - Slows the construction of LNG terminals YES
Confirmation of Andrea Hoch - Will continue implementation of workers' compensation reforms
Abstained
2004 votes
AB 2006 - Undermines development of new electricity generation
NO
SB 1703 - Excludes from "green program" even safe manufacturers of toxic materials YES
AB 2850 - Requires 90-day job tenure for displaced private security officers YES
SB 1841 - Prohibits electronic monitoring of employees without prior notice YES
AB 2042 - Discourages port growth by imposing overly burdensome emissions caps
NO
AB 2832 - Sets min. wage at $7.25 (CA already highest in country) YES
SB 899 - Reduces work comp rates by making positive changes to cost drivers
YES
SB 122 - Expands abusive and frivolous lawsuits YES
SB 1168 - Makes manufacturer responsible and liable for any chemical found in a body YES
SB 772 - Enables PG&E to become solvent with max. benefit for ratepayers
YES
2003 votes
SB 796 - Increases and expands frivolous lawsuits against employers YES
SB 515 - Limits the free speech rights of business YES
View scorecard for all legislators here
SD 16 is home to
368 manufacturers
List all
  
31 companies engaged in grassroots
APCO WorldWide
Blake Kern Truck and Trailer, Inc.
Borga, Inc.
California Trading Company
Chevron
Del Monte foods
Dept of General Services
DPS Telecom
Economic Development Corporation serving Fresno County
ETECO, Inc.
FDS Manufacturing Co.
Fiore di Pasta
Fresno County
GSM
J F Manufacturing
Kern Oil & Refining Co.
Klippenstein Corporation
M B Technology Corporation
Manufacturers Council of the Central Valley
McLellan Equipment Co.
Melkonian Enterprises, Inc.
Numatic Engineering
Pactiv
Saint-Gobain Containers
Sanger Boats, Inc.
Sportsmobile
Torres Fence Company Inc.
Tulare County Redevelopment Agency
U.S. Marine Corps
Vamco Limited, Inc.
W E Plemons Machinery Services
» Add your company
 
Dean Florez biography:
Senator Dean Florez grew up in the heart of the Central Valley.

In the most recent legislative session, Florez focused his energies on finding workable solutions to the Valley’s air pollution crisis, taking on powerful interests along the way. In the end, Florez was rewarded with a historic victory for advocates of clean air and public health, as Governor Gray Davis signed into law five measures by Florez which take a dramatic first step toward cleaner air.

Foremost among those measures was SB 700, which ended agriculture’s reign as the only industry in California exempted from the Federal Clean Air Act. The bills also phase out the age-old practice of burning agricultural waste, while taking into consideration the needs of farmers to find an alternative disposal method by giving biomass facilities added incentive to take farm waste ahead of urban construction debris.

California’s Central Valley has the second-dirtiest air in the nation, and childhood asthma rates in the region are several times the national average. As chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Air Quality in the Central Valley, Florez intends to continue working on common sense legislation which addresses the various causes of Valley air pollution, including large commercial developments and diesel-driven locomotives.

Florez is no stranger to ignoring political risk to take on issues of importance to his Central Valley community and this state. Just last year, Florez lost his position as chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) after conducting more than 100 hours of hearings into the state’s questionable $95 million software contract with Oracle Corporation and probing the highest levels of state government.

The Oracle contract has since been rescinded, and Florez is back on JLAC as a member of the State Senate, where he continues to use state audits as a tool to promote government accountability.

This session, Florez called for an audit of the state’s sex offender registry, after media reports that as many as 33,000 offenders who are required to have their whereabouts posted on the Megan’s Law database were unaccounted for. Shortly after a hearing on the auditor’s findings, the Legislature voted to extend the sunset on Megan’s Law, with a bipartisan commitment to addressing the system’s deficiencies in the upcoming session.

Florez currently chairs the Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and International Trade, which has explored such issues this year as federal preemption of state banking laws, implementation of the state’s Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise program and proposed federal rules that would have allowed formation of even larger media conglomerates. The committee also held a hearing on the value of California’s foreign trade offices, which were found to have grossly inflated the monetary value of their services and have since been eliminated.

Florez is serving his first term in the California State Senate, after two successful terms in the State Assembly. As a freshman Assemblyman, Florez introduced legislation to provide a safe means of transportation to farmworkers, who were often the victims of senseless accidents during harvest season. Florez pushed for and passed legislation to mandate seatbelts and latched toolboxes in farm labor vehicles, and outlawed the practice of replacing manufacturer-installed seating with parallel benches to increase capacity. These measures and the California Highway Patrol unit charged with their enforcement are credited with all but eliminating the tragic traffic deaths that had come to be associated with the harvest.

Florez began his political life working in the Legislature as a fiscal consultant to the Senate Budget Committee. After attending Bakersfield College, Florez earned his bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of California at Los Angeles, where he served as student body president. He went on to receive his MBA from Harvard Business School. Florez lives in Shafter with his wife Elsa, their daughter Faith and son Sean. 		  
Headlines
Senate panel tables soda tax -  May. 13
A proposal to help Californians slim down by putting a sugar tax on soda has run afoul of another ...  Patrick McGreevy in the L.A. Times

Big Soda should pick up the tab for role in obesity crisis -  March 16
Despite the best efforts of the soda industry to keep a lid on any discussion of a soda tax, the ...  Harold Goldstein in the San Jose Merc. News

Big Soda should pick up the tab for role in obesity crisis -  March 16
Despite the best efforts of the soda industry to keep a lid on any discussion of a soda tax, the ...  Harold Goldstein in the San Jose Merc. News

Two bills, two targets close to home: Sugary drinks and cell-phone radiation -  Feb. 19
pair of bills unveiled in the Legislature on Thursday seek to dramatically shift our relationships ...   Denis C. Theriault in the San Jose Merc. News

Florez meets with PUC president on SmartMeter concerns -  Oct. 8
State Sen. Dean Florez called upon the California Public Utilities Commission to stop Pacific Gas ...  Christine L. Peterson in the Bakersfield Californian

CMTA Capitol Updates
Status of labor & employment bills

Between the Appropriations Committee and floor sessions last week the Legislature was busy ...   June 11 update

Climate change reporting bill moves to Assembly floor
Upon their return to business next week, the California Assembly is expected to consider SB 1550 ...   Aug. 1 update

Corporate climate change disclosure
On May 5th, the Senate Appropriations Committee will consider SB 1550 (Dean Florez, D-Shafter), ...   May. 2 update

CMTA grassroots bills authored by Florez
Air Pollution Penalties   Particulate Matter
SB 1252
CMTA position:Oppose