BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                          SB 323
                                                          Page  1

Date of Hearing:   August 18, 1999

              ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS 
                    Carole Migden, Chairwoman

          SB 323 (Hayden) - As Amended: April 22, 1999 

Policy Committee:                              Public  
SafetyVote:  6-2

Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local  
Program:YesReimbursable:          Yes

  SUMMARY  :

This bill:

1)Establishes a 26-member Peace Process Task Force, a joint  
  project of state government, educational institutions and  
  private entities, to hold public hearings, develop  
  recommendations and strategies for dealing with gang violence,  
  and to report to the Legislature and the governor by Jan. 1,  
  2001. Members would be appointed, as specified, by the  
  Legislature and the governor. 

2)Establishes a 17-member Commission on Prison Peace, appointed,  
  as specified, by the Legislature and the governor, to identify  
  the causes of violence and recommend measures to increase  
  peace and safety in California's correctional system. The  
  commission would be required to hold public hearings and  
  report to the Governor and the Legislature by December 31. 

3)Establishes the Office of Peace Process Coordinator in the  
  Attorney General's (AG's) Office.  The coordinator would be  
  responsible for evaluating and promoting violence prevention  
  efforts among gangs and residents of inner-city communities  
  faced with gang violence and would be appointed by the  
  governor, with Senate confirmation required. The coordinator  
  would serve as the staff director to the Peace Process Task  
  Force and the Commission of Prison Peace.
 
  FISCAL EFFECT
   
  1)Annual GF costs of about $300,000 for at least two new  
  positions within the AG's Office, expenses for Peace Process  








                                                          SB 323
                                                          Page  2

  Task Force members (the bill does not reference reimbursement  
  for expenses for the Commission on Prison Peace), staff time  
  provided by the AG's Office and the Senate Office of Research  
  , as specified in the bill, and the required reports.

2)The bill specifies that no more than $200,000 may be spent  
  over two years on the Peace Process Task Force, and that the  
  bill's provisions shall become operative only upon a 1999  
  Budget Act appropriation (which did not occur.) 

  COMMENTS
  
  Rationale.  According to the author, "We must examine the  
conditions which lead to violence in our prisons and implement  
policies that encourage an atmosphere of peace and safety -  
otherwise, the cycle will proceed and we will continue to export  
this violence behavior into our streets.
 
 Community-based groups are already working toward creating  
gang-truces and encouraging economic development and community  
empowerment.  By bringing them together with elected officials,  
educators, law-enforcement authorities and the clergy, we can  
move toward comprehensive solutions to gang and violence  
problems in our streets and in our correctional system.

  Previous Legislation  . SB 1731 (Hayden, 1998), which created the  
Office of the Peace Process Coordinator, failed passage in this  
committee. SB 980 (Hayden, 1998), which created a Peace Process  
Task Force, was vetoed by Gov. Wilson. SB 547, (Watson, 1997),  
which created the Gang Prevention Director within the AG's  
Office, was vetoed by Gov. Wilson.
 


  Analysis Prepared by  :    Geoff Long / APPR. / (916)319-2081