Lawmakers have given final approval to a wide array of bills.  Some faced strong opposition, like a ban on regulating Voice-over-Internet-Protocol phone service; and a bill that would penalize parents if their children openly display a BB gun in public.  Others passed more easily, like a fee on lobbyists that would pay for improving the state's campaign finance website.  Those measures now head to the desk of Governor Jerry Brown.

Other bills that moved forward still face one last vote in the legislature.  They include a ban on warrantless searches of a person's whereabouts using GPS data from cell phones; and a requirement that gun owners report their lost or stolen weapons within 48 hours.

And many big issues still remain unresolved before lawmakers adjourn at the end of next week - including changes to California's pension and workers compensation systems.


Ban on Doghunts of Bears, Bobcats Passes Assembly

A bill that would ban the use of dogs to hunt bears or bobcats in California has passed the State Assembly after a bitter debate.

The measure has upset Republicans like Assemblyman Bill Berryhill, who said hunters' rights are being unfairly targeted.

Berryhill: "I strongly, for the tradition of the houndsmen that dates back to British rule, for public safety - I strongly, strongly urge a no vote on this bill."

Some Democrats didn't support the bill either.  But others, like Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, criticized the practice of hound hunting as unacceptably brutal.

Portantino: "To think that someone would find it fun to unleash a pack of dogs to terrorize bears for four miles until their exhaustion - until some of them die - that's just wrong."

The ban passed the Assembly on a 46-30 vote.  It now faces a final vote in the Senate before it can reach the governor's desk.