Gov. Jerry Brown announced early Monday that he had outlawed the open carrying of handguns in public in California, a controversial practice that top law enforcement officials had denounced as dangerous.Clearing his desk of final bills sent to him by the Legislature, Brown signed the ban into law after it was backed by Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and other law enforcement officials throughout the state."I listened to the California police chiefs," Brown said in a statement.Beck and other top cops were concerned that the open toting of guns wastes officers' time responding to calls about armed "suspects" and can lead accidentally to violent confrontation.Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge), author of the ban, and his supporters said California is no longer the wild west, where citizens had to carry six-shooters on their hips for protection."The bottom line is the streets will be safer for law enforcement and families," Portantino said.The measure drew national attention."This finally puts an end to the dangerous and intimidating practice of carrying openly displayed guns in public," said Brian Malte, director of state legislation for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "California families will now be able to take their families to the park or out to eat without the worry of getting shot by some untrained, unscreened, self-appointed vigilante."The law, AB 144, takes effect Jan. 1. Violations will be a misdemeanor, with offenders facing up to one year in jail and a potential fine of $1,000. Gun owners may still apply to their local law enforcement agency for a permit to carry a concealed firearm.The Democratic governor surprised some people in April by telling a law enforcement conference that he owns three guns and that it is natural for people to have firearms in their homes. In a presidential debate in 1992, Brown had argued in favor of a moratorium on gun sales.Opponents of the Portantino bill, including Mike Stollenwerk, co-founder of the group OpenCarry.org, say the new law is an attempt to undermine the Second Amendment right to bear arms."California already has the most convoluted and confusing gun laws in the country," Stollenwerk said Sunday night, predicting that the ban "will result in mass confusion by police and the public as to what the law is, and prosecution of well-meaning people."In other action, the governor announced an extension of tax credits for state film production until June 2015, signing into law a measure that could help keep more Hollywood jobs in California. The incentive would otherwise have expired a year earlier.Makers of film and television shows in California will continue to receive $100 million in annual tax breaks if they do the work here."Extending the motion picture tax credit will create new jobs and keep Californians employed," said Elizabeth Ashford, a spokeswoman for Brown. "Entertainment is a backbone California industry, and we have a responsibility to help keep film and television production here."Brown's signature of AB 1069, by Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes (D-Sylmar), continues a program created as part of a 2009 budget deal signed by then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. It offers a rebate of up to 25% of production expenses and can be used to offset state taxes. The credits cannot be used to pay actors' salaries.Advocates for the tax relief, including the Motion Picture Assn. of America, championed the governor's move.Spokesman Vans Stevenson called the incentives "a proven program that creates jobs and stimulates the economy."Leaders of some of the state's largest labor unions had criticized the proposal as a corporate giveaway at a time when the state is slashing education, services for the needy and other state-funded programs.In addition to the Hollywood measure, the governor signed one prohibiting alcoholic beverages from being sold at automated checkout stands operated by customers in stores. Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) authored AB 183 as another way to prevent minors from purchasing liquor.Brown also vetoed a bill that would have hindered the construction of Wal-Mart Supercenters and other big-box stores by requiring cities and counties to prepare economic-impact reports first.He said SB 469, by Sen. Juan Vargas (D-San Diego), would "add yet another layer of review to an already cumbersome process.''On Sunday, Brown barred minors from using tanning beds, required health insurers to include coverage for autism, approved limits on police actions at sobriety checkpoints and rejected legalization of industrial hemp. ||||| Cedillo alleged that sobriety checkpoints have been misused by some cities to target illegal immigrants who do not have licenses. Because cities can hold cars taken from unlicensed drivers for 30 days, the accumulated impound fees can be more than a car is worth, and some drivers lose their cars as a result.But Brown vetoed a bill that would have required law enforcement agencies to limit the hours of DUI checkpoints and to announce the locations 48 hours in advance."While I understand there are concerns that some sobriety checkpoints are being operated improperly, this bill is far too restrictive on local law enforcement," Brown wrote in his veto message on AB 1389 by Assemblyman Michael Allen (D-Santa Rosa). The effect would be "allowing drunk drivers to avoid detection altogether," the governor said.He also rejected an ACLU -sponsored measure that would have required a warrant to search the contents of a portable electronic device, such as a cellphone, during an arrest."This measure would overturn a California Supreme Court decision that held that police officers can lawfully search the cell phones of people who they arrest," Brown said in a statement on his decision on SB 914 by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco).Brown dismissed a proposal to ban the practice of shackling pregnant inmates. He said the wording of AB 568 by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) went too far, appearing to prohibit the use of handcuffs or any type of restraints on pregnant prisoners.And he rejected a Leno bill that would have legalized production of industrial hemp in four California counties. While voicing support for the concept, Brown cited federal prohibitions on the cultivation of cannabis plants for any purpose.In several of the vetoes, the governor asserted that proposals were unnecessary or might cause more problems than they would solve.That was the case with a measure that would have required businesses to allow employees to take four days of unpaid time off when there is a death in the family. Brown worried it could lead to litigation by employees. He also questioned the need for the bill, AB 325 by Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal (D-Long Beach)."Granting bereavement leave when a close family member dies is the moral and decent thing to do," Brown wrote, "and I believe the vast majority of employers voluntarily make such an accommodation for the loss of a loved one." ||||| California Gov. Jerry Brown announced Monday that he signed into law a measure that bans handgun owners from openly carrying their weapons in public. 
 
 Previous regulations had allowed the open carrying of unloaded handguns in public, but police chiefs and sheriffs objected to the rule because people felt frightened when they saw handguns in public places. 
 
 Text Size - 
 
 + 
 
 reset POLITICO 44 
 
 “They are tied up dealing with calls from the public about gun-toting men and women in the coffee shop,” California Assemblyman Antony Portantino, who introduced the bill, said last month. “As law enforcement officials tell me, it’s not safe and someone is going to get hurt.” 
 
 Gun rights activists had exercised their right to open carry their unloaded firearms by showing up to public places in large numbers with firearms in holsters, which alarmed some members of the public. 
 
 The governor’s office made the announcement that he signed the legislation, AB144, in statement on Monday. 
 
 Brown has been signing dozens of measures sent to him by legislators. The bills signed in the last few days include legislation approving a state version of the DREAM Act; banning the sale and possession of shark fins; a farm workers rights bill; limiting the use of tanning beds for those under 18 years old; and a union-backed bill prohibiting grocery stores from selling beer, wine or liquor using self-checkout lanes.
– California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill banning the open carrying of handguns in public, he announced today. Police had opposed existing rules allowing Californians to carry unloaded guns openly, saying the practice scared onlookers, Politico reports. "As law enforcement officials tell me, it’s not safe and someone is going to get hurt," said the assemblyman who introduced the bill. Added Brown: "I listened to the California police chiefs." "California families will now be able to take their families to the park or out to eat without the worry of getting shot by some untrained, unscreened, self-appointed vigilante," a Brady Campaign activist tells the Los Angeles Times. The measure is one of many bills that Brown has addressed in recent days—including California's DREAM Act and one that bars minors from using tanning beds. He signed bills requiring health insurers to cover autism and giving kids 12 and up the right to get anti-STD health care without their parents' consent; but Brown vetoed a bill to legalize industrial hemp production in four counties. The Times has more.