Jerry Brown as Governor: Highlights of Eight Years of Progress Brown on Agriculture and Farm Issues As Governor of California, Jerry Brown recognized the tremendous importance of agriculture to the economic well-being of the state. To promote California agriculture: o He created the Office of International Trade to promote the export of California agricultural products, and to forecast demands for agricultural products; o He expanded the Agricultural Export Information Program to provide data vital to the competitive strength of California's producers and exporters, o He established the Farm Products Trust Fund to protect farmers from default by produce dealers and processors, o He encouraged the growth of direct marketing - dozens of certified farmer's markets throughout the state sell thousands of tons of produce direct to consumers; o He encouraged consumer participation on agriculture marketing boards, o He suspended minimum retail price controls on milk and milk products, revising the laws to assure fair and reasonable prices to consumers; o He pioneered the development of integrated pest management techniques and increased the amount of money spent on alternative pest management programs, o He developed the most comprehensive pesticide regulatory program in the country, o He established the Pest Response Task Force to review and improve existing pest prevention systems, o He constructed a modern laboratory to inspect and analyze chemicals in agricultural products and foodstuffs, o He opened a new veterinary laboratory in San Bernadino to provide improved laboratory services for the livestock industry in Southern California, o He oversaw eradication of the Meditereanean Fruit Fly infestation, which posed a grave threat to California agriculture; o He promoted the development of alternative sources of on-farm energy, including ethanol production and the establishment of biomass farming areas. Brown on the Arts Jerry Brown believes that art is an important part of society, and his record as Governor of California is a testimonial to that fact. As Governor: o He created the California Arts Council, which awarded $38.2 million in grants to artists; o He established a Summer School for the Arts and passed an Exemplary Arts Education Act, to promote and fund art education; o He signed the Art in Public Buildings Act, which made it possible to commission 47 artists to create works of art in 29 public buildings; o He signed the California Art Preservation Act, which prevents works of art from being intentionally damaged or destroyed; o He signed the California Live-Work Space Act, which allows cities to change zoning laws so that artists can live and work in the same space; o He supported the Resale Royalties Act, which provides a 5% royalty on the price of their art work when it is sold; o He signed the Artist-Dealer Relations Act, which helped artists to collect monies owed them by art dealers. Jerry Brown demonstrated that politics can help the arts, while enhancing the quality of life for all of the people. Brown on Campaign Financing As Secretary of State of the State of California, Brown took the following measures: o Called for full enforcement of election laws, requiring specific and accurate donor lists from candidates, o Argued in court for precise reporting of campaign contributions, o Filed briefs with the FCC to try and ensure free air time for candidates, reducing the need for enormous campaign "war chests" of money for the media. Today, Jerry Brown will accept no campaign contribution greater than $100.00, as opposed to the $1000.00 dollar limit imposed by federal election regulations. Brown on Consumer Issues Jerry Brown's concern for people and willingness to stand up for their rights is obvious in his record on consumer issues. As Governor of California: o He pushed for and signed legislation ensuring a comprehensive right to privacy for the citizens of California, o He enacted legislation prohibiting creditors and bill collectors from engaging in harassment, o He signed legislation prohibiting sex or marital status from being a factor in denial of credit to an individual, o He limited the amount of security deposit that a landlord could charge a tenant, o He enacted reforms to make small claims court more accessible to consumers, including adding evening and Saturday sessions and raising the claim ceiling to $1500; o He established the nation's first "anti-redlining" measure, prohibiting discrimination by lenders based on geographic location or ethnic makeup of a neighborhood; o He established "life line" utility rates, allowing people on modest incomes to qualify for reduced rates for basic services; o He ended industry domination of regulatory boards by drafting legislation which placed a majority of public members on most state boards, o He prohibited discrimination by occupational licensing boards, and required licensing examinations to be job-related; o He established a Housing Advisory Service to assist people who are rehabilitating or building their own homes, o He vetoed legislation which would have allowed variable-rate mortgages to have no upper limit on their interest rate, o He allowed price advertising by doctors and dentists, o He required item pricing by all retail grocery outlets, including those with computerized check-outs; o He allowed consumers to purchase "generic" brand prescription drugs rather than the more expensive drugs prescribed by tradenames, o He enacted a "lemon law", protecting the buyers of defective new cars; o He set up a Marketing Hotline to provide consumers with information about farmers and farmers' markets where they could buy produce directly. These are just a few of the reasons why Jerry Brown's administration was widely criticized by well-funded special interests; because Governor Jerry Brown used his office to look after the needs of the people rather than business' private agendas. Brown on Criminal Justice As Governor of the State of California, Jerry Brown: o Required mandatory prison sentences for persons using a gun in the commission of a major crime, o Required mandatory prison sentences for felons convicted of repeat offenses, o Signed legislation eliminating early parole for most inmates, o Supported and signed legislation authorizing construction of twelve new prisons, o Required mandatory prison sentences for persons committing violent crimes against the elderly, blind, or severely handicapped; o Signed into law the first Career Criminal Prosecution program in the nation, to help take repeat offenders off the streets. As a result, convictions in these cases increased by almost 50%, sentences increased by almost 33%, and bail increased by 100%. o Signed legislation providing state funding to local sheriffs and police for a similar program, the Career Criminal Apprehension Program; o Created the Crime Resistance Task force, which funded the establishment of local Neighborhood Watch programs; o Signed the Victim / Witness Assistance Program into law. This program, paid for entirely by fines levied on criminals, provided funding for 34 centers which help over 60,000 victims and witnesses of crimes each year. o Signed legislation creating Rape Crisis Centers to assist victims of sexual assault, o Reduced the penalty for possession of small amounts of marijuana, but imposed mandatory prison sentences on heroin pushers; In 1982 alone, Governor Brown signed 150 new anti-crime bills which resulted in more than 5,600 criminals per year going to prison for new or longer terms. Brown on the Economy While Jerry Brown was Governor of the State of California: o More than 2 million new jobs were created in California, o He fought for and signed a $1 billion tax cut; at the same time, California went from having the 4th highest taxes in the U.S. to the 23rd highest. o He reduced the growth of government in California more than his Republican predecessor, while delivering exceptional services to citizens; o He vetoed nearly $2 billion in new appropriations, o He blocked efforts to increase sales, income, liquor, and gasoline taxes; o He eliminated the oil depletion allowance for major oil companies, o He revised the "preferential income policies" which allowed wealthy people to dodge state income taxes, o The Western States Agricultural Commission was created to promote trade in U.S. agricultural products, o Established the World Trade Commission to promote international trade, investment, and tourism; o Exports from the state more than doubled, to account for 12.4% of all U.S. exports, o He oversaw the creation of the Department of Economic and Business Development, which generated $1.1 billion in new investment and helped create more than 15,000 new jobs; o His administration saw venture capital rise to nearly three times the amount of capital accumulated by any other state, o He authorized California Industrial Development Bonds to allow local governments to issue bonds to permit modernization and expansion of industry, o He created the Governor's Executive Fellows program to bring private sector executives into state government to train executives in State agencies, o He signed legislation creating the Housing Finance Agency, providing loans for moderate and low-income housing construction; o He created the Pension Investment Unit, which resulted in the investment of more than $60 billion to create new jobs and new state revenues. Governor Brown provided real tax reform to California's citizens and businesses: o He eliminated the business inventory tax, o He indexed California's personal income tax, o He eliminated the capital gains tax on small business investments, o He created solar and energy conservation tax credits, o He created tax credits for businesses hiring targeted unemployed workers. Above all, Jerry Brown used government to provide California's businesses with an environment in which they could compete and succeed. Brown on Education Both as Governor of California and as a Trustee of the Los Angeles Community College District, Jerry Brown has demonstrated a solid commitment to education: K-12: o As Governor, he more than tripled the state's K-12 educational budget, from $2.6 billion to $7.9 billion, o By working with the legislature, he ensured that by 1982, 96% of the school population was spending, per student, within $100 of each other; o He tightened requirements for graduation from high school, o He signed the California Worksite Education and Training Act, which promotes educational programs directly linked to employment; o He signed legislation which gives local school teachers and administrators more control over the educational curriculum at their schools, providing an educational approach which is best suited to the locality; o He signed legislation establishing the California Mathematics Project, to develop and support programs which enhance mathematics education; o He placed nearly $10 million in the state budget to fund the training of teachers in such areas as mathematics and computer science, o At the same time, he provided tax deductions for computer manufacturers to donate computers to schools, o He oversaw legislation which provided state funding for training related to an employer's hiring needs; o He signed legislation providing special assistance to students who are unable to speak English, o He signed legislation ensuring that at least one meal per day would be provided for all underprivileged students from kindergarten through the twelfth grade; o He increased support from $276 million to $726 million for students with special educational needs. Colleges and Universities: o Under his administration, funding to state universities and community colleges nearly doubled, and funding for equal opportunity programs tripled; o He opposed charging tuition at the state's colleges and universities, and tried to minimize increases in student fees, o He increased funding for student aid by more than $50 million, o He initiated special programs and "centers of excellence" such as the California Space Institute, the Microelectronics Research facility, and the Institute for Global Security and Cooperation, among many others. Clearly, Jerry Brown understood that in order for our country to remain competitive, education must be a priority. Brown on Energy Policy As Governor of California, Jerry Brown saw the worst days of the Oil Embargo and our country's dependence on foreign sources of fuel. He set about making California's energy policy a model for the rest of the country. He focused on two concepts: energy conservation and alternative sources of energy. He made substantial progress in each. In the field of energy conservation: o He instituted the nation's first mandatory energy efficiency standards for buildings and appliances - saving consumers hundreds of millions of dollars in energy costs each year; o He reduced the projected growth rate for energy consumption to 1.3% and allowed the state to delay construction of several expensive power plants, o He signed legislation providing for a 40% tax credit for installation of insulation and other conservation measures, o This credit, and other programs, were so successful that while economic output of the state doubled, energy consumption increased by only 10%; o He established a three-year, $360 million program to expand and improve the state's mass transit facilities, o He encouraged the Public Utility Commission to use its rate-making authority to promote a wide variety of energy conservation and management techniques, o He sponsored and signed legislation appropriating $20 million to finance energy conservation projects in schools, hospitals, and community agencies. At the same time, Governor Brown was looking to the needs of the future, and promoting alternative energy sources. Toward this end: o He formed the State Energy Commission, which diversified the supply of energy and developed alternative sources of energy. Energy programs of this sort should save the people of California over $100 billion by the year 2000. o He established the nation's first Nuclear Safeguard Laws, a legislative package banning construction of new nuclear power facilities until safety and waste storage problems are resolved; o He enacted a 55% solar energy tax credit, the nation's largest and most flexible; o He enacted "solar rights" legislation which removed local zoning and contractual restrictions on solar installations, o He established a Solar Business Office to promote rapid commercialization of solar energy, o He granted solar housing a priority in spending state housing funds, o He supported the installation of hydroelectric generation facilities on existing flood control or water storage dams, o He expedited licensing procedures for geothermal projects, o He provided incentives for industry to develop cogeneration, o He enacted legislation to establish a wind energy information center, to disseminate information about wind energy to potential users; o He created the Alternative Transportation Fuels Program to commercialize production and use of fuels such as ethanol and methanol, o He appropriated over $20 million for alcohol and biomass fuel development, o He required all new state buildings over 10,000 square feet to install solar hot water heating systems. Jerry Brown has the foresight and conviction to enact a more comprehensive and far- reaching set of energy programs than exist in any other state. Brown on the Environment Jerry Brown may well be most fondly remembered as the Governor of California who did the most to protect and preserve the environment. In spite of opposition from special interest groups, he managed to: o Impose a moratorium on nuclear power plants until safety and waste storage problems are resolved, o Adopt the toughest anti-smog laws in the country, o Establish the nation's toughest programs for improving air quality, with a result that pollution dropped by up to 50% even though vehicle traffic increased by 20%; o Implement standards restricting the introduction of several carcinogens into the air we breathe, o Implement a strong enforcement program to control hazardous materials, o Develop the largest pesticide regulatory program in the country, o Provide periodic checks on toxins in California's waterways, through the Toxic Substances Monitoring Program; o Authorize ongoing state inspections of landfills, to prevent public health hazards; o Ban the manufacture and sale of fluorocarbons for aerosol propellants, o Establish the California Conservation Corps to put young people to work in environmental and conservation projects, o Develop a statewide policy to protect California's remaining wetlands, o Have major portions of five of California's wild rivers made part of the Federal Wild and Scenic Rivers system, assuring their preservation; o Implement special programs to improve the quality of California's rivers, o Add more than 700,000 acres to the State Park system, o Have more than 500,000 acres of the State Park system classified as "wilderness", marking it for preservation; o Acquire a total of 16,613 acres of land for the preservation of rare and endangered species, and for critical wildlife habitat; o Establish the Coastal Conservancy, an agency charged with protecting the scenic and ecological values of the California coast by managing and acquiring land; o Appropriate $2.5 million for the support of non-game and rare and endangered wildlife programs, o Bar the Forest Service from developing roads in large portions of the California wilderness (this would have made the land accessible to loggers and others), o Establish an Energy Resources fund, o Introduce a comprehensive 20-year plan to channel money from the state's oil, geothermal, and state forest revenues into maintaining the productivity of renewable natural resources through the Renewable Resources Investment Fund; o Create a state office to stimulate development of environmentally-friendly technologies, o Use monies from the Energy Resources fund to reforest timberlands, stock rivers with fish, preserve wetlands, promote soil and water conservation, and develop recreation and open space in urban areas; o Enact legislation creating a statewide emergency response system for toxic chemical spills, o Put into place tough new civil and criminal penalties for illegal toxic waste dumping, o Deliver a water conservation awareness kit to millions of California households, saving vast amounts of water, and the electricity used to pump it; o Implement state recycling programs for paper and motor oil, reducing wastes and saving tens of millions of dollars; o Begin the process of converting the state vehicle fleet to methanol and ethanol use, giving the state of California the largest test vehicle fleet in the nation; o Form the State Energy Commission, which diversified the supply of energy and developed alternative sources of energy. Energy programs of this sort should save the people of California over $100 billion by the year 2000. o Sign into law the 40% conservation tax credit - so effective that while economic production doubled, energy use increased by only 10%; Jerry Brown foresaw the energy problems which the United States is facing, and has worked hard to secure a future in which we can be less dependent on foreign energy supplies. Brown on Equal Opportunity Jerry Brown has always believed in equal opportunity for all people. His position as Governor of California allowed him to put those beliefs into practice. His record on equal opportunity is unmatched in the history of the state, and possibly the history of the United States: o He strongly supported - and continues to support - a woman's right to personal choice concerning her body and her reproductive system, o He extended child care and unemployment disability benefits to all working women, o He authorized the spending of $10 million to encourage the development of innovative new child-care programs, o He prohibited the payment of differing wages for jobs requiring equal skill, effort and responsibility that are performed under similar working conditions; o He signed legislation requiring government social service organizations to promote the training of women for job classifications in which 70% of employees were men, o He signed legislation prohibiting sex or marital status from being a factor in denial of credit to an individual, o He granted state employees one year of leave for purposes of pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery; o He mandated that women who are pregnant not be discriminated against in hiring based upon their pregnancy, o He designated sexual harassment as an unfair employment practice, o He amended the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination based on sex or marital status, o He gave state District Attorneys greater power to enforce court orders for child support payments, o He banned mandatory retirement for public and private employees. o He amended the state discrimination laws to include age, making it illegal to discriminate against senior citizens; o He prohibited the use of public funds to provide facilities and programs for one sex only; o He appointed 287 Asians, 435 African-Americans, 549 Hispanics, and 46 Native Americans to government positions (including the first Hispanic and African American California State Supreme Court Justices); o He named women to fill nearly one third of the appointed posts in the state. These appointments included 131 judges, 5 Cabinet Members, 22 Department Directors, and 10 Deputy Directors; Brown on Health Care As Governor of the State of California, Jerry Brown made health care for all citizens a priority. As a result: o He created the Governor's Council on Wellness and Physical Fitness, to help prevent illness and disease, focusing on a medical system oriented toward maintenance of health rather than cure of disease; o He developed health programs emphasizing preventative health care by increasing the number of family physicians, primary care nurse practitioners, and physician's assistants; o He sponsored legislation allowing registered nurses to practice as midwives and public health professionals, o He created a training program for nurses who are LVNs to become RNs through an apprenticeship. This program was the first of its kind in the country. o He established programs to identify and provide services such as nutrition and health care to high-risk mothers and infants, o He greatly expanded family planning and prenatal health programs, such as the ongoing Obstetrical Access Project, with sites throughout the state to improve the health of mothers and their infants; o He increased funding for the Rural Health Care Program, providing services to areas which did not have access to them; o He created a Farm Workers Health Services Program, to increase health care services to migrant farm workers and their families; o He signed legislation providing financial assistance to urban and rural heath care programs for Native Americans, o He developed many health education programs, including dental health programs for elementary school students and a preventative health program for senior citizens; o He established a toxic waste "superfund" to compensate workers suffering from the effects of toxic chemicals, o He created a state Department of Alcohol and Drug Abuse to help free people from substance abuse, o He oversaw the establishment of a statewide education program to stop drunk driving, o He developed programs to encourage the establishment of community mental- health treatment centers, o His Department of Rehabilitation oversaw the creation of more than 25 community-based living centers for disabled Californians, o He gave protections to workers who needed special devices to overcome a handicap, o He signed into law the Robinson Act, which provides for negotiation between health care providers and consumers, lowering expenditures; o He appointed a Special Committee on Health Care to develop recommendations for health care cost containment. Many of their ideas were written into law. o He broadened reimbursement policies to increase the availability of chiropractic, acupuncture, and podiatry services; o He instituted a $25,000 tax deduction for any taxpayer who remodeled a home or business to make it accessible to handicapped people. Clearly, Jerry Brown has a record of making health care available to his constituents, especially those in most dire need of these services. Brown on Investing in People Jerry Brown made the following statement in his January 7, 1982 State of the State address: "If we think clearly and act correctly, we can make the tools to lift millions out of poverty and ignorance and we can pioneer the new technologies that emphasize quality over quantity." Working with the legislature and leaders in industry, labor, and education, Jerry Brown initiated a series of programs designed to lead California into the information age. Among them: o The California Commission on Industrial Innovation, a blue-ribbon panel of citizens chaired by Governor Brown, which formulated an economic blueprint for California for the rest of the century. The commission provided fifty specific proposals for educational excellence, renewed productivity, and improved competitiveness. o Calling for higher standards in high-school education, including requiring at least three years of math and two years of science for all high-school graduates, with even more stringent requirements for college-bound students; o Acting on this decision, both the California State University and University of California systems raised their entrance requirements in mathematics. o In the 1982-83 budget, $9.7 million was allocated to upgrade math and science education by doing the following: training 350 new math teachers, opening 15 regional Teacher Education / Computer centers, equipping several mobile vans to provide in-service training in computer-aided instruction, setting up a statewide clearinghouse to purchase, evaluate, and disseminate educational software; o Funds were allocated to support projects such as the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program, geared to motivate and support women and minority students and help them complete college degrees in math, engineering, and the sciences. o Through the California Worksite Education and Training Act , tens of millions of dollars have been spent putting over tens of thousands of people to work in skilled labor positions. More than 2,500 employers have become involved in the program, which is widely recognized as one of the most successful in the nation. o More than $2 million has been invested in community colleges to establish employment-based high technology training. 27 campuses have implemented such programs, with priority given to projects in new and emerging technologies. o A total of $9.5 million went to California universities, to establish microelectronics research laboratories and purchase equipment. o Workers displaced by new technologies have been assisted by more than 20 Displaced Workers Reemployment Centers around the state. These centers have attracted interest and support from businesses and labor groups such as General Motors and the United Auto Workers. o The Employment Preparation Program has been expanded to assist welfare applicants in finding jobs as an alternative to requiring welfare money; o Monies from the state Unemployment Insurance fund were allocated to prepare Californians for jobs in growth industries. The program focus is employer commitment to hire and upgrade these trainees, rather than providing training for training's sake. Jerry Brown has proven a commitment to advancing the welfare of all citizens by education, job training, and government / employer / labor cooperative relations. It is a common sense approach that works. Brown on Senior Citizens' Rights Jerry Brown is a staunch supporter of equal rights for all people, including the elderly. He has, as Governor of California, worked to protect the rights of senior citizens by: o Banning mandatory retirement for public and private employees, o Creating a state funded program of preventive health services for people over 60, o Allowing senior citizens to completely defer their property taxes until home ownership changes hands, o Exempting all property transferred to a surviving spouse from inheritance and gift taxes, o Providing tuition-free classes at California state universities for persons over 60 years of age, for both credit and audit purposes; o Creating the Multipurpose Senior Services Project pilot programs to provide information on care and resources to allow people to stay at home rather than be institutionalized, o Making discrimination on the basis of age illegal in all state-funded programs or grants and any contract worth over $100,000 involving state monies; o Establishing the Golden State Seniors Discount program, which enables senior citizens to obtain discounts with participating merchants throughout the state. Brown on Social Services As Governor, Jerry Brown took action to improve the administration of social services in California. For example: o He established the Cooperative Agency's Resources for Education program, which assisted families in moving off welfare to self-support. The program saves the state more than $70,000 for each family, and is so successful that New York City expressed interest in setting up a similar program; o He initiated the Employment Preparation Program to provide job search assistance to welfare applicants, o He implemented Project Intercept which has collected literally hundreds of millions of dollars in child support payments. o He initiated the Quality Control / Corrective Action program, which helped to cut the number of errors in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children offices in half; o His Department of Social Services, in cooperation with the Urban League, made dramatic improvements in the placement of minority-group children in adoptive homes; o He supported and signed legislation requiring that the agency responsible for care of a child must have a written assessment of a child's case, develop a case plan for the child, help to reunify the child with his or her family, and insure that the child receive an administrative review every 6 months and a court review every 18 months; o He supported and signed legislation requiring that the Adoptions Assistance program provide benefits to eligible hard-to-place children who would not be adopted without this assistance. Brown on Transportation As Governor of the State of California, Jerry Brown recognized the importance of transportation policy to future development. He took steps to establish a transportation policy that Californians could rely on to support the necessary infrastructure in their growing state. As a result, while Jerry Brown was Governor: o He oversaw the completion of approximately 1,500 lane miles of new freeway, at a cost of $1.1 billion; o Overall mass transit ridership increased by more than 90%, to 1.2 billion passengers, o A van and car pooling was instituted which saved 79 million gallons of gasoline and cut air pollution by 45,000 tons of emissions, o He signed an Omnibus Mass Transportation Bill which provided $368 million for mass transit facilities, o He increased funding for "intermodal" transportation facilities (places where two or more different forms of transportation come together), making it more convenient for the public to use mass transit; o He signed legislation authorizing the construction of several railway projects, including trains operating between San Diego and Los Angeles, rail freight yards in San Ysidro, and the rehabilitation of the McCloud River Railroad. Jerry Brown believes that transportation is central to economic growth, and as Governor of California, took measures to insure transportation infrastructure was not neglected. Brown on Women's Issues Jerry Brown has a strong commitment to protecting women's rights. As an ardent supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment, he has taken the following actions as Governor of California: o He strongly supported - and continues to support - a woman's right to personal choice concerning her body and her reproductive system, o He extended child care and unemployment disability benefits to all working women, o He augmented child care programs by $12 million annually, o He authorized the spending of $10 million to encourage the development of innovative new child-care programs, o He prohibited the payment of differing wages for jobs requiring equal skill, effort and responsibility that are performed under similar working conditions, requiring equal pay for equal work; o He designated sexual harassment as an unfair employment practice, o He signed legislation prohibiting sex or marital status from being a factor in denial of credit to an individual, o He granted state employees one year of leave for purposes of pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery; o He mandated that pregnant women not be discriminated against in hiring based upon their pregnancy, o He amended the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination based on sex or marital status, o He enacted legislation requiring the Department of Health Services to maintain a prenatal health program to address needs of women with high risk pregnancies and their infants, o He signed legislation requiring government social service organizations to promote the training of women for job classifications in which 70% of employees were men, o He gave state District Attorneys greater power to enforce court orders for child support payments, o He prohibited the use of public funds to provide facilities and programs for one sex only, and required that as much as possible, equal opportunities for male and female athletes be provided by state colleges and universities; o He revised the circumstances under which a marriage may be summarily dissolved by a judge, o He named women to fill nearly one third of the appointed posts in the state. These appointments included 131 judges, 5 Cabinet Members, 22 Department Directors, and 10 Deputy Directors. Jerry Brown has also strongly supported tougher penalties for crimes against women. He has signed legislation which: o Provides on-call staff in county hospitals to examine victims of rape or other sexual assault at all times, o Prohibits granting of probation in cases of rape by force or violence, o Extends the statute of limitations for prosecution of sexual assault cases from 3 to 6 years, o Creates a new statutory procedure allowing immediate injunctive relief for victims of harassment, o Strengthens the rights of recipients of child support, o Allows courts to provide injunctive relief in order to prevent acts of domestic violence, o Permits a spouse to be prosecuted for the offense of rape, o Establishes courtroom procedures to protect victims of rape ("rape shield" laws), o Establishes a one year minimum prison sentence for people convicted of pimping or pandering. Jerry Brown is committed to establishing the rights of women and seeing that those rights are protected. Brown on Worker's Rights As Governor of California, Jerry Brown stood up for working men and women , even when it cost him the support of powerful special interests. While Governor, he set standards for reforms which, if adopted nationally, would make life better for millions of working men and women. For example: o He increased the maximum unemployment insurance benefits for workers, allowing them to feed themselves and their families while looking for work; o He drafted and implemented legislation allowing collective bargaining and stronger legal remedies for California's farm workers, o He extended collective bargaining to public school teachers from kindergarten to the junior college level, o He broadened protections against unfair labor practices, o He funded a pioneering program to make workers and industrial and government officials aware of the hazards of toxic chemicals in the workplace; o He protected workers who complain about health and safety hazards from retaliation by their employers, and extended criminal sanctions to the occupational health field; o He supported and signed the Occupational Carcinogen Control Act, which made California the first state to require the registration of carcinogens; o He issued an executive order prohibiting state job discrimination based on sexual preference, o He increased benefits for employees disabled on the job, and provided that tips and gratuities be counted as wages for computing benefits; o He curbed the use of temporary restraining orders and injunctions in labor disputes, allowing workers with legitimate grievances a chance to air them; o He oversaw the largest increase in temporary disability benefits in the 63-year history of the workers' compensation system; minimum and maximum compensation increased by more than 25%, and death benefits increased by 500%. o He gave the Labor Commissioner broad authority to penalize firms which illegally failed to insure their employees against job-related injuries, broke child-labor laws, or withheld wages; o He increased the minimum wage above the federal minimum, o He strengthened and vigorously enforced the state child labor laws, o He set up a special program to make exploiting illegal aliens an activity which was no longer profitable, o He set up an inter-agency task force to identify and prosecute employers who "cashed out" workers, short-changed trust funds, and evaded taxes; o He enacted legislation prohibiting the use of professional "strike breakers." o He created the Department of Economic and Business Development to stimulate job opportunities, o He initiated the nation's first "Work Sharing Unemployment Insurance" program as an alternative to worker layoffs, o He prohibited the forced retirement of older workers, o He fought for and implemented a number of job training programs; the program tripled in size in five years, and included health and vocational apprenticeships. Despite the serious recession in the late 1970's, California - under the leadership of Jerry Brown - saw its job market expand faster than any other industrial state and 70% faster than the rest of the nation.