California State Senators Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) and Bill Monning (D-Carmel) have introduced Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 11 this week that urges Congress and President Donald Trump to approve legislation that would prioritize the removal of spent nuclear fuel from decommissioned nuclear...

State Sen. Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel), the author of legislation that would have returned DMV voter registration to an opt-in system, said Democratic legislative leaders should allow her blocked proposal to move forward before the Legislature adjourns next month. And she urged the DMV, a...

Had Motor Voter created an opt-in choice for DMV customers, instead of an opt-out effort requiring more staff time to respond, pressure on the DMV would have been eased. Senator Patricia Bates has tried to reverse the formula changing the opt-out provision to an opt-in, but her SB 57 is still...

But Sen. Pat Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) argued it’s a flawed way to pay for a worthy cause. “It’s a blank check, it lacks a clear plan and it lacks accountability,” she said. “And most importantly, there is no assurance that this is going to happen in the near term.”

Senator Pat Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) said she had a problem “codifying an agency within an agency,” never authorized by the Legislature. “We are committing tax dollars to a new agency which should have been reviewed by the Legislature first.”