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California charade: AB2100 dies in Appropriations
By Zach Arnold | May 27, 2012
- California Assembly Bill could give fighters new rights, challenge UFC contracts (April 11th)
- Lorenzo Fertitta’s letter in opposition to AB2100 amendments (April 18th)
- Recap of Sacramento AB2100 bill hearing; passes committee on 5-3 vote (April 25th)
- Layout of how AB2100 currently stands (April 29th)
- California’s heavyweight politicians & neutering of AB2100 (May 4th)
- An ugly, yet predictable slide for AB2100 (May 18th)
Assemblyman Luis Alejo’s bastardization of a bill one month ago that claimed to guarantee MMA fighters new contractual protections in California quickly turned into a toxic, execrable political mess that perversely became a perfect example of political symbolism involving the current state of affairs in the California political scene. How AB2100 transformed from a proposed fighter bill of rights to a bill that boxing power brokers were interested in manipulating is quite a story in and of itself.
Thankfully, the Appropriations committee in the California Assembly on Friday killed off AB2100.
Appropriations was told in a bill analysis the following: “1) Minor ongoing costs (about $50,000) to the commission for a half-time analyst position to develop regulations and for enforcement.” As we noted in previous AB2100 posts on the site, the only way AB2100 was going to pass any sort of committee is if the bill had no teeth to it and if the bill, on paper, didn’t cost a cent. Even after removing all the enforcement teeth from AB2100, Assemblyman Alejo still managed to produce a piece of work that would require a part-time job. So, we here would like to thank the Assemblyman for his stupidity that led to this bill dying in Appropriations.
A majority of votes was needed to pass AB2100 in Appropriations and, by one vote, that did not happen. The breakdown: (FAIL) »» Ayes: 8; Noes: 4; Abstain: 5.
Ayes: Tom Ammiano (D), Bob Blumenfield (D), Steven Bradford (D), Nora Campos (D), Felipe Fuentes (D), Jerry Hill (D), Ricardo Lara (D), Holly Mitchell (D)
Noes: Tim Donnelly (R), Diane Harkey (R), Jim Nielsen (R), Donald Wagner (R)
No Votes Recorded: Charles Calderon (D), Mike Davis (D), Mike Gatto (D), Chris Norby (R), Jose Solorio (D)
Whatever was left of AB2100 was going to get rubber-stamped examined by the California State Athletic Commission at their June 4th hearing in San Diego. The June 4th hearing is an important one.
As we’ve outlined in our CSAC investigation pieces (here and here), the commission is facing a review due to sunset provisions. If the checks and balances that oversee the CSAC hadn’t been eroded, there would be even more importance to what is happening now. Despite the fact that Governor Brown controls the DCA (the umbrella which the CSAC is under), that his 82-year old long-time ally John Frierson is the Chairman, and that Curren Price Jr. (an ally of Frierson & Governor Brown) is the head of the state Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development committee, there is still a big mess on everyone’s hands regarding the way things are going in California.
If you’re curious to see what I mean regarding a sunset review for the CSAC, look at this rudimentary review here.
So, there is plenty on the horizon, politically-speaking, in the future that will impact the state of combat sports in California. It does deserve your attention in the future.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 4 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
California has even bigger problems with their education issues and their never ending billions in deficit annually. They make Detroit look like a well run municipality.
Which is exactly why they shouldn’t be wasting their time on crap like this bill and dealing with stuff important to the day-to-day lives of the 30,000,000 citizens of the state instead.
I’m definitely in support of the fighters rights, but I’m not sure that legislation via the ca method of doing things would have ever been anything more than manipulation and extortion under another name anyway.
[…] show both donations & expenditures involving AssemblymanLuis Alejo. Three years ago, Alejo was pushing Assembly Bill 2100 in California. AB 2100 would have allowed MMA fighters to tap into the Boxer’s Pension Fund and […]