Buzz bills

Assemblymember Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco)

A quarter of a century ago, the Beastie Boys instructed a generation of rebels to fight for the right to party. Back then, that meant arguing with your Ma over cigarettes, long hair and your best porno mag. (Bust it!) In 2011, however, you’ll still have to battle your Ma, but this time it’s Assemblymember Fiona Ma, a Democrat from San Francisco, and a caucus of nanny legislators who want to stop raves, ban caffeinated beer and kick your little brother off the party bus.

Here are five bills to watch if you plan to lobby for your right to party.

Goodbye, glowsticks: With AB 74, “The Anti-Raves Act of 2011,” Ma wants to make it a crime to organize “a public event at night that includes prerecorded music and lasts more than three and one-half hours” without a relevant business license. The misdemeanor would come with a fine of $10,000 or double the take, whichever is greater.

Needling the tattooists: Ma has also introduced AB 300, the “Safe Body Art Act,” which would load a heap of regulations onto the tattoo and piercing industry—from determining what metal can be in a piercing to requiring masks in the branding booth. Right now, body artists have only to register with the county, pay a fee and pick up a copy of the local health rules. If they don’t, it’s a $500 slap on the wrist. Under Ma’s legislation, body artists couldn’t operate without first registering with the county, a process that would include showing proof of hepatitis B vaccination and certified training in blood-borne pathogens. The bill also includes a series of informed-consent measures: Artists would have to provide clients with a long list of warnings (including “a statement regarding the permanent nature of body art”) and collect personal information such as whether the client is pregnant, has ever had herpes or is currently on any medications. Failure to comply would become a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum fine of $1,000.

Get off the bus: With AB 45, Assemblymember Jerry Hill, a Democrat from San Mateo, wants to regulate underage drinking in “party buses,” which he describes in his legislative summary as buses that “rent for $150-$200 an hour, can be equipped with neon lighting, sound systems, dance poles, and have room for dancing, drinking and lounging.” The “Brett Studebaker Law,” named after a 19-year-old who died in a gruesome accident driving home after a night on a party bus, would expand current limousine requirements to cover all charter vehicles. Under the measure, the driver would have to check IDs, and then remind underagers that boozing is bad and get them to sign a statement to that effect. If they catch a kid drinking on board, the driver has to turn that bus around or face a $2,000 fine.

Curb slide: A state law that requires skate parks to shut out riders who aren’t outfitted in helmets, elbow pads and knee pads is set to expire at the end of the year. Sen. Lou Correa, a Democrat from Santa Ana, wants to make the rule permanent with SB 264. Last year, Assemblymember Lori Saldaña tried unsuccessfully to remove the elbow- and knee-pad requirement, citing how lower-income skaters couldn’t afford the gear and were forced to skate in the street. She’s no longer in the Assembly and tells City- Beat that she doesn’t know if anyone else will take up the issue in 2011.

Buzz, but no buzz: Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat from Van Nuys, wants California to jump on the FDA bandwagon and ban caffeine-infused beers, like Four Loko. The original draft of SB 39 is a bit vague as to what constitutes caffeineinfused beers, so Padilla’s office plans to add language to the next draft exempting coffee and cacao-infused craft beers. This bill, however, would not prevent you from mixing a Red Bull with your Guinness, though your gag reflex might.