END-OF-SESSION WATCH : Signature Bills

Two bills passed by the Legislature--one that prohibits discrimination against homosexuals in the workplace and another that would strengthen a law forbidding elected officials from conducting public business in secret--await Gov. Pete Wilson’s signature. Both merit approval.

SB 1538: This closes loopholes in the 39-year old Ralph M. Brown Act, also known as the California open-meeting law. Currently, the law requires that “all meetings of the legislative body,” including city councils, county boards of supervisors, school boards and planning commissions, “be open and public.”

But some public officials have proved adept at avoiding prosecution by claiming they were unaware they had violated the act. The bill holds public servants accountable for--knowingly or unknowingly--delaying or restricting access to public documents. SB 1538 would also try to stop the kind of private deal-making that takes place in “closed-door” sessions or at out-of-town retreats.

AB 2601: Last year, the governor outraged members of the Gay and Lesbian community--and many other Californians--when he vetoed a bill that would have added sexual orientation to the state Fair Employment and Housing Act’s list of “protected categories.” This year’s version codifies a state court ruling that grants homosexuals job protections under the state labor code.

By signing this bill, Wilson could correct an error he made last year. He would also send an unmistakable message: That anti-homosexual rhetoric popular this campaign season is intolerable.