SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments: First, LaRonda Bowen, 60, of Pasadena, has been appointed small business ombudsman for the California Air Resources Board, where she has served since 2009. Bowen was sole proprietor of Bowen and Associates from 2000 to 2009 and was public advisor for the South Coast Air Quality Management District from 1989 to 2000.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Calif. Governor Jerry Brown today signed Senate Bill 1128 authored by State Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima). The bill will encourage investment, job creation and economic growth in California by allowing sales and use tax exemptions on the purchase of manufacturing equipment in the advanced manufacturing sector. The bill will go into effect on January 1, 2013.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that he has signed the following bills: AB 40 by Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) – Elder and dependent adult abuse: reporting. AB 41 by Assemblymember Jerry Hill (D-South San Francisco) – High-Speed Rail Authority: conflicts of interest: disqualification. (Additional follow.)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Governor Jerry Brown today signed into law Senate Bill 1525 authored by State Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima). The new law, known as the “Student-Athlete Bill of Rights”, will require universities located in California that generate on average more than $10 million a year in media revenues to provide specific protections to college-athletes.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Assembly Bill 1900, authored by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles), a bill which removes barriers to the development of renewable natural gas (RNG) as a fuel in California and will save local rate-payers millions on their utility bills, was signed by Governor Brown today.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today took to Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and MySpace to announce that he has signed two bills that increase privacy protections for social media users in California.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed the Energy Security Coordination Act of 2012 (SB 1409), authored by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), which strengthens the clean energy partnership between California and the U.S. military.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- A pair of English Learner reform bills authored by Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) have been signed by Governor Brown. SB 1108 would reform the English Learners reclassification system by identifying and implementing uniform statewide best practices. SB 754 would require school districts to post online the Economic Impact Aid they receive for each school and district.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that he has signed the following bills to improve education in California: AB 644 by Assemblymember Robert Blumenfield (D-Van Nuys) – Schools: average daily attendance: online instruction. AB 1723 by Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes (D-Los Angeles) – Postsecondary educational institutions: meetings: live video and audio transmission. (Additional follow.)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that he has signed the following bills related to the treatment and welfare of animals: AB 1162 by Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-Eureka) – Wildlife: poaching. AB 1776 by Assemblymember Paul Fong (D-Mountain View) – State government: Pacific leatherback sea turtle. (Additional follow.)