Oct. 13--Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, after threatening to put the legislative process on hold until the state's water woes were addressed, signed a number bills before Sunday's deadline, many authored by local lawmakers.

Among the matters pushed by Central Coast representatives were the elimination of a legal barrier keeping California from getting federal education funds, clearing up a longtime ownership issue at DeLaveaga Park in Santa Cruz and putting in place more checks on organic soil.

The crackdown on soil, initiated by Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, followed allegations that fertilizer companies were spiking their goods and was one of two legislative efforts authored by the Salinas Democrat regarding agriculture.

AB 856, signed to law Sunday, expands the authority of the California Department of Food and Agriculture to regulate manufacturers of organic fertilizer.

"It protects consumers who are spending more money on organic soil and farmers, unbeknownst to them, who are putting a tainted product on their field," said Caballero.

AB 494, also authored by Caballero, allows farmers to build new farmworker housing on certain lands zoned for agriculture.

Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, meanwhile, succeeded in efforts to tighten penalties, both on gang members and energy companies.

SB 492 calls for convicted gang members loitering on school grounds to be charged with a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or up to a

year in prison. SB 571 gives the state oil and gas supervisor the power to deny approval of new geothermal wells for companies that have violated state regulations in the past and have not paid their penalties.

Assemblyman Bill Monning, D-Carmel, addressed an old property issue at DeLaveaga Park with his legislation AB 240. The law swaps legal authority over the DeLaveaga golf course from the state to the city in exchange for state authority of the armory site, currently overseen by the city.

A bill authored by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, SB 19, meanwhile, eliminates a ban on using student data to evaluate teachers, something that has prevented the state for applying for $4.5 billion in federal school funding.

"My goal was to make this a non-issue as quickly as possible," said Simitian in a prepared statement. "Now, California can compete for our fair share of federal funding, and make more informed choices for our schools and our kids."

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