Classes often begin with textbook distribution, even though students have nowhere at school to store books. Many students have three or four heavy textbooks that they have no choice but to haul around for more than a week.

The new bill will help ease the current strain on the state, but its major effects won’t be evident for another two years, according to Karen Burch, a former teacher for the California Head Start Association, which provides preschool education to low-income families. “Every penny helps,” Burch said. “But not all of it will affect the children currently enrolled. They still have to train new teachers and build facilities.”

Last month, after a six-month investigation, Petaluma police arrested 29 sexual predator suspects. The majority are from the Bay Area, three from San Francisco. At present, the Sonoma County and Santa Rosa police departments are preparing reports that include evidence in the form of computer communications, videos and phone calls, according to Petaluma detective sergeant Matthew Stapleton, a central figure in the investigation.