A new law, written by Assemblyman Leland Yee (pictured), bans administrators from censoring college newspapers or punishing students who write articles they don’t like. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill into law Monday (Aug 28). It takes effect on Jan. 1. As the Contra Costa Times points out, the law clears up speculation created by a federal court ruling last year that allowed an Illinois university to stop publication of its student newspaper that ran stories criticizing a dean. The threat of censorship grew more likely in California after Christine Helwick, lead attorney for the 23-campus California State University System, wrote a memo to administrators about the federal decision saying that it “appears to signal that CSU campuses may have more latitude than previously believed to censor the content of subsidized student newspapers.” The Contra Costa Times said Helwick declined to comment on the governor’s action Monday.