When "Saturday Night Live" wanted an opinion about a proposed bill in California that would outlaw spanking young children, the show turned to an actor playing a short-tempered, cigarette-smoking nanny whose child-rearing skills are summarized in her book, "I Will Beat Yo Ass."

Another comedy television show, "The Colbert Report," parodied proposed legislation by a Van Nuys lawmaker that would ban the ubiquitous incandescent light bulbs in favor of compact fluorescent lamps.

State legislators say they want to solve the state's health care crisis, address overcrowded prisons and take the next step in shoring up California's aging infrastructure, but the spanking and lightbulb proposals have been hogging the media spotlight.