Business licenses.

Existing law authorizes the legislative body of an incorporated city and the county board of supervisors to license businesses carried on within their respective jurisdictions and to set license fees as specified. This bill would require a city, including a charter city, county, and city and county that licenses businesses carried on within its jurisdiction to accept a California driver's license or identification number, individual taxpayer identification number, or municipal identification number in lieu of a social security number if the city, county, or city and county otherwise requires a social security number for the issuance of a business license. The bill would require these jurisdictions to require the applicant to provide an address where the individual consents to receive service of process, and would require the jurisdictions to accept a post office box or private mailbox that meets certain requirements. The bill would prohibit personal information, as defined to include these identification numbers, collected for purposes of issuing the business license from being disclosed, except as specified. By increasing the duties of local officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. The California Constitution authorizes cities and counties to make and enforce within their limits all local, police, sanitary, and other ordinances and regulations not in conflict with general laws, and further authorizes cities organized under a charter to make and enforce all ordinances and regulations in respect to municipal affairs, which supersede inconsistent general laws. The bill would declare that its provisions constitute a matter of statewide concern. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.