Engineering, land surveying, and geology.

(1) Existing law establishes the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists, which is within the Department of Consumer Affairs, to license and regulate engineers under the Professional Engineers Act, to license and regulate land surveyors under the Professional Land Surveyors' Act, and to license and regulate geologists and geophysicists under the Geologist and Geophysicist Act. Existing law makes any violation of those acts a misdemeanor. This bill would require an applicant for licensure as an engineer, land surveyor, geologist, or geophysicist, or an applicant for certification as an engineer-, land surveyor-, or geologist-in-training, with a valid email address to report their email address to the board at the time of application, require a license or certificate holder to report their email address at the time of renewal, and require applicants and certificate or license holders to notify the board of any change to an email address, as specified. The bill, in the interest of protecting the privacy of applicants and certificate or license holders, would prohibit the public disclosure of their email addresses pursuant to specified law, except as provided. By expanding the application of a crime under the Professional Engineers Act, the Professional Land Surveyors' Act, and the Geologist and Geophysicist Act, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires the board, within 60 to 90 days before the expiration of a certificate of registration or certificate of authority, to mail notice of the pending expiration to a registrant or authority holder, as specified. This bill would repeal that provision. (3) Existing law also provides that the Professional Engineers Act and the Professional Land Surveyors' Act do not prevent an individual or business engaged in any line of endeavor other than the practice of civil, electrical, or mechanical engineering or land surveying, respectively, from employing or contracting with an appropriately licensed individual to perform the respective engineering or land surveying services incidental to the conduct of business. This bill would delete that provision and would make conforming changes. (4) Existing law prescribes requirements for the surveying and mapping of plane coordinates within the state, as described. Existing law establishes the system of plane coordinates that has been established by the National Geodetic Survey for defining and stating the positions or locations of points on the surface of the earth within the State of California, as described, known as the "California Coordinate System of 1983." Existing law requires any survey that uses or establishes California Coordinate System of 1983 (CCS83) values to meet specified requirements, including that the survey be referenced to and have field-observed statistically independent connections to one or more horizontal reference stations, as specified. This bill would, starting January 1, 2023, instead require any survey that establishes a CCS83 value to be referenced to and have field-observed statistically independent connections to two or more horizontal reference stations. The bill would make conforming and nonsubstantive changes. (5) 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. (6) 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.