Existing state law, Proposition 7, an initiative measure approved by the voters at the November 6, 2018, statewide general election, sets the standard time for California and sets daylight saving time to begin each March and end each November. Proposition 7 authorizes the Legislature to amend these provisions by a 23 vote to change the dates and times of the daylight saving time period, consistent with federal law, and authorizes the Legislature to amend these provisions by a 23 vote to provide for the application of year-round daylight saving time when authorized by federal law. This bill would repeal daylight saving time in the state and the provisions regarding the Legislature's authority to amend the above-described provisions by a 23 vote. The bill would instead require the state and all political subdivisions of the state to observe year-round standard time. The bill would exempt the state and all political subdivisions of the state from the provisions of federal law that establish the advancement of time.
The California Coastal Act of 1976 establishes the California Coastal Commission, and prescribes procedures for the preparation, approval, and certification of local coastal programs that regulate development in the coastal zone, as defined, in jurisdictions that have a certified local coastal program. The act specifies that it does not permit the commission to certify a local coastal program that provides for a lesser degree of environmental protection than that provided by the plans and policies of any state regulatory agency that are formally adopted by that agency, are used in the regulatory program of that agency, and are legally enforceable. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes in that latter provision.
Existing law requires a state and local public agency to provide assistance to veterans on the same basis as it provides to any other eligible person. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision.
The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, administered by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, generally regulates the disposal, management, and recycling of solid waste. The act requires solid waste handling services, which includes the collection and transportation of solid waste, to be provided by a local agency, a solid waste enterprise, or both. This bill would require a provider of solid waste handling services to provide timely notice to its customers of a potential labor dispute that will disrupt the collection of solid waste. The bill would require a provider of solid waste handling services to provide a timely refund to customers following a failure to collect solid waste. The bill would also require the Attorney General to adopt regulations to enforce these provisions and to assess administrative penalties, as specified.
Existing law, the Open and Transparent Water Data Act, requires the Department of Water Resources, the State Water Resources Control Board, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife to coordinate and integrate existing water and ecological data from local, state, and federal agencies. Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources and the board, upon an appropriation of funds by the Legislature, to develop a plan to deploy a network of stream gages that includes a determination of funding needs and opportunities for modernizing and reactivating existing gages and deploying new gages, as specified. Existing law requires the department and the board, in consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Department of Conservation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, interested stakeholders, and, to the extent they wish to consult, local agencies, to develop the plan to address significant gaps in information necessary for water management and the conservation of freshwater species. This bill would require the Department of Water Resources and the board, upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature, to reactivate, upgrade, and install new stream gages, as provided. The bill would require the department and board to use the recommendations and data provided in the California Stream Gaging Prioritization Plan 2022 to complete specified actions by 2030. The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2026, and every 2 years thereafter, on progress made in completing those specified actions. The bill would require the data from all stream gages operating with any public money to be published as provisional data within 10 days of collection and made publicly available on the state's open water data platforms. The bill would require the department and board to develop and adopt a set of standards and processes for assessing, tracking, and reporting the accuracy of stream gages, evapotranspiration data, water meters, and other critical data inputs for water management, as provided. The bill would require the department and the board to consult with interested stakeholders to develop a plan to identify the gaps in the network of automated weather stations and eddy covariance towers to ensure accurate and comprehensive data collection.
Existing law declares the importance of, and general responsibility for, making housing available and affordable for all Californians. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.
Existing law creates the Clean Transportation Program, administered by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) , to provide, among other things, competitive grants and revolving loans to specified entities for those entities to develop and deploy innovative technologies that transform California's fuel and vehicle types to help attain the state's climate change policies. Existing law requires the Energy Commission to develop and adopt an investment plan to determine priorities and opportunities for the program. Existing law requires the Energy Commission, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board, as part of the development of the investment plan, to assess whether charging station infrastructure is disproportionately deployed, as specified, and, upon finding disproportionate deployment, to use moneys from the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund, as well as other mechanisms, including incentives, to more proportionately deploy new charging station infrastructure, except as specified. This bill would require the Energy Commission to create a program to award grants to facilitate electric vehicle sharing services, as defined, operated at affordable housing facilities, as defined. The bill would specify the eligible entities that may be awarded grants pursuant to the program, and would require those eligible entities to submit an application to the Energy Commission, as specified. The bill would require the Energy Commission to consider specified criteria in awarding grants and would require a grant recipient to only use grant funds for specified purposes to facilitate an electric vehicle sharing service operated at an affordable housing facility. The bill would require that a grant recipient, at a minimum, purchases, or commits to purchase, 2 electric vehicles and 2 electric vehicle charging stations with Level 2 electric vehicle service equipment. The bill would provide that a grant recipient may be eligible to purchase up to 2 direct current fast chargers if the grant recipient meets specified requirements. The bill would require, as a condition of receiving a grant, a grant recipient to annually submit a report to the Energy Commission that includes specified information. The bill would require implementation of the program to be subject to an appropriation of funds by the Legislature for purposes of developing and implementing the program.
Under existing law, a hunting license grants the privilege to take birds and mammals. Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue an annual hunting license upon payment of a specified fee that varies in amount depending on whether the applicant is a resident of the state. Under existing law, an annual hunting license is valid for a term of one year beginning on July 1 or for the remainder of the term if issued after July 1. Existing law requires the department to issue a reduced-fee annual hunting license, known as a junior hunting license, upon payment of a specified fee, to a resident or nonresident who is under 16 years of age on July 1 of the licensing year for which that person seeks a license. This bill would, beginning July 1, 2024, and until July 1, 2029, increase the age of eligibility for an applicant for a reduced-fee junior hunting license from 16 to 18 years of age, as specified. The bill would require the Director of Fish and Wildlife to submit a report to the Legislature on or before October 1, 2027, that evaluates the effect of this change in the eligibility for the junior hunting license on participation in hunting. The bill would also make related conforming changes.
Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, prohibits an employer from discriminating against an employee on account of certain characteristics, including a person's veteran or military status. The act prescribes various unlawful employment practices and requires the Civil Rights Department to, among other things, receive, investigate, and prosecute complaints alleging violations of those unlawful practices. This bill would make it an unlawful employment practice to require an employee who is a veteran, as defined, to work on November 11, known as Veterans Day, if specified conditions are met.
Existing law establishes the Court Reporters Board of California to license and regulate shorthand reporters. Existing law establishes that a person who holds a valid certificate as a shorthand reporter shall be known as a "certified shorthand reporter." Existing law requires an individual to have satisfactorily passed an examination, as prescribed by the board, in order to be certified as a shorthand reporter. This bill would require the board, in consultation with the Office of Professional Examination Services of the Department of Consumer Affairs, to evaluate the necessity of requiring applicants who have passed either the National Court Reporters Association's or the National Verbatim Reporters Association's certification examination to demonstrate competency as a certified shorthand reporter. The bill would require the board to submit its findings to the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature on or before June 1, 2024. The bill would authorize the board to replace the state-specific examination requirement with the National Court Reporters Association's or the National Verbatim Reporters Association's certification examination if the board concludes that the current state-specific examination is not necessary to establish a minimum level of competency of shorthand reporters and that the examination poses a barrier to licensure as a shorthand reporter. Existing law authorizes a superior court to appoint official reporters and official reporters pro tempore as deemed necessary for the performance of the duties of the court and its members. Existing law also authorizes a court to use electronic recording equipment to record an action or proceeding in a limited civil case, or a misdemeanor or infraction case, if an official reporter or an official reporter pro tempore is unavailable. This bill would instead permit a court to electronically record any civil case if approved electronic recording equipment is available. The bill would require a court to provide a certified shorthand reporter, as defined, the right of first refusal to transcribe an electronically reported proceeding. The bill would additionally require that the court make every effort to hire a court reporter before electing to electronically record the action or proceedings pursuant to these provisions. Existing law appropriated $30,000,000 in both the 2021–22 and 2022–23 fiscal years to the Judicial Council to be allocated to courts to increase the number of official court reporters in family and civil law cases, as specified. The bill would require the Judicial Council to collect information from courts regarding how they are utilizing funds appropriated to recruit and hire court reporters. The bill would require, beginning January 1, 2025, and annually thereafter until all such funds are expended, the Judicial Council to report to the Legislature the efforts courts have taken to hire and retain court reporters and how the funds appropriated for this purpose have been spent.
Existing law establishes procedures for state agencies to enter into contracts for goods and services, including generally requiring that certain contracts by a state agency, including, but not limited to, contracts for the construction, alteration, improvement, repair, or maintenance of property, be approved by the Department of General Services. Existing law authorizes a public entity to use, enter into, or require contractors to enter into, a project labor agreement, as defined, for a construction project, if the agreement includes specified taxpayer protection provisions. This bill would permit a state agency to undertake a major state construction project only if that project is governed by a project labor agreement and if that project labor agreement includes community benefit goals, as specified, and would define various terms for these purposes. The bill would authorize the Governor to waive this requirement if the state agency has attempted to comply with this requirement and the Governor makes a written determination that the application of this requirement would be impracticable. The bill would require the Department of General Services, commencing January 1, 2029, to report to the Legislature about the use of project labor agreements, the advancement of community benefit goals, and apprenticeships, as specified. The bill would also make a related statement of legislative findings and declarations.
(1) Existing law establishes the Code Enforcement Incentive Program pursuant to which the Department of Housing and Community Development, upon appropriation by the Legislature, makes funds available as matching grants to cities, counties, and cities and counties that operate local building enforcement programs for more than 3 years, as specified. Existing law requires the recipient city, county, or city and county to provide a cash or in-kind local match of at least 25% in the first year, 50% in the 2nd year, and 75% in the 3rd year, and limits the maximum grant to a single recipient under the program to $1,000,000. Existing law requires grant recipients to submit a report to the department on the expanded code enforcement efforts, among other things. Existing law requires the department to summarize the reports and transmit the reports to the Legislature within 6 months after the grant recipient's submission date. Existing law requires the department to award grants under the program on a competitive basis, based on criteria weighted for specified applicants, including local government applicants that propose to identify and prosecute owners with habitual, repeated, and multiple code violations that have remained unabated beyond the period required for abatement. This bill would revise the cash or in-kind local match requirement, described above, to instead require a recipient city, county, or city and county to match at least 35% of the funds awarded over 3 years. The bill would increase the maximum grant to a single recipient under the program from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000, and require the department to adjust that amount for inflation at least once every 5 years. The bill would require the department to transmit the above-described reports as part of the department's next annual report one year after the grant recipient's submission date, as specified. The bill would revise the criteria for awarding grants, as specified, including additionally awarding local government applicants that propose to prevent displacement of lower income renter or owner households as a result of code enforcement and local government applicants that have employed, or propose to employ by the end of the grant period, a certified code enforcement officer, as defined. The bill would additionally require the department to provide grant recipients technical assistance to assist grant recipients with local code enforcement efforts. (2) Existing law also establishes the Community Code Enforcement Pilot Program pursuant to which the Department of Housing and Community Development awards grants to communities that develop a code enforcement pilot program meeting specified criteria. Existing law limits the amount of a grant under these provisions to $450,000, to pay for costs incurred over the life of the program. Existing law requires that each city, county, or city and county receiving a grant develop a code enforcement team consisting of, among others, at least one full-time code enforcement officer. Existing law requires each grantee to provide, and fund at its own expense, at least one city planner, health officer, or comparable specialist for the duration of the pilot program, and requires that the grant funds be used for the code enforcement and related program costs or for capital expenditures, as specified. Existing law requires a grant proposal to include, among other things, a plan demonstrating an intent to ensure cooperative and effective working relationships between code enforcement officials and other specified local officials. Existing law requires pilot program administrators to evaluate the pilot programs and submit their evaluations to the department within 6 months after completion of each program cycle approved by the department and funded by the Legislature. Existing law requires the department to report to the Legislature on the findings of the pilot program administrators within 6 months after the grant recipient's submission date. This bill would increase the maximum grant under the program from $450,000 to $2,000,000, and require the department to adjust that amount for inflation at least once every 5 years. The bill would require that the full-time code enforcement officer on the code enforcement team, as described above, be a certified code enforcement officer, as defined, and that the team additionally include one representative from a community-based organization. The bill would revise the requirement for a grantee to provide and fund a city planner, health officer, or other specialist to specify that the grantee may provide and fund a building official. The bill would also revise the authorized use of grant funds to include support for the engagement of community-based organizations. The bill would revise the requirement for the plan for cooperative and effective working relationships, as described above, to include cooperative and effective working relationships with local building officials and community-based organizations. The bill would also additionally require the grant proposal to include a plan to prevent displacement of lower income renter or owner households as a result of code enforcement and the number of certified code enforcement officers, as defined, employed by the applicant. The bill would change the above-described reporting requirement to instead require the department to report to the Legislature on the above-described findings, as part of its next annual report, one year after the grant recipient's submission date, as specified.
