The Donahoe Higher Education Act establishes the segments of postsecondary education in the state, including the University of California and independent institutions of higher education, and sets forth the missions and functions of those segments. Existing law states that the University of California has exclusive jurisdiction in public higher education over, among others, instruction in the profession of law, and that the independent institutions of higher education provide undergraduate and graduate instruction and research in accordance with their respective missions. Provisions of the act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California act, by appropriate resolution, to make them applicable. This bill would require, beginning August 1, 2026, each law school, defined to include American Bar Association-accredited or California-accredited law schools at the University of California or an independent institution of higher education, to allow law students to receive compensation from an externship site, as defined, while concurrently earning academic course credit. For purposes of the bill, a requirement on a law school at the University of California would be considered a request on the regents.
Existing law, the Contractors State License Law, establishes the Contractors State License Board within the Department of Consumer Affairs and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensure and regulation of contractors. Existing law requires the board, with the approval of the Director of Consumer Affairs, to appoint a registrar of contractors to serve as the executive officer and secretary of the board. Existing law requires a licensee who is subject to a bonding provision under the law to maintain a bond as executed by an admitted surety insurer or as deposited with the registrar, as specified. Prior existing law authorized certain deposits to be given instead of the bond, as specified. Existing law requires all alternatives in lieu of a bond that had been filed with the registrar to be replaced for a surety bond or the deposit of lawful money or a cashier's check, as specified, by January 1, 2020. Existing law prohibits the board from charging legal fees against those deposits, as specified. This bill would exempt the board from liability for legal fees or costs in an action against any deposit described above, regardless of when it was filed with the registrar.
Existing law establishes the California Board of Accountancy in the Department of Consumer Affairs to license and regulate certified public accountants and the practice of public accountancy. Existing law makes it a crime for a person to engage in the practice of public accountancy without a valid permit issued by the board or pursuant to a practice privilege. Existing law establishes education, experiential, examination, and other qualifications for licensure as a certified public accountant and requires an applicant to provide documentation that the applicant completed specified units in prescribed courses. Existing law requires the board to admit an applicant to the certified public accountant examination before the applicant completes the education requirements if the applicant is enrolled in a degree-granting university, college, or other institution of learning and is within 180 days of completing prescribed education requirements. Existing law requires the board to adopt guidelines for accounting study to be included as part of the educational requirements for licensure. This bill would, operative on January 1, 2027, enact an alternative set of qualifications and requirements for a license, including a requirement to have completed an accounting concentration of courses from a board-recognized United States institution of higher education, instead of evidence of completion of specified units in prescribed courses for the education qualifications, as described above. The bill would make those revised qualifications and requirements an alternative to the above-described existing law provisions until January 1, 2029, at which time the bill would repeal those existing law provisions. Existing law authorizes the board to issue a certified public accountant license to an applicant who is the holder of a certified public accountant license issued under the laws of any state if the board determines the standards are substantially equivalent to the standards established in this state. This bill would instead authorize the board to issue a certified public accountant license to an applicant who holds a license from another state with comparable licensure requirements, as defined. Existing law authorizes an individual whose principal place of business is not in this state and who has a license to practice public accountancy from another state to practice in this state under a practice privilege without obtaining a license from the board if the individual, among other things, satisfies one of specified requirements, including that the individual has continually practiced public accountancy as a certified public accountant under a licensed issued by another state for at least 4 of the last 10 years. This bill would delete the provision requiring the individual to satisfy one of those specified requirements to practice under a practice privilege. Existing law requires individuals licensed in another state as a certified public accountant to file a specified notification form with the board and pay a fee as a condition of exercising a practice privilege if the board determines that allowing the individual to practice would violate the board's duty to protect the public, and specifies factors the board is required to consider in making that determination. This bill would require the board, in making that determination, to also consider whether the other state has comparable licensure requirements. The bill would require an individual who has their principal place of business in a state that the board determines does not have comparable licensure requirements, to indicate on the notification form whether they have met one of 2 alternative sets of requirements. The first would be having continually practiced public accountancy as a certified public accountant under a license issued by any state for at last 4 of the last 10 years. The other set of requirements would be having passed the Uniform CPA Examination and completed education that included a baccalaureate degree or higher with an accounting concentration and at least one year of general accounting experience. Existing law authorizes a licensee to sign reports on attest engagements if, among other requirements, the licensee completes 500 hours of experience satisfactory to the board in attest services. This bill, among other changes to those requirements, would authorize the board, by regulation, to require the completion of specified job tasks associated with performing attest services. The bill would make other conforming, technical, and nonsubstantive changes.
(1) Existing law requires that each death be registered with the local registrar of births and deaths in the district in which the death was officially pronounced or the body was found. Existing law establishes the required contents of the death certificate, including, but not limited to, the decedent's name, sex, race, and other relevant identifying and medical information. Existing law requires that the medical and health section data and the time of death be completed and attested to by the physician and surgeon last in attendance or, in the case of a patient in a skilled nursing or intermediate care facility, by the physician and surgeon last in attendance or by a licensed physician assistant meeting certain qualifications. Existing law also requires the individuals responsible for completing a death certificate to specify certain information on the certificate, including the time they last saw the deceased person alive. Existing law requires a physician and surgeon, physician assistant, or other specified individuals to immediately notify the coroner when they have knowledge of a death occurring under specified circumstances, including where suicide is suspected. A violation of that requirement is a crime. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2026, additionally authorize the medical and health section data and the time of death on a death certificate to be completed and attested to by a nurse practitioner last in attendance. The bill would make conforming changes. Commencing July 1, 2026, the bill would also include a nurse practitioner to the group of individuals required to notify the coroner when they have knowledge of a death under certain specified circumstances. Because this bill would expand the application of an existing crime to nurse practitioners, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires a funeral director, or a person acting in lieu of a funeral director if there is no funeral director, to prepare a certificate of fetal death and register it with the local registrar. Existing law requires the attending physician, if any, to state on the certificate of fetal death specific information, including the time and causes of fetal death. Existing law requires the physician, within 15 hours after the fetal death, to deposit the fetal death certificate at the place of death or deliver it to the attending funeral director or the office of the physician, as specified. Commencing July 1, 2026, this bill would add a nurse practitioner in those provisions for purposes of preparing and depositing or delivering a certificate of fetal death. (3) Existing law provides a procedure to, and authorizes a certifying physician or coroner to, amend a record of death, fetal death, or live birth with supplemental information by filing a declaration under penalty of perjury. Commencing July 1, 2026, this bill would also authorize a nurse practitioner to use that procedure to file a declaration to amend a record of death, fetal death, or live birth. By expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, 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.
Existing law, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Reform Act of 2009, provides that it is the intent of the Legislature to provide for the sustainable management of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem, to provide for a more reliable water supply for the state, to protect and enhance the quality of water supply from the Delta, as defined, and to establish a governance structure that will direct efforts across state agencies to develop a legally enforceable Delta Plan. This bill would make the provisions of the Delta Plan severable. Existing law establishes the Delta Stewardship Council as an independent agency of the state to establish and oversee a committee of agencies responsible for implementing the Delta Plan. Existing law requires council members to possess diverse expertise and reflect a statewide perspective. The bill would state that it is the intent of the Legislature that the council appointees have knowledge about the Delta. Existing law authorizes persons and certain entities, claiming that a proposed covered action is inconsistent with the Delta Plan and that, as a result of that inconsistency, the action will have a significant adverse impact on the achievement of certain goals or implementation of government-sponsored flood control programs to reduce risks to people and property in the Delta, to file an appeal with regard to a certification of consistency submitted to the Delta Stewardship Council. Existing law requires the appeal to be heard by the council within 60 days of the date of the filing of the appeal, as specified, and requires the council to make its decision on the appeal within 60 days of hearing the appeal. This bill would provide certain deadlines for legal actions arising out of specified actions of the council and would make related changes. The bill would add state and local public agencies to those entities authorized to appeal regarding a certification of consistency.
The Local Agency Public Construction Act sets forth procedures that a local agency is required to follow when procuring certain services or work. The act also sets forth specific public contracting requirements for certain transit districts, including the San Mateo County Transit District for construction work contracts. The act authorizes certain local agencies, including school districts and community college districts, to engage in job order contracting, as prescribed. This bill would establish a pilot program to authorize the San Mateo County Transit District to use job order contracting as a procurement method. The bill would impose a $5,000,000 cap on awards under a single job order contract and a $1,000,000 cap on any single job order. The bill would limit the term of an initial contract to a maximum of 12 months, with extensions as prescribed. The bill would establish various procedures and requirements for the use of job order contracting under the pilot program. The bill would require the district, on or before January 1, 2030, to submit to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a report on the use of job order contracting under the bill. The pilot program would be repealed on January 1, 2032. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the San Mateo County Transit District.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facilities serving adults by the State Department of Health Care Services, as prescribed. Existing law prohibits the operation, establishment, management, conduct, or maintenance of an alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility to provide recovery, treatment, or detoxification services within this state without first obtaining a current valid license. This bill would, when the department receives a complaint against a licensed alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility, or a complaint alleging that a facility is unlawfully operating without a license, from a member of the public, require the department to provide, within 10 days of the date of the complaint, notice to the person filing the complaint that the complaint has been received and to provide, upon closing the complaint, notice to the person filing the complaint that the complaint has been closed and whether the department found the facility to be in violation of the provisions governing facility licensure and regulation.
Existing law establishes the Early Childhood Policy Council to advise the Governor, the Legislature, and the State Department of Social Services on statewide early learning and care policy. Existing law imposes various duties on the council, including, among others, requiring the council to prepare a formal public annual report on the work of the council and providing specific recommendations to the Governor, the Legislature, and the department on all aspects of the state's early childhood education system. This bill would require the above-described report to include, at a minimum, the successes, challenges, and gaps in the state's early childhood education systems and recommendations to facilitate advancing the state's vision for children, families, and communities. The bill would require the council to annually submit the report to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature. The bill would also require the council to develop policy proposals and budget requests for the Legislature to consider related to facility needs, workforce needs, and family access.
(1) Existing law authorizes the legislative body of a city or a county to designate a proposed enhanced infrastructure financing district to finance public capital facilities or other specified projects, including acquisition, construction, or repair of commercial structures by the small business occupant of such structures, if such acquisition, construction, or repair is for purposes of fostering economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, as specified, with a governing body referred to as the public financing authority, by adopting a resolution of intention to establish the proposed district. This bill would revise these provisions to instead authorize the designation of a proposed enhanced infrastructure financing district to finance capital facilities or other specified projects for the acquisition, construction, or repair of commercial structures by the small business occupant of such structures, as described above, if such acquisition, construction, or repair is for purposes of fostering economic recovery of a community, as specified. Existing law requires the public financing authority of an enhanced infrastructure financing district to hold a meeting and 3 public hearings on a proposed infrastructure financing plan, as provided. Existing law requires the public financing authority to review the enhanced infrastructure financing plan at least annually and to make any amendments, as specified. Existing law authorizes amendments to an approved infrastructure financing plan, as described, subject to approval by a majority vote of the governing board at a public hearing held following the provision of a 30 day mailed notice, as described. Existing law requires amendments that propose the increase of the limit of the total number of dollars in local taxes allocation to the plan to be adopted in accordance with all notices and hearing requirements for the affected landowners and residents within the proposed additional territory applicable to an initial proposed enhanced infrastructure financing plan. This bill would instead authorize the amendments, as specified, or the addition of a participating taxing entity and its representatives as members of a public financing authority after the date of district formation, to be approved by a majority vote of the public financing authority at a public hearing held following the provision of a 30-day mailed notice, as described above. The bill would instead require amendments that propose the increase of the limit of the total number of dollars in local taxes allocation to the plan, except where the increase is the result of an affected taxing entity agreeing to participate in the existing district and the plan is amended, as specified, to be adopted in accordance with all notices and hearing requirements, as described above. Existing law requires a public financing authority to adopt an annual report on or before June 30 of each year after holding a public hearing. This bill would instead require a public financing authority to adopt an annual report within 7 months of the close of each fiscal year after holding a public hearing. If, after the date of district formation, an affected taxing entity adopts a resolution approving the plan and to participate in the division of taxes used to finance an enhanced infrastructure financing district, existing law requires the division of taxes to be based upon the last equalized assessment roll that is used for the district, as specified. This bill would additionally authorize an affected taxing entity to, at any time after the date of district formation, approve the plan and participate in the division of taxes used to finance the activities of a district, by adopting a resolution of the governing body. (2) Existing law authorizes the creation of community revitalization and investment authorities, as specified, to carry out a community revitalization plan within a community revitalization and investment area. Existing law requires not less than 70% of the land calculated by census tracts, census block groups, as defined, or any combination of both within the area to be characterized by specified conditions, including the annual median household income that is less than, at the option of the authority, 80% of the statewide, countrywide, or citywide annual median income and three of four conditions, including deteriorated commercial or residential structures. This bill would instead require not less than 60% of the land calculated by census tracts, census block groups, as defined, or any combination of both within the area to be characterized by either of the two specified conditions, including the annual median household income that is less than, at the option of the authority, 80% of the statewide, countrywide, or citywide annual median income or three of four conditions, including deteriorated commercial or residential structures. The bill would make related technical, nonsubstantive changes. Existing law requires a community revitalization authority to consider adoption of a community revitalization plan at 3 public hearings, as specified. Existing law requires a community revitalization authority to post a notice of each meeting or public hearing, as specified, in an easily identifiable and accessible location on the authority's internet website and to mail a written notice of the meeting or public hearing to each owner of land and each resident at least 10 days prior to the meeting or public hearing. Existing law also requires notice of each public hearing to be published in a newspaper of general circulation, as specified. This bill would instead require a community revitalization authority to consider adoption of a community revitalization plan at 2 public hearings, as specified, and would make conforming changes. As an alternative to mailing separate mailed notices prior to the meeting or public hearing, the bill would authorize the authority to mail a notice to each landowner, resident, and affected taxing entity at least 40 days before the meeting, as specified. The bill would require the designated contact person, as described, to assemble and maintain an email contact list of all landowners, residents, and other interested parties who have expressed interest in receiving information and materials. Except for the newspaper notices, as described above, the bill would require a notice required by the above-described provisions to be provided in English and in all other languages spoken jointly by 20% or more of the population in the jurisdiction of the county of the proposed authority that speaks English less than "very well" and jointly speaks a language other than English, as specified.
Under the Metropolitan Water District Act, the board of a metropolitan water district is required to consist of at least one representative from each member public agency, as prescribed. The act authorizes each member public agency to appoint additional representatives not exceeding one additional representative for each 5% of the assessed valuation of property taxable for district purposes within the entire district that is within the boundaries of that member public agency. This bill would, until January 1, 2030, authorize a representative of a member public agency that is entitled to designate or appoint only one representative to the board of directors to assign a proxy vote authorization to a representative of another member public agency to be exercised when the assigning representative is unable to attend a meeting or meetings of the board, as provided. The bill would require the proxy vote authorization to be memorialized by a written instrument, as specified. The bill would prohibit a proxy vote authorization from authorizing the assumption of the assigning representative's officer position at the designated meeting and would limit a proxy vote authorization's effectiveness to no more than 6 board meetings in a calendar year. The bill would declare that all provisions of the act apply to the representative assigned the proxy vote authorization and that all conflict of interest laws that apply to the assigning representative also apply to the representative assigned a proxy vote authorization.
(1) Existing law specifies procedures for the recall election of a local officer. Under existing law, if a majority of the votes on a recall proposal for a local officer are in the affirmative, the officer is removed and the office remains vacant until it is filled according to law. This bill would provide that when the local officer is recalled and removed, that officer may not be appointed to fill the vacancy. (2) Existing law provides that if at a statewide recall election an officer is recalled, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes for the office shall be declared elected for the unexpired term of the recalled officer. This bill would make clarifying changes to the above provision.
Existing law requires local governments lying in whole or in part within the coastal zone or within the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission to, on or before January 1, 2034, develop a sea level rise plan with specified required content as part of a local coastal program that is subject to approval by the California Coastal Commission or the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. This bill would authorize the applicable commission, when approving a local coastal plan or an amendment to a local coastal plan, to deem existing sea level rise information or plans prepared by a local government to satisfy the content requirements for a sea level rise plan. The bill would provide that local governments are encouraged, on or before January 1, 2029, to consult with the California Coastal Commission, in a voluntary early consultation, regarding sea level rise plans in the preparation of a local coastal program or an amendment to a local coastal program.
