California Bills

Existing law provides for the establishment of district agricultural associations and authorizes a district agricultural association to engage in various activities, including to purchase, acquire, hold, sell, exchange, or convey any interest in real property with the approval of the Department of General Services. Existing law establishes District 22 as the County of San Diego. This bill, by April 30, 2024, would require the 22nd District Agricultural Association to execute a legally binding lease of specified parcels of real property to the City of Del Mar for the purposes of constructing a residential development that provides at least 61 units that are affordable to lower income households. The bill would provide that the rent for a lease executed pursuant to these provisions be $1 per year and would authorize the City of Del Mar to sublease the real property to a private entity for the purpose of developing and constructing the affordable housing units. The bill would authorize the lease to include a requirement that a minimum percentage of the units constructed be reserved for employees of the 22nd District Agricultural Association, provided that no more than 10% are reserved for those employees. The bill would provide that the lease not be subject to the approval of the Department of General Services. By requiring the City of Del Mar to execute a lease with the 22nd District Agricultural Association, the 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

(1) Existing law establishes the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, which is administered by the State Department of Social Services, counties, and other entities, under which qualified aged, blind, or disabled persons are provided with supportive services in order to permit them to remain in their own homes. Existing law authorizes a county board of supervisors to elect to contract with a nonprofit consortium to provide for the delivery of in-home supportive services or to establish, by ordinance, a public authority to provide for the delivery of those services, in accordance with certain procedures. Existing law deems a public authority created under these provisions to be the employer of in-home supportive services personnel under the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, which governs labor relations between local public employers and employees. Existing law also deems a nonprofit consortium contracting with a county to be the employer of in-home supportive services personnel for purposes of collective bargaining over wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. Existing law grants recipients of in-home supportive services the right to hire, fire, and supervise the work of any in-home supportive services personnel providing services for them. Existing law prohibits the state and specified local public employers from deterring or discouraging public employees from becoming or remaining members of an employee organization. Existing law also requires specified public employers to provide exclusive employee representatives access to new employee orientations. Existing law generally grants the Public Employment Relations Board jurisdiction over violations of these provisions. Existing law defines "public employers" who are subject to these provisions as including, among others, public agencies, cities, counties, and districts. This bill would expand the definition of "public employer," for purposes of those provisions, to include an employer who is subject to the In-Home Supportive Services Employer-Employee Relations Act, which the bill would create. The bill would establish a method for resolving disputes regarding wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment between the state and recognized employee organizations representing independent providers. The bill would provide for the right of employees, also known as individual providers under the act, to form, join, and participate in activities of employee organizations for the purposes of representation on all matters within the scope of employee organizations. The bill would define "employee" or "individual provider" for these purposes to mean a person authorized to provide in-home supportive services pursuant to the individual provider mode or waiver personal care services, as prescribed. For purposes of collective bargaining, the bill would deem the state to be the employer of record of individual providers in each county. The bill would grant the in-home supportive services recipient with the right to hire, fire, and supervise the work of the individual providers providing services to them. Among other things, the bill would specify that individual providers employed by a predecessor agency before the effective date of the act shall retain employee status and not be required by the state to requalify to receive payment for providing in-home supportive services. Among other things, for purposes of collective bargaining, the bill would provide that existing bargaining units consisting of individual providers in a single county that are represented by the same recognized employee organization shall be deemed merged into the largest possible multicounty bargaining units represented by that employee organization, upon the effective date of this act. In counties where no recognized employee organization exists as of the effective date of the act, the bill would specify that a bargaining unit consisting of all employees in that county shall be deemed an appropriate unit for collective bargaining. Under the bill, if individual providers in a county bargaining unit are represented by a recognized employee organization on the date of the act, the state would be deemed the successor employer of the predecessor agency for purposes of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement, subject to the obligation to meet and confer in good faith and meet other related legal requirements. The bill would require all recognized employee organizations, as of the effective date of the act, to negotiate jointly on behalf of all bargaining units they represent to reach a single memorandum of understanding with the employer. The bill would authorize the memorandum of understanding to contain addenda reflecting regional or county-level terms and conditions. The bill would establish procedures for voting and ratification of a memorandum of understanding, and for the employer to assume a predecessor agency's rights and obligations under a memorandum of understanding or agreement between a predecessor agency and a recognized employee organization that is in effect on the date of the bill's enactment. The bill would prescribe the duties of the state under the act, including requiring the Governor to meet and confer in good faith, and to follow specified procedures regarding collective bargaining. If an agreement is reached by a representative of the Governor and the recognized employee organizations, the bill would require those parties to jointly prepare a written memorandum of understanding and present it to the Legislature for determination by majority vote. The bill would require the Governor, for any side letter, appendix, or other addendum to a memorandum of understanding that requires the expenditure of $250,000 or more related to salary and benefits not included in the original memorandum or the Budget Act, to provide that to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, as specified. The bill would also establish mediation and arbitration procedures that would apply when the parties fail to reach an agreement. The bill would make certain actions by an employer and other entities involved in administering the IHSS program unlawful, including imposing or threatening to impose reprisals on employees or otherwise interfering with the exercise of their rights. The bill would authorize the Public Employment Relations Board to adopt reasonable rules and regulations pursuant to the act, including the adoption of emergency regulations, as prescribed. (2) Existing law requires the Controller to provide for the administration of payroll deductions and salary reductions, and authorizes the Controller to establish procedures for that purpose. The bill would require the Controller to honor a written authorization for payroll deductions executed by an employee before the effective date of the act, and to make deductions for payments of dues to a recognized employee organization pursuant to the act consistent with the above-described payroll deduction procedures. (3) Existing law, the California Public Records Act, requires public records to be open to inspection at all times during the office hours of the state or local agency that retains those records, and provides that every person has a right to inspect any public record, except as provided. Existing law provides that certain information regarding persons paid by the state to provide in-home supportive services, or other related public services, are not subject to disclosure under the act. Existing law further provides that copies of names, addresses, home telephone numbers, and other identifying information are required to be made available, upon request, to an exclusive bargaining agent and to any employee organization seeking representation rights under specified collective bargaining provisions. With respect to the above-described personal identifying information, this bill would instead require this information to be made available to the exclusive bargaining agent and any employee organization seeking representation under the In-Home Supportive Services Employer-Employee Relations Act. The bill would require the state, or a county, public authority, or nonprofit consortium organized pursuant to the IHSS program, to promptly make the information available to the requesting entity. The bill would revise the IHSS program provisions to require the state to assume responsibilities as set forth in the act. The bill would also require a county or city and county to continue to have certain IHSS program-related functions set forth in county ordinance or contract performed in accordance with specified provisions. (4) Existing law requires prospective providers of in-home supportive services to complete an in-person provider orientation at the time of enrollment that is developed by the department, in consultation with counties, that includes requirements to be an eligible IHSS provider and other related matters. This bill additionally would require that in-person provider orientation include any other information required to be communicated to prospective providers by a memorandum of understanding, appendix, or side letter between recognized employee organizations and the state. The bill would make other related changes to these provisions. By imposing new duties on local government officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (5) The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern and, therefore, apply to all counties. (6) The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. (7) 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. (8) 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which administers various programs that provide benefits to veterans, including educational assistance and farm and home purchase assistance. Existing law authorizes each county to appoint a veterans service officer. Existing law requires that these officers administer aid to veterans, investigate veterans' claims and requests relating to veterans' aid, and to perform any other veteran-related services as requested by the county board of supervisors. This bill, until January 1, 2029, would authorize the Counties of Los Angeles and Nevada to create a veteran suicide prevention training pilot program to offer individuals in each county specialized training and certification in suicide prevention with military-connected populations. The bill would require the program to train individuals to identify indicators of elevated suicide risk and provide emergency crisis intervention and referrals for veterans, as specified. This bill would require counties establishing the program to collaborate to hire a suicide prevention subject matter expert (SME) with expertise in implementation and dissemination of evidence-based practices and evidence-informed interventions with military-connected populations. The bill would require the SME to, among other things, develop an individualized intense training curriculum based on the needs of the counties and to develop a process for collaboration and communication with current community partners. The bill would also require the counties in the program to submit a report to the Legislature on or before September 15, 2026.

Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to develop, in cooperation with local and regional transportation entities, the full potential of all resources and opportunities that are now, and may become, available to the state and to regional and local agencies for meeting California's transportation needs. Existing law authorizes the department to do any act necessary, convenient, or proper for the construction, improvement, maintenance, or use of all highways that are under its jurisdiction, possession, or control. This bill would require the department to develop guidelines for data sharing, documentation, public access, quality control, and promotion of open-source and accessible platforms and decision support tools related to street furniture data, as provided. The bill would define "street furniture" as objects and pieces of equipment installed along a street or road to provide amenities for pedestrians, including, but not limited to, bus shelters, trash receptacles, benches, or public toilets. The bill would require the department to develop the guidelines, in collaboration with specified state and local agencies, and submit a report to the Legislature by January 1, 2025, and every 3 years thereafter, describing those guidelines. To the extent this imposes duties on local agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also require the department to designate the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program Technical Advisory Council, or another entity with expertise and experience working on equity, to advise on the development of the initial and subsequent guidelines, and review the reports related to those guidelines, as provided. The bill also would require the department, in consultation with the Office of Planning and Research, to use the California Minimum General Transit Feed Specification guidelines to integrate statewide and publicly accessible street furniture data on a statewide integrated data platform on a specified schedule. The bill would require the department to, among other things, publicize those data sharing protocols to allow trip planner applications to use the street data furniture, thereby allowing transit customers to plan trips based on the data, and make available existing street furniture data held by state agencies on the platform. The bill would require the statewide integrated data platform to, at a minimum, integrate existing data from multiple autonomous databases managed by state, local, and academic entities, and integrate specified datasets, as provided. To the extent this imposes duties on local agencies, the 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law requires school districts and county offices of education to be responsible for the overall development of comprehensive school safety plans for its schools operating kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law requires the schoolsite council, or the school safety committee if so designated, to consult with a representative from a law enforcement agency, a fire department, and other first responder entities in the writing and development of the comprehensive school safety plan, and requires the comprehensive school safety plan and any updates to the plan to be shared with the law enforcement agency, the fire department, and the other first responder entities. Existing law requires the school safety plan to include, among other things, procedures for conducting tactical responses to criminal incidents. This bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, require school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to establish, on or before the 2024–25 school year, an anonymous reporting system, as defined, for any person to anonymously report any dangerous, violent, or unlawful activity that is being conducted or threatened to be conducted on the property of a local educational agency or at an activity sponsored by the local educational agency. The bill would require local educational agencies to prominently post information regarding the anonymous reporting system on each schoolsite's internet website and ensure that a person who submits a report to have the option to remain anonymous. The bill would require local educational agencies to report specified information to the State Department of Education and would require the department to make the reported data available on its internet website, as provided. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to, among other duties, establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials, certificates, and permits. Under existing law, California is a party to The Interstate Agreement on Qualification of Educational Personnel, a compact designed to support the movement of teachers and other professional educational personnel among the states party to it, and to authorize specific interstate educational personnel contracts to achieve that end. This bill would ratify the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, the purpose of which is to facilitate the mobility of teachers across the member states, with the goal of supporting teachers through a new pathway to licensure. The compact would, among other things, require member states, in their sole discretion, to make certain determinations about teacher licensure for teachers from other member states, as provided, and create and establish a joint public agency known as the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact Commission. This compact would only become effective if the compact statute is enacted into law in ten member states, as provided.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including gas corporations. Existing law creates the Aliso Canyon Recovery Account and requires all moneys collected pursuant to any settlements, unless restricted by a court for another purpose, abatement orders, fines, or penalties by the commission from a gas corporation serving the Los Angeles Basin pursuant to an administrative enforcement or legal proceeding relating to a certain well failure at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility to be deposited into the account. Existing law authorizes moneys in the account to be allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for purposes of mitigating impacts on local air quality, public health, and ratepayers resulting from the well failure at Aliso Canyon, as specified. This bill would clarify that those purposes include mitigating impacts on public health in vulnerable communities, as specified.

Existing law tasks the Department of Toxic Substances Control with the responsibility to regulate the handling and management of hazardous waste. Existing law establishes in the department the Board of Environmental Safety, consisting of 5 voting members, as provided. Existing law charges the board with setting specified hazardous waste-related fees, hearing and deciding appeals of hazardous waste facility permit decisions, and providing opportunities for public hearings on individual permitted or remediation sites, among other responsibilities. This bill would require the board to contract with an entity that has expertise in remediating contaminated sites for the purpose of reviewing the department's residential cleanup near the former Exide Technologies lead-acid battery recycling facility in the City of Vernon. The bill would require the contractor to use only existing data in its review, but, if necessary, the bill would authorize the contractor to take, review, and analyze limited samples. The bill would require the contractor to meet with members of the community to hear comments or concerns about the cleanup and provide its findings to the board, as specified. The bill would require the board to post the contractor's findings on the board's internet website. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the former Exide Technologies lead-acid battery recycling facility in the City of Vernon.

Existing law prohibits requiring a person to pay a subscription fee or obtain a membership in any club, association, or organization in order to use an electric vehicle charging station that requires payment of a fee, as specified. This bill would require that any electric vehicle service equipment that is capable of charging a light-duty electric vehicle and is installed or substantially retrofitted, as defined, except for private use at a single-family residence or multifamily residence, include a universal connector, as defined, and be publicly accessible. The bill would require an owner or operator of CHAdeMO electric vehicle service equipment, as defined, that is in operation on January 1, 2024, except where it is located at a single-family residence or multifamily residence and is only for private use, to maintain the CHAdeMO electric vehicle service equipment in good working condition until at least January 1, 2029.

Existing law designates certain individuals, such as teachers, peace officers, physicians, and clergy members, among others, as mandated reporters and requires them to report suspected child abuse or neglect to specified agencies whenever the mandated reporter, in their professional capacity or within the scope of their employment, knows of, or observes, a child whom the mandated reporter knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect. Existing law requires specified local agencies to forward those reports to the Department of Justice in writing of all cases the agencies investigate of known or suspected child abuse or severe neglect that are determined to be substantiated. Existing law requires the Department of Justice to be a repository of reports of suspected child abuse and severe neglect and to maintain those reports in the Child Abuse Central Index (CACI) . Existing law prohibits a police or sheriff's department from forwarding to the Department of Justice a report of a case the police or sheriff's department investigates of known or suspected child abuse or neglect. This bill would authorize a police or sheriff's department to which a report of suspected child abuse or severe neglect is made on or after January 1, 2024, to forward to the Department of Justice a report in writing of its investigation of known or suspected child abuse or severe neglect that is determined to be substantiated. The bill would require a police or sheriff's department that forwards a report to comply with the same requirements placed on other reporting agencies and would require the police or sheriff's department to adopt procedures to notify persons reported to the CACI. The bill would require the Department of Justice to create a grievance procedure for reports to the CACI submitted by police or sheriff's departments, and would prescribe minimum requirements for the notification and grievance procedures, including specifying timelines and rules governing the grievance hearing. The bill would also make conforming changes.