The Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Bagley-Keene Act) , requires, with specified exceptions, that all meetings of a state body, as defined, be open and public, and all persons be permitted to attend any meeting of a state body, except as provided. The Bagley-Keene Act, among other things, requires a state body that elects to conduct a meeting or proceeding by teleconference to make the portion of the meeting that is required to be open to the public audible to the public at the location specified in the notice of the meeting. The Bagley-Keene Act requires a state body that elects to conduct a meeting or proceeding by teleconference to post agendas at all teleconference locations, identify each teleconference location in the notice and agenda of the meeting or proceeding, and requires each teleconference location to be accessible to the public. That law authorizes any meeting of a state body that is an advisory board, advisory commission, advisory committee, advisory subcommittee, or similar multimember advisory body to hold an open meeting by teleconference if the meeting complies with the requirements of the act, except as provided. Existing law requires that when a member of a multimember state advisory body participates remotely the body provide a means by which the public may remotely hear audio of the meeting or remotely observe the meeting. Existing law requires a multimember state advisory body to end or adjourn a meeting if it discovers that a required means of remote access has failed during the meeting, and, if the meeting is to adjourn and reconvene on the same day, that law requires the body to communicate, among other things, how a member of the public may hear audio of the meeting or observe the meeting. This bill would require a state body that elects to conduct a meeting or proceeding by teleconference to make the portion that is required to be open to the public both audibly and visually observable. The bill would require a state body that elects to conduct a meeting or proceeding by teleconference to post an agenda at the designated primary physical meeting location in the notice of the meeting where members of the public may physically attend the meeting and participate. The bill would extend the above requirements of meetings of multimember advisory bodies that are held by teleconference to meetings of all multimember state bodies. The bill would require a multimember state body to provide a means by which the public may both audibly and visually remotely observe a meeting if a member of that body participates remotely. The bill would further require any body that is to adjourn and reconvene a meeting on the same day to communicate how a member of the public may both audibly and visually observe the meeting. The bill would also make nonsubstantive changes to those provisions. 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.
(1) Existing law, the Planning and Zoning Law, requires each county and city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the county or city, and specified land outside boundaries, that includes, among other mandatory elements, a housing element. Existing law requires that the housing element include, among other things, an inventory of land suitable and available for residential development. Existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development, in consultation with each council of governments, to determine each region's existing and projected housing need, and requires each council of governments, or the department for cities and counties without a council of governments, to adopt a final regional housing need plan that allocates a share of the regional housing need to each city, county, or city and county, as provided. If the inventory of sites included in a housing element as described above does not identify adequate sites to accommodate the need for groups of all household income levels pursuant to the allocation of regional housing need, existing law requires that the local government rezone sites within specified deadlines, as provided. This bill, if specified local governments within the Counties of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura fail to complete this rezoning to accommodate 100% of the need for housing for very low and lower income households allocated as described above within one year of the statutory deadline for that rezoning, would require the department to complete that rezoning on behalf of the local government within one year after the local government becomes subject to these provisions. The bill would require the department to consider rezoning input from the applicable local government and would prohibit any rezoning by the department under these provisions from requiring or causing displacement of residential tenants or the demolition or alteration of any occupied residential property. The bill would require a local government for which the department completes a rezoning under the bill's provisions to amend its housing element and zoning ordinances as necessary to accommodate that rezoning. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura. (2) Existing law provides various reforms and incentives to facilitate and expedite the construction of affordable housing, as provided. Existing law, for award cycles commenced after July 1, 2021, awards a city, county, or city and county, that has adopted a housing element determined by the Department of Housing and Community Development to be in substantial compliance with specified provisions of the Planning and Zoning Law and that has been designated by the department as prohousing based upon their adoption of prohousing local policies, as specified, additional points in the scoring of program applications for housing and infrastructure programs pursuant to guidelines adopted by the department, as provided. This bill would state that local governments are encouraged to continue to use all necessary incentives and streamlining benefits made available under any other law to ensure that the local government meets its share of the regional housing need for extremely low, very low, and lower income households, allocated as described above. (3) This bill would include findings that changes proposed by the bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. (4) By adding to the duties of local planning 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.
Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to contract with Amtrak for intercity rail passenger services and provides funding for these services from the Public Transportation Account. Existing law authorizes the department, subject to approval of the Secretary of Transportation, to enter into an interagency transfer agreement under which a joint powers board assumes responsibility for administering the state-funded intercity rail service in a particular corridor and associated feeder bus services. Existing law creates the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Board, which is the governing board of the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority and is responsible for administering the Colfax-Sacramento-Suisun City-Oakland-San Jose rail corridor, which is defined as the Capital Corridor. This bill would appropriate an unspecified amount from the General Fund without regard to fiscal years to the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority to invest in capital improvements for the Capitol Corridor.
Under existing law, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is required to develop, implement, and administer various forest improvement and fire prevention programs in the state. Existing law requires the department to establish a local assistance grant program for fire prevention activities in California. Existing law requires the department to prioritize, to the extent feasible, projects that are multiyear efforts and to prioritize grant applications from specified local agencies. This bill would appropriate the sum of $25,000,000 from the General Fund to the department to be used to provide the local assistance grants described above. The bill would require the department, for purposes of this appropriation, to prioritize projects, in addition to the priorities specified above, that manage vegetation along streets and roads to prevent the ignition of wildfire and that require the funds for purposes of purchasing equipment necessary for the project.
Existing law creates the American Indian Education Unit in the State Department of Education to provide technical support to, and proper administrative oversight of, American Indian education programs established by the state in order to ensure that American Indian pupils in California public schools are able to meet specified challenging academic standards. This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation that supports the academic growth and well-being of Native American pupils in California by expanding the American Indian Education Centers program to serve a greater number of Native American pupils in California, supporting and promoting meaningful and timely consultation between local educational agencies and appropriate officials and representatives of tribal governments regarding the education of Native American pupils, and ensuring an adequate level of staffing at the State Department of Education to support local educational agencies and tribes in implementing effective practices to serve Native American pupils and to meet requirements of state and federal law.
Existing law, the California Coastal Act of 1976, establishes the California Coastal Commission and provides for planning and regulation of development in the coastal zone, as defined. The act requires the commission, within 90 days after January 1, 1977, to adopt, after public hearing, procedures for the preparation, submission, approval, appeal, certification, and amendment of a local coastal program, as provided. Existing law places specified requirements on a hosting platform, including providing an offeror listing a residence for short-term rental on the hosting platform with a specific notice relating to certain liability considerations and risks of listing the residence. Existing law defines "hosting platform" as a marketplace that is created for the primary purpose of facilitating the rental of a residential unit, as specified. This bill would provide that an ordinance, policy, or program enacted by a city or county, including a charter city or county, that regulates or licenses the rental of residential units for tourist or transient-use occupancy within the coastal zone through a hosting platform is not considered development subject to the California Coastal Act. The bill would specify that a city or county, including a charter city or county, is not required to comply with the California Coastal Act when enacting or enforcing an ordinance, policy, or program that regulates or licenses the rental of residential units through a hosting platform. The bill would additionally provide that a local coastal program is not required to include an ordinance, policy, or program that regulates or licenses the rental of residential units through a hosting platform. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.
Existing law, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, an initiative measure enacted by the approval of Proposition 215 at the November 6, 1996, statewide general election, authorizes the use of cannabis for medical purposes and provides certain protections to a physician and surgeon who recommends the use of medical cannabis to a patient. The Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act of 2016 (AUMA) , an initiative measure approved as Proposition 64 at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, authorizes a person who obtains a state license under AUMA to engage in commercial adult-use cannabis activity pursuant to that license and applicable local ordinances. The Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) , among other things, provides for the licensure and regulation of commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis activities and states that the purpose and intent of MAUCRSA is to establish a comprehensive system to control and regulate the cultivation, distribution, transport, storage, manufacturing, processing, and sale of both medicinal cannabis and medicinal cannabis products for patients with a valid physician recommendation and adult-use cannabis and adult-use cannabis products for adults 21 years of age and over. MAUCRSA defines various terms for these purposes, including "cannabis," "cannabis products," "cannabis concentrate," and "edible cannabis product." The Veterinary Medicine Practice Act provides for the licensure and regulation of veterinarians and the practice of veterinary medicine by the Veterinary Medical Board, which is within the Department of Consumer Affairs. The act authorizes the board to revoke or suspend the license of a person to practice veterinary medicine, or to assess a fine, for specified causes, including discussing medicinal cannabis with a client while the veterinarian is employed by, or has an agreement with, a MAUCRSA licensee and distributing advertising for cannabis in California. The act prohibits the board from disciplining a licensed veterinarian solely for discussing the use of cannabis on an animal for medicinal purposes, absent negligence or incompetence. The act requires the board, on or before January 1, 2020, to adopt guidelines for veterinarians to follow when discussing cannabis within the veterinarian-client-patient relationship. The act prohibits a licensed veterinarian from dispensing or administering cannabis or cannabis products to an animal patient. This bill would additionally prohibit the board from disciplining a veterinarian licensed under the act who recommends the use of cannabis on an animal for potential therapeutic effect or health supplementation purposes, unless the veterinarian is employed by or has an agreement with a cannabis licensee, as specified. The bill would require the board to adopt guidelines, on or before January 1, 2023, for veterinarians to follow when recommending cannabis within the veterinarian-client-patient relationship, and would require the board to post the guidelines on its internet website. This bill would revise the definitions of "cannabis products," "cannabis concentrate," and "edible cannabis product" under MAUCRSA to include products intended to be used for therapeutic effect or health supplementation use on, or for consumption by, an animal. The bill would define "animal" for these purposes to mean any member of the animal kingdom other than humans, including fowl, fish, and reptiles, wild or domestic, whether living or dead, but would exclude livestock and food animals, as specified. AUMA authorizes legislative amendment of its provisions with a 23 vote of both houses, without submission to the voters, to further its purposes and intent. This bill would declare that its provisions further the purposes and intent of AUMA.
Existing law provides for the foster care system, which is overseen by the State Department of Social Services and administered by county welfare departments. Existing law generally provides for children placed in foster care to be assigned a social worker who meets regularly with the foster child and performs specified services on behalf of the child. This bill would require the department to convene a workgroup to examine the negative effects of high turnover of foster family agency social workers on foster youth and children and to identify measures to reduce foster family agency social worker turnover in order to improve permanency outcomes for foster youth and children. The bill would require that the working group include representatives from specified state agencies and stakeholders. The bill would require the department to submit specific recommendations to the Legislature on or before December 31, 2022.
(1) Existing law requires the Department of Transportation to develop and update every 5 years the California Transportation Plan. Under existing law, the plan describes the state's transportation policies and system performance objectives, includes broad transportation strategies and recommendations, considers certain topics relating to the movement of people and freight, and addresses how the state will achieve maximum feasible emissions reductions to attain a statewide reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by December 31, 2030, and other air quality standards. This bill would require the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with certain state entities, to implement a Safe and Clean Truck Infrastructure Program to support the construction and operation of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle parking and electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure on public and private properties, and to encourage the use of zero-emission vehicles. As part of the program, the bill would require the Secretary of Transportation, by January 1, 2025, to conduct an assessment outlining regional zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle parking and refueling deficiencies and strategies to address those deficiencies. (2) Existing law establishes the Clean Freight Corridor Efficiency Assessment, to be developed by the California Transportation Commission, in coordination with other state agencies, and requires the assessment's findings and recommendations to be incorporated into the development of the California Transportation Plan. In developing the assessment, existing law requires the commission to identify freight corridors, or segments of corridors, throughout the state that would be priority candidates for the deployment of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Existing law requires the commission to submit a report containing the assessment's findings and recommendations to certain committees of the Legislature by December 1, 2023. This bill would require the commission, in developing the plan, to also identify, among other things, short- and long-term zero-emission electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling strategies for the freight transportation system and regional zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle parking and refueling deficiencies and strategies to address those deficiencies. (3) Existing law requires the California Transportation Commission, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to allocate certain revenues deposited in the Trade Corridor Enhancement Account and certain federal funds for eligible infrastructure projects, including truck corridor improvements to mitigate emissions from trucks, located on or along specified transportation corridors. This bill would provide that the construction and operation of zero-emission truck parking, and supporting electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling networks, that the Secretary of Transportation has identified as part of the Safe and Clean Truck Infrastructure Program is an infrastructure project eligible for this funding.
Existing law, the California Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, establishes the California Workforce Development Board. Existing law requires the board to assist the Governor in developing and continuously improving California's workforce investment system, as specified. This bill would create the Enabling Youth to Access Workforce Training Grant Program. Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the bill would require the California Workforce Development Board to create the program, which would fund supportive services, as specified, that are necessary for homeless youth and current or former foster youth to enable their participation in the workforce development program, as defined. Under the bill, grants would be awarded on a competitive basis. The bill would require the board to conduct outreach activities and to provide technical assistance to eligible applicants to ensure that grants are awarded to qualified applicants providing a broad spectrum of supportive services. The bill would prescribe definitions, duties for the board, and requirements for applications and applicants, including the requirement that applicants agree to provide the board any information that it deems necessary to meet reporting requirements and other grant requirements. The bill would require the board to evaluate how grants awarded under the program address the needs of eligible targeted populations and, beginning one year after the initial award of grant funds, to post an annual report on its internet website regarding the progress and success of the program.
Existing law specifies the powers and duties of the Governor, including to supervise the official conduct of executive and ministerial officers, to ensure that offices are filled and their duties performed, and to appoint individuals to various offices, boards, commissions, and other public positions. Existing law does not require the Governor to disclose whether prospective appointees of the Governor made monetary contributions to the Governor's campaign prior to their appointment. This bill would require, if a Governor's prospective appointee has made a contribution of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more to the Governor's campaign or to a committee organized specifically to benefit the Governor's campaign within the 12-month period preceding the public announcement of the appointment, that the public announcement, whether oral or written, disclose that such a contribution was made and the amount of the contribution. The bill would require the Secretary of State, until January 1, 2027, to submit an annual report to the Legislature describing any such contributions disclosed during the year preceding submission of the report.
Existing federal law regulates immigration. Existing state law establishes the Employment Development Department (department) , which is administered by the Director of Employment Development who is vested with certain duties relating to, among other things, job creation and unemployment compensation. This bill would require the department to determine the extent of labor shortages in the state's essential critical infrastructure workforce sectors and provide that information to specified federal government entities. The bill would require the department to convene a working group to address the issues relating to a work permit program for unauthorized persons who are essential critical infrastructure workforce employees to work and live in the state, and to serve as liaison to the United States Department of Homeland Security and the United States Department of Justice to ensure that state departments are not taking on responsibilities in matters dealing with immigration policy that are the jurisdiction of the federal government. This bill would require the working group to create and submit to the Legislature and the Governor a report expressing its recommendations, which would be required to incorporate specified provisions describing a model statewide program and a model county pilot program. The bill would require the Governor, using the report, to make a formal request to the federal government to implement a statewide program, a county pilot program, or both, to provide unauthorized persons who are essential critical infrastructure workforce employees with a permit to work and live in California. The bill would require the Governor to issue an explanation if the federal government proposes a program and the Governor disapproves of the proposed program. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact necessary implementing legislation in the future if the federal government approves a program requested by the Governor or proposes a program to provide unauthorized persons who are essential critical infrastructure workforce employees with a permit to work and live in California. This bill would require the working group to thereafter address the ongoing policy issues revolving around Congress's work on immigration reform, the federal minimum wage, and the impact those issues will have on the workforce needs of California, and to report on labor shortages, as specified, to the Legislature annually. This bill would make the implementation of these requirements contingent on a determination by the department that nonstate funds are available for the purposes of the bill.
