Existing law authorizes a school district to levy a fee, charge, dedication, or other requirement against any construction within the boundaries of the school district for the purpose of funding the construction or reconstruction of school facilities. Existing law authorizes a school district to increase the levy, as prescribed, if state funds for new school facility construction are not available, as specified. This bill would suspend the operation of the provision authorizing the increased levy from the day this bill becomes operative through December 31, 2014, or until an earlier date upon a specified circumstance, including passage of a statewide school facilities bond. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report (EIR) on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA establishes procedures for creating the administrative record and judicial review procedure for any action or proceeding brought to challenge the lead agency's decision to certify the EIR or to grant project approvals. The Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2011 establishes alternative procedures for creating the administrative record and specified judicial review procedures for the judicial review of the EIR and approvals granted for a leadership project related to the development of a residential, retail, commercial, sports, cultural, entertainment, or recreational use project, or clean renewable energy or clean energy manufacturing project. The act authorizes the Governor, upon application, to certify a leadership project for streamlining pursuant to the act if certain conditions are met. The act requires that the project result in a minimum investment of $100,000,000 in California upon completion of construction and not result in any net additional emission of greenhouse gases, including greenhouse gas emissions from employee transportation. This bill would require instead that a project result in a minimum investment of $100,000,000 spent on planning, design, and construction of the project. The bill, in order to maximize public health, environmental, and employment benefits, would require a lead agency to place the highest priority on feasible measures that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the project site and in the neighboring communities of the project site. (2) The act requires a party seeking judicial review of the EIR to bring concurrently other claims alleging a public agency has granted land use approvals or a leadership project in violation of relevant laws. This bill would repeal this provision. (3) The act requires the Judicial Council to report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2015, on the effects of the act, including specific information on benefits, costs, and detriments. The bill would require instead that the Judicial Council report to the Legislature on the effects of the act on the administration of justice. The bill also would make technical and clarifying changes. Because a lead agency would be required to perform additional actions, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) 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.
(1) The Political Reform Act of 1974 requires elected officers, candidates for elective office, and campaign committees to file campaign statements reporting contributions and expenditures for specified reporting periods. Under the act, city elected officers, candidates for city office, their controlled committees, committees formed or existing primarily to support or oppose candidates or local measures to be voted upon in one city, and city general purpose committees are required to file campaign statements with the clerk of the city. This bill would create a pilot program for the 2013 through 2014 reporting periods that authorizes the City of Long Beach to permit any person who files a campaign statement with the city clerk to file online or electronically, consistent with specified requirements. In addition, the bill would require the City of Long Beach, if it chooses to participate in the pilot program, to prepare a report evaluating the program under specified criteria, and would further require the Legislative Analyst's Office to prepare a report evaluating the program. (2) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for a pilot program in the City of Long Beach. (3) The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.
Existing law provides for licensing and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. A willful violation of provisions governing health care service plans is a crime. Existing law provides for licensing and regulation of health insurers by the Insurance Commissioner. Existing federal law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, provides for implementation of certain reforms relative to health care coverage. This bill, until January 1, 2018, would establish a transitional reinsurance program for health plans to be jointly administered by the Department of Insurance and the Department of Managed Health Care, and require participation by health care service plans and health insurers. The bill would require the Insurance Commissioner and the Director of the Department of Managed Health Care to jointly select a reinsurance entity, which would collect payments from contributing health plans and the United States Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of self-insured group plans and pay claims, as specified. The bill would authorize the commissioner and the Director of Managed Health Care to take various actions to implement the program. The bill would also authorize the Director of the Department of Managed Health Care to opt out of administration of the program and defer to the Department of Insurance. The bill would require contributing entities to make payments to the reinsurance entity no earlier than October 1, 2013, and would provide for the reinsurance entity to pay claims to a reinsurance-eligible recipient no earlier than January 1, 2014, with payments and claims to cease on December 31, 2016, except for necessary adjustments. Because a willful violation of the bill's provisions with respect to health care service plans would be a crime, 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.
(1) Existing law authorizes a peace officer to impound for 30 days a vehicle driven by a person who had never been issued a driver's license. Existing law subjects to forfeiture, and requires the impoundment of, a vehicle driven by an unlicensed driver who is a registered owner of the vehicle and who has a previous misdemeanor conviction of operating a vehicle without a driver's license. This bill would prohibit a peace officer from towing and impounding, or causing the towing and impoundment of, a vehicle driven by a person who does not have a valid driver's license, as specified, if the vehicle is, or could be, legally parked at a location near the scene of the traffic stop or if control of the vehicle is, or could be, relinquished to a licensed driver. If a licensed driver is not present at the time of the traffic stop, the bill would require the peace officer to inform the driver that the vehicle will not be towed and impounded if a licensed driver can retrieve the vehicle within a reasonable amount of time of the traffic stop. The bill would require a peace officer to obtain the approval of a supervisory officer before the towing and impoundment of a vehicle subject to these provisions. By requiring a higher level of service by a local law enforcement agency, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the release of the impounded vehicle upon the presentation of the registered owner's, or his or her agent's, currently valid driver's license and proof of current vehicle registration, or upon order of a court. This bill would also make conforming changes. (2) 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 these statutory provisions.
Existing law governs the business of insurance, and defines various types of insurance for these purposes, including life insurance and disability insurance. Existing law generally makes the requirements imposed on disability insurance contracts inapplicable to life insurance, endowment, and annuity contracts, or supplemental contracts thereto, that provide additional benefits in case of death or dismemberment or loss of sight by accident, operate to safeguard contracts against lapse, or give a special surrender value, a special benefit, or an annuity if the insured or annuitant becomes totally or permanently disabled. This bill would specify that the term "special benefit" for purposes of those provisions includes an accelerated death benefit if some of all of the death benefit of a life insurance contract is paid to the insured upon the occurrence of certain qualifying events, including if the insured requires continuous confinement in an eligible institution. Existing law requires supplemental contracts or, if a supplemental contract is an integral part of a life insurance contract, life insurance contracts to be submitted for approval by the Insurance Commissioner before the contracts are delivered or issued for delivery in this state. This bill would require a life insurance contract or supplemental contract that includes an accelerated death benefit that is submitted for approval by the Insurance Commissioner to be submitted for approval with specified additional information, including a statement of the types of policy forms with which the benefit will be offered.
(1) Existing law authorizes a bus operated by a publicly owned transit system on regularly scheduled service to be equipped with illuminated signs that display information directly related to public service and include, among other things, destination signs, route-number signs, run-number signs, public service announcement signs, or a combination of those signs, visible from any direction of the vehicle, that emit any light color, other than the color red emitted from forward-facing signs, pursuant to specified conditions. Existing law authorizes, until January 1, 2017, a pilot program allowing up to 25 buses operated by the City of Santa Monica's publicly owned transit system for the first 2 years of the pilot program, and up to 30 buses thereafter, to be equipped with illuminated signs that display advertising subject to certain conditions. Existing law also requires the City of Santa Monica to submit a specified report by July 1, 2016, on roadway and pedestrian safety to the Legislature and the Department of the California Highway Patrol. This bill would authorize, until January 1, 2018, the University of California, Irvine (university) to operate a pilot program similar to the one operated by the City of Santa Monica. The bill would require the university to submit a report by July 1, 2017, on the viability of advertisement sales relating to illuminated signs on public buses to the Legislature. (2) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the University of California, Irvine.
Existing law vests the Department of Parks and Recreation with control over the state park system. Existing law creates the State Parks and Recreation Fund into which are deposited revenues received by the department, which are available for expenditure for state park purposes upon appropriation by the Legislature. This bill would authorize the department, until January 1, 2020, to assist a park district or unit of the state park system in establishing specified numbers of innovation working groups for the purpose of developing innovative revenue proposals for the district or the park unit, as prescribed. The bill would require the department, in addition to evaluating revenue-generating ideas submitted by innovation working groups, to consider specified factors relating to ways to generate revenues for state parks. The bill would require each innovation team working group to perform specific duties and to make recommendations to the department on innovative revenue proposals, or ideas about how to make those districts or units more self sufficient, increase visitation, and generate new revenues.
Existing law establishes the Biennial Inspection of Terminals Program (BIT) to ensure the safe operation of certain vehicles by a motor carrier through the inspection of these vehicles at the motor carrier's terminal by the Department of the California Highway Patrol. Existing law defines a motor carrier, for this purpose, as the registered owner of, and in some cases the lessee or person exclusively authorizing and directing the operation of, specified vehicles. Existing law requires, within 30 days of establishing a terminal, a motor carrier to schedule an inspection by submitting to the department an application for a terminal inspection accompanied by the payment of a fee the amount of which is based on the number of vehicles in a terminal or the "terminal fleet size." Existing law requires the department to inspect every terminal at least once every 25 months and defines a terminal as the location or locations designated by the motor carrier where subject vehicles and specific records are available for inspection. This bill would revise and recast these provisions as the Basic Inspection of Terminals (BIT) program. The bill would define motor carrier for this purpose as the registered owner, lessee, licensee, or bailee of specified vehicles. The bill would make it unlawful to operate a new terminal unless an inspection is conducted within the first 18 months of operation. The bill would instead authorize the department to conduct terminal inspections at any time. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2015, to implement a performance-based truck terminal inspection priority system similar to that used by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that would require the department to place an inspection priority on motor carrier terminals never previously inspected by the department. Nonpriority terminals would not be required to be inspected less than 4 years since their last inspection. The bill would require a motor carrier to make vehicles and records available for inspection upon request by the department and to pay a carrier inspection fee, the amount to be based on the size of the motor carrier's fleet. The bill would impose a penalty for failure to pay the fee. The bill would make other technical and conforming changes to the BIT program.
Existing law provides for the regulation and licensing of pilots for Monterey Bay and the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun, and the payment of specified pilotage rates and charges imposed on vessels piloted in those bays. Existing law also establishes in the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, a Board of Pilot Commissioners for Monterey Bay and the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun, and prescribes the membership of, and functions and duties of the board. Existing law establishes the Board of Pilot Commissioners' Special Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for the purposes of receiving moneys received by the board in the implementation of the above provisions. This bill would, on January 1, 2022, eliminate the board and transfer the board's functions and duties to the Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing, and would recast and reenact certain provisions that regulate pilots for those bays, as provided. The bill would rename the Board of Pilot Commissioners' Special Fund as the Bar Pilot Special Fund.
(1) The Z'berg-Nejedely Forest Practice Act of 1973 prohibits a person from conducting timber operations on timberland unless a timber harvesting plan has been prepared by a registered professional forester and has been submitted to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and approved by the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection or the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. A violation of the act is a crime. This bill would authorize a working forest tree farmer, as defined, to file a working forest management plan prepared by a registered professional forester with the department and would require the director to review the submitted plan to determine if it is in compliance with the act, and rules and regulations of the board, and to return the plan if the director determines that it is not in compliance. The bill would require an amendment that is a substantial deviation from the approved plan to be approved by the director or the board. The bill would require a working forest tree farmer to file a working forest harvest notice in any year in which there are plans to harvest timber on timberland covered by the working forest management plan. If it is determined that certain objectives are not being met or that there are persistent violations of an approved plan's requirements, the bill would require that the previously approved working forest management plan be canceled by the department and that any further timber operations under the plan be terminated. The bill would require the board, no later than December 31, 2015, to adopt regulations to implement these provisions. Because a violation of these provisions is a crime, this bill would imposed a state-mandated local program. (2) 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 creates within state government the Commission on the Status of Women, consisting of 17 members, including certain Members of the Legislature. Existing law sets forth the powers and duties of the commission, and requires the commission to study certain topics. This bill would authorize the members of the commission who are also Members of the Legislature to vote by proxy. The bill would require the commission to study additional topics. The bill would authorize the Legislature to recommend that the commission study additional topics relevant to women. The bill would authorize the commission to review the implementation of any law to ensure that the law is not discriminating against women or creating an inequitable environment for women.
