Existing law, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Act, establishes the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority with various powers and duties relative to transportation projects and services and the operation of public transit in the County of Santa Clara. Existing law establishes the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) in state government as a means of resolving disputes and enforcing the statutory duties and rights of specified public employers and employees under various acts regulating collective bargaining, including the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act. Existing law vests PERB with jurisdiction to enforce certain provisions related to the authority's employees, over charges of unfair practices for represented authority employees, subject to a selection by an exclusive representative. Existing law, in the case of such a selection, gives PERB jurisdiction over the initial determination as to whether those charges are justified and, if so, the appropriate remedy, subject to certain restrictions. This bill would authorize any charging party, respondent, or intervenor aggrieved by a final decision or order of PERB in an unfair practice case, except a decision of PERB not to issue a complaint in such a case, to petition for a writ of extraordinary relief from that decision or order, as specified. The bill, if the time to petition for extraordinary relief from a PERB decision or order has expired, would authorize PERB to seek enforcement of any final decision or order in a district court of appeal or superior court having jurisdiction over the county where the events giving rise to the decision or order occurred, as specified. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the authority.
Existing law provides for the regulation of public equine events and public horse sales, as defined, by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture. Existing law makes the provisions regulating public equine events applicable to events that meet specified criteria, including that the entry fee for a single, one-day event exceeds $4.99, and either no other fees are charged or other fees charged exceed $19.99. This bill would increase the $4.99 amount to $15 and the $19.99 amount to $60. The bill would authorize the secretary to increase those amounts by regulation, as provided.
Existing law requires a parent, legal guardian, or driver who transports a child under 16 years of age on a highway in a motor vehicle to properly secure that child in an appropriate child passenger restraint system or safety belt, as specified. Existing law authorizes a child or ward under 8 years of age who is 4 feet 9 inches in height or taller to be properly restrained by a safety belt rather than by a child passenger restraint system. Existing law prohibits the operator of a limousine for hire, an authorized emergency vehicle, or a taxicab from operating the limousine for hire, authorized emergency vehicle, or taxicab unless the operator and any passengers 8 years of age or older in the front seat are properly restrained by a safety belt. Existing law also prohibits a parent, legal guardian, or chartering party from transporting on a bus, or permit to be transported on a bus, a child, ward, or passenger who is 8 years of age or older, but under 16 years of age, unless they are properly restrained by a safety belt, and unless they are acceptably restrained by a safety belt for a child, ward, or passenger who is under 8 years of age and under 4 feet 9 inches in height. A violation of these provisions is an infraction. Existing law defines, for purposes of the above provisions, "properly restrained by a safety belt" to mean that the lap belt crosses the hips or upper thighs of the occupant and the shoulder belt, if present, crosses the chest in front of the occupant. Existing law defines "acceptably restrained by a safety belt" to mean the latch plate is securely fastened in the buckle, the lap belt is adjusted to fit low and tight across the hips or upper thighs, not the stomach area, the shoulder belt is adjusted snugly across the chest and the middle of the shoulder, away from the neck, and the shoulder belt is not placed behind the back or under the arm. This bill would instead, commencing January 1, 2027, define "properly restrained by a safety belt" to mean that the child, ward, or passenger meets the requirements of the 5-Step test, which includes that the child, ward, or passenger is sitting all the way back against the auto seat, the knees of the child, ward, or passenger bend over the edge of the auto seat, the shoulder belt snugly crosses the center of the child, ward, or passenger's chest and shoulder, not the child, ward, or passenger's neck, the lap belt is as low as possible and is touching the child, ward, or passenger's thighs, and the child, ward, or passenger can stay seated like this for the whole trip. By changing this definition and thereby expanding the scope of existing crimes, 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 California Endangered Species Act, prohibits the taking of an endangered or threatened species, except in certain situations, including, if specified conditions are met, under a permit issued by the Department of Fish and Wildlife commonly known as an incidental take permit. Existing law also enumerates fully protected species and prohibits the take of fully protected species, except under limited circumstances. This bill would permit the department to authorize, under the California Endangered Species Act, the incidental take of specified fully protected species resulting from impacts attributable to a specified project on State Route 37, if certain conditions are met, including, among others, the conditions required for the issuance of an incidental take permit.
Existing federal law provides for allocation of federal funds to eligible states through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program. Existing state law provides for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program under which, through a combination of state and county funds and federal funds received through the TANF program, each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. Under existing law, certain types of payments received by recipients of aid under the CalWORKs program, including, among others, an award or scholarship provided by a public or private entity to, or on behalf of, a dependent child are exempt from consideration as income for purposes of determining eligibility and aid amount. Existing federal law provides for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing law requires the eligibility of households to be determined to the extent permitted by federal law. Existing federal regulation provides states with the option to exclude, for purposes of calculating a household's income under SNAP, any type of income that the state excludes when determining eligibility or benefits for TANF cash assistance or certain medical assistance. This bill would exempt any grant, award, scholarship, loan, or fellowship benefit that is provided to any assistance unit member for the purpose of attending an institution of higher education, except as specified, from consideration as income for purposes of determining CalWORKs and CalFresh eligibility or grant amounts, and would also exempt those funds as resources for purposes of determining CalWORKs eligibility or grant amounts. The bill would also require, to the extent permitted by federal law, regulation, or guidance, or a waiver thereof, the State Department of Social Services to exercise a federal option to exclude, for purposes of calculating a household's income under CalFresh, any type of income that the department excludes when determining eligibility or benefits for CalWORKs and certain medical assistance. This bill would require the department to implement these provisions through an all-county letter or similar instruction until regulations are adopted. By expanding the scope of eligibility for CalWORKs and CalFresh, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law continuously appropriates moneys from the General Fund to defray a portion of county costs under the CalWORKs program. This bill would provide that the continuous appropriation would not be made for purposes of implementing the bill. 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, the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, provides for the award of attorney's fees and costs to, and the recovery of damages by, a plaintiff when it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant is liable for physical abuse or neglect, and the defendant has also been found guilty of recklessness, oppression, fraud, or malice in the commission of that abuse. This bill would authorize a court to apply a preponderance of the evidence standard to any claim brought against a residential care facility for the elderly, an adult community care facility, or a skilled nursing facility, except as specified, for remedies sought pursuant to the above provisions, upon circumstances in which spoliation of evidence, as defined, has been committed by the defendant, as specified. The bill would make this provision inoperative if there is a final judicial determination in any action by any party, or a final determination by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, that the state is required by state or federal law or regulation to provide reimbursement under the Medi-Cal program to those facilities for costs associated with this bill and the Legislature does not appropriate sufficient funds to pay for those costs. The bill would make conforming changes to a related provision.
Existing law requires the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to take specified actions relating to the addition of rivers or segments of rivers to the state's wild and scenic rivers system if, among other things, the federal government enacts a statute that, upon enactment, would require the removal or delisting of any river or segment of a river in the state that was included in the national wild and scenic rivers system and not in the state wild and scenic rivers system. Existing law authorizes, only until December 31, 2025, the secretary to take action under these provisions to add a river or segment of a river to the state wild and scenic rivers system. Existing law requires those actions to remain in effect until December 31, 2025, except as otherwise provided. This bill would indefinitely extend the date by which the secretary is authorized to take the specified actions relating to the addition of rivers or segments of rivers to the state's wild and scenic rivers system, as described above. The bill would also indefinitely extend the date that these actions remain in effect, except as otherwise provided.
(1) Existing property tax law specifies the date on which a remittance to a taxing agency is deemed to be received depending on the method of delivery, as provided, including for items mailed with an official postmark. This bill would require, in the absence of any specified dates, the remittance to be deemed received on the date the remittance is received by the county treasurer-tax collector, except as provided. (2) Existing property tax law authorizes a tax collector to sell property that has become tax defaulted, as provided, and has not been redeemed. Existing law requires the tax collector to sell the property at a public auction to the highest bidder and prohibits the tax collector from accepting an offer less than the minimum price approved, as provided, except that the tax collector may reduce the minimum price if there has been a partial redemption or partial cancellation, as specified. This bill would also authorize a tax collector to reduce the minimum price where the minimum necessary to redeem is decreased due to the removal or reduction of defaulted taxes resulting from the removal or reduction of a special assessment or a direct charge against the property. (3) The Transactions and Use Tax Law authorizes various local governmental entities, subject to certain limitations and approval requirements, to levy transactions and use taxes as special taxes in accordance with the procedures and requirements set forth in that law. The Transactions and Use Tax Law prohibits an ordinance adopted under its provisions from becoming operative on other than the first day of a calendar quarter, or prior to the first day of the first calendar quarter, commencing more than 110 days after the adoption of the ordinance. This bill would instead prohibit an ordinance adopted under the Transactions and Use Tax Law from becoming operative on other than the first day of a calendar quarter, or prior to the first day of the first calendar quarter, commencing more than 110 days after the election on the ordinance proposing the tax. (4) The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws, including various motion picture credits, commonly referred to as motion picture credit 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0, and the certified studio credit, to be allocated by the California Film Commission in differing amounts equal to specified percentages of the qualified expenditures of a qualified motion picture in this state. Existing law allows a qualified taxpayer, if a motion picture credit exceeds the taxpayer's tax liability, to elect to assign a portion of the credit to one or more affiliated corporations for each taxable year in which the credit is allowed, as specified. AB 1138 (Chapter 27 of the Statutes of 2025) , effective July 3, 2025, among other things, for purposes of the motion picture credit 3.0 and 4.0 and for purposes of the certified studio credit, expands the definition of a qualified taxpayer to include a single member limited liability company that is disregarded for tax purposes. AB 1138 prohibits a motion picture credit 1.0 and 2.0 or certified studio credit generated by a disregarded single member limited liability company from being ineligible for certain reasons for assignment to a corporation that, directly or indirectly, owns the disregarded single member limited liability company, or to an affiliated corporation of that corporation. This bill would additionally prohibit a motion picture credit 3.0 generated by a disregarded single member limited liability company from being ineligible for those same reasons for assignment to a corporation that, directly or indirectly, owns the disregarded single member limited liability company, or to an affiliated corporation of that corporation. (5) The California Constitution provides for the establishment of the State Board of Equalization, which, before July 1, 2017, had primary responsibility for most of the state's duties, powers, and responsibilities regarding the administration of taxes and fees. Existing law, on July 1, 2017, transferred to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration various duties, powers, and responsibilities of the State Board of Equalization, including enforcing specified licensing and tax provisions of the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Tax Law and providing information to the Attorney General relative to a seller's failure or attempt to comply with specified provisions of federal law. This bill would change references in these provisions of the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Tax Law from the "State Board of Equalization" or "board" to the "California Department of Tax and Fee Administration" or "department," as applicable, to reflect the transfer of the board's duties, powers, and responsibilities to the department.
Existing law, the Child Care and Development Services Act, requires the State Department of Social Services to administer childcare and development programs, including, among others, migrant childcare and development programs. Existing law, for purposes of migrant childcare and development programs, defines a "migrant agricultural worker family" as a family that has earned at least 50% of its total gross income from employment in fishing, agriculture, or agriculturally related work during the 12-month period immediately preceding the date of application for childcare and development services. Existing law requires the children of these families to be enrolled in child development programs on the basis of specified priorities, including priority to children whose families move from place to place. This bill would instead define a "migrant agricultural worker family" as a family with at least one individual who has earned at least 40% of their total gross income from employment in fishing, agriculture, or agriculturally related work during the 12-month period immediately preceding the date of application for childcare and development services. For the purpose of enrollment in migrant child care and development programs, the bill would require the department to ensure that the self certification of income be consistent with other child care and development programs under the act.
Federal law prohibits a person from willfully or maliciously interfering with or causing interference to radio communications. Federal law prohibits a person from manufacturing, importing, selling, offering for sale, or shipping a device that interferes with radio communications. Federal law makes a violation of these prohibitions punishable by a fine of not more than $10,000 or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or both the fine and imprisonment. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor for a person to intercept a public safety radio service communication for the purpose of using the communication to assist in the commission of a criminal offense or to avoid arrest, as specified. Existing law makes it an infraction to possess or equip a vehicle with a device that is capable of interfering with a device used by a law enforcement agency to measure the speed of moving objects, as specified, and makes it a misdemeanor to possess four or more of those devices. This bill would make it a crime to manufacture, import, market, purchase, sell, or operate a signal jammer, as defined, unless authorized to do so by the Federal Communications Commission, punishable as an infraction for a first offense, and a misdemeanor for a 2nd offense, as specified. The bill would make it a misdemeanor to operate a signal jammer in conjunction with the commission of a misdemeanor or felony, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or by imprisonment. The bill would make it a crime to willfully or maliciously use a signal jammer to block state or local public safety communications, if the person knows or should know that using the signal jammer is likely to result in death or great bodily injury and great bodily injury or death is sustained by any person as a result of that use, punishable as either a misdemeanor or a felony. The bill would require forfeiture of the signal jamming device upon conviction for these crimes. By creating new crimes, 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 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 authorizes the board to appoint committees and make rules and regulations, as specified. Existing law generally requires, as a condition precedent to the issuance, reinstatement, reactivation, renewal, or continued maintenance of a license, a licensed contractor or applicant for licensure to have on file at all times with the board a current and valid Certificate of Workers' Compensation Insurance or Certification of Self-Insurance in the applicant's or licensee's business name, as specified. Existing law generally makes a violation of these provisions a misdemeanor. Existing law exempts from this requirement an applicant or licensee who has no employees, provided that they file a statement with the board before the issuance, reinstatement, reactivation, or continued maintenance of a license certifying that they do not employ any person, as specified, and who does not hold a specified license issued by the board, including a C-8 license, as defined. Existing law repeals these provisions on January 1, 2028. Existing law, commencing January 1, 2028, removes the above-specified exemptions, and instead exempts from the above-described filing requirement an applicant or licensee organized as a joint venture that has no employees, provided that they file a statement with the board before the issuance, reinstatement, reactivation, or continued maintenance of a license certifying that they do not employ any person, as specified. Existing law requires the board, by no later than January 1, 2027, to establish a process and procedure to verify that applicants or licensees without an employee or employees are eligible for exemption from the workers' compensation insurance requirement, and authorizes the process or procedure to include an audit, proof, or other means, to verify eligibility. This bill would require that verification process or procedure to include an audit, proof, or other means to obtain evidence to verify eligibility for exemption from the workers' compensation insurance requirement. The bill would also require the board to report its proposed verification process to the Legislature no later than January 1, 2027. Existing law makes the filing of an exemption certificate for workers' compensation insurance on file with the board that is false, or the employment of a person subject to coverage under the workers' compensation laws after the filing of an exemption certificate without first filing a Certificate of Workers' Compensation Insurance or Certification of Self-Insurance in accordance with specified provisions or without maintaining coverage for that person, cause for disciplinary action. This bill would include as disciplinary action, among other penalties, a minimum civil penalty of $10,000 per violation for any sole owner licensee found to have employed workers without maintaining workers' compensation coverage, and would make conforming changes. The bill would prohibit the board from renewing or reinstating a license subject to the above-described disciplinary action until the applicant or licensee provides the board a current and valid Certificate of Workers' Compensation Insurance or Certification of Self-Insurance in the applicant's or licensee's business name. Existing law requires the board to report annually to the Legislature, no later than October 1 of each year, certain statistical information for the prior fiscal year, including, among other things, the number of disciplinary actions taken by the board categorized by type, as specified, and by whether the disciplinary action resulted from an accusation, failure to comply with a citation, or failure to comply with an arbitration award. This bill would require that the report specify the number of disciplinary actions for violations of specified provisions relating to the filing of a workers' compensation insurance exemption certificate or a certification of self-insurance. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 7099.2 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by SB 779 to be operative only if this bill and SB 779 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
Existing law establishes the Government Operations Agency, which consists of several state entities, including, but not limited to, the State Personnel Board, the Department of General Services, and the Office of Administrative Law. This bill would establish in the Government Operations Agency the California Education Interagency Council, composed of specified state officers and one nongovernmental entity representative for purposes of evaluating and addressing the changing nature of work and the economy, integrating and aligning education and employment systems, maximizing funding impact, supporting adult skill development, aligning regional education and workforce needs, and serving as a forum for discussing the impacts of intersegmental and cross-sector policy issues, as specified. The bill would require the council, among other duties, to adopt strategic and workforce plans, report on the outcomes of its work and provide recommendations regarding intersegmental, cross-sector, and interagency initiatives and programs to the Governor and the Legislature, and, upon appropriation, establish a faculty and employer advisory committee, as specified. The bill would also establish the Office of the California Education Interagency Council in the Government Operations Agency as a neutral administrative body. This bill would become operative only if Senate Bill 638 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted.
