The Budget Act of 2024 made appropriations for the support of state government for the 2024–25 fiscal year. This bill would amend the Budget Act of 2024 by adding appropriations and making other changes. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a Budget Bill.
Existing law defines the crime of burglary, which consists of entering specified buildings, places, or vehicles with the intent to commit grand or petty theft or a felony. Existing law defines burglary of the first degree as any burglary of an inhabited building and makes burglary of the first degree punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 2, 4, or 6 years. Existing law defines all other burglary as burglary of the 2nd degree and makes it punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for one year or as a felony. Existing law makes the theft of money, labor, or property petty theft punishable as a misdemeanor, whenever the value of the property taken does not exceed $950. Under existing law, if the value of the property taken exceeds $950, the theft is grand theft, punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony. Existing law defines any 2nd-degree burglary or grand theft, during and within an affected county in a state of emergency or local emergency, as specified, as looting, punishable by either imprisonment in a county jail for one year or as a felony. Existing law makes petty theft committed during and within an affected county in a state of emergency or local emergency a misdemeanor and requires a minimum jail term of 90 days. Existing law prohibits credibly impersonating a peace officer, firefighter, or employee of a state or local government agency, or a search and rescue team, as specified. A violation of these prohibitions is punishable as a misdemeanor. This bill would make looting by the means of a 2nd-degree burglary or grand theft punishable instead as a felony. The bill would define a petty theft committed during and within an affected county in a state of emergency or local emergency as looting and make it punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for one year or as a felony. The bill would require any person who in the course of committing or attempting to commit the crime of looting impersonated a peace officer, firefighter, or employee of a state or local government agency, or a search and rescue team, subject to a penalty enhancement. By increasing the punishment of 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.
The Budget Act of 2024 made appropriations for the support of state government for the 2024–25 fiscal year. This bill would amend the Budget Act of 2024 to specify that approval of a large electrical corporation's distribution infrastructure undergrounding plan is not a project for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) , provided that environmental review otherwise required by CEQA occurs before any project approval that would authorize physical changes to the environment. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a Budget Bill.
The Budget Act of 2024 made appropriations for the support of state government for the 2024–25 fiscal year. This bill would amend the Budget Act of 2024 to exempt wildfire prevention projects from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act. 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a Budget Bill.
The Personal Income Tax Law allows various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. This bill would allow a credit against those taxes for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2025, and before January 1, 2030, to a qualified taxpayer, as defined, in an amount equal to 40% of the taxpayer's qualified expenses, as defined, not to exceed $400 per taxable year, or $2,000 cumulatively. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax credit to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax credit will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. The bill would also include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
The Z'berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973 prohibits a person from conducting timber operations unless a timber harvesting plan prepared by a registered professional forester has been submitted to, and approved by, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The act provides that any person who willfully violates any provision of the act or rule or regulation of the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection is guilty of a misdemeanor. 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 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. This bill would authorize projects exclusively for noncommercial wildfire fuels reduction in timberland, paid for in part or in whole with public funds, to prepare a timber harvesting plan as an alternative to complying with CEQA, and would require these projects to be regulated as timber operations, as provided. By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would create 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.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The state board is required to adopt rules and regulations to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions to ensure that the statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, as defined, no later than December 31, 2030. The act requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to update the scoping plan at least once every 5 years. This bill would require the state board to include greenhouse gas emissions from wildlands and forest fires in the scoping plan.
Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, authorizes the Governor to declare a state of emergency during conditions of disaster or extreme peril to persons or property. Existing law authorizes the Governor, during a state of emergency, to suspend any regulatory statute, or statute prescribing the procedure for conduct of state business, or the orders, rules, or regulations of any state agency, including provisions relating to eligibility to receive unemployment compensation benefits, if the Governor determines and declares that strict compliance with any statute, order, rule, or regulation would in any way prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of the emergency. Existing law requires each department, division, bureau, board, commission, officer, and employee of this state to render all possible assistance to the Governor and to the Director of Emergency Services in carrying out the act. This bill would authorize a nonprofit entity that provides services pursuant to a contract with a state agency, during a state of war emergency or a state of emergency, to request the state agency to allow that nonprofit to modify the method in which it provides those services so long as the purpose of the contract is served. The bill would prohibit the nonprofit entity from exceeding the contract budget unless the nonprofit entity and the state agency enter into an agreement for modification. The bill would require the state agency and the nonprofit entity, if the state agency agrees to that modification, to prepare and sign an addendum to the contract establishing the terms and conditions of the modification. The bill would require the nonprofit entity to notify each state agency from which it receives funding of a closure or of an impacted program, including whether a closure is location specific or due to executive order, and why the service level may be impacted. The bill would further require the nonprofit entity to identify and thoroughly document all expenditures associated with the closed program and retain documentation to justify expenses and to support claiming continued state funding, as specified. The bill would require a state agency that receives notification from a nonprofit entity pursuant to these provisions to ensure that funding is available to pay for canceled services, closed programs, or reduced service levels. The bill would also permit a nonprofit entity, when a disruption occurs that prohibits that entity from providing services pursuant to a contract but a state of emergency or state of war emergency is not declared, to submit a request to the applicable state agency for flexibility with respect to services and funding pursuant to the contract. The bill would authorize a state agency to approve the written request if it determines that doing so is reasonable under the circumstances described by the nonprofit agency.
The Budget Act of 2024 made appropriations for the support of state government for the 2024–25 fiscal year. This bill would amend the Budget Act of 2024 by amending and adding appropriations and making other changes. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a Budget Bill.
Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to go to the scene of an emergency, or stop at the scene of an emergency, for the purpose of viewing the scene or the activities of police officers, firefighters, emergency medical, or other emergency personnel, or military personnel coping with the emergency in the course of their duties during the time it is necessary for emergency vehicles or those personnel to be at the scene of the emergency or to be moving to or from the scene of the emergency for the purpose of protecting lives or property and thereby impeding police officers, firefighters, emergency medical, or other emergency personnel or military personnel, in the performance of their duties in coping with the emergency. Existing law includes a person who operates or uses an unmanned aerial vehicle, remote piloted aircraft, or drone that is at the scene of an emergency, regardless of the person's location. This bill would make it a felony to operate an unmanned aerial vehicle, remote piloted aircraft, or drone, in violation of the provision mentioned above, during a fire-related emergency. The bill would make this crime punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for 16 months or for 2 or 3 years and a fine not to exceed $10,000. By creating a new 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.
Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, sets forth the emergency powers of the Governor under its provisions and empowers the Governor to proclaim a state of emergency for certain conditions, including fire, flood, and severe energy shortage. Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to adopt cost-effective and technologically feasible regulations to prohibit engine exhaust and evaporative emissions from new small off-road engines produced on or after a specified date. This bill would exempt from those regulations and other regulations adopted by the state board the sale and purchase of portable or emergency backup generators during the period of time for which the Governor has proclaimed a state of emergency based on an emergency resulting in a loss of electrical service to any part of the state. The Personal Income Tax Law allows various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. This bill would allow a credit against those taxes for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and before January 1, 2031, equal to the amount incurred by a natural person or a small business, during the taxable year for the purchase of a backup generator, not to exceed $7,000, for use in a residence or commercial property. The bill would limit the credit allowed to $3,500 per taxable year. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure.
The California Constitution vests the legislative power of the State in the California Legislature, which consists of the Senate and Assembly. Under the California Constitution, a bill may not be passed unless, by rollcall vote entered in the journal, a majority of the membership of each house concurs, except for certain bills that require a higher threshold vote. The California Constitution requires a bill passed by the Legislature to be presented to the Governor and provides that the bill becomes a statute if it is signed by the Governor or if it is in the possession of the Governor and is not returned to the house of origin within a specified number of days. The California Constitution creates the California Citizens Compensation Commission and requires the commission to establish the annual salary and other benefits of state officers, including the Governor and the Members of the Legislature. Under this measure, a Member of the Legislature who voted in favor of a law that is enacted and that is held unconstitutional by a final ruling of a federal court would have their salary reduced by 25% for one year or until the Member leaves that office, whichever is shorter. The measure would require the Member to have their salary reduced by 25% for each law they voted in favor of that was held unconstitutional, not to exceed the amount of the Member's salary. The measure would also require a Governor who signs a law that is held unconstitutional by a final ruling of a federal court to forfeit their salary for one year or until they leave office, whichever is shorter. The measure would require the Governor to forfeit their salary for one year for each law held unconstitutional, not to exceed the number of years the Governor continues to hold that office.
