Existing law establishes in the Natural Resources Agency the Department of Water Resources. Existing law vests in the department powers, duties, purposes, responsibilities, and jurisdiction in matters pertaining to water or dams. Existing law declares the responsibility of the state to assist local governments in providing certain essential services and facilities where water resource construction projects financed, in whole or in part, by the state or by the state jointly with the federal government create an undue burden on a local area's ability to provide these services and facilities. Existing law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act, requires the State Water Resources Control Board to administer provisions relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health. Existing law declares it to be the established policy of the state that every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes. This bill would establish in the State Treasury the Water Affordability and System Stabilization Fund for holding the principal and income of the Water Affordability and System Stabilization Trust, which the bill would create. The bill would designate the Treasurer as trustee of the trust, as specified, and would require the trustee, among other things, to hold, manage, and invest the principal of the trust with the obligation of providing a growing perpetual source of annual funding to the Water Rate Assistance Fund, administered by the state board, and the Community Water Affordability Assistance Fund, administered by the department, beginning 25 years after the Legislature transfers funding from the General Fund to the Water Affordability and System Stabilization Fund. This bill would require, during the first 25 years following the Legislature's transfer, 45% of the income of the trust to be transferred from the Water Affordability and System Stabilization Fund to each of the Water Rate Assistance Fund and the Community Water Affordability Assistance Fund, and would continuously appropriate the remaining 10% of the income of the trust to be invested as part of the principal of the trust. After the first 25 years, the bill would require 50% of the income of the trust to be transferred from the Water Affordability and System Stabilization Fund to each of the Water Rate Assistance Fund and the Community Water Affordability Assistance Fund. The bill would continuously appropriate no more than 1% of the annual income of the trust to pay for administration of the trust. By making continuous appropriations and by transferring moneys into a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation. Existing law requires the Controller to transfer surplus money in any special fund from that fund to the Surplus Money Investment Fund in the State Treasury, a continuously appropriated fund. The bill would authorize the trustee to enter into a trust agreement with a fiscal intermediary to support its duties, as provided, and would authorize the fund to be invested in the Surplus Money Investment Fund, thereby making an appropriation. This bill would require the department, subject to a transfer of moneys by the Legislature, to develop and administer the Community Water Affordability Program to provide funding in the form of grants to community water systems for local water system infrastructure projects, as specified, for the purpose of reducing the amount of local ratepayer funding required for those projects and for avoiding costs that would otherwise be paid for by ratepayers. The bill would require the department to develop and adopt program guidelines and project solicitation documents before disbursing grant funds, and would exempt those guidelines and documents from the rulemaking procedures of the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill would require the program guidelines to, among other things, require an applicant for a grant to provide at least 25% of the total funding required for the project, as provided. The bill would authorize the department to waive or reduce that minimum amount if that requirement would cause extreme financial hardship to the applicant. The bill would also establish the Community Water Affordability Assistance Fund in the State Treasury and would provide for deposit into the fund of contributions from private and public entities, as specified. The bill would make moneys in the fund available to the department for purposes of the program, including up to 5% annually for administration of the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, as provided.
Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission to set resource adequacy and resource procurement obligations for load-serving entities, which include electrical corporations, electric service providers, and community choice aggregators. Existing law requires various compliance reporting for load-serving entities. This bill would require the commission, on or before January 1, 2030, to consider a process to consolidate certain plans submitted by load-serving entities into a single procurement plan, and would require the commission, when feasible, to consolidate certain compliance reporting for reliability requirements, as specified. The bill would require the commission, if it determines that the consolidation is not feasible, to set forth its reasons in a specified decision or ruling. Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because a violation of a commission action implementing the provisions of the bill would be a crime, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Commencing January 1, 2027, existing law vests all executive and administrative functions of the State Department of Education in an Education Commissioner. Existing law requires the Education Commissioner, on or before October 1, 2027, to develop findings and recommendations for a 2nd phase of education governance consolidation and streamlining, as specified, and to submit to the Governor and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature (1) an interim report, by June 30, 2027, with a detailed description of the process used to gather required input for the development of those findings and recommendations and (2) a final report, by October 1, 2027, containing its findings and recommendations. This bill would require the Education Commissioner, utilizing those findings and recommendations, to submit a report, on or before October 1, 2028, to the Governor and appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature on, among other things, progress toward implementation of the recommended actions or activities for education governance consolidation and streamlining and recommendations of any additional steps the Governor and Legislature can take to consolidate or eliminate fragmented or duplicative state requirements and activities that require statutory or budgetary authority.
Existing law, the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act, prohibits a person or public agency from importing into the state, exporting out of the state, or taking, possessing, purchasing, or selling within the state, a western Joshua tree or any part or product of the tree, except as provided. Under existing law, the Department of Fish and Wildlife may authorize, by permit, the taking of a western Joshua tree if certain conditions are met, including, among other conditions, that the permittee mitigates all impacts to, and the taking of, the western Joshua tree. Existing law authorizes the department to enter into an agreement with a county or city to delegate to the county or city the ability to authorize the taking of a western Joshua tree associated with developing single-family residences, multifamily residences, accessory structures, and public works projects concurrent with its approval of the project if certain conditions are met. Existing law authorizes a person or public agency receiving a take authorization for a project to pay specified fees in lieu of satisfying the mitigation obligation on several bases, including if the project receives a permit issued by a county or city. Existing law requires the department to annually adjust those fees and, by December 31, 2026, and every 3 years thereafter, to adopt and subsequently amend specified regulations adjusting the fees. This bill would additionally authorize the department to enter into an agreement with a city to delegate to the city the ability to authorize the taking of a western Joshua tree associated with developing commercial and industrial projects. This bill would additionally authorize a person or public agency receiving a take authorization from the department to pay specified fees in lieu of satisfying the mitigation obligation for (1) the removal of no more than 10, or the trimming of, western Joshua trees by an owner-occupant of an existing single-family residence if the western Joshua trees are within 30 feet of the existing single-family residence or 15 feet of an existing accessory structure, or within the construction footprint, or 15 feet of the construction footprint, of a new accessory structure that is proposed to be constructed for the existing single-family residence or (2) the removal of no more than 40, or the trimming of, western Joshua trees by the proponent of a public works project if the western Joshua trees are within the construction footprint, or 15 feet of the construction footprint, of a public works project to repair, rehabilitate, replace, or maintain an existing structure. The bill would authorize a county or city operating under an agreement with the department to authorize, by permit, without mitigation and subject to a fee to cover the administrative costs of issuing the permit, a project described above in (1) or (2) . The bill would require a property owner or proponent of a public works project seeking a permit to submit a request to the county or city, as applicable, that includes specified information. The bill would require, within 60 days of receipt of a request for a permit, the county or city, as applicable, to either notify the property owner or proponent of the public works project that the county or city will issue the permit or to deny the request if it does not meet the above-described requirements. The bill would, until the department certifies a certain programmatic environmental impact report, as specified, or until January 1, 2032, whichever occurs first, exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act the issuance of a permit by the department, a county, or a city for a project described above in (1) . This bill would delay from December 31, 2026, to June 30, 2027, the date by which the department is required to adopt regulations adjusting the fees for the taking of a western Joshua tree paid in lieu of mitigation. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 1927.8 of the Fish and Game Code proposed by SB 1062 to be operative only if this bill and SB 1062 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law contains numerous provisions governing the qualifications, standards, and training of peace officers. Existing law specifies circumstances that disqualify a person from holding office or being employed as a peace officer, including, among other things, having been convicted of a felony. This bill, the GTFO Act, would, commencing January 1, 2028, disqualify from being a peace officer a person previously employed as a sworn law enforcement officer or individual contractor and personally engaged in immigration enforcement, as defined, except as specified. Existing law requires each class of public officers or employees declared by law to be peace officers to meet specified minimum standards, including that they be 18 years of age or older, be fingerprinted for purposes of search of local, state, and national fingerprint files to disclose a criminal record, and be of good moral character, as determined by a thorough background investigation. This bill would, for purposes of those background investigations, authorize a hiring agency to consider news articles, verified social media posts, filings of civil complaints, and other verified sources. This bill, for purposes of an applicant who was previously employed as a sworn law enforcement officer or individual contractor and personally engaged in immigration enforcement, would require the hiring agency to complete the background investigation before the candidate participates in a Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) basic course. The bill would require the hiring agency to review the background investigation and determine if the individual is suitable to enter the POST basic course subject to certain suitability standards adopted by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. This bill would require every applicant seeking appointment as a peace officer or enrollment in a POST basic course to submit to the hiring agency a declaration submitted under penalty of perjury that states whether the applicant has, at any time been employed as a sworn law enforcement officer or individual contractor that personally engaged in immigration enforcement, as specified. By requiring this statement to be made under penalty of perjury, the bill would expand the scope of a crime and impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law, the State Civil Service Act, requires that the employment procedures of the Department of Human Resources (CalHR) and of each state agency conform to the federal and state laws governing employment practices, including the use of employment forms. Existing law requires employment forms used by a state agency to require a person applying for employment to disclose whether the person has entered into an agreement with the state regarding any previous employment with the state that prohibits the person from seeking or accepting any subsequent employment with the state. This bill would additionally require the above-described employment forms to require a person applying for employment to disclose whether the person has been employed as a sworn law enforcement officer or individual contractor that personally engaged in immigration enforcement, as defined. Existing law authorizes CalHR or a designated appointing power to refuse to examine or, after examination, to refuse to declare as eligible, or to withhold or withdraw from certification, prior to appointment, anyone who meets certain criteria, such as a person who has misrepresented themselves during the application process. This bill would add to these criteria a person who was previously employed as a sworn law enforcement officer or individual contractor and personally engaged in immigration enforcement, as defined, except as specified. Existing law makes a person ineligible to hold office or employment of any kind with the state, or any county, city, district, or other political or governmental unit of the state, if the person has by oath bound themselves to support, maintain, or further the military or political activities or policies of a foreign government, as specified, or to obey the orders or directions of any foreign government or its officials. This bill, commencing January 1, 2028, would make a person ineligible to hold public employment, including employment with a city, county, district, or any other public agency of the state, because the person was previously employed as a sworn law enforcement officer or individual contractor and personally engaged in immigration enforcement, as defined, except as specified. Existing law requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to establish a certification program for peace officers. Existing law requires, for each applicant for admission to a basic course of training certified by the commission that includes the carrying and use of firearms, who is not sponsored by a local or other law enforcement agency or is not a peace officer employed by a state or local agency, department, or district, to submit written certification from the Department of Justice that the applicant is eligible to possess, receive, own, and purchase a firearm pursuant to state and federal law. This bill would, for purposes of an applicant for the basic course who was previously employed as a sworn law enforcement officer or individual contractor and personally engaged in immigration enforcement, require the commission to deny suitability for enrollment in the basic course, unless the commission receives notice from the hiring agency granting the applicant's suitability, as specified. The bill, by January 1, 2028, would require the commission to adopt, by regulation, a definition of "suitability," as specified. Existing law requires any background investigation of a candidate for a peace officer position to include an inquiry into whether the candidate has engaged or is engaging in membership in a hate group. This bill would require the background investigation to include an inquiry into whether the candidate has engaged in immigration enforcement. By increasing the duties of local agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would make the provisions of the act severable. 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. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 1029 of the Government Code proposed by AB 1627 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1627 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The bill would also incorporate additional changes to Section 13510.8 of the Penal Code proposed by AB 2337 to be operative only if this bill and AB 2337 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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.
Under existing law, the residence address, telephone number, and email address of a registered voter is confidential, except that under certain circumstances a county elections official must disclose that information to any candidate for federal, state, or local office, to any committee for or against any initiative or referendum measure, and to any person for election, scholarly, journalistic, political, or governmental purposes. Existing law exempts from that disclosure requirement the residence address, telephone number, and email address of a federal, state, or local elected official or candidate, unless the official or candidate opts out or the information is sought for bona fide journalistic or governmental purposes. Voters in life-threatening circumstances and voters who participate in specified confidentiality programs may also have their residence address, telephone number, and email address exempted from the disclosure requirement. This bill would expand those exemptions to apply to the voter's entire voter registration record, except as specified. The bill would recast the provisions creating the exemption for the voter registration record of an elected official or candidate. The bill would permit the information of an elected official's immediate family member who lives at the same residence to be made confidential. For an elected official or candidate's voter registration record to be confidential, the elected official or candidate would be required to make a written request to the county elections official, and a candidate would also need to qualify to appear on the ballot. The Secretary of State would be required to notify county elections officials when a state or federal candidate qualifies to appear on the ballot, and it would require county elections officials to notify the Secretary of State under certain circumstances if the confidential designation is added to, or removed from, a federal or state elected official or candidate's voter registration record. The Secretary of State and county elections officials would be required to implement the provisions creating the exemption immediately once the statewide voter registration database and county election management systems have made conforming changes, but the bill states that it does not authorize any reduction in current, ongoing implementation efforts. The bill would require the Secretary of State to develop and implement a process by no later than September 30, 2027, for a person with confidential voter status to vote at a polling place or vote center and retain confidential voter status. To the extent the bill imposes additional requirements on local elections officials, the bill imposes 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 vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law authorizes the commission to investigate a single rate, classification, rule, contract, practice, or the entire schedule of rates, classifications, rules, contracts, and practices, of any public utility, and to establish new rates, classifications, rules, contracts, practices, or schedules. This bill would require, as part of a new or existing proceeding, the commission to require each electrical corporation to file a transmission and distribution service tariff and a generation service tariff for participating customers, as defined, that meet certain requirements, as specified. The bill would also require, on or before January 1, 2028, each community choice aggregator or electric service provider to adopt a tariff for generation service for data centers, as defined, consistent with certain requirements, as specified. By imposing new duties on community choice aggregators, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the above provisions would be a part of the act, and because a violation of a commission action implementing the above provisions would be a crime, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.
Existing law establishes the Office of Data and Innovation within the Government Operations Agency with a mission to deliver better government services to the people of California through technology and service innovation, data, and design. Existing law establishes the Data and Innovation Services Revolving Fund consisting of certain sources of moneys including donations, endowments, or grants of funds from private or public sources that commit to the office's mission of ethical, efficient, effective, secure, and responsible use of data in a manner that respects privacy. Exiting law makes moneys in the fund available upon appropriation of the Legislature, as specified. This bill would establish the Engaged California Program within the office. The bill would require the office to, among other things, design, establish, and maintain a platform for ongoing dialogue between Californians and state government and to establish best practices for its use. Subject to certain conditions, including upon appropriation by the Legislature for the express purpose of running the Engaged California Program, the bill would require topics to be selected for deliberation in accordance with specified procedure and would require state agencies identified by the office to coordinate outreach, among other things. The bill would require the Data and Innovation Services Revolving Fund to consist of supplemental funding for the Engaged California Program from partner organizations. The bill would prohibit organizations that provide that funding from participating in the selection of a topic for deliberation and from participating in the deliberation. The bill would also make any unspent funds appropriated for the Engaged California Program during the 2026–27 fiscal year available for use by that program during the 2027–28 fiscal year.
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 the lead agency 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. Existing law establishes the Geologic Energy Management Division in the Department of Conservation. Existing law requires the division to be the lead agency for all geothermal exploratory projects for purposes of CEQA, except as provided. Existing law defines "geothermal exploratory project," for purposes of CEQA, in part as a project composed of not more than 6 wells and associated drilling and testing equipment whose chief and original purpose is to evaluate the presence and characteristics of geothermal resources. Existing law requires wells included within a geothermal exploratory project to be located at least 12 mile from geothermal development wells that are capable of producing geothermal resources in commercial quantities. This bill would expressly include as part of a geothermal exploratory project, among other things, equipment and activities necessary to establish interconnectivity between wells and reservoirs. The bill would specify that the above-described12–mile limit is measured from all points along the wellhead location and well course.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law generally prohibits a health care service plan, excluding a Medi-Cal managed care plan, or health insurer from subjecting antiretroviral drugs that are medically necessary for the prevention of HIV/AIDS, including preexposure prophylaxis or postexposure prophylaxis, to prior authorization or step therapy. Under existing law, a health care service plan or health insurer is not required to cover all of the therapeutically equivalent versions of those drugs without prior authorization or step therapy if at least one is covered without prior authorization or step therapy. This bill would instead prohibit a health care service plan, excluding a Medi-Cal managed care plan, or health insurer from subjecting antiretroviral drugs, drug devices, or drug products that are medically necessary for the prevention of HIV/AIDS to prior authorization or step therapy. The bill would require, for a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, a non-self-administered antiretroviral drug, drug device, or drug product that is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of HIV/AIDS to be covered under both the plan or policy's medical benefit and prescription drug benefit, and if obtained under the plan or policy's drug benefit, would require the drug, device, or product to be dispensed and administered by a health care provider acting within the scope of their license. Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan 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.
Existing law requires all new building and major renovation projects larger than 10,000 gross square feet undertaken by state agencies, and for which the project schematic design documents are initiated by the state agency on or after January 1, 2024, to obtain the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or "LEED" Gold or higher certification, except as provided. Existing law requires state agencies to obtain LEED Silver certification for new buildings or major renovations, as described above, if the state agency concerned makes a finding that achieving LEED Gold conflicts with critical operational or security requirements, is demonstrably cost ineffective, or conflicts with California Building Code requirements. This bill would, as an alternative to obtaining LEED Gold certification as described above, allow building or renovation projects to obtain Three Green Globes or higher certification, as specified. This bill would, as an alternative to obtaining LEED Silver as described above, allow building or renovation projects to obtain Two Green Globes certification, as specified. The bill would make its requirements apply to projects for which the project schematic design documents are initiated by a state agency on or after January 1, 2027.
The Outdoor Advertising Act provides for the regulation by the Department of Transportation of advertising displays, as defined, within view of public highways. The act exempts from most of its provisions an advertising display used exclusively to advertise products, goods, or services that are either sold on the premises of an arena or marketed or promoted on the premises of an arena if, among other conditions, the advertising display has been authorized, as of January 1, 2021, by, or in accordance with, a local ordinance, including, but not limited to, a specific plan or sign district adopted in connection with the approval of the arena, as provided. The act requires an advertising display that is located on the premises of an arena and that was erected pursuant to the exemption also to be authorized by, or in accordance with, an ordinance, including, but not limited to, a specific plan or sign district, as provided. This bill would, on and after January 1, 2028, similarly exempt from most provisions of the act an advertising display used exclusively to advertise products, goods, or services that are either sold on the premises of an arena or marketed or promoted on the premises of the arena if, among other conditions, the advertising display has been authorized, as of January 1, 2032, by, or in accordance with a local ordinance or other discretionary approval, including, but not limited to, a specific plan or sign district that benefits the arena, as specified. The bill would define "premises of an arena" to include a public assembly building owned by the City of Los Angeles, as specified. The bill would require, before one of these advertising displays may be placed, a determination from the department or the Federal Highway Administration that the display will not cause a reduction in federal aid funds or otherwise be inconsistent with federal law, federal regulations, or an agreement between the state and a federal agency or department, as specified. This bill would limit both of these exemptions to an arena that is fully constructed or under construction on or before January 1, 2027. The bill would instead require an advertising display that is located on the premises of an arena and that was erected pursuant to either of these exemptions to be authorized by an ordinance or other discretionary approval, including, but not limited to, a specific plan, sign district, or conditional use permit, as specified. The bill would prohibit an arena from having more than a total of 2 advertising displays pursuant to these exemptions. Except for advertising displays authorized by the existing exemption, the bill would require certain advertising displays placed pursuant to the new exemption for one arena to be located at least 5,000 feet from an advertising display authorized pursuant to an exemption for another arena. The act also regulates placement of advertising displays adjacent to and within specified distances of highways that are part of the national system of interstate and defense highways and federal aid highways. The act prohibits, except as provided, placing or maintaining an advertising display on property adjacent to a portion of a freeway that has a specified coverage area of landscaping or trees at the same or elevated grade of the main-traveled way, as provided. The act does not prohibit a city, county, or city and county from designating the districts or zones in which an advertising display may be placed or prohibited as part of a land use or zoning ordinance. The act also does not prohibit a local governmental entity from entering into an agreement to relocate an advertising display for any purpose. This bill would exempt certain advertising displays developed within the boundary limits of, and as part of, an individual redevelopment agency project from the prohibition on placing or maintaining an advertising display on property adjacent to a portion of a freeway that has landscaping or trees, from a city's, county's, or city and county's land use or zoning ordinance, and from a local governmental entity's relocation agreement, as those are described above. The bill would require an advertising display subject to this exemption to remain in substantially the same location and configuration as it existed on December 31, 2025, and would prohibit the advertising display from being expanded, relocated, increased in height or display area, or modified to add additional display faces beyond those existing on December 31, 2025. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City of Los Angeles. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 5272 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by AB 2717 to be operative only if this bill and AB 2717 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
