Existing law establishes the Department of Technology, which is supervised by the Director of Technology, within the Government Operations Agency. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with the public, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) , and the California Broadband Council, by January 1, 2024, to develop a state digital equity plan that includes specified elements, including the identification of barriers to digital equity faced by covered populations in this state. This bill would create the Broadband and Digital Equity Commission with specified membership, and would, on July 1, 2027, repeal the California Broadband Council and establish the members of the council as a committee of the commission, as specified. The bill would provide that each member of the commission, excluding ex officio members, receive compensation of $100 per day, but not to exceed $400 for any commission business authorized by the commission during any month, and the necessary expenses incurred by the member in the performance of the member's duties. The bill would establish the Department of Broadband and Digital Equity in the Government Operations Agency for the purpose of promoting ubiquitous and universal broadband deployment in unserved and underserved areas of the state and to increase broadband adoption throughout the state for the benefit of all Californians. The bill would, on and after July 1, 2027, declare the department to be the only centralized state department for broadband and digital equity activities within the state authorized to establish rules or regulations for broadband internet access service and internet service providers, as provided. The bill would require the commission to appoint the executive director of the department, who shall serve at the pleasure of the commission, as specified, and would authorize the executive director to appoint, with the approval of the commission, necessary staff, as provided. Existing law requires the PUC to develop, implement, and administer the California Advanced Services Fund to encourage deployment of high-quality advanced communications to all Californians, as specified. Existing law establishes the Broadband Loan Loss Reserve Fund in the State Treasury, and continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the PUC to be available to fund costs related to the financing of the deployment of broadband infrastructure by a local governmental agency or nonprofit organization, as provided. Existing law requires the PUC to maintain and update a statewide, publicly accessible, and interactive map showing the accessibility of broadband service in the state. Existing law requires the Office of Broadband and Digital Literacy to oversee the acquisition and management of contracts for the development and construction of a statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network to provide an opportunity for last-mile providers, anchor institutions, and tribal entities to connect to, and interconnect with other networks and other appropriate connections to, the statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network to facilitate high-speed broadband service. This bill would, on and after July 1, 2027, require the department to assume all administrative functions of the California Advanced Services Fund and the Broadband Loan Loss Reserve Fund, and require the department to administer and maintain the interactive map showing the accessibility of broadband service in the state and the statewide open-access middle-mile broadband network, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to perform work, at the request of the commission, that the commission deems necessary to carry out its duties and responsibilities, but requires the commission to consider the expertise and resources available to the department, and specifies that the commission is not prohibited from using the services of other public or private entities. The bill would require the commission to advise and assist the department, the agency, and the Legislature in formulating and evaluating state policies and plans for broadband and digital equity programs in the state, and would authorize the commission to participate in relevant federal government rulemakings to advocate on behalf of the department and the state's interests. The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature by July 1, 2028, and at least annually thereafter, on the activities of the department and actions taken by the commission, and would require the report to include, among other things, the number of unserved and underserved households in the state, and progress toward increasing connectivity. The bill would require the department to establish a process to enable California residents, consumer advocates, and local governments to make complaints regarding any activity that may result in digital discrimination of access.
Existing law regulates social media platforms, through various acts, including the Cyberbullying Protection Act, that requires a social media platform to, among other things and subject to specified exceptions, disclose all cyberbullying reporting procedures in the terms of service and the Online Violence Prevention Act that requires a social medial platform to, except as specified, clearly and conspicuously state whether it has a mechanism for reporting violent posts that is available to users and nonusers of the platform. Existing law establishes the California Health and Human Services Agency, which includes various state departments charged with the administration of health, social, and other human services. This bill would establish, until December 31, 2029, the Social Media Harm Reduction Pilot Program and would require the California Health and Human Services Agency to designate a nonprofit organization to undertake the responsibilities of the program. The bill would require the program to do various specified tasks, including recommending statewide standards for the use of online social networks by kindergarten and grades 1 to 12 pupils, inclusive, and would require the program to coordinate with existing laws regulating social media platforms to ensure consistency and avoid duplication of effort.
Existing law regulates ticket sellers, defined as a person who, for compensation, commission, or otherwise, sells admission tickets to entertainment events. In this regard, existing law prohibits specified ticket selling practices and imposes certain recordkeeping and disclosure requirements on ticket sellers. This bill would prohibit a contract between a primary ticket seller and a venue operator from providing for the primary ticket seller to be the exclusive and sole primary ticket seller. The bill would also prohibit such a contract from having a term longer than 3 years. The bill would require a venue operator, when entering into an agreement with an artist or artist representative, to allow the artist or artist representative to determine the terms and conditions relating to tickets to their events, as specified. The bill would apply its provisions to contracts entered into, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. The bill would provide an exception for significant national or international sporting events, as specified. The bill would impose a civil penalty of up to $2,500 for each violation of its provisions.
The Personal Income Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, generally defines "gross income" as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provides various exclusions from gross income for purposes of computing tax liability. This bill, on and after January 1, 2025, and before January 1, 2030, would exclude from gross income any amount accruing to a first-time homeownership savings account, as defined, whose beneficiary is a qualified taxpayer. The bill would also, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, and before January 1, 2030, exclude from gross income any amount withdrawn from a first-time homeownership savings account that is used to pay for qualified homeownership savings expenses of a qualified taxpayer who established the account. The bill would define a first-time homeownership savings account as an account with a financial institution that is designated as a first-time homeownership savings account by the person establishing the account that meets specified requirements. Existing law requires a bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives 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. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law, the Mobilehome Residency Law, requires the owner of a mobilehome park who enters into a written listing agreement with a licensed real estate broker for the sale of the mobilehome park or who offers to sell the mobilehome park to any party to provide written notice of the owner's intention to sell to specified members of a resident organization formed by homeowners for purposes of converting the mobilehome park to condominium or stock cooperative ownership interests and for purchasing the mobilehome park. Existing law requires the owner to provide this notice not less than 30 days nor more than one year before entering into the listing agreement or offering to sell the mobilehome park. Existing law prohibits an offer to sell a park from being construed as an offer unless it is initiated by the park owner or their agent. Existing law provides various exceptions to this notice requirement, including that no notice is required unless the resident organization has first furnished the park owner or park manager with a written notice of the name and address of the president, secretary, and treasurer of the resident organization, as specified. This bill would require the owner to provide the above-described notice if they accept an offer from any buyer. The bill would also require the owner to provide the above-described notice to all residents of the mobilehome park and the Department of Housing and Community Development not less than 120 days nor more than one year before entering into the listing agreement or offering to sell the mobilehome park. The bill would grant the resident organization a right of first refusal to the mobilehome park and give them 120 days from the time they receive the above-described notice to make an offer. The bill would require the owner to engage in good faith negotiations, as defined, with the resident organization if they are interested in purchasing the park and prohibit the owner from negotiating with or accepting an offer from another party until the above-described 120-day right of first refusal time period has elapsed. The bill would remove the above-described exceptions to the notice requirement and would remove the prohibition on an offer to sell a park from being construed as an offer unless it is initiated by the park owner or their agent.
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to prepare and publish a brochure containing specified information for distribution to applicants for marriage licenses and persons who qualify as domestic partners that includes, among other things, information concerning options for changing a name upon solemnization of marriage. This bill would require the State Department of Public Health to create and maintain an internet website that contains instructional information regarding how a person can change their name after they get married and a list of all agencies that need to be notified of a name change that occurs after a marriage.
Existing law, the Grant Information Act of 2018, requires the California State Library to create a funding opportunities internet web portal that provides a centralized location for grant seekers to find state grant opportunities. Existing law requires the Natural Resources Agency to update every 3 years the state's climate adaptation strategy, known as the Safeguarding California Plan, and to coordinate with other state agencies to identify vulnerabilities to climate change by sectors, including, among others, transportation and public health. This bill would require the library, in consultation with the agency, to include on the above-described internet web portal the category "childcare" under the category tab, and would also require the library to consult with all agencies and departments administering grants that are included on the portal to identify and indicate on the portal grants in which childcare providers are eligible applicants. The bill would require those agencies and departments to provide the library with information relating to the eligibility of childcare providers for grant identification purposes.
Under existing law, human trafficking is a crime and law enforcement officers who are assigned field and investigative duties are required to complete minimum training pertaining to the handling of human trafficking complaints. Existing law generally provides support services for individuals who are survivors of human trafficking, including public social services and address confidentiality, as specified. Existing law authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue an identification card to an applicant who provides specified information to the department and pays a specified fee. Existing law provides assisted processes for persons being released from a federal or state prison or a state hospital to obtain an identification card. Existing law additionally waives the fee for senior citizens and indigent persons. This bill would require the department to develop an assisted and expedited process for survivors of human trafficking to obtain a new or replacement identification card. The bill would require the department to develop an application form that can be filled out by specified persons on behalf of the applicant. The bill would require the department to waive the fee for an applicant applying pursuant to this process. The bill would also require the California Victim Compensation Board to post specified information, including information about obtaining an identification card using this process, on its internet website.
(1) The Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act establishes a statewide program for the control of the quality of all the waters in the state and makes certain legislative findings and declarations. Existing law defines the term "beneficial uses" for the purposes of water quality as certain waters of the state that may be protected against quality degradation, to include, among others, domestic, municipal, agricultural, and industrial supplies. This bill would add findings and declarations related to California tribal communities and the importance of protecting tribal water use, as those terms are defined. The bill would add tribal water uses as waters of the state that may be protected against quality degradation for purposes of the defined term "beneficial uses." The bill would require any project or regulatory program subject to approval by the State Water Quality Control Board or a regional water quality control board, within a specified environmental review, and in any findings and declarations presented for state board or a regional board approval, to describe, with both quantitative and qualitative information, how the project or regulatory program will impact tribal water uses, and would require, on or before December 1, 2025, and every 2 years thereafter, the state board to publish a report on implementation of this provision on its internet website. (2) Existing law requires the state board to consult with and carefully evaluate the recommendations of concerned federal, state, and local agencies during the process of formulating or revising state policy for water quality control. This bill would additionally require the state board to consult and carefully evaluate the recommendations of concerned California tribal communities. (3) Existing law requires the state board to formulate and adopt state policy for water quality control. Existing law requires each regional board to formulate and adopt water quality control plans for all areas within the region and prohibits a water quality control plan, or a revision of the plan, adopted by a regional board from becoming effective unless it is approved by the state board. Existing law authorizes the state board to adopt certain water quality control plans. Existing law requires a regional board to establish water quality objectives in water quality control plans that in its judgment will ensure reasonable protection of beneficial uses and the prevention of nuisance and requires each regional board to consider specified factors in establishing water quality objectives. This bill would require, on or before January 1, 2026, the state board to incorporate water quality standards to achieve reasonable protection of tribal water uses into the water quality control plan for the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed. This bill would add consultations with California tribal communities and environmental justice considerations as factors for a regional board to consider in establishing water quality control objectives. The bill would exempt adoption of tribal water uses within water quality control plans from the California Environmental Quality Act, and would require, on or before January 1, 2028, each regional board to adopt water quality standards to achieve reasonable protection of tribal water uses into water quality control plans. (4) Existing law requires the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Natural Resources Agency, on or before December 1, 2007, to enter into a memorandum of understanding for the purposes of establishing the California Water Quality Monitoring Council, which the state board is required to administer. Existing law requires the monitoring council to review existing water quality monitoring, assessment, and reporting efforts and to recommend specific actions and funding needs necessary to coordinate and enhance those efforts. Existing law requires the memorandum of understanding to describe the means by which the monitoring council shall formulate recommendations to reduce redundancies, inefficiencies, and inadequacies in existing water quality monitoring and data management programs and to ensure that water quality improvement projects financed by the state provide specific information necessary to track project effectiveness with regard to achieving clean water and healthy ecosystems. This bill would require, on or before December 1, 2025, the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Natural Resources Agency to amend the memorandum of understanding to incorporate participation from California tribal communities in the actions of the monitoring council, and would describe these potential methods of participation. The bill would require the memorandum of understating to include recommendations on how to achieve and maintain tribal water uses through state board and regional board regulatory actions and other programs, as specified. (5) Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
The Personal Income Tax Law, in conformity with federal income tax law, generally defines "gross income" as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provides various exclusions from gross income. Existing law, known as the Golden State Scholarshare Trust Act, establishes the Golden State Scholarshare College Savings Trust (Scholarshare trust) , under the administration of the Scholarshare Investment Board, to provide financial aid for postsecondary education costs of participating students. Existing state and federal law generally includes in gross income distributions from a qualified tuition program, as defined to include the Scholarshare trust, except as provided. Existing federal law, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, excludes from gross income, for federal income tax purposes, distributions from a qualified tuition program that are made after December 31, 2023, and are paid in a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer to a Roth IRA, as described. This bill would exempt from gross income distribution made from a long-term qualified tuition program during the taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2029, that are paid in a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer to a Roth IRA, and would conform state tax law to those changes relating to federal law, as described above. Existing law requires a bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives 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. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law establishes the California Housing Finance Agency within the Department of Housing and Community Development, and authorizes the agency to, among other things, make loans to finance affordable housing, including residential structures, housing developments, multifamily rental housing, special needs housing, and other forms of housing, as specified. This bill would establish the California Affordable and Foster Youth Housing Finance Innovation Program and would require the agency to issue credit instruments, as defined, to qualified housing sponsors, as defined, for the construction, acquisition, and renovation of qualified projects, as defined. For all dwelling units in a qualified project that are reserved for specified tenants, the bill would require the qualified housing sponsor to, upon request of the agency, verify each tenant that satisfies specified provisions is either a current or former foster youth or a low-income household and would prohibit the qualified housing sponsor from charging such tenants a rent that exceeds the fair market rent, as specified. The bill would set forth the requirements for the agency to administer the program including, among other requirements, to provide to an applicant a written notice informing the applicant whether the agency has approved or disapproved the application, and if disapproved, the reason for the disapproval, as specified. The bill would require the agency to issue loan guarantees for qualified loans made by financial institutions to qualified housing sponsors for the construction, acquisition, and renovation of qualified projects. The bill would also require the agency to enter into agreements to make lines of credit available, as specified, to obligors in the form of direct loans to be made by the agency for a qualified project. The bill would prohibit a credit instrument issued under these provisions from obligating the General Fund and would require a secured loan guarantee, secured loan, or line of credit issued under these provisions be exclusively secured by moneys in the California Housing Finance Fund from specified revenue sources. The bill would also make related findings and declarations.
The Personal Income Tax Law allows various deductions in computing the income that is subject to the taxes imposed by that law, including, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, a deduction for a limited amount of interest paid on acquisition indebtedness, as defined, with respect to a qualified residence of the taxpayer. Existing law limits the aggregate amount treated as acquisition indebtedness for these purposes to $1,000,000, or $500,000 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return. Existing law specifies for these purposes that a qualified residence includes the taxpayer's principal residence and one other residence selected by the taxpayer, as provided. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, would disallow the deduction of acquisition indebtedness with respect to a qualified residence of a taxpayer other than the principal residence. This bill would require the Franchise Tax Board, in consultation with the Department of Finance, to estimate the amount of additional revenue resulting from the above-described modifications made with respect to the calculation of taxable income under the Personal Income Tax Law by this bill and to notify the Controller of that amount, as provided. The bill would establish the continuously appropriated Housing, Homeownership, and Homelessness Prevention Response Fund in the State Treasury, and would direct the Controller to transfer an amount from the General Fund to that fund equal to the above-described estimates. The bill would require the moneys be used for housing purposes, as specified. By establishing a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature.
