Existing property tax law authorizes a county board of supervisors to create assessment appeals boards for the county to equalize the valuation of taxable property within the county for purposes of taxation. Existing property tax law requires an assessment appeals board to consist of 3 members or of 5 members acting as a 3-member panel, selected as specified. Existing law also sets forth minimum qualifications for a member of an assessment appeals board. This bill, commencing January 1, 2027, and until January 1, 2034, would authorize the county board of supervisors of a county containing a population of 500,000 or more to alternatively provide by ordinance that any property tax assessment appeals in the county may be heard and decided by a single-member appeals board, the single member of which would be known as an assessment appeals commissioner. The bill would set forth minimum qualifications for the commissioner, as specified. The bill would require the State Board of Equalization to adopt rules and guidelines necessary to ensure consistent hearing procedures, public access, and decisionmaking standards for these commissioners. The bill would prohibit a commissioner from hearing any new appeals after December 31, 2031, but would permit the commissioner to continue to hear and decide appeals received after January 1, 2027, but on or before December 31, 2031, following December 31, 2031. This bill would additionally require, if a county appoints commissioners to hear and decide assessment appeals, the county to provide a process by which the appellant may object to their appeal being heard and decided by an assessment appeals commissioner. The board would require the county, in the case that an appellant does not make that objection, to ensure the appeal is heard by a 3- or 5-member board. This bill would specify that, for purposes of implementing the bill's provisions with respect to other provisions relating to assessment appeals boards, a reference to an assessment appeals board also includes a single-member appeals board, as applicable, and a reference to member means a commissioner with respect to a single-member appeals board. The bill would make related findings and declarations.
(1) Existing federal law, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) , governs the proceedings for determining the placement of an Indian child when that child is removed from the custody of the child's parent or guardian. Existing law states findings and declarations of the Legislature regarding Indian children, including that the state is committed to protecting the essential tribal relations and best interest of an Indian child by promoting practices in accordance with the ICWA, and it is in the interest of an Indian child that the child's membership or citizenship in the child's Indian tribe and connection to the tribal community be encouraged and protected, and requires the court to consider those findings in all Indian child custody proceedings. This bill would additionally state that the State of California is committed to protecting essential tribal relations by recognizing a tribe's right to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens. (2) Existing provisions of state law govern guardianship and conservatorship proceedings. Existing law provides various definitions for these purposes, including "Indian child," as defined in the ICWA, and sets forth requirements for proceedings involving Indian children. Existing law requires, if the subject of a petition is or may be an Indian child, that the petition state that fact. This bill would define various terms consistent with provisions of the ICWA and for purposes of guardianship and conservator proceedings. The bill would also make conforming changes. This bill would require, if the subject of a petition is or may be an Indian child, that the petition include specified information, including the reasons to know or believe the child of the petition is or may be an Indian child and the efforts taken to prevent the need for the appointment of the guardian. This bill would specify that the court or a petitioner has a duty to inquire whether the child is or may be an Indian child prior to filing a petitioner for guardianship or conservatorship. The bill would require a court presiding over any guardianship or conservatorship proceeding that could result in placement of an Indian child with someone other than a parent or Indian custodian, to inquire at the first hearing on a petition whether the child is, or may be, an Indian child, as specified. This bill would require that, in an Indian child custody proceeding, a party seeking placement of an Indian child provide evidence to the court that active efforts, as defined, have been made to prevent the breakup of the Indian family and efforts have been unsuccessful. The bill would also require the initial and any subsequent placement of the child comply with specified placement preferences. To the extent this requirement would impose additional duties on county employees, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require the testimony of a qualified expert witness in an Indian child custody proceeding in specified circumstances, including testimony that the continued custody of the child by the parent or Indian custodian is likely to result in serious emotional or physical damage to the child. This bill would specify notice requirements for proceedings involving Indian children, and set forth procedures for transfer of a case to jurisdiction of the child's tribe. This bill, in a proceeding involving a child who would otherwise be an Indian child, but is not, based on the child's Indian tribe not having federal recognition, would authorize the court to permit the tribe to participate in the proceeding upon request from the tribe. (3) Under existing law, in an Indian child custody proceeding, when it appears to the court that a parent or Indian custodian desires counsel but is unable to afford and hire counsel, the federal law and regulations authorizing the appointment of counsel applies, as specified. Federal law requires the appointment of counsel for the parent or Indian custodian in any removal, placement, or termination proceeding, in which the court determines the parent or Indian custodian is indigent. This bill would require the court to appoint counsel for the parent or Indian custodian when it appears to the court that a parent or Indian custodian in an Indian child custody proceeding cannot afford to hire counsel and desires to have counsel for the proceedings. (4) Existing law, if the petitioner or proposed guardian has knowledge of any pending adoption, juvenile court, marriage dissolution, domestic relations, custody, or other similar proceeding affecting the child who is the subject of the petition, requires the petition to disclose the pending proceeding. This bill would additionally require a petitioner or proposed guardian to disclose an investigation by a county welfare agency regarding the safety of the child in a petition. (5) 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.
This measure would designate a specified portion of State Route 99 in the County of Butte as the Congressman Doug LaMalfa Memorial Highway. The measure would request that the Department of Transportation determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs.
Executive Order No. N-12-23 requires specified state agencies, in collaboration with other state agencies and their workforce, to draft a report to the Governor examining the most significant, potentially beneficial use cases for deployment of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools by the state. The executive order requires the report to explain the potential risks to individuals, communities, and government and state government workers, and requires the report to be regularly assessed and updated in consultation with, among others, the state government workforce or organizations that represent state government employees, as specified. Chapter 928 of the Statutes of 2024, the Generative Artificial Intelligence Accountability Act, requires specified state agencies to update the report, as needed, to respond to significant developments and to consult with specified parties, including organizations that represent state exclusive employee representatives. The act also requires state agencies to consider procurement and enterprise use opportunities for GenAI to improve efficiency, effectiveness, accessibility, and equity of government operations, as specified. This bill would require certain state and local public employers to provide written notice to a recognized employee organization at least 45 days before taking an action to develop, purchase, or require the use of GenAI to perform a service that is within the scope of work of the job classification represented by the recognized employee organization.
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services through various delivery systems, including fee-for-service and managed care. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed by, and funded pursuant to, federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law establishes the California Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE program) to provide community-based, risk-based, and capitated long-term care services as optional services for older individuals under the state's Medi-Cal State Plan and under contracts entered into between the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the department, and PACE organizations. Existing law requires the department to pay capitation rates to health plans participating in the Medi-Cal managed care program using actuarial methods. Existing law requires the department to develop and pay capitation rates to entities contracted pursuant to the PACE program, using actuarial methods consistent with those provisions, with specified exceptions. Existing law requires the department to consult with those contracted entities in developing a rate methodology. This bill would require the department to notify the contracting PACE organization of the proposed rates at least 60 days prior to submission to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for approval. The bill would authorize the department to define a reasonable date by which the PACE organization must submit written questions or feedback concerning the proposed rates. The bill would require the department to respond in writing to those questions or feedback by no later than 30 days prior to submitting the rates to CMS.
Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, requires the California State Board of Pharmacy within the Department of Consumer Affairs to license and regulate the practice of pharmacy, including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacies. Under existing law, it is unlawful for any person to manufacture, compound, furnish, sell, or dispense a dangerous drug or dangerous device, or to dispense or compound a prescription unless they are licensed, as specified. Existing law authorizes the distribution of drugs and devices directly to dialysis patients pursuant to regulations adopted by the board and other specified conditions. This bill would also authorize a pharmacist, manufacturer, or wholesaler to participate in an arrangement or agreement to deliver enteral nutrition supplements or replacements directly to a patient's residence pursuant to a valid order from a prescriber acting within their scope of practice, and in accordance with the services and activities provided by a pharmacist, consistent with the accepted standard of care, as specified. For these purposes, the bill would define "enteral nutrition supplements or replacements" to mean medical food used as a therapeutic regimen to prevent serious disability or death in patients with medically diagnosed conditions that preclude the full use of regular food. The bill would also make nonsubstantive changes to existing provisions.
Existing law establishes the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program and requires the Superintendent to allocate $2,750 per unit of average daily attendance, as specified, to local educational agencies with a prior fiscal year unduplicated pupil percentage of 55% or more, and requires those local educational agencies, as a condition of receiving that funding, to offer access to expanded learning opportunity programs to all pupils and to provide access to any pupil whose parent or guardian requests their placement in a program. Existing law defines unduplicated pupils for these purposes to mean a pupil who is classified as an English learner, eligible for a free or reduced-price meal, or a foster youth, as specified. This bill would require local educational agencies, for purposes of offering access to expanded learning opportunity programs pursuant to those provisions, to prioritize offering access to unduplicated pupils, which the bill would authorize to include, but not be limited to, specialized outreach to the parents and guardians of unduplicated pupils and providing assistance with enrollment of unduplicated pupils.
Existing law establishes the State Department of Education and assigns to the department numerous responsibilities relating to the governance of the public elementary and secondary schools in the state. This bill would require the department, on or before October 1, 2027, to create and post to its internet website a standardized template, as specified, for use by school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools when completing programmatic or expenditure reports for competitive state grant programs, except as provided. In drafting the template, the bill would require the department to ensure that the template creates reporting efficiencies for local educational agencies and schools that receive state grants and to consult relevant stakeholders involved in local educational agency reporting, as specified. The bill would require the department, on or before October 1, 2027, to submit the template to the Legislature, as provided, and, commencing January 1, 2028, to issue the template to local educational agencies as part of the notice of award information and again 6 months before the final report due date, and to prepopulate certain local educational agency administrative information. Existing law requires a bill that requires a state agency to submit a report on any subject to either house of the Legislature, a committee or office of either house of the Legislature, or the Legislative Counsel Bureau, to include a provision that repeals the reporting requirement, or makes the requirement inoperative, no later than a date 4 years following the operative date of the bill or 4 years after the due date of any report required every 4 or more years. Existing law requires the Legislative Counsel, in drafting a bill or amendment that includes a reporting requirement as described above, to include a provision repealing the reporting requirement or making the requirement inoperative, as specified, unless directed to do otherwise. This bill, beginning January 1, 2027, would (1) require a bill that would require a school district, county office of education, or charter school to complete a plan or report to include a provision that repeals the planning or reporting requirement, or makes the requirement inoperative, no later than 4 years following the bill's operative date if the planning or reporting requirement has an undefined end date or 4 years after the final due date of any plan or report, and (2) require the Legislative Counsel to include a provision in that bill repealing the planning or reporting requirement or making the requirement inoperative, as specified, unless directed to do otherwise. The bill would require, beginning January 1, 2028, the Legislative Counsel, in drafting a bill or amendment that imposes a new programmatic or expenditure reporting requirement for competitive state grant programs on a local educational agency, except as provided, to include a provision that requires the final programmatic or expenditure report be submitted using the template created by the department, as described above, unless directed to do otherwise.
Existing law, the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act, governs the management and operation of common interest developments, and requires an association to manage a common interest development. Existing law makes an association responsible for repairs and replacements necessary to restore interrupted gas, heat, water, or electrical services that begin in the common area even if the matter extends into another area, as specified, unless the utility service that failed is required to be maintained, repaired, or replaced by a public, private, or other utility service provider, or otherwise provided in the declaration of a common interest development, as provided. This bill would, instead, make an association responsible for repairs and replacements necessary to restore interrupted gas, heat, water, or electrical services when an interruption of service begins in the common area, under the above-described conditions. Existing law requires that elections regarding assessments legally requiring a vote, election and removal of directors, amendments to the governing documents, or the grant of exclusive use of common area be held by secret ballot in accordance with specified procedures that include requiring that an association adopt election operating rules, as provided. Existing law authorizes an association to adopt an election operating rule that allows an association to utilize an inspector or inspectors of elections to conduct an election by electronic secret ballot, as provided. If an association adopts this election operating rule, among other things, existing law requires the association to deliver a specified individual notice of the electronic secret ballot to each member 30 days before the election. This bill would, instead, require the association to deliver, no later than 30 days before the election, the individual notice to each member who is electronically voting. Notwithstanding the secret balloting requirement, existing law authorizes an association to consider qualified candidates to be considered elected by acclamation if the number of qualified candidates is not more than the number of vacancies to be elected and, among other things, the association provides individual notice of the election and procedure for nominating candidates, as specified, including providing a specified initial notice at least 90 days before the deadline for submitting nominations and a specified reminder notice between 7 and 30 days before the deadline for submitting nominations. This bill would, instead, require the association to provide the initial notice at least 30 days before the deadline and the reminder notice not less 10 days before the deadline.
Existing law, the Transportation Network Company Drivers Labor Relations Act (act) , establishes that transportation network company (TNC) drivers have the right to form, join, and participate in the activities of TNC driver organizations, to bargain through representatives of their own choosing, to engage in concerted activities for the purpose of bargaining or other mutual aid or protection, and to refrain from such activities. The act designates certain actions and inactions of TNCs, such as failure or refusal to negotiate in good faith with a certified bargaining organization, and of TNC driver organizations as unfair practices, which are subject to the Public Employment Relations Board's unfair practice procedure regulations. This bill would authorize any charging party, respondent, or intervenor aggrieved by a final decision or order of the board in an unfair practice case to petition for a writ of extraordinary relief from such a decision or order, except as provided. The bill would set forth procedures for filing and reviewing the petition and for enforcing final decisions or orders subsequent to the expiration of the petition timeline.
Existing law establishes in the Natural Resources Agency the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and requires the department to be responsible for, among other things, fire protection and prevention, as provided. Existing law establishes the California Conservation Camp program for the purpose of having inmates and wards work on projects supervised by the department. Existing law requires the department to utilize inmates and wards assigned to conservation camps in performing fire prevention, fire control, and other work at the department. This bill would require, on and after July 1, 2027, the department to, in partnership with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the California Conservation Camp program, implement a standardized process to ensure that all eligible individuals who successfully complete training in a department firefighting training camp while incarcerated receive official written certification reflective of the training completed before their release, as specified. This bill would require the department, on and after January 1, 2028, if a qualified formerly incarcerated individual, as defined, applies for a Fire Fighter 1 Classification position, or any successor classifications, and has the required training and meets the minimum qualifications for the position, to award hiring preference under Category Placement 2 to the qualified formerly incarcerated individual, as specified. The bill would require the department, on and after January 1, 2028, if a qualified formerly incarcerated individual applies for a Forestry Technician Classification position, or any successor classifications, to count the duration of specified training and fieldwork as an incarcerated hand crew member towards the minimum qualifications for the classification.
Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to prescribe, by regulation, standards for minimum levels of operating efficiency, and authorizes the Energy Commission to prescribe other cost-effective measures, to promote the use of energy- and water-efficient appliances whose use requires a significant amount of energy or water. Existing law prohibits the sale, and the offering for sale, of new appliances unless their manufacturers certify that they comply with the standards in effect at the time the appliances are manufactured. Existing law defines "sold or offered for sale in the state" to mean any sale of or offer to sell an appliance for end use in the state, regardless of the seller's physical location. This bill would expand the above-described provisions to also include the rental, importation, distribution, or lease of, or an offer for the rental, importation, distribution, or lease of, those appliances, as provided.
