Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards. Under existing law, the Legislature finds and declares that given the importance of broadband for public safety, public health, economic growth, education, and job creation, it is in California's best interest for public and private broadband project permits to be processed as quickly and efficiently as possible. This bill would require an electric utility, defined as an electrical corporation or a local publicly owned electric utility, to adopt, publish, and make easily accessible to the public rules, requirements, and standards applicable to its applications for approval of an electric power design related to the construction and operation of a broadband project, as defined. The bill would require an electric utility to approve or deny a complete application within 60 or 90 days, and, if the application is incomplete, would require the electric utility to provide written notice to the applicant that the application is incomplete and would establish a timeline and process by which the application could be made complete, as specified. If an application is approved, the bill would require the electric utility, within 30 days, to provide the applicant with a cost estimate, if applicable, for any necessary work required to accommodate the electric power design described in the application. If the applicant accepts the cost estimate within 30 days, the bill would require the electric utility to complete energization to the broadband project location within a commission-determined time period, as specified. The bill would prohibit an application from being subject to any rule, requirement, or standard that has not been published and made easily accessible to the public before the date of the application's submittal to an electric utility for review. 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 this bill's requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Additionally, by imposing new duties on local publicly owned electric utilities, 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 requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue "Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids" special license plates and imposes additional fees, as specified, for their issuance, renewal, replacement, and transfer. Existing law requires that those additional fees be deposited in the Child Health and Safety Fund, less specified amounts. Existing law requires that 50% of the funds derived from the "Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids" license plates be available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Social Services for administering various provisions related to childcare licensing, as specified. Existing law requires that, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the balance be available, as described, for programs that address other categories of potential childhood injury, as specified. Existing law requires counties to create local childcare resource and referral programs to identify childcare resources and establish a referral process for parents, among other things. Existing law also creates the California Children and Families Commission to promote, support, and improve early childhood development. Existing law provides for funding to county commissions that develop, adopt, promote, and implement local early childhood development programs consistent with specified goals and objectives. This bill would increase the fees for the initial issuance and renewal of the "Have a Heart, Be a Star, Help Our Kids" license plates. The bill would allocate, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, 50% of the fees collected on or after January 1, 2026, to local childcare resource and referral programs, for specified purposes, including recruitment and training of new childcare providers, and to the State Department of Social Services for administering the above-described childcare licensing provisions, in equal measure except that in no case shall the allocation to the department be less than the amount appropriated in the 2022–2023 fiscal year. The bill would require a portion of the funds to be allocated to the agency having oversight of new and continuing childcare provider health and safety education and training program curriculum for specified purposes. Of the fees collected on or after January 1, 2026, the bill would allocate a portion to the State Department of Public Health in support of addressing childhood injury prevention and a portion to county commissions, as prescribed, that elect to receive funding and would limit the spending of those funds for certain purposes, including administering the California Unintentional Injury Prevention Strategic Plan Project. The bill would require that no more than 5% of the funds allocated to address childhood injury prevention be available to the nonprofit organization that provides administrative and staff support to the California Unintentional Injury Prevention Strategic Plan Project and would require the nonprofit organization to report annually to the State Department of Public Health on its activities and support evidence-based technical assistance and training for childhood unintentional injury prevention programs to the county commissions.
(1) The Personal Income Tax Law allows, by way of conformity with deductions allowed under federal income tax law, various deductions in computing the income that is subject to the taxes imposed by the Personal Income Tax Law, including a deduction against gross income for interest paid on qualified education loans not to exceed $2,500, reduced, as specified, based on modified adjusted gross income, as defined. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2029, would increase the limitation on the deduction described above to $5,000. (2) Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals that 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. (3) This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
The California Constitution, with respect to any taxes levied on taxable property in a redevelopment project established under the Community Redevelopment Law, as it then read or may be amended, authorizes the Legislature to provide for the division of those taxes under a redevelopment plan between the taxing agencies and the redevelopment agency, as provided. Existing law dissolved redevelopment agencies as of February 1, 2012, and designates successor agencies to act as successor entities to the dissolved redevelopment agencies. This bill, the Reconnecting Communities Redevelopment Act, would authorize a city or county, or two or more cities acting jointly, to propose the formation of a reconnecting communities investment agency by adoption of a resolution of intention that meets specified requirements, including that the resolution of intention include a passthrough provision and an override passthrough provision, as defined. The bill would require the city or county to submit that resolution to each affected taxing entity and would authorize an entity that receives that resolution to elect to not receive a passthrough payment, as provided. The bill would require the city or county that adopted that resolution to hold a public hearing on the proposal to consider all written and oral objections to the formation, as well as any recommendations of the affected taxing entities, and would authorize that city or county to adopt a resolution of formation at the conclusion of that hearing. The bill would then require that city or county to submit the resolution of intention to the Strategic Growth Council for a determination as to whether the agency would promote statewide greenhouse gas reduction goals. The bill would require the council to approve formation of the agency if it determines that formation of the agency would promote statewide greenhouse gas reduction goals. The bill would deem an agency to be in existence as of the date of the council's approval. The bill would require the council to establish a program to provide technical assistance to a city or county desiring to form an agency pursuant to these provisions. The bill would provide for a governing board of the agency consisting of one member appointed by the legislative body or the legislative bodies, as applicable, that adopted the resolution of intention, one member appointed by each affected taxing entity, and 2 public members. The bill would authorize an agency formed pursuant to these provisions to finance specified infrastructure projects, and to carry out related powers, such as the power to purchase and lease property within the redevelopment project area, that are similar to the powers previously granted to redevelopment agencies. The bill would require an agency to adopt an annual budget and to maintain detailed records of every action taken by that agency for a specified period of time, and would provide that any person who violates this requirement be subject to a fine of $10,000 per violation. The bill would require the agency to submit an annual report containing specified information, and a final report of any audit undertaken by any other local, state, or federal governmental entity, to its governing body within specified time periods. The bill would also require the agency to submit a copy of the annual report with the Controller and a copy of any audit report with the Department of Housing and Community Development. The bill would establish procedures under which the Controller would identify major audit violations and the Attorney General would bring an action to compel compliance. The bill would require the governing board of an agency to designate an appropriate official to prepare a proposed redevelopment project plan, in accordance with specified procedures. The bill would require the agency to hold a public hearing on the proposed redevelopment project plan, and would authorize the governing board to either adopt the redevelopment project plan or abandon proceedings, in which case the agency would cease to exist. The bill would authorize the redevelopment project plan to provide for the division of taxes levied upon taxable property, if any, between an affected taxing entity and the agency, as provided. The bill would declare that this authorization fulfills the intent of constitutional redevelopment provisions. The bill would also require that not less than 30% of all taxes allocated to the agency from an affected taxing entity be deposited into a separate fund, established by the agency, and used for the purposes of increasing, improving, and preserving the community's supply of low- and moderate-income housing available at an affordable housing cost, as provided. The bill would authorize the agency to issue bonds to finance infrastructure projects, in accordance with specified requirements and procedures, including that the resolution proposing the bonds include a description of the facilities or developments to be financed and the estimated cost of those facilities or developments, and that the resolution adopting the bonds provide for specified matters such as the principal amount of bonds. The bill would also authorize a city, county, or special district that contains territory within the boundaries of an agency to loan moneys to the agency to fund activities described in the redevelopment project plan. The bill would require the agency to contract for an independent financial and performance audit every 2 years after the issuance of debt. By imposing additional duties on the county auditor with respect to the allocation of tax increment revenues, and the review of information submitted to the county auditor by an agency pursuant to these provisions, 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, 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 provides various programs and funding to prevent and mitigate the impacts of cancer and other diseases in this state. Existing law defines the duties of the Treasurer, which include, but are not limited to, keeping an account of all money received and disbursed. This bill would establish, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the Novel Allogeneic Adipose Cell-Based Viral Therapies Clinical Trials Grant Program to provide funding for clinical trials of novel allogeneic adipose cell-based viral therapies for cancer treatment. The program would be administered by the Treasurer, who would be required to award competitive grants to health facilities that meet specific requirements, including providing the Treasurer with specific patient safety data. The bill would require the Treasurer to award a significant amount of grant money to clinical trials conducted in low-income communities, traditionally excluded from leading-edge clinical trials. The bill would require the Treasurer to submit a report to the Legislature on the progress of clinical trials funded pursuant to the program, as specified. This bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2031. The bill would make related findings and declarations.
Existing law regulates social media platforms, through various acts, including the Cyberbullying Protection Act, which 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, which 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. This bill would establish the Social Media Commission for the purpose of bringing together a diverse group of experts and invested stakeholders to provide a comprehensive report with formal recommendations for regulation of social media as it relates to child and adolescent mental health and well-being. The bill would require the Secretary of California Health and Human Services, or the secretary's designee, to chair the commission. The bill would require that the commission be composed of 7 subcommittees, including among others, a subcommittee of parents, a subcommittee of adolescents, a subcommittee of educators, and subcommittees of researchers and subject matter experts, as specified. This bill would request the University of California to send an informational briefing to committee members containing, among other things, a review of research on the outcomes of enacted legislation on adolescent social media use and mental health. The bill would require the commission to meet for the first time on or before March 30, 2025. The bill would require the commission to submit its report to the Legislature and the Governor on or before April 1, 2026.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law requires every electric utility, defined to include electrical corporations, local publicly owned electric utilities, and electrical cooperatives, to develop a standard contract or tariff for net energy metering, as defined, for generation by a renewable electrical generation facility, as defined, and to make this contract or tariff available to eligible customer-generators, as defined, upon request on a first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total rated generating capacity used by eligible customer-generators exceeds 5% of the electric utility's aggregate customer peak demand. Existing law requires the commission to have developed a 2nd standard contract or tariff for each large electrical corporation, as defined, to provide net energy metering to additional eligible customer-generators in the electrical corporation's service territory and imposes no limitation on the number of new eligible customer-generators entitled to receive service pursuant to this 2nd standard contract or tariff. Existing law authorizes the commission to revise the 2nd standard contract or tariff as appropriate. Pursuant to that authorization, the commission has instituted rulemakings and issued decisions relating to the 2nd standard contract or tariff. This bill would require the commission to conduct an independent cost-of-service analysis evaluating the standard contract or tariff developed by the commission in a specified decision.
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health, in cooperation with the State Department of Education, to establish a Public School Health Center Support Program to assist health centers in schools and school districts. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health, subject to an appropriation, to establish a grant program to provide funding for, among other things, expansion, renovation, and retrofitting of existing school health centers. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to develop a request for proposal process in order to collect information on applicants and determine which proposals shall receive funding. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to give preference to, among others, schools with a high percentage of low-income and uninsured children and youth or schools with a shortage of health professionals. Existing law defines, among other things, a "school health center" for those purposes to mean a center or program, located at or near a local educational agency, that provides age-appropriate health care services at the program site or through referrals. This bill would instead define a "school-based health center" for those purposes to mean a student-focused health center or clinic that, among other things, is located at or near a school and is organized through school, community, and health provider relationships. The bill would instead require, on or before January 1, 2026, the State Department of Public Health to collaborate with the Office of School-Based Health Programs within the State Department of Education in order to award grant funding, as specified, to applicants. This bill would revise and reorganize the above-described preferred recipients and give preference to school-based health centers, as defined, serving, among others, schools in which more than 55% of pupils serviced are unduplicated pupils, as defined, or areas experiencing health disparities in child and adolescent access to primary care, behavioral health, preventive health, or oral health services. Existing law requires the above-described Public School Health Center Support Program to perform various functions, including, serving as a liaison between organizations within the department, as specified. This bill would instead require the State Department of Public Health, in collaboration with the Office of School-Based Health Programs within the State Department of Education, to provide the above-described assistance to school-based health centers. The bill would also repeal a related provision requiring the Public School Health Center Support Program, in collaboration with the State Department of Education, to act as a liaison for school-based health centers. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health, upon appropriation, to establish standardized data collection procedures and collect certain data, relating to services and funding, from school health centers on an ongoing basis. This bill would require the school-based health centers to report data to the State Department of Public Health if they receive grant funding. The bill would eliminate the requirement on the State Department of Public Health to collect data on health services provided at a local educational agency outside a school health center. This bill would make other conforming changes.
Existing law establishes, under the Medi-Cal program, certain time and distance standards for specified Medi-Cal managed care covered services, consistent with federal regulations relating to network adequacy standards, to ensure that those services, including certain specialty care, are available and accessible to enrollees of Medi-Cal managed care plans in a timely manner. Existing law sets forth other timely access requirements for health care service plans and health insurers, including with regard to referrals to a specialist. Existing law establishes various health professions development programs, within the Department of Health Care Access and Information, for the promotion of education, training, and recruitment of health professionals to address workforce shortage and distribution needs. Existing law sets forth various provisions for the authorized use of telehealth in the delivery of health care services. This bill would, subject to an appropriation, require the California Health and Human Services Agency, in collaboration with the Department of Health Care Access and Information and the State Department of Health Care Services, to establish a demonstration project for a grant program. Under the bill, the grant program would be aimed at facilitating a telehealth and other virtual services specialty care network or networks that are designed to serve patients of safety-net providers consisting of qualifying providers, as defined. Under the bill, the purpose of the demonstration project would be to improve access to specialty care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries through development of a financially sustainable specialty care network or networks that are focused on serving the needs of the health care safety net. The bill would authorize the focus of the project to include increasing access to behavioral and maternal health services and additional specialties prioritized by the agency. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature that implementation of the demonstration project would facilitate compliance with any applicable network adequacy standards. The bill would require the agency to administer the grant program to award grant funds to one or more grantees based on an application process and by meeting specified conditions. The bill would require a grantee to use the funds to develop a network or networks by, among other things, providing health information technology and technical assistance to support both the specialists and any primary care provider care coordination, referral, or electronic consultations. The bill would require the agency to arrange an independent evaluation of the demonstration project. The bill would require the evaluation to examine the extent to which the project was successful in achieving certain objectives, including, among others, reducing structural barriers to access experienced by patients. The bill would require a grantee to report data and information to allow for monitoring and evaluation of the project. The bill would require the agency to ensure that lessons learned, recommendations, and best practices from the project are publicly disseminated to inform the development of a telehealth and specialty care network or networks to serve the needs of the health care safety net.
Existing law requires, upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle that is sounding a siren and has a lighted lamp exhibiting red light, that a driver of a vehicle yield the right-of-way to the emergency vehicle, that the operator of a street car immediately stop the street car, and that all pedestrians proceed to the nearest curb or place of safety and remain there until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed. Existing law makes a violation of that provision an infraction, punishable by specified fines. This bill would prohibit a person driving a vehicle upon a highway or a pedestrian from willfully obstructing a highway, including in the course of a protest, in any manner that interferes with the ability of an authorized emergency vehicle to pass and would make a violation of this provision punishable by specified fines. 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 Building Standards Law, establishes the California Building Standards Commission within the Department of General Services and sets forth its powers and duties, including approval and adoption of building standards and codification of those standards into the California Building Standards Code. Existing law also establishes that in the Department of General Services, there is a State Architect, appointed by the Governor, as specified, who is required to report directly to the Director of General Services. This bill would require the Division of the State Architect, as part of the next intervening edition of the California Building Standards Code adopted after January 1, 2025, to propose for adoption building standards that increase the total minimum number of ambulatory accessible toilet compartments to 5% of the total number of toilet compartments, with at least one ambulatory accessible toilet compartment. The bill would require that these standards be in addition to wheelchair accessible toilet compartment standards. The bill would also require the Division of the State Architect to consider additional changes to ambulatory accessible toilet compartment standards to improve accessibility.
(1) Existing law prohibits a pupil from being suspended from school or recommended for expulsion, unless the superintendent of the school district or the principal of the school in which the pupil is enrolled determines that the pupil has committed an act from a list of specified acts. Existing law authorizes suspension or expulsion for one of those acts if the act is related to a school activity or school attendance occurring at any time, including while going to and coming from school. This bill, until January 1, 2028, would limit the above-described authorization for suspension or recommendation for expulsion for certain acts that occur outside of school hours by providing that when engaged in outside of the campus, the act is sufficiently severe or pervasive to have the actual and reasonably expected effect of creating an intimidating or hostile educational environment. The bill, until January 1, 2028, would prohibit a pupil from being suspended or expelled for an act that occurs outside of school hours unless other means of correction fail to bring about proper conduct, as provided. (2) Existing law also authorizes suspension or recommendation for expulsion if the superintendent or the principal of the school determines that a pupil enrolled in any of grades 4 to 12, inclusive, has committed sexual harassment, as defined; a pupil enrolled in any of grades 4 to 12, inclusive, has caused, attempted to cause, threatened to cause, or participated in an act of, hate violence, as defined; a pupil enrolled in any of grades 4 to 12, inclusive, has intentionally engaged in harassment, threats, or intimidation, directed against school district personnel or pupils, that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to have the actual and reasonably expected effect of materially disrupting classwork, creating substantial disorder, and invading the rights of either school personnel or pupils by creating an intimidating or hostile educational environment; or a pupil, of any grade, has made terroristic threats against school officials or school property, or both. This bill, until January 1, 2028, would authorize suspension or recommendation for expulsion if the above-described acts occur during or outside of school hours, provided that, when engaged in outside of the campus, the act is sufficiently severe or pervasive to have the actual and reasonably expected effect of materially disrupting classwork, creating substantial disorder, or creating an intimidating or hostile educational environment. (3) Existing law encourages, for a pupil who has been suspended, or for whom other means of correction have been implemented, for an incident of racist bullying, harassment, or intimidation, local educational agencies to have both the victim and perpetrator engage in a restorative justice practice that is found to suit the needs of both the victim and the perpetrator. This bill, until January 1, 2028, would specify that an incident of racist bullying, harassment, or intimidation may occur during or outside of school hours provided that the above-described conditions are met. (4) Existing law requires, for purposes of notification to parents, and for the reporting of expulsion or suspension offenses to the State Department of Education, each school district to specifically identify, by offense committed, in all appropriate official records of a pupil each suspension or expulsion of that pupil for the commission of specified offenses, including the above-described acts. This bill, until January 1, 2028, for the reporting of expulsion or suspension offenses to the department, would require the school district to indicate whether the expulsion or suspension was imposed for any of the above-described acts engaged in outside of the campus, as provided. To the extent the bill would impose new duties on school districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (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.
